Chapter One: Meeting Them

Chapter 1: Meeting Them

Before, I was smart. At least, that’s what I was told. It was always considered a fact amongst my family that I would be one of the first to graduate from college. From the moment I entered school, my objective was simple: earn the highest grades possible. If I did that I would be guaranteed entry into a good college.

  Around my junior year, I decided I wanted to put my smarts to good use. I began to doubt college would be my next step. I plotted to leave town the moment of my graduation to find my purpose. I bought a van and put all my possessions that I could into a suitcase. I left my graduation ceremony avoiding family, friends and well-wishers who might try and convince me to stay. I figured that whatever waited for me out there was better than what college offered. Stupid me, I should have gone to college. I could have been a doctor, a lawyer anything I wanted....and I chose to ignore that. 

Enough of my regrets, on with the story. For a while, life in the van suited me. For months I roamed the country, discovering sides of humanity I’d never seen before. Some sides were pretty, others were less so, but all were eye-opening. 

Then one day my van got a flat tire. In the middle of nowhere. I mean, back country, one lane gravel road, weeds waist high on both sides, paddle faster, middle of nowhere. And my tire was completely out of air. I was close to flat broke, with no phone. All I could do was pray that some farmer would come down the road soon. I curled up on the front seat and slept. I was awakened by a knock on my window. A man grinned ( it was almost a leer, looking back on it) down at me. I got out and explained my dilemma to him.  He offered to change the tire for me. Of course, I didn’t have a spare so he suggested I use the phone at his house. Grateful for the opportunity he presented and given the fact that he seemed decent and reasonably sane, I nodded and thanked him. I had no idea what I was getting into.

After a short ride, his wife met us at the door and asked if I would like a drink. I noticed her slightly sad smile when she asked. I shivered a bit and sniffed the air, noticing the whiffs of somewhat putrid air that escaped the house. I declined and asked where the phone was. Stepping into the house, it was hard not to notice the lack of family portraits on the walls. Back home, every wall had a picture of some family member on it. Some walls were like looking through photo albums. I pretended to make a call and volunteered to walk back to my van. The woman, her voice high and thin, asked me to stay for dinner. The man in his gruff tones, agreed that I should stay until the tow truck came, as it would probably be more than an hour from the nearest town.

I flushed a bright red, thinking of my imaginary call. I introduced myself and asked who they were. Let’s pretend their names were Emma and Jack. Once engaged in conversation I discovered Jack to be more talkative. He seemed more at ease and less strung out than Emma. She barely spoke, only staring at me with a sort of frightening intensity.I learned that they had had a child a long time ago, but she had drowned in a nearby river at the age of ten. Emma pointed out that she would be almost my age now, if she had lived. I couldn't help but shiver.

  Throughout the course of our conversation he wheedled out of me the following facts: the fact that the van was my home and I had no money for a tow. After a brief discussion between themselves they returned to the room. They offered to let me stay as long as I needed. Of course, I thought they were nice people, maybe just a bit lonely without grown children of their own, so I accepted. Stupid me.

Reviews

[MoriartyMesa]

I like how this could turn to anything and everything, will it be a horror show or something in a tragic something as a deep as loss. I hope to see more.