Vacation - Granniemose Birthday Bash Write-Off
Oct 19 '02
The Bottom Line Happy Birthday Granniemose. =)
When I first heard about the write off Artbyjude was hosting for her mother’s birthday - Granniemose - I wanted to participate. I just had to figure out what to submit for the write off. I had thought about writing a review of a movie that Virginia liked, and Jude was kind enough to give me a few suggestions. Unfortunately my local rental places have a limited selection, especially of older movies, and I couldn’t find the movies I was looking for. I did end up forgetting some of the titles, but they didn’t have the ones I remembered. So I was thinking again. Then I remembered this short story I had written for my creative writing class a few years ago and started to think about posting it. I’ve written short stories before, but I’ve never posted any of them on Epinions before. I decided that the write off celebrating Virginia’s birthday was a good reason for me to finally post something like this. I also think this story fits in good with this time of year.
**Disclaimer - Everything in this is fiction, created with my warped imagination. I have never driven cross country to visit a friend. I’ve never been to Montana, and I have no friends living there. Nothing in this has ever happened to me.
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Vacation
It was a bright and sunny day. Fields of lush emerald green grass lay on both sides of the deserted dirt road. Bunches of wild flowers dotted the landscape. The grass and flowers waved gently in the breeze. Houses were few and far between. Occasionally an animal appeared next to the road. Snow capped mountains were visible far off in the distance.
I was going to visit Karen, my best friend and roommate from college. She had moved to Montana after graduation. She got a job as a teacher in a small town, Jackson Gulch. She loved it there and had been pestering me to come and visit her for months. I had two weeks off before I had to start my new job, so off I went. I decided to drive, from Pennsylvania, instead of fly. I don’t know what I was thinking when I made that decision. I could’ve been there two days ago - Jackson Gulch is only thirty minutes from Billings and the airport - but no I decided to drive. I wanted to see the country. I think I was insane when I made that decision. I didn’t even know how many times I had been lost. In fact I didn’t even know where I was.
I had been driving for several hours when I got off the interstate to get gas. I had to drive several miles to find a gas station. While I was there I also bought a few snacks. Before I left the gas station I checked my map to make sure I was going the right way. I was staring at it for five minutes, trying to figure out where I was before I realized I had the stupid thing upside down. Map reading is not my strong suit. Two minutes later, I was back on the road. Unfortunately, I turned the wrong way and never made it back to the interstate.
So there I was, driving along some deserted dirt road in the middle of nowhere with no clue about where I was. I didn’t even know how I ended up on that road. I was driving across the country when I had absolutely no sense of direction and I couldn’t read a map. Why didn’t I listen to Karen and fly? Why didn’t anyone stop me? Oh well. It was too late to worry about that. At least I was getting to see some beautiful scenery. I did wish there were more houses around on that road though. Hopefully my car wouldn’t break down. I wasn’t really worried about that because the car had a tune up before I left home. I shouldn’t have any problems. Unless, of course, some deranged wild animal attacked my car.
I had been driving for all most two hours when I saw the first signs of civilization. I saw several large buildings in the distance. The grass started to thin out and turn brown. As I got closer to the buildings, I slowed my car until it stopped. An old weathered sign with several bullet holes stood next to the right side of the road. The sign said that the name of the town was Rocky Flats and it was established in 1870. I remember Karen saying she had gotten lost and found a town named Rocky Flats right after she moved. It seems that I had managed to find the same town. If I remembered right, she said the town was only about a two hour drive from Jackson Gulch on a deserted dirt road. Thank goodness. All I had to do was stay on that road, and I would be in Jackson Gulch in about two hours.
I slowly drove further into the town. I drove about twenty feet past the sign, stopped the car and slid the gearshift into park. The town wasn’t very big. There were five buildings on each side of the road. All the windows and doors on the buildings were boarded up. There was no sign of life anywhere. I shut off the car and stepped out. The wind picked up, blowing my hair into my eyes. I tucked several strands behind both ears and saw tumbleweed roll down the street. I had never seen tumbleweed before. I hadn’t seen a ghost town before either. I decided to take some pictures while I was there. It gave me a chance to stretch my legs before continuing on my trip.
I walked around taking pictures for about twenty-five minutes. I had just snapped a picture of the saloon when the wind picked up, whipping my hair around my head. Dust and leaves were swirling all around me. I looked up and saw dark clouds rolling across the sky. Thunder rumbled and in the distance I saw lightening flash. I ran back to my car, getting in as the first raindrop fell.
I started the car, buckled my seatbelt, turned on the windshield wipers and started to drive slowly forward. All most immediately, it started raining harder. By the time I reached the end of the town, the rain was coming down much harder. The wipers were on high and I was only going ten miles an hour, but I could hardly see the road. I thought about stopping and waiting for it to let up, but a loud crack of thunder changed my mind. It sounded like a gunshot and was so close that my car shook and it felt like my teeth were vibrating. I slammed on my brakes and looked in my rearview mirror. I saw a tree on fire. Since there was nothing I could do to stop it, I kept driving. After about five minutes the rain began to let up. It was much easier for me to see, but I still drove at the same speed. I wasn’t taking any chances. Thunder continued to boom. The rain let up more and I saw that the road was once again surrounded by vibrant green fields. The rain stopped completely and I turned off the wipers. I continued to drive and after about fifteen minutes I saw ahead that the road disappeared into a forest. It took me another ten minutes to reach the edge of the forest where I stopped my car. Even though it had stopped raining and was much lighter out, the forest looked dark and spooky. I hesitated for a minute thinking that maybe I shouldn’t drive in there, but then I remembered Karen saying she drove through a forest on her way home from the ghost town. I decided to go on. I knew there was nothing behind me, but according to Karen, Jackson Gulch was on the other side of the forest. She said that she even passed a few houses along the way. I turned on my headlights and slowly drove into the forest.
Darkness settled my car as I drove. I looked up and saw that the tree tops were blocking what little natural light there was. The two beams of my headlights were the only source of light. It seemed like they were acting as a homing beacon for every bug within a fifty mile radius. Within minutes my windshield was covered with squished bugs. I could hear the wind howling outside my car. Gravel crunched under the tires. I glanced in my rearview mirror and could no longer see where the forest ended. I saw animal eyes glowing in the darkness behind me.
Suddenly, some kind of animal ran in front of my car. I jerked the steering wheel to the right to avoid hitting whatever it was. That was the wrong thing to do. I lost control of the car. It spun around completely several times. I heard something that sounded like a screech and realized that I was screaming. Like that would do any good. The car quit spinning, but then it went into a skid, and ran off the road, slamming into a ditch. The airbag went off and I cracked my head on the window of my door causing a blinding pain. The impact caused me to quit screaming. I turned the engine off and then just sat there with my eyes closed and my hands gripping the steering wheel for several minutes, trying to calm myself.
After a few minutes, the pounding in my head lessened to a dull throb. I opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was that my car was sitting at a downward angle with the trunk up in the air. The windshield had a cobweb like pattern of cracks in it. The hood was crumpled and steam was seeping out around the edges. The airbag had deflated and was laying limply against the steering wheel. I put my head in my hands and felt something wet under the fingers of my left hand. I lowered my hand and saw that my fingertips were covered in blood. Wonderful. Just wonderful. This day just kept getting better. I dropped my head back against the headrest of my seat. Why didn’t I fly? Why?
I sat like that for several minutes before I remembered that I had a first aid kit in the backseat. I unfastened my seatbelt and dug around the stuff in the backseat until I found it. Thank goodness I had brought it. I was able to use the mirror on my visor to clean the cut and bandage it. It was on the side of my face just below my left eye. Thankfully it was very small and not very deep. At least I didn’t have to worry about getting an infection in it now. With the luck I was having, I probably would’ve gotten gangrene. That would’ve put a damper on my vacation.
I sat in the car for several minutes trying to decide what to do. I obviously couldn’t drive the rest of the way. I could stay in the car and hope that help would come along or I could start walking and try to get to one of the houses that Karen said she saw. What to do? I heard strange noises all around the car. I really didn’t want to sleep out there in my car in the middle of a forest full of animals. I looked at my watch and saw that it was getting late. I sat drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, thinking. I decided that I would walk for help. If I hadn’t found help in an hour then I would turn back and spend the night in my car. I searched for the flashlight I brought with me, finally finding it under the passenger seat. I pulled on my jacket, slid my car keys into my pocket, picked up the flashlight and opened the door.
When I sat my left foot on the ground, it sunk in about half an inch of mud. How lovely. I lifted my foot and with a sucking noise, after all most pulling my foot out of my shoe, I got it out of the mud. I sat my foot back down and stood up, which caused my foot to sink further into the mud. I took a step, to move away from the car so I could close the door, and my right foot slid out from under me. My head banged against the door, causing the pounding to increase. I managed to catch myself on the door before I landed in the mud. Holding on to the door I slowly stood up. I double checked my pockets to make sure I had my keys before locking and shutting the door. Wait a minute. What was I doing? Who did I think was going to break into my car out there? Bambi? The big bad wolf? I shook my head as I started to climb out of the ditch. That was just more proof that I had lost my mind.
It took me almost ten minutes to climb out of the ditch. With every step, my feet seemed to sink deeper into the mud. It’s a wonder I made it out of there with my shoes. As I climbed, I could feel mud slowly seeping into my shoes. When I finally reached the road, my shoes were completely covered in mud. There was some grass along the side of the road and I wiped my feet in it trying to get rid of the mud. I was able to wipe most of it off. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything about the mud that had gotten into my shoes. Oh well. It could’ve been worse.
I turned on my flashlight and started walking along the side of the road. I wasn’t going to take any chances on some other driver hitting me. With every step I took, I felt the mud squish between my toes. The road started to get narrower and there were several tree limbs over it. As I walked further into the forest, I heard wolves howling in the distance. I started walking faster. A few minutes later, I heard what sounded like two wolves fighting. They sounded very close. I turned around, but I couldn’t see my car anymore. It had gotten much darker. I heard thunder rumble. It must have started storming again, but the trees were so dense and thick that I didn’t feel any rain. That was fine with me. I really didn’t want to walk through the rain. I turned back around and continued walking, hoping that I would be able to find one of those houses Karen had talked about. Then I could call Karen and she could come get me. I’d worry about my car tomorrow. It wasn’t going anywhere.
Ahead of me, the forest was dark and murky with fog lying across the narrow road. I came to a place where several trees were across the road that I had to climb over. I would have had to get out and walk even if I hadn’t wrecked my car. I had just climbed over the last tree when I heard a strange noise above me and I raised my head. I saw something fly over me. It was a bat. Three more followed. Then I heard what sounded like a wolf growl somewhere off to my left. I didn’t look. I just started walking again. I wanted to get as far away from there as I could. It kept getting darker around me. I heard wolves fighting and growling all around me. The beam of my flashlight started getting dimmer. That was not good. Why hadn’t I stayed in the car? Or better yet, why hadn’t I turned around when I realized that I had gone the wrong way? If I had, I would be safe and sound on the interstate instead of lost in a forest full of wolves. I was now convinced that I had lost my mind. What other possible reason could there be for the things I had done?
I rounded a curve in the road and saw the faint outline of a huge house in the distance. I saw a light of some kind coming from some of the windows. Good. Someone was home. I would call Karen and get help. I started walking faster. I rounded another curve and I no longer saw the outline of the house. I just saw glimpses of the rook peaking through the trees. The wolves sounded like they were closer. A few minutes later my flashlight flickered a few times and went out. I was completely surrounded in darkness. Oh goody. Wasn’t it bad enough that I had to walk through a forest full of wolves with mud squishing between my toes with every step? Evidently not. Now I was walking through a forest full of wolves with mud squishing between my toes and no flashlight. Could this day get any worse? If I survived this trip, I would never leave my house again. I just stood where I was. After a few minutes, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I was able to make out the outline of trees around me. I started walking again, determined to reach that house if it was the last thing I did. I was able to see much better by then. I stopped in my tracks when I heard thrashing in the woods next to the road. About fifteen feet in front of me, two wolves ran out of the forest, one chasing the other. They stopped in the middle of the road and started fighting. I held perfectly still, hoping that if I didn’t move, then they wouldn’t see me. I don’t know how long I stood there watching them rip each other to shreds. I could hear other wolves howling and coming closer. They were being drawn by the cries of the two that were fighting. After several minutes, one of them collapsed on the ground. I think it was dead. The other one stood there for a minute before it fell over. It lay on the road bleeding. I decided to try and get past them before the other wolves arrived. I started inching over to the very edge of the road, careful not to make any noise. Another wolf jumped out of the woods as I stepped on a branch, which snapped and broke. The wolf’s ears perked up and he turned his head. It looked like it was looking right at me. I froze, trying to decide what to do. Running would be a wasted effort. Maybe I could hit it with my flashlight. I quickly discarded that idea. My flashlight was small and made of plastic. It wouldn’t do any good. The wolf started to move. I closed my eyes so that I wouldn’t see it come at me. When nothing happened, I slowly opened one eye to see what was happening. The wolf wasn’t where I had last seen him. I slowly turned my head to look behind me. He had walked past me and was standing in the middle of the road with his head tipped to one side. Suddenly, he let out a loud howl and charged back into the forest. He hadn’t seen me! I forced myself to start walking again, faster than before so I could get away before anymore wolves showed up. I quickly walked around another bend in the road. I looked behind me and could no longer see the two wolves in the middle of the road. I slowed down my pace some so that I wouldn’t trip and fall. I didn’t want to break any bones.
I was now able to see a high iron fence that surrounded the property that the house sat on. I could only see the peaks of the roof above the trees. A few minutes later, I reached the gate to the fence, but I still couldn’t see the actual house because of all the trees. The gate sat off to the right. The road continued on past the gate, heading deeper into the forest. There was a narrow gravel path leading from the gate in the direction of the roof I had seen through the trees. The gate was rusted and refused to move at first. I had to struggle with it for several minutes before I was able to move it. When I pushed the gate open, a high pitched screech came from the hinges that made me cringe. It sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard. The condition of the gate made me doubt that anyone was in the house, but I had come to far to turn back. I walked through the gate and let go of it. The gate slowly swung shut behind me with another screech and a loud clatter.
I started walking up the path. It twisted through the woods before it led to a clearing. I was able to see the house clearly for the first time. It was a huge mansion that looked as if a breeze would blow it over. It reminded me of the Psycho mansion, only it was bigger. Moss and some kind of vines covered almost the whole house. Candles were burning in many of the windows. That was the light I had seen. The sight of the house scarred me so much that was thought about turning around without going to the door. I could keep looking for another house. While I stood there, trying to decided what to do, it started to rain again. That made my decision for me. I mustered up my courage and walked to the house. The wooden porch steps looked so rickety that I wasn’t sure that they would hold me. I grasped the rail with my right hand and tentatively set my right foot on the bottom step. It creaked but held. I slowly climbed the next two steps. The porch was just as bad. There were a few huge holes on the porch and I was careful to avoid them. I stopped in front of the door. Before knocking, I gathered my hair into my hands and twisted it, wringing the water out. I didn’t want to drip on their floor.
I stood staring at the door for a minute before I took a deep breath, raised my hand and knocked. I could hear the sound echoing inside the house. While I waited for the door to open, I heard strange sounds emanating from inside the house. I had decided that no one was home and had turned to leave when I heard the door open, the hinges creaking sinisterly. I turned around and screamed when I saw the creature in the black cloak holding a candle in one bony hand. I noticed that it had long, stringy white hair, glowing red eyes, and huge fangs before I turned and started to run back to the forest. I decided to take my chances with the wolves. I heard a noise behind me and turned my head to look over my shoulder. The creature was following me! I let out a shriek and ran faster. I heard the wolves howl. They were coming closer, alerted by my screams. I could hear the creature behind me, drawing nearer. I knew that the end was near. I felt the creature’s bony hand close over my shoulder. I looked back, screamed, and . . . .
Suddenly, I was sitting up, screaming in my own bed covered in sweat. I looked around the room in confusion for a minute before I realized that it had only been a dream. Thank goodness. I was so relieved. Why had I stayed up half the night watching those stupid horror movies? I ran my hands through my hair and looked at my clock. It was 10:00 in the morning. I needed to get up and start packing for my trip to Montana. I was going to leave in two days. I still had several things to do before I left. In fact, I had to take my car in for a tune up later at 3:00. I started to get up, but stopped. I sat there for a minute thinking. Did I really want to drive to Montana? After another minute I picked up my phone and dialed a number. After two rings it was answered.
“Henderson Travel. This is Joan. How may I help you?”
“I would like to book a round trip flight to Montana.”
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This is an entry in the write off to celebrate the 80th birthday of Virginia, also known as Granniemose to many around Epinions. I have loved her reviews for just over a year now, and really wanted to take part in this write off when I found out about it.
This write off was organized by Virginia’s daughter and fellow Epinion memeber Artbyjude.
Check out the following link to see all the contributions to this write off.
http://www.geocities/grannimose/2002
Happy Birthday Virginia. =)
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