Short Story: Savior
Was it the blacktop road that made the night seem so dark or was it just her mood? Maybe it was the fact that she had been driving for hours and she was getting tired. Christine didn’t know which, but she did know that the further she drove away from her hometown, the darker her mood became. She didn’t want to move, but her employer hadn’t given her a choice…or maybe he actually did. The choices were to transfer or find another job, but quitting was not an option Christine could afford, so she boxed up her life and left her family and friends behind.
Christine looked at the clock on her dash for the thousandth time and sighed impatiently. “Three hours to go,” she mumbled to herself. Tired of listening to the same CD for the last few hours she switched the CD player to radio, but static was all she heard coming out of the speakers. Her favorite radio station was gone. She knew it wouldn’t reach this far out. It was just another reminder of all that was familiar to her was being left behind, and she couldn’t help the resentment that festered inside her heart. Christine told herself that it could have been worse because most of her coworkers had been laid off when the company closed the branch in her hometown. No…she was one of the lucky ones to still have her job.
She pushed the seek button on her car radio so she could find some music to help sooth her sour mood. Half watching the road and half watching the numbers scrolling through their search for a new radio station, Christine did not see the large carcass of mangled deer flesh that lay in the middle of the deserted highway. She glanced up to see the bloody mass to late, as she held her breath and slammed on the breaks. A split decision to jerk the wheel came from the sudden awareness that she was not going to stop before hitting the poor dead creature. The car veered to the right and slammed into a broken guard rail that sent it flipping in the air. For a brief second, Christine knew what was happening, but when her head shattered the side window, she knew no more. Her car came to rest on its top with all four wheels still spinning.
A rolling accumulation of odorless smoke billowed all around her as she sat up realizing she was on the ground. Her first reaction was to check herself for injury and she was amazed when she didn’t find a scratch or even a drop of blood. Christine stood up without any trouble and dusted herself off. “Wow! Amazing that nothing happened to me.” She said.
The area was blanketed with the darkness of night and as she looked around she couldn’t see anything in the black surroundings, not even her car. Christine was scared of being stranded in the middle of nowhere. She was determined to get back to her car or at least the road so she could get help. Wandering through the darkness, she began to think back to when she last saw a car on the road. It must have been almost an hour ago, but she was still unwavering in her pursuit to find her way out of this mess. She wasn’t even sure if she was walking in the right direction, but what else could she do?
Off in the distance she saw a small white glow. Not sure if it was a street light or possibly the headlights from her car, she began to walk towards the far-off brightness. In the opaque darkness, the light was like a symbol of hope…her way home. As Christine became closer to the light, she realized that it looked like a flashlight held by someone walking towards her. Relief flooded over her as she thought someone must have seen her crash and they were now here to help her.
Christine called out to the unknown person, “Hello! Can you please help me?”
A faint female voice answer back, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine! Thank you for stopping to help me!” She happily called out to the voice. Christine also prayed silently to God, thanking him for keeping her from injury and for sending her a savior to help her.
Closer to the light, Christine could see the faint outline of the woman. Her long blond hair hung past her waist and was almost white. The flashlight made it to shimmer in the darkness faintly reflecting the light all around as if she wore a halo. The lovely woman was very slender and so tall that she towered over Christine, and to her this woman was the most beautiful sight in the world. The space between the two young women closed in, and Christine could see the relief in the woman’s eyes as she assessed Christine’s physical wellbeing. They stopped, face to face, and the woman smiled.
“I am glad to see you are okay. My name is Angela. Come on, the road is this way.” Her voice was soft and high pitched like a soft flute. Obediently, Christine walked next to Angela. They walked without speaking for a few seconds, and the silence between felt as heavy as the darkness.
“I don’t think your car is drivable.” Angela’s songlike voice broke through the quietness.
Christine was disappointed to hear that news. Considering she was fine and walking, she considered herself very lucky. “It’s replaceable,” was all Christine said.
Angela seemed determined to carry on their conversation as they walked. Maybe she was just trying to assess Christine’s mental awareness, to make sure there was no unseen head injury. “Your moving to a new place.”
Christine looked at her without answering, wondering how she knew.
Angela quickly explained, “Your boxes are scattered about with stuff that seemed like your personal belongings.”
“Yes, your right. My work transferred me, unfortunately.” Christine sadly responded.
“Really? Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I think you will like the move. You’re going to a nice place to live with nice people too. You did the right thing, moving and all.” Angela sounded so sure of her statement, but Christine felt sure she was just trying to cheer her up. Suddenly, Angela stopped & looked at Christine. “Change is often scary, but it’s necessary if you are to grow as a person. Christine, you will be fine and someday you will look back and wonder why you didn’t go sooner.”
Christine stood looking at Angela through the heavy tears that filled her eyes. She wiped the tears away before they rolled down her cheeks, then turned and started walking again. Christine’s voice was low and harsh, “Well, I’m glad someone thinks so.”
Angela put her hand on Christine’s back, trying to comfort her, as they began walking again. This time Angela allowed Christine her silence as they quietly walked together for several minutes. Christine concentrated on the darkness ahead, trying to discern how far up ahead the road was. The only thing she could see was never ending blanket of night and she was beginning to doubt they were going in the right direction.
Suddenly Angela stopped. Christine turned back to her, “Why are you stopping? Are we lost?”
“No Christine, you are not lost, but you must go on without me now.” Angela said in a calm voice as she tenderly touched Christine’s cheek.
“Why?” Christine asked. Angela just smiled at her. Then something dawned on Christine, “How did you know my name?”
“Christine, please don’t worry about anything, you are doing just fine. You worry about moving away, but it will be okay. You made the right decision…you are on the right path. Please know that I am here keeping you safe, always.” Her soft tone sounded like music, as if she were singing the words to soothe Christine’s racing heart.
Christine opened her mouth to say something when suddenly she began to hear sirens off in the distance. They were a faint sound at first, but quickly they became louder and intrusive into the silent night. Christine looked around and it confused her to hear but not see what was making the noise. Her fear was mounting into almost a panic. She thought, ‘What is going on?’ Her head whipped around scanning the darkness still looking for the road. She turned back to Angela with fear in her eyes.
Angela stood there still smiling peacefully at her as she again put her hand on Christine’s cheek. “I need you to wake up now, help is here. Wake up, Christine. It will be alright…you’ll see.” Her voice faded away into just a tinkling sound of crystals. She dropped her hand from Christine’s cheek and stepped back. Christine watched Angela fade into a white hazy cloud and she swore she saw a pair of white feathery wings open as if to take flight just before she disappeared in the mist.
Christine stood alone in the darkness again. This time however she was acutely aware of the loud sounds all around her. She tried to put her hands over her ears to block out the offending noise of sirens and people shouting, but she suddenly realized that her arms were pinned to her side and pain shot through her body when she tried to move. Along with the intrusive sounds also came the pungent odor of gasoline and blood. She shut her eyes tightly, to block out the chaos, then began to cry. The fear rose inside her as she began to sob uncontrollably. She silently prayed to God to make it all go away.
Christine heard another voice, male this time, “You are going to be okay. You’ve been in an accident and you are injured, so please don’t try to move.”
Christine’s eyes shot open. Through her blurry vision she saw bright lights and several people standing over her. Sitting next to her, on the ground, was a handsome man holding her still. Through the excruciating pain of her injuries, Christine could feel his warmth keeping her safe from the cold that threatened to take over her. She was lying on the ground; something soft under her head, while next to her was her overturned car. Scattered around her were her belongings, her stuff she had brought with her in the move. Her world seemed to be strewn about, but she was still alive.
She tried to sit up but the man sitting next to her put his hand on her shoulder, “Please don’t move. The paramedics are almost here. They will help you.” He smiled down at her, trying to comfort her.
“Is it bad?” Christine said in a weak voice.
“It will be alright…you’ll see.” He replied softly.
Christine swore she heard the tinkling sound of crystal in his gentle voice; her guardian angel was still there.
Christine looked at the clock on her dash for the thousandth time and sighed impatiently. “Three hours to go,” she mumbled to herself. Tired of listening to the same CD for the last few hours she switched the CD player to radio, but static was all she heard coming out of the speakers. Her favorite radio station was gone. She knew it wouldn’t reach this far out. It was just another reminder of all that was familiar to her was being left behind, and she couldn’t help the resentment that festered inside her heart. Christine told herself that it could have been worse because most of her coworkers had been laid off when the company closed the branch in her hometown. No…she was one of the lucky ones to still have her job.
She pushed the seek button on her car radio so she could find some music to help sooth her sour mood. Half watching the road and half watching the numbers scrolling through their search for a new radio station, Christine did not see the large carcass of mangled deer flesh that lay in the middle of the deserted highway. She glanced up to see the bloody mass to late, as she held her breath and slammed on the breaks. A split decision to jerk the wheel came from the sudden awareness that she was not going to stop before hitting the poor dead creature. The car veered to the right and slammed into a broken guard rail that sent it flipping in the air. For a brief second, Christine knew what was happening, but when her head shattered the side window, she knew no more. Her car came to rest on its top with all four wheels still spinning.
A rolling accumulation of odorless smoke billowed all around her as she sat up realizing she was on the ground. Her first reaction was to check herself for injury and she was amazed when she didn’t find a scratch or even a drop of blood. Christine stood up without any trouble and dusted herself off. “Wow! Amazing that nothing happened to me.” She said.
The area was blanketed with the darkness of night and as she looked around she couldn’t see anything in the black surroundings, not even her car. Christine was scared of being stranded in the middle of nowhere. She was determined to get back to her car or at least the road so she could get help. Wandering through the darkness, she began to think back to when she last saw a car on the road. It must have been almost an hour ago, but she was still unwavering in her pursuit to find her way out of this mess. She wasn’t even sure if she was walking in the right direction, but what else could she do?
Off in the distance she saw a small white glow. Not sure if it was a street light or possibly the headlights from her car, she began to walk towards the far-off brightness. In the opaque darkness, the light was like a symbol of hope…her way home. As Christine became closer to the light, she realized that it looked like a flashlight held by someone walking towards her. Relief flooded over her as she thought someone must have seen her crash and they were now here to help her.
Christine called out to the unknown person, “Hello! Can you please help me?”
A faint female voice answer back, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine! Thank you for stopping to help me!” She happily called out to the voice. Christine also prayed silently to God, thanking him for keeping her from injury and for sending her a savior to help her.
Closer to the light, Christine could see the faint outline of the woman. Her long blond hair hung past her waist and was almost white. The flashlight made it to shimmer in the darkness faintly reflecting the light all around as if she wore a halo. The lovely woman was very slender and so tall that she towered over Christine, and to her this woman was the most beautiful sight in the world. The space between the two young women closed in, and Christine could see the relief in the woman’s eyes as she assessed Christine’s physical wellbeing. They stopped, face to face, and the woman smiled.
“I am glad to see you are okay. My name is Angela. Come on, the road is this way.” Her voice was soft and high pitched like a soft flute. Obediently, Christine walked next to Angela. They walked without speaking for a few seconds, and the silence between felt as heavy as the darkness.
“I don’t think your car is drivable.” Angela’s songlike voice broke through the quietness.
Christine was disappointed to hear that news. Considering she was fine and walking, she considered herself very lucky. “It’s replaceable,” was all Christine said.
Angela seemed determined to carry on their conversation as they walked. Maybe she was just trying to assess Christine’s mental awareness, to make sure there was no unseen head injury. “Your moving to a new place.”
Christine looked at her without answering, wondering how she knew.
Angela quickly explained, “Your boxes are scattered about with stuff that seemed like your personal belongings.”
“Yes, your right. My work transferred me, unfortunately.” Christine sadly responded.
“Really? Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I think you will like the move. You’re going to a nice place to live with nice people too. You did the right thing, moving and all.” Angela sounded so sure of her statement, but Christine felt sure she was just trying to cheer her up. Suddenly, Angela stopped & looked at Christine. “Change is often scary, but it’s necessary if you are to grow as a person. Christine, you will be fine and someday you will look back and wonder why you didn’t go sooner.”
Christine stood looking at Angela through the heavy tears that filled her eyes. She wiped the tears away before they rolled down her cheeks, then turned and started walking again. Christine’s voice was low and harsh, “Well, I’m glad someone thinks so.”
Angela put her hand on Christine’s back, trying to comfort her, as they began walking again. This time Angela allowed Christine her silence as they quietly walked together for several minutes. Christine concentrated on the darkness ahead, trying to discern how far up ahead the road was. The only thing she could see was never ending blanket of night and she was beginning to doubt they were going in the right direction.
Suddenly Angela stopped. Christine turned back to her, “Why are you stopping? Are we lost?”
“No Christine, you are not lost, but you must go on without me now.” Angela said in a calm voice as she tenderly touched Christine’s cheek.
“Why?” Christine asked. Angela just smiled at her. Then something dawned on Christine, “How did you know my name?”
“Christine, please don’t worry about anything, you are doing just fine. You worry about moving away, but it will be okay. You made the right decision…you are on the right path. Please know that I am here keeping you safe, always.” Her soft tone sounded like music, as if she were singing the words to soothe Christine’s racing heart.
Christine opened her mouth to say something when suddenly she began to hear sirens off in the distance. They were a faint sound at first, but quickly they became louder and intrusive into the silent night. Christine looked around and it confused her to hear but not see what was making the noise. Her fear was mounting into almost a panic. She thought, ‘What is going on?’ Her head whipped around scanning the darkness still looking for the road. She turned back to Angela with fear in her eyes.
Angela stood there still smiling peacefully at her as she again put her hand on Christine’s cheek. “I need you to wake up now, help is here. Wake up, Christine. It will be alright…you’ll see.” Her voice faded away into just a tinkling sound of crystals. She dropped her hand from Christine’s cheek and stepped back. Christine watched Angela fade into a white hazy cloud and she swore she saw a pair of white feathery wings open as if to take flight just before she disappeared in the mist.
Christine stood alone in the darkness again. This time however she was acutely aware of the loud sounds all around her. She tried to put her hands over her ears to block out the offending noise of sirens and people shouting, but she suddenly realized that her arms were pinned to her side and pain shot through her body when she tried to move. Along with the intrusive sounds also came the pungent odor of gasoline and blood. She shut her eyes tightly, to block out the chaos, then began to cry. The fear rose inside her as she began to sob uncontrollably. She silently prayed to God to make it all go away.
Christine heard another voice, male this time, “You are going to be okay. You’ve been in an accident and you are injured, so please don’t try to move.”
Christine’s eyes shot open. Through her blurry vision she saw bright lights and several people standing over her. Sitting next to her, on the ground, was a handsome man holding her still. Through the excruciating pain of her injuries, Christine could feel his warmth keeping her safe from the cold that threatened to take over her. She was lying on the ground; something soft under her head, while next to her was her overturned car. Scattered around her were her belongings, her stuff she had brought with her in the move. Her world seemed to be strewn about, but she was still alive.
She tried to sit up but the man sitting next to her put his hand on her shoulder, “Please don’t move. The paramedics are almost here. They will help you.” He smiled down at her, trying to comfort her.
“Is it bad?” Christine said in a weak voice.
“It will be alright…you’ll see.” He replied softly.
Christine swore she heard the tinkling sound of crystal in his gentle voice; her guardian angel was still there.
Comments
Very, very good!!!