Close Encounter
Uploaded by pixi_stix on Feb 25, 2002
The air was beginning to cool, the day’s warmth a thing of the past. Stars shone from up above, and she was thankful for small favours. Their soft glow was comforting on the lonely country road she was travelling, which was nearly pitch dark now.
Fields of corn grew thick on either side of her. Dark shadows, as tall as herself, thick enough to conceal someone, sparse enough to move around in. She remembered childhood days spent playing hide and seek in the stalks. They were good hiding places. She shivered at the thought.
There were no streetlights. Not this far out of the way. And she still had plenty left to travel.
Anything could happen on these roads after dark. She laughed at herself. Anything could happen during the day on these roads. No one was around either time. Yet… she wished it was day.
A cool breeze passed, raising goose bumps on her bare arms.
Two cars speeded past her. Even people safe in their cars wanted out of there fast.
She wished her dad would pick her up when he said he would. Then she wouldn’t have to walk the ten kilometres home from a trip to civilization. Tons of parental concern there.
And then it happened. She heard what she had been dreading to hear: footsteps behind her.
Maybe she was just imaging it. That happened when you walked for hours on scary back roads. She strained to hear nothing, yet the sound continued. Whoever it was, they were shuffling along with exaggerated effort; the sound was unmistakable.
She quickened her pace, and tried to be quiet at the same time, hoping whoever it was, didn’t see her until she got around the next bend. Then she would just hide in the corn stalks until he was far ahead…
Yet the stranger had other plans. He quickened, more so than she, and she could hear the scraping sound of his shoes getting closer and closer. She practically ran around the bend, not caring now if he saw her or not.
The feeling of corn stalks as she dived into their seclusion hadn’t ever felt so good. Quickly crouching down and out of sight, she stopped and waited for the stranger to move on. She clutched her mouth, smothering the breath that came out in gasps. Minutes seemed like hours as she sat there in the cold, wondering if she would ever see the light of day...