The first time
it was around 3 in the morning
I was driving fast down River Road
River Rd was dark, long and particularly winding
I was relishing driving without being slowed
by the normally heavy traffic, meandering
had the windows rolled down to feel the wind as it blowed
had the stereo on with Dio’s Rainbow in the Dark blaring
it was a perfect
out of nowhere there were two boys
in the middle of the road
I slammed down hard and fast on the brakes
my tires screeching
In a split second decision I jerked the wheel to the right and ran off the road
in the passenger’s seat my friend was crying and screaming
“What the hell happened? Why did you do that?”
“I had to or I would have hit them!”
shakily scrambling out of the car
“Hit who?”
“The boys…oh my gosh we have to make sure they are o.k.!”
“What boys?!”
The boys that were now nowhere to be seen…
I looked all around on both side of the street
There was no sign of them…it was as if they were never there.
I can still see them clearly walking, holding hands. A teenager and his baby brother.
“They were just in the middle of the road, it looked like a teenager and a little boy.”
“I didn’t see anybody! There is nobody here! Are you ok?”
“How could you not see them?
The older boy had on a bright orange poufy jacket…
that is what got my attention.”
“Then where are they?…there is no one around!“
“I don’t know…I don’t know”
“Why would anyone be wearing a coat? It’s 100 degrees out here!“
“I don’t know…I don’t know”
“You are crazy!”
“Just get back in the car and I’ll bring you home.”
“No way! I’ll drive the rest of the way.”
“Fine”
—
The next time I saw the brothers in the middle of River Road I just kept driving.
~Melanie Blackwell
