Winter Vacation

Staring out of the windshield of her Jeep, Madison couldn’t believe that she was stuck. Living in Florida, she had no idea what she should do. She sat, glad that the heater hadn’t given out. She was miles away from a town, according to her GPS. She had grown to rely on it to travel through the southeast for the last four years now. Having been promoted to district manager of one of the largest booksellers left, she had traveled to places that she’d never known. It never occurred to her that following its directions could leave her in such a fragile state.

This was the first vacation she’d had since then. She thought that driving to Maine to see snow for Christmas would be the most exciting trip of her life. And she guessed that it was! But, now it seemed as if it might be her last. She looked backward, down the road she’d just traveled, and saw nothing but white. She never knew the color white could scare her so badly.

Behind her, around the bend, she saw what looked like steam rising from the road. Thinking it must be a vehicle, she got out of the car and trudged back up. Luckily, she made it, just as it neared her. She raised her hand in the universal code for “stop” and prayed that he would. As he opened the door, she saw the scariest man she’d ever seen. Get in the truck or freeze to death… neither appealed to her now. She took his hand and climbed into the truck. As she did, a farmer having seen her slide, got to her Jeep. He watched her get into the truck. He saw her hesitate, and a horrible feeling engulfed him. No one ever saw her again.