The Walk Home

Georgia leaned on the smooth countertop. She stood up and then looked around the diner once more, noticing all of the empty booths. It had been another long, hard day at work. The clock on the microwave behind her blinked on and off with the same numbers, 12:00. The power had gone off earlier in the day and no one had gotten around to fixing it.1

A while before, the small diner had been cleared out and all of the people had gone home. She had stayed to finish cleaning and to lock up. It was another successful day for the Red Chicken Diner. She often wondered where such a strange name had come from. Customers question her about what the name meant, but she couldn’t respond because even she didn’t know.2

She sighed and sat down at the bar-like counter. She knew she should have probably gone straight home, but a little rest couldn’t hurt her. She leaned on one elbow and shut her eyes, breathing deeply. The only sound that could be heard was the constant breathing from this middle-aged woman.3

Georgia suddenly saw a little girl. She saw her dad. She smelled the sweet smell of cologne as he picked her up. He spun her around as the girl giggled. Her laugh was that of a child which would make any adult smile. Georgia began to notice her surroundings. She was in her old home where she grew up. It was decorated for a birthday. It must have been her birthday party… her 6th birthday. She thought she had forgotten most of her childhood.4

Georgia was abruptly awoken by the sound of the jangling bells on the door. She snapped her head up, looking around the diner. Her hand was covered in saliva as she must have fallen asleep. She nonchalantly wiped her hand on her blouse and looked around again. Her mind raced, wondering how the door had mysteriously opened to make the bells ring.5

She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms out. She let out a loud yawn and said, “Oh, my! Wow….” I might have fallen asleep. She stood up and stretched her aching muscles that had gone to sleep. She rubbed the feeling back into them. The bells jangled again as a gust of wind opened the door. She then realized that her fear had been for nothing. It was just the wind… or was it? She grabbed her purse and went towards the door, getting out her keys to the building.6

Georgia wasn’t a rich woman, nor did she desire to be rich. She was satisfied with the simple treasures of life and was happy with her simple life. She didn’t own a car, but she didn’t really need one. Her work was only about 2 miles from her house, so it was a short commute everyday. She had been widowed 8 years earlier and was left without any children. She moved to the town of Owyhee, Nevada, from Kansas City. She couldn’t stand living in Kansas for everywhere she went she was reminded of her husband, Henry.7

Owyhee was a very small town out in the middle of nowhere. The population was at a little over a thousand. It was right near the border of Nevada and Idaho. The city was far away from all other cities, the next closest city being over 70 miles away. The people in Owyhee were simple people, just moving on with their lives. It wasn’t like those big cities with all the smog, but rather it was the type of city where a person can actually look at the stars.8

Darkness had covered the town as Georgia walked out of the diner. She turned her back towards the street as she locked the door. The light on the bare street behind her flickered on and off. As the lock clicked in the door, signing that it was locked, she thought she saw a movement in the street behind her from the reflection in the windows. She whipped her body around, facing the empty street. No one. Her mind raced with who it could have been… or what it could have been.9

Forest covered a lot of the land around Owyhee. The town had been carved into the heart of the forest. The streets were lined with the forest and everywhere. This haunted Georgia’s mind because she always wondered who could be out there watching… waiting. She hated the feeling and tried to forget about it, but what if…?10

Her pace quickened. She tightly clenched her mace that was in her purse. The problem was that this town was so spread out that it was highly unlikely anyone would hear even if the blow horn sounded. The mace might subdue an attacker; however, what if there was more than one?11

Her hands trembled in fear. She tried to reassure herself, but she couldn’t manage to come up with a good enough argument to prove to herself that no one was out there. She tried to move silently, but she had always been the clumsy type. Her feet moved over the pavement; the sound of crushing rocks could be heard with each step, but that was the only sound that she heard.12

As she moved to the end of the street, the street light flickering overhead, she looked around cautiously. She stood still, just listening to the night air blow smoothly. Her brownish black hair was blown softly in the wind. She reached into her purse and pulled out a flashlight. The road to her home wasn’t lighted by the street lights, so she had to carry a flashlight with her.13

As she shone her flashlight down the road, the light beam bounced around. Her hand was viciously shaking about. She didn’t realize that she had been so scared, but it was obvious that she was because of her shaking hand. She tried to calm it with one hand, but made it bounce about more and more. She decided to just leave it.14

The road ahead was dark and long. She walked it every night and every morning to work. It was the same path she had taken for a long time. What was there to be scared of? She thought about it as she began walking. There wasn’t anything out there. Just an empty forest path. She tried to reassure herself again and felt a little calmer with each step.15

Occasionally, a sound would be heard off to the site of the path. Sounds like something scratching against trees or the sound of feet running. When she shined the light over to the direction of the sound; however, it ended up just being a small forest animal. The constant pattern of being scared and then being relieved was emotionally draining for Georgia. Every time she heard something or saw something, her fear would increase because of the unknown. After realizing what the sound was, she was calmed, so her stress level would decrease. She wasn’t sure how much more of it she could take.16

Each step was painful to her, not physically, but emotionally, because each step came a new unknown. She felt like a child again, boggled up inside with all these mixed emotions and fears. She just wanted to cry, but if she did that, she’d let her guard down… she couldn’t do that.17

Suddenly, her flashlight dropped. Her hand that was wet with sweat so the flashlight must have just slipped. It hit the pavement with a loud thud and then continued rolling for a couple of feet. The blood rushed out of Georgia’s face as she watched it roll and spin. The light spun around, hitting trees and then Georgia. Just as the flashlight was almost finished rolling, she thought she saw something move in the trees.18

The figure wasn’t an animal this time. It wasn’t just something of her imagination. This time she knew for sure that there was someone out there… someone watching her… someone following her. The flashlight rolled for another couple of seconds and then the light when out. Georgia would have screamed if she could have managed to find her voice. A girl in the forest, no lights, nothing, and someone or something was out there.19

She then knelt to the ground, feeling around for the flashlight. Her hand ran over the rough rocks in the road and the cracks that had been worn into the road long ago. As she moved along the ground in search of her lost flashlight, searching desperately, she heard the sound of footsteps on the pavement – crushing of rocks beneath feet. She tried to be as quiet as she could, but the heavy breathing sound coming from her could be heard.20

Suddenly her hand came to rest upon the metal handle of the flashlight. She breathed deeply as in one quick motion she turned it on. The figure in front of her startled her. She scrambled back on all fours to get away. There, before her, was the small girl from her dreams. The girl seemed transparent, yet solid. She stood there just smiling at Georgia, watching her. Her blonde hair blew in the gentle breeze that passed through the forest.21

Georgia searched for the words to say, but none would come. She began to get up and as she looked at the girl again, she was gone. She had only taken her eye from her for only a second, but she was gone. She franticly searched the area, moving the light beam all around her. No one was there; no one could be seen. She brushed the dirt off of herself and looked around again.22

What was that? Who was that? Where did she come from? Georgia began home again, more and more questions pouring into her mind. As she reached her house, she walked through the door. She looked over at the mantle and saw a picture sitting on it. It was a picture of her when she was a little girl. A slight smile crossed her face as she continued into the house.23