Gerty (22) in Book of Lies.....

The grasshoppers scratched out the songs in the midday sun. The ditch had a dampness to it but the sun overwhelmed its cooling effect. Gerty could feel the trickle of sweat making its way down her back.

The occasional car passed by but Gerty wasn’t ready for any company just yet. She pawed her way through the large back pack looking for her granola. Another day in paradise. Gerty hummed. It was merely to make sounds and nothing of song. Just something to take away the noise in her head. Seal the memories and delay thoughts of things to come.

“She scores” Gerty blurted. The zip lock bag of oat and honey morsels found their way to the top of the pack. Gerty tore at the zip lock and started to munch her treat. She laid back in the grass and stared at the blue sky and puffy clouds. The pretty sky cleared her mind. Thinking meant remembering and memories took the blue out of the sky. Remembering brought thunder to the clouds.

Gerty wanted her sky blue today. No road. No people. Just blue sky.

Daryl Kramer loved his truck. Yes, it was eleven years old. The sheen of the black paint may have lost it luster but the leather seats were still leather and the engine was as strong and smooth running as the day he bought it.

Daryl loved his truck as much as his darling Sue although he’d never tell her. Oh no. Sue didn’t take kindly to competition. Sue was nice enough but the Chevy didn’t call him stupid when he drank too much or yell at him when he came home at three in the morning. Windows down and summer air. There was no one to remind him he was stupid. The perfect day.

County Road 17 was the best way to get to Clinton where Farley and Mike were meeting him for an afternoon of beers at the Mill Iron Tavern. Blue collar hole in the wall but it was their hole in the wall. Another thing Daryl may love more than his darling Sue.

CR 17 was the perfect drive. It was mainly farmland and a fresh paved road and with cold beers straight ahead Daryl was just about as happy as he could remember.

Daryl crested a small hill on his way into town. Something caught his eye well down the road. It looked as though someone or something was in the ditch. Not much of a ditch for these parts. Shallow enough the county could get in and keep it mowed. Daryl instinctively touched the brakes as he closed in on the out of place object ahead.

Sure enough, there was someone laying dead still in the ditch. Big bag laying there too. Daryl wasn’t raised to leave anyone behind no matter what the news on TV had to say. No real man called the police first when someone may need a leg up. He wasn’t going to be a disappointment to his Mama to start thinking that way now.

Daryl idled past to get a better look and couldn’t believe there was some child of a girl flat down on her back. Daryl pulled the truck over on the berm and came to a stop. Without pause he was out the truck and ran over to the girl in distress. Maybe she had been hit walking down the road.

Daryl dropped to his knees next the girl and saw she was wide eyed and seemed uninjured.

“Sweetheart, are you alright? “

Gerty made no response but just stared at her blue sky and cotton ball clouds.

“Hellloooooo. Are you there young lady? Miss. Are you alright?”

A dark cloud seemed to come into view of Gerty’s blue sky. There was something. Something is here. There can be no something. I am in nothing.

Daryl noticed the girl’s eyes slowly looked his way and seem to come into some focus. Daryl thought maybe she was on some kind of drugs or having some medical problem.

Gerty sat stiffly up. She turned towards Daryl and then looked away trying to recall her surrounding never saying a word. Eventually Gerty rose to her feet and grabbed the strap of her pack and started to slowly walk away. Daryl didn’t know what to make of the strange girl. He walked up behind Gerty and grabbed her by the elbow to try to get her attention.

“Sweetheart, you should come with me. You don’t seem right.”

Daryl noticed another thing out of place that day. The gleam of steel that seemed to appear from nowhere into the hand of his damsel in distress.

Last updated February 17, 2016