The Sight of a Hitchhiker

''This idea came from an episode in The Twilight Zone, so credits go towards Rod Serling for excellent writing. I'm putting this in my own words so I don't get arrested for copyrighting or whatever.''

New York is such a busy place, and Nan Adams was eager to get out. Although she was very fond of the city, she wanted a vacation in California. But, she didn't have the money for a flight, first class or not. So, Nan took her little Chevrolet and made for the 3000 mile drive to California. About 30 miles in, she was filling up her tank again when she noticed a man dressed in a ragged brown suit with a ragged bowler hat, and a red necktie on the other side of the road. Nan was one of those people who wondered at almost anything. She kept bothering the man filling up her tank.

"Mister, mister, do you see that man over there?" The man looked up confused, sighed with an almost tired feel, and went back to filling the tank.

"Man? Listen, miss, but out here, we don't get many men out here except for commuters. What man anyway? There's no one there." Nan could have sworn the man was there. After her tank was full, she took off towards California again. By the time she had made it to Ohio, she was stopping for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, until she saw the man again. It was late, about 11:00 PM, and Nan had been driving for hours on end. Although, the recurring "vision" of this man deprived her from any sleep possible. The strange thing was that it was the exact same man she had seen only a few hours ago. She was too confused, if anything, to go up to him, but by the time she got back in her car, he had mysteriously disappeared once again.

The next day when she had crossed into Indiana, she was stopped by tracks, and as the train went by, she looked in her mirror, and saw the man once again. She gasped in fright, and noticed him pull up his right hand and point to the south with his thumb, smiling somewhat childishly.

"Are you gonna go my way?" the man asked with a humble tone. Nan got spastic and stepped on the gas. She was lucky that the train had gone by and the guard rails were up. Nan started crying in worry.

She'd been driving for 10 hours straight at this point. With no idea where she was with this man-if "it" was a man-pulling her off the road, Nan decided to go find a place to park, get gas, and rest. She stopped by a small gas station in some kind of grove. There she met a friendly fellow who worked in the crabbing business.

"Whatcha doin' out 'ere this late? Ya gonna tire yaself out and not be able to do nothin'," the friendly fellow asked. He must have been a native of New York. His accent said it all.

"Oh, well, I've just been driving for a really long time, and no one is nice enough to just give a can of gas," Nan replied.

"Oh dis guy? Aw, shucks, no man shouldn't be rude to no woman." The fellow rapped on the glass of the gasser's hut.

"Hey buddy? This nice lady out 'ere needs some gas, and if ya don't get 'er some I'ma come in there and get it maself!"

"Take your stupid gas. Just don't wake me again, buster, or you'll be saying goodbye to your teeth," the gasser replied arrogantly.

"See? Ya just gotta be forceful sometimes."

"Oh gee, thanks mister. I can take you somewhere if you need to get there," Nan offered.

"Sure! In fact I'm headin' down this road maself. Guess I wouldn't mind a li'l pick-me-up!" Nan let the fellow come in, and off they went. The young man was talking about how crabbing is a messy and smelly job and how you're much better off working at the harbor. Suddenly Nan turned to the left and almost off the road frantically.

"Woah, woah dere! What's the matter? Ya too tired? Here let me drive," the fellow offered.

"No, no it's not that. It's just that I've been seeing this man wherever I go, and he's seriously scaring the pants off of me." The fellow looked confused and astonished.

"So then what was the deal with the runnin' off da road?"

"I tried to run him over. I guess it didn't work." Nan wasn't feeling any more confident than she did, trying to kill him-that is, if "he" could die. Another hour down the road, Nan saw him again, and attempted to run the man over.

"Geez, wouldja spare the lives and cut it out?!" The fellow was about to leave the car and walk on his own.

"Lady, I appreciate the ride, but if ya gonna try to get us both killed, do it when I'm not near ya!" Nan tried to keep herself together, but after another hour, she saw the man and tried to run him over for the third time in a row.

"Okay, ya know, I think I'm just gonna walk. Have fun in California..." He dashed out of the car and, under his breath, he murmured "If ya live that long" so as not to disturb Nan.

"No, no, please don't go! I've been driving for so long, I just want company!"

"Sorry lady, but I've had enough of suicide," he said worried. With that, he ran off into the woods. Nan began crying again, and just kept driving. The next day, she stopped by a pay phone and called her mother and tell her she was coming home.

"Hello? Hello, yes, this is Nan Adams. I'd like to speak to Jeanne Adams. Jeanne Adams please. Tell her it's her daughter." The operator told Nan to wait for a few minutes, and got Mrs. Jeanne Adams on the line. But when Mrs. Adams's helper (Mrs. Adams is elderly and sick with bronchitis from excessive smoking) talked to Nan, the news was depressing.

"I don't know who you think you are, but Nan Adams is dead. The papers just came in, and her car was found wrecked on the side of the road. Police are still trying to find out what caused her to drive off. Mrs. Adams does not like phony callers, so please spend your money wisely." The phone clicked as it hung up. Nan dropped the phone as the operator hung up. Shocked and with no idea what to do, she began crying furiously, and got back in her car and just sat there, crying for what seemed like infinity. The man showed up again, leaned into the open car window that Nan was sitting by, and spoke softly.

"Are you gonna go my way now?"