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Copyrights reserved by the author. If you are in doubt, please click on 'Copyrights' and read the details. The Visit by Katherine Darlington When Ava awoke, a pair of sappy, wet eyes stared at her. Ava rolled onto her stomach, grimacing as she turned over stony ground. Ava tried to stand and when she straightened her stiff body she realized the eyes that stared at her belonged to a donkey. He was skinny and curious, and edged closer to Ava. Laboriously, Ava reached out for the donkey and scratched his ears. He was friendly enough and he locked his head into position, waiting for more scratching, but Ava sighed and sat down. Gazing at the green countryside, Ava spied a farmhouse several acres away. Maybe the people there could help her. Feeling faint, Ava lay down again and tried to remember what led to this moment. There was a man and a woman, and they had ropes. Someone yelled: "Take her money!" and Ava felt her arms being jerked behind her and tied. This never happens, she thought, except in movies. People don't just come up to you and do horrible things, or do they? It's because I'm a foreigner, Ava reasoned, as she plunged her hands into her jacket pocket. The money was gone. So was her passport. Ava tucked her long hair behind her ears, struggling to her feet again. She felt tears sting her cheeks as she began walking toward the farmhouse. Northeast had to be Telluride, but she wasn't certain where she was, exactly. There were a few houses scattered along the countryside, so someone would help her. Ava remembered Danny. He showed her around for a day or two and seemed nice enough. There were so many reasons to trust Danny, too. Even Michelle had taken a liking to him. Where was Michelle now? The bond Ava shared with her sister tightened. 'Please let her be okay', thought Ava. 'Let us make it home.' The burro followed behind Ava, and she felt slightly comforted by this kind animal's presence. Once or twice he had stopped to bite off pieces of grass. It was a good excuse for Ava to sit for several minutes. Bruises appeared on her arms, and her fingernails were dirty, evidence of the struggle with Danny. She had scratched him and left blood-streaked marks along his face. That was all she remembered. Standing again, Ava took in a deep breath. The police would help her soon. They would help her get another passport, they would find Michelle, and soon the sisters would be home. On the top of a ridge sat the farmhouse. It looked like the kind of place where a grandmotherly-type would sit you down at the kitchen's big table and feed you warm things to eat. The natural thing, thought Ava, would be to knock on the door and tell what happened. Yet, as Ava approached the farmhouse she crouched lower into the grass, her instincts sharper, more cautious. She stopped at a barbed-wire fence, scoping the yard quickly; no dogs, just a few chickens running loose in the yard. Hastily, Ava climbed the fence and slipped behind a small stucco building. Ava's heart pounded against her chest as her breathing quickened. "It's safe here," Ava whispered to herself. She stretched her neck around the building for another look at the yard. When she felt it was secure, Ava walked into the yard. 'I'll have someone call for help', Ava thought as she walked to the back porch. She wrung her hands as she walked, studying the yard. Then she saw an old yellow truck parked in the driveway and Ava's stomach twisted. Sure, there probably were a lot of old yellow trucks in Colorado, but none like this. It was Danny's truck! Sickened, Ava dashed across the yard to her original hiding spot behind the stucco building. She had to think, an almost impossible task with her heart beating in her ears. Who placed her in the timber? It didn't matter now, Ava reasoned. She would crawl out to the main road and find another farmhouse. Someone else would be available to help. Did the perpetrator think he had killed Ava? She had been unconscious, Ava thought, rubbing the back of her head. A painful lump suddenly came to Ava's attention. Danny had been so nice. Michelle had first spotted him in a restaurant in Telluride and soon Danny was at their table, telling them places to see and visit. Maybe Danny liked their German accents, and Ava was certain Danny took a liking to Michelle. Maybe Michelle just talked too much, seemed too trusting. Ava decided to take a look inside the house. She would be quick. Most of the farmhouse windows were low to the ground. Ava half-crawled from window to window, but all the curtains were drawn. Finally she found a window partially open. People were talking. Ava was certain she heard Michelle's voice. An outside door slammed. Ava placed herself against the house, crouching and praying that no one would see her. |
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