Wanting

The small cabin seemed to get smaller and smaller to Dan Fields. For the past six days, he had been stuck in the cabin waiting for the monstrous snow to melt and free him from the frozen prison. Why did he run off to the mountains in the middle of February? At least he was smart enough to stock up on water. He had also chopped up enough firewood the first day he had arrived. What he didn’t have was enough food. Even though the fire was cozy, it was not enough to keep him warm. Wearing his hunting coat and gloves, he got up from the oval rug in front of the fireplace. Opening the fridge, he eyed the one remaining case of water, next to a slice of cheese, a bottle of bourbon and an open pack of hot dogs. He picked up the hot dogs, stopped and listened. Once again, he had the feeling that he was being watched. He was pretty sure cabin fever was the cause, but that did not ease his rising anxiety. He shook his head, opened the hot dogs and pulled out one of the floppy processed wieners. He threw the rest of the package back in the fridge and grabbed the bottle of bourbon. Settling back on his warm spot on the rug, he bit off half of his cold entrée. So nice, he thought, to be able to eat without a nagging wife telling him to stop smacking his food. He was a man, he should be able to eat however he wanted. Too bad he had to be hundreds of miles away from his home to do it.

A scurrying sound came from across the room, causing Dan to jump.

“Last thing I need is mice.” Dan muttered. As a second thought, he wondered what a mouse might taste like. If he ran out of food before he was able to get out, he might have to find out. He took a swig of his bourbon and wiped his mouth.

“I’m not a mouse my dear friend.” The deep voice seemed to come from all around the cabin. “This is not what you wanted in life. That’s why you ran off and left the wife and kiddos behind.”

“No,” Dan answered. “I didn’t run off. I just needed a break. I’m going back as soon as I can get out of here.”

“Come on Dan, that’s not what you want.” The voice was whispering in his right ear. “What is it that you want?”

“I want to be somewhere warm.”

“There ya go Dan. That’s a start.”

Dan felt himself getting drowsy. He dropped the half eaten hotdog on the ground and fell to the floor. He tried to fight the sleepiness but had no success. Before his eyes shut, he saw two golden eyes staring back at him.

When Dan woke up hours later, he was sweating like a pig. He tried to breathe but sucked in hot air. He pushed himself up and stared around at his surroundings. He was in the middle of a desert.

“I’m hallucinating. I’m starting to hallucinate,” Dan whispered.

Hallucination or not, he was burning up. He stripped off the heavy clothing until he was down to his T-shirt and pants. He left his clothing and shoes in a pile and walked barefoot towards the road. Please let me find a bar, Dan thought. Not long after, he spotted a small diner and gas station down the road.

“That will do,” he said as he made his way to the diner. Once there, he was surprised to find the place empty. Music from the 70’s played in the small setting. At the counter, a woman in a blue dress and white apron stood reading a newspaper. She looked up when Dan came in.

“Man, ya’ sure look hot,” she said to him. “Would ya’ like a glass of water?”

Dan nodded and the women went to the back of the diner. Dan grabbed a handful of napkins from the nearest table and wiped off the sweat from his face as he walked closer to the counter. He sat on one of the red padded stools and stuffed the damp napkins in his pocket. The woman returned with a tall glass of water and set it down in front of him.

Dan picked up the glass and took a gulp. The water gushed down his throat until the taste hit his buds. He had to cover his mouth in order to keep from spitting the gritty liquid out.

“I reckon ya’ ain’t from around here.” The woman said.

Dan swallowed and pushed the glass towards the waitress. “No. You have any bottled water?”

“Naw,” The woman answered.

“Just bring me a Coke.”

“Will do sir, though I reckon it won’t quench ya’ thirst,” she said.

She went to fix his drink. Dan wondered if he had any money in his wallet. He pushed the glass of water further from him. “Where am I?”

“Why, ya’ in to Tuba city, Arizona.”

“How did I get here?”

“Couldn’t tell ya’ that,” the woman said as she gave Dan his soda. “Maybe it’s what ya’ wanted.”

Dan looked up at the woman and for a second he saw something twinkle in her eyes. He looked down at her name tag but it was blank. “What’s your name?” Dan asked.

“I reckon it’s something like Millie or Peggy,” She laughed. The laughter grew deeper and her eyes began to glow golden.

Danny grabbed his head and shook. “No, no. What’s happening to me?”

“Come on Dan,” the deep voice was back and even though the words were coming from the woman’s mouth, the voice seemed to come from all directions. “Humor me, what do ya’ want?”

Dan figured that he had ended up here out of the cold cabin, so why not get more. “I want out of here. But on my own terms. A car. No, not a car I want that motorcycle my wife never wanted me to get.”

“Okay Dan I feel ya’. Wife tried to keep you from your dreams. Ya’ want to be free?”

The woman reached in her apron pocket and pulled out a key. “Here ya’ go.” She threw it to Dan. He caught it and stared at the silver key expecting it to dissolve though his shaking hand.

Suddenly all the lights in the diner went out. The music stopped and Dan sat in the dark, unsure of what to do. The lights flickered, and then came on to full strength. Dan looked around for the waitress, but she was gone. The key still sat in the palm of his hand. He stood and walked back out in the scolding heat.

A shiny red motorcycle sat in the parking lot, the same motorcycle that he looked at when he visited the dealership back home. He remembered how much he had wanted the bike, but the money in the bank was for the mortgage and savings for the children’s college. Now, the bike sat in front of him and he had the key in his hand. Dan hesitated touching the bike, thinking when he did, his hand would go right through. He touched the bike, and just like the key, it was real.

“This is amazing!” He screamed out to the emptiness. “This hallucination thing isn’t so bad. Better than sitting in the cold and eating cold hotdogs.” He jumped on the motorcycle, fitting the key in place, he turned it. The motor purred and Dan’s heart melted.

The motorcycle gave him a rush of energy. He kicked up the kickstand and took off down the road. Dan had no idea where he was going, he didn’t really care. The air, though it was hot, felt good as it blew against his face. Dan realized that he was on his dream motorcycle and driving 45 miles an hour. “I’m going to put this baby to the test and see what she’s got.” Dan squeeze the handle and watch the speedometer rise to 60. The needle quickly passed and made it to the 70 mark. The empty road made Dan feel as if he was completely free. He looked ahead and saw nothing but straight pavement. No curves, just straight open road.

Dan took the bike up to 95. His surroundings began to blur. He took one arm, raised it and pumped his fist in the air. “Woo Whoo!” Why did my wife deny me this joy? Dan wondered. But it didn’t matter, he was enjoying it now. The motorcycles swayed to the right. He returned his hand and straightened the bike. The needle on the speedometer slowly raised above 95. Dan spotted a grey object ahead in the road. As he got closer he saw it was a rock. A big rock.

“What the...” Dan tried to weave around the mini boulder, but by the speed he was going, the swerve turned into a sharp turn. The bike missed the rock but hit the other side of the road’s edge. The front wheel jolted and Dan lost his grip. He hit the ground hard, rolled on the hot sand and came to a stop. The pain was so unbearable that he couldn’t even speak. Dan laid on his back facing the torching sun. Despite the brightness, the sky went black.

When Dan woke up, he was in the hospital. One of his legs was wrapped and elevated. He tried to turn his head but the neck brace prevented him from moving. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain flow down his whole body. “Ow.” He yelled and began to breathe heavily.

A nurse with short black hair walked in. “Looks like you need a dose of morphine.” She pulled out a needle from her pocket and stuck the sharp point into Dan’s IV. “Well,” she said. “You’ve gotten yourself into quite a mess.”

“No, no, no!” Dan barked at her. “I know who you are. Why are you doing this to me! I want peace and quiet.” Dan could feel the morphine kicking in and the pain dwindled. “I don’t want to have to worry about money, family or my job. Most of all, I don’t want to see you again! Ever!” Dan broke down, tears flooding his eyes. “I just want peace, that’s all…peace. Is that too much to ask for?”

The nurse’s eyes glimmered with a bright, shinning gold. She began to speak in the voice that was too familiar to Dan. “Well damn Dan, ya’ don’t have to yell. I’ll give ya’ what ya’ want. Isn’t that what I’ve been doing? It’s been nice knowing ya’.” She laughed as she took out a needle from the other side of her pocket and stuck into his IV and squeezed out the contents. She gave Dan a wink. “Nighty night.” Her laugh filled the room and she left.

“Hey,” Dan yelled. “Get back here!”

Dan became drowsy, he felt his body relax and a feeling of peace rushed through him as he went back into the blackness.

*****

Laura Fields reached for another tissue, the whites of her eyes red as blood. An officer walker over and sat beside her.

Laura spoke through her tears. “I don’t understand. He was locked inside the cabin, his body temperature was high despite the weather and his leg and neck was broken?

“We don’t have any answers yet Mrs. Fields.” The heavy officer scratched his head. “As soon as we know anything, I will let you know. Until then, is there anything I can do for you?” He gave her a smile and for a moment his eyes held a spark of gold. “What do ya’ really want?”