by M. J. Konkel
The young man explained, “My car broke down up the road there.” He pointed back in the direction of his car. “And my cell phone isn't getting any reception – must be a dead zone. I am hoping that I can use a phone to call for help. I need to be in Chicago early in the morning.”
“Chicago?” What a dumb thing to say she thought. She wasn't going to make a good first impression that way. She wasn't good with first impressions, probably because she got nervous until she got to know a person.
“Yeah. Are your parents home?”
“Oh, they are not here. They are down in Iowa for a funeral,” she replied. Maybe she shouldn't have told him that. It made her feel a bit vulnerable for a few seconds, but that quickly faded as something about this man made her feel comfortable and at ease.
“Oh. Do you think I could use your phone anyway? My car isn’t going to get me there the way it is now, but I have a job interview tomorrow. Do you think it would be okay?”
“You'll do fine.”
The man laughed. “Thanks, but I meant would it be okay for me to use your phone.”
Anne knew that her parents would be angry if they found out, but she said “Oh! Yeah, Sure! Come on in.” He seemed to need help and looked honest and certainly did not look like some crazed serial killer – not that she really knew what one would look like. Besides, he was good-looking. And her parents would never know about it. “That's strange though that you can't get reception with your phone. I never had problems anywhere around here with mine. Well, at least not until I dropped … it into the toilet.” She internally scolded herself. Why couldn’t she shut up about embarrassing personal incidents? She pointed to the far wall in the kitchen while keeping her eyes on him. “There's a phone over there.”
“Thanks! I really appreciate this. My name is Johnny, by the way.” He stuck out his hand.
“Hi. I'm Anne.” She took his hand. It was soft and warm despite being wet. “Oh, but I'm on the phone about my laptop.” She walked over and picked up the phone. “Ah, crap! Can you believe it? He hung up on me. Ah, well. I probably deserved that.”
“You're having problems with your computer?”
“Yeah. My mouse is not working. I’ll figure it out later.”
“I think I see the wireless transceiver is still sitting on the table. Plug that dongle into one of the USB ports and that'll probably fix the problem.”
“Oh, crap! I must have put the dongle from my old mouse in it. Thanks! I appreciate your help. Ah, you can use the phone. I'm off it now.”
Johnny walked across the room. “Again, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this,” he said as he picked up the phone book below the phone and started thumbing through it. He picked up the telephone receiver. “Huh! Your phone seems to be ...” The lights flickered and went out. Darkness fell on the room. “... dead,” he finished. “You wouldn't happen to have a flashlight?”
“Yeah, there is one over in the closet by the door,” she said nervously. “I'll go get it.” It was dark, but she was aided by the almost continuous lightning flashes. “Here it is,” she announced, turning it on.
“Wow! That is a bright,” he exclaimed as he blocked the beam with his hands.
“Sorry. I was just checking to see if your tie is straight,” She turned the light away from his face.
“I'm not wearing a tie.” Johnny laughed.
“Yeah. I saw that.”
“Do you know where the breaker box is?” he asked.
“I think it is somewhere down in the basement.”
“Lead the way. Maybe we can get your lights back.”
Anne led the way down a set of old wooden steps that creaked as they stepped on them, down into a dark and musty-smelling basement. The ceiling was low, forcing them to stoop ever so slightly. “I think the box is over here.” She waved the light beam across it.
“Yep, I see it. Can you shine the light on it for me?” She held the light steady while he leaned over the washer in front of it and opened the box, looking at the breaker switches. All were in the on position. He flicked each one off and then back on to be sure, but the lights did not come back on. “The problem is not down here,” he announced. “Let's go back up.”
There was a flash of light in the room. “What was that?” asked Johnny.
“I think the lights just flickered on and then off again.”
“I don't think that was the lights. It seemed like lightning hit us. Or maybe ball lightning.”
“I think that would have killed us. We aren’t dead. Are we? I don’t think I’m dead.”
“I ... I don't think so. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't the lights coming back on. Let's go up and look around.” He led the way back up the steps in front of her while she held the light. He went out onto the porch and looked around with her right behind.
“What are you looking for?”
“Lights.”
“When the lights go down in the city,” she softly sang.
“Can you normally see any of your neighbors' lights?” he asked, smiling at her cover of Journey’s song. Maybe he even liked her voice or maybe he thought she was silly.
“Yeah. The Henry's yard lights should be on all night in that direction, but I don't see them.” The rain had died to a light drizzle by this time, so visibility shouldn't have obscured lights if they were not too far away.
“It looks like the power outage isn’t just to your house. Any other lights?”
“Not from here but over by the edge there, you can see Brown's Station, some other scattered house lights and the glow and usually even some lights from La Crosse.”
“Do you have an umbrella?”
“Yeah, just a second.” Anne went inside to retrieve it. Just as she came out there was a loud banging sound on the roof. She jumped. “What was that?” she asked in response to more banging on the roof and thudding on the ground.
“Hail, I think. Please, may I have the light?”
She handed it over and he pointed it out onto the ground. Round balls the size of softballs were spread on the lawn.
“Holy cow!” he exclaimed. “Those could have killed us if we had been out there.” The hail quickly became smaller and then stopped – all in the space of a minute or two.
“Do you think it is safe to go out yet?” asked Anne.
“I think so but let's take something with us to cover our heads in case they start coming down again.” He searched around the porch with the flashlight until it settled on a pair of folding metal chairs. “Those will do.”
They carried the chairs with them as they walked to edge of the ridge, careful not to turn an ankle on the scattered ice balls.
“So where are you from?” asked Anne.
“Madelia.”
“Where's that? I never heard of it.”
“It's over on the other side of the state, a little southwest of Mankato.”
“Do you go to school there?”
“I went to St. Ann’s; it's a private college just outside of Rochester. I just finished up in December. What about you?”
“I go to Brown's Station High.”
“Really? I took you for being older than that. I thought you were in college.”
Anne felt complimented, but a little annoyed with herself for being honest about her age. “I'm a senior. I'll be going to college next fall at UWL in La Crosse,” she said a little defensively.
“So, you are staying close to home for college.”
“I want to go up to the cities for school, but Mom and Dad lost too much money in the last recession. Cheaper to stay here and go to school. At least for the first couple of years and maybe transfer after that. I will only take classes that I can transfer.”
“I can understand that. My grandfather delayed his retirement by two years because of the recession.” He switched subjects. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Maybe. I'm not telling you.” She giggled. “I don't even know you.”
“You know I am Johnny. Now y
ou know me.”
“You know what I mean. You tell me, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Promised, actually. Her name is Tiffany. If my interview in Chicago goes well, we might be able to set the date. That is if I ever get to Chicago.”
“Oh.” Anne felt a little let down upon hearing about Tiffany. It felt like something was just offered and then taken away. She was not exactly sure why since she had just met him. Maybe it was that she had taken an instant liking to him. He seemed like an honest and sincere guy and she was helping him, and he had helped her. Even though they had just met, she felt like there was already a connection between them. She wondered if he made everyone feel that way. And why did he ask if she had a boyfriend? Maybe it was small talk. “Here we are,” she said. “We should be able to see Brown's Station just down and a little to the left from here. Most nights we should be able to see La Crosse farther up and across the river. But with the shitty weather, we probably won't be able to see it tonight.”
It was totally dark. Johnny said, “I don't even see any radio towers. I have been through this area before and I know we should be able to see the red lights from radio towers along these ridges. That storm passed through quickly. Look. You can see stars starting to peek through. But it must have done some real heavy damage because it knocked out the power to this whole valley. It is not just your house.”
ROAR!!! It had deep base undertones that broke the relative quiet of the night. Both jumped in alarm. For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. They were frozen in fear and listening intently for any additional sounds.
“What was that?” Anne asked.
“I don't know. This is your farm. You tell me what that was. Is one of your cows loose?” Johnny asked, sounding like he did not really believe.
“That was no cow. I have no freakin' idea what it was and I'm scared … big time.” She just realized that she had grasped Johnny's arm, but she still didn't let go.
“I am a little frightened too,” Johnny admitted. “Let's get back to your house. I think it will be safer there.”
They walked quietly with Anne leading the way, ears tuned for any sound – but they only heard the distant hoot of an owl and the occasional crunch of a hail pellet being crushed under their shoes. Anne knew the way well enough that they didn't need to turn on the flashlight. They just had to avoid tripping over the larger chunks of hail. It was not until they made it back to the porch that they again heard another deep roar, felt as much as heard – just like the earlier time.
“That doesn't sound like any animal I know, and I don't want to meet it on this or any other dark night,” commented Anne. “I think we should get inside.” Anne led the way.
“How am I going to get back on the road?”
“You can stay here tonight... on the couch,” Anne offered.
“That is kind of you, but I need to be in Chicago by the morning.”
“Hate to break it to you, but I don't think that you're gonna make it by then. Besides, I would feel more comfortable if you stayed.”
“You don't know me. I am a total stranger to you.”
“Believe me. I've known stranger.” Anne giggled at her joke. “You seem like a good guy to me, and to tell the truth, I am terrified right now. I really would be grateful if you stayed.” She didn't mention that she was even more terrified of what might happen to him if he went out alone. She didn't dare to say that out loud though.
Johnny had to know she was right. There was no way he was going to get to Chicago by the morning. Anne was sure he would have to wait till morning. “Well, this puts a delay into my wedding plan.”
“Delay? What type of delay?”
“Tiffany and I agreed we would marry once I had a good solid job, bringing home a paycheck. That's waiting in Chicago.”
“Why would she do that?”
“What? Marry me? I want you to know I am really not that bad of a guy once you get to know me.”
“I mean why would she only marry you once you were making lots of money? If you love each other, just do it. Get married. Figure out the rest of that stuff later.”
“Well, we just decided to wait.” Johnny sounded lame.
“What type of job is that in Chicago? I mean what is it you do?”
“I majored in journalism. If I get the job, I would be a newspaper reporter. I probably wouldn't get the really interesting stuff at first though.” Johnny changed the subject. “Do you have a towel that I can dry off with and maybe some candles so we can turn off the flashlight before we drain its battery? There is no telling how long the lights are going to be out.”
“What do you think made that noise out there?” asked Anne as she went for the towels.
“I have no idea.”
“You don't suppose it was Godzilla or maybe a dinosaur? Do you?”
“Godzilla? Dinosaur? No! Godzilla is just a purely fictional creature and dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. Maybe our ears and minds were playing tricks on us in the dark. It was probably a cow as I said before.”
“I know what I heard and that was no freakin' cow.”
“All right! Then, maybe it was a truck blowing its horn with some weird echo effects because of the storm.”
“Maybe,” she conceded, but was not convinced.
*****
Johnny spent the night on the couch and Anne slept in her room. The rest of the night was quiet, but neither of them slept well. Johnny was thinking about the lost opportunity in Chicago and the delay in marrying Tiffany. He was wondering if the phone service would be back in the morning or where he could get to a phone. Maybe he could reschedule his interview. He wondered if they would let him do that. And if they did, would it be like a strike against him right from the start. Journalists were supposed to be resourceful. It certainly wouldn’t be good.
*****
Anne was thinking about the strange young man sleeping on the couch downstairs. Anne had a natural air of strength about her that everyone saw. People called her unflappable. Only her parents knew that she had her share of worries because she only shared her concerns with them and now that they were separated, there was no one left for her to confide in. She was feeling very alone and very afraid. She wondered about the strange storm and especially about what made that awful sound.
*****
Johnny was up in the morning with the first rays of light. The electricity still had not returned and the phone still did not work, but his clothes had dried. He went back to his car and it still did not start so he retrieved his suitcase. He glanced up and down the road, but did not see or hear any other cars anywhere, only birds off in the distance. He retreated to the farmhouse, finding Anne awake. In the morning's light, he noticed her appearance better. She was not as thin as Tiffany, but he still found her to be quite attractive. She had long reddish-brown hair that flowed in big curls, a few freckles around the bridge of her nose, big brown eyes that twinkled and a broad natural smile.
She had made some breakfast, cereal in milk (not spoiled yet) with bananas on top, orange juice on the side. She said she would have made bacon and eggs, but the stove was electric and not working. He sat down to eat with her at the small round oak table that sat in the middle of the kitchen and they discussed the previous night's events until it was time for him to go.
“I am going to get some help so that I can get back on the road. I got to get to a phone that is working. How far is it to town if I follow the road?”
“About eight miles, I guess. Oh, but there's a gas station just before the highway. That's about two or three miles down the road and it's mostly downhill from here.”
“I will let them know that your electricity is out too.”
“You said that you want to be a journalist, right?”
“Yes. So?”
“Well it seems to me that you have a story right here.”
“What story? Power goes out in Brown's Station? Not exactly front-page New York Times stuff!”
“What about that noise last night?”
“We didn't see anything and besides even the USA Tabloid wouldn't publish a story about a sick cow.”
“I'm telling you that was no cow.”
“Whatever it was, I don't have a story. Even if I did have a story, I don't work for anyone yet. The school's paper doesn't count.” He turned and stared out window for a moment before turning back towards her. “Anyway, I have to go. Thanks for the couch and your hospitality. It was really nice meeting you.”
“Yeah. So long. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime.”
“Yes, maybe we will. I would like it if that happens,” replied Johnny before he started his hike down the road.
He did not get far. A couple of hundred yards and just around the next bend he was staring at where the road ended, and a stand of trees begun. He had traveled that road a couple of times before and at that moment felt a little panicked by what he saw. What had happened?
He traced his steps back to Anne's house.
“When I said that 'maybe we will see each other again' I wasn't thinking it would be so soon,” she greeted him from the front door.
Johnny started, “Well, the road ... It just ...”
“What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
“Come on, you will have to see for yourself. Otherwise, you will never believe me.”
“Believe what?”
“You are just going to have to come and see for yourself.”
“All right – let me get my jacket.”
Johnny set his suitcase up on the porch – no need to bring that again. Anne came back out a minute later and they returned along his path back down the road. They reached the bend in the road, and they both saw the trees and six dinosaurs. Johnny grabbed Anne by the arm and they dove together into the ditch next to the road. They peered through the tall dead grass lining the ditch.
“Hey, you found those noisy cows from last night,” whispered Anne.
