This story is dedicated to Kittenpuss. Thanks for the inspiration my friend!
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The rain was intense this Halloween night. It had been a very long week and I was anxious to get home even though it was not the most pleasant night for the drive. I had been to the city I was trying to sell my works. I am a writer and I was getting low on funds and really needed to sell something before I had to go looking for a 9 to 5 job. That is exactly the reason that I had moved out here in this god-forsaken country anyway. Well, that's not entirely true. But the main reason that I had come out here was to get away from the hustle and bustle of the rat race. It had done me wonders to get away from it all. But, unless I sold something fast, it didn't appear that it was going to last much longer.
I looked at the clock on the dash and it seemed a lot later than it was. Normally the children that lived in town would be out knocking on doors and begging for candy. But tonight I know that many of them would have to stay home unless they had a party to go to. The rain wouldn't have been so terrible, but the fall in these mountains can be so much more brutal than they are on the lowlands. The wind had picked up out of the north and the air was just cold enough that there were little pieces of ice in it. I had slowed my car down about an hour before that as an added precaution, my senses heightened by the outside conditions. I switched on the radio, hoping to hear a weather report but the only station playing anything was a station that played that crappy heavy metal junk. I reached over to turn it off when I saw the reflection of someone on the side of the road. I slowed down so as not to hit them and being the extra cautious man I am, I continued on my way. Well, I did for about 200 feet anyway and that is when I started to slow down. My feeling of fear at picking up strangers was overcome with the thought of it being me walking in this miserable cold rain and having people drive past me.
I came to a complete stop and then put my car in reverse. I slowly backed up until I saw the figure standing on the side of the road. I unlocked the door and leaning over, pushed it open. "Get in!" I yelled at them and they hurried inside to the dry comfort of my car.
"Thank you mister," the unmistakably soft voice of a female came from the passenger seated next to me. She pulled the hood from her head and the soft face of a young girl came into view.
"What in the world are you doing up here walking in the rain young lady?" I asked her.
The girl was shaking a little, obviously cold, so I turned the heater on so she could warm herself. "My car went off an embankment up the road," she explained as she leaned forward to get close to the heat source. "I've been walking what seems like forever to get help but you are the only person I've seen for a couple of hours."
"Are you ok?" I asked her. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"
"No thanks. I'm ok. I always land on my feet."
"Well, I hate to tell you this miss, but there's not a town or anything the direction you were heading for 75 miles."
"Can you take me to the nearest town the other direction then?" she asked.
"It's about 20 miles that direction. I'm heading home," I told her. "I live about 5 more miles up the road. You are welcome to come home with me and call someone to let them know that you have been stranded."
Her sad expression lightened a little as I told her this. "That would be so cool mister. Thanks."
"Not a problem young lady. Where are you from," I asked the girl?
"California," came the reply.
"California? What on earth brings you to Colorado this time of year?"
"Well, I am originally from Georgia and I was headed back there to see my grandfather. He's in bad health and they have called all the family in. I had planned on being there tomorrow night. Now, I'm not going to make it."
"There's a bus terminal over in Cripple Creek. You can spend the night if you want to. I have a spare bedroom and you are more than welcome. I could take you there in the morning."
"That would be so cool mister. Thank you!" The girl sat quietly for a second and then spoke once again. "I do need to get something straight with you first mister."
"Ok, tell me," I told her.
"Well...I know that a lot of young people are wild now days, but I just wanted to.... uh, I am not sure exactly how to say it."
"Let me guess. You are afraid I'm going to get fresh with you, right?"
The girl giggled a little. "Well, I was going to use some language that was a little more frank, but yes, that is the main idea."
"Well, I've got something to tell you in return then," I told the girl.
"Ok. I'm listening."
"You see the thing is," I paused for a second, choosing my words carefully. "The thing is miss, um.... I don't believe I got your name miss."
"My friends call me Kitty," she replied.
"Kitty? How interesting. Well, you see, thee fact is that I'm celibate."