The Road Home Read Online Free
Author: Patrick E. Craig
reality of my life. I will never find out where I came from or who my birth parents are, so I should just make up my mind to give up this hopeless dream!
When Jenny crawled into bed that night she couldnât rest. She drifted in and out of sleep, tossing and turning. She tried praying, but that didnât help. Finally around midnight she slipped into a troubled sleep. Her dreams were filled with strange places and people. She felt as if she were flying, and then a scene took shape in her mind. She wasin the backseat of a car, and she was very cold and hungry. The man driving the car was drinking out of a bottle as the car sped down the highway. He was yelling and singing and weeping, and the car was swerving and jerking.
âJingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the waaayyyy.â
Terrified, Jenny clung to the door handle with all her might. Suddenly the car swerved off the road. It started to run up on a bank, but the man twisted the wheel and the car shot back onto the highway.
âMama, Mama!â Jenny screamed.
The man reached back and tried to grab her. Jenny held on to the door handle and screamed again. She felt the manâs hand gripping her shoulder and pulling her toward him. She looked into his eyes. The pupils were like little pinpoints, and they terrified her. An evil grin spread across his face as he clutched at her.
âYou want your Mama?â he asked. âIâll send you to her right now.â
The man was turned toward her, not watching the road. The car shot off the road and over a bank. Everything seemed to go into slow motion. She felt the car lift off the ground and begin to roll over in midair. There was a sickening crash, and then they were sliding down a steep bank. Everything moved so slowly, and the manâs screams were low-pitched, as if someone were playing a recording too slowly. The car hit a tree and some rocks, but because everything was moving so slowly, it was all like a strange dance. Finally the car came to rest on its side at the edge of what looked like a snow-covered meadow.
Jenny had been thrown down between the front and back seats and then onto the side door, and she lay there, unable to scream or cry, frozen in terror. The man struggled around in the front seat, and his movements made the car roll over on its top. He fell heavily onto the roof and cried out. She was buried underneath the seat cushions and some clothing. The front seat had broken loose, and when the car rolled over, it fell down on the passenger side, blocking access to theback of the car. She saw his legs thrashing around and heard him groaning. Then she saw his hand try to reach around the broken seat, but he couldnât get to her, so he started kicking at the front passenger door until it finally opened. A blast of bitter wind came in and chilled her to the bone. The man crawled out onto the snow, and as he did, the wind blew the door shut.
Jenny groaned and tried to make herself wake up, but she couldnât move or make a sound. She slipped back into her whirling dream. The car was upside down, and she was lying on the roof. She could see the manâs legs outside the window. He had gotten up and staggered to the back door. Now his feet were next to the window. She heard him pulling on the handle and swearing. She lay terrified as he began to kick at the window. She could just barely hear him mumbling incoherently. The window didnât break, and then she could see him step back.
She saw him walk away from the car, and then she saw a piece of metal lying a few feet away. She watched him as he bent over to pick it up. Suddenly a hole opened up under his feet, and he fell into it. There was a big splash, and then he was up to his neck in water. He tried to pull himself up, but the edge of the hole kept breaking off. His face was only a few feet away from hers, and as she looked out the window of the car, she saw him sink beneath the surface.
He came back up, and with
When Jenny crawled into bed that night she couldnât rest. She drifted in and out of sleep, tossing and turning. She tried praying, but that didnât help. Finally around midnight she slipped into a troubled sleep. Her dreams were filled with strange places and people. She felt as if she were flying, and then a scene took shape in her mind. She wasin the backseat of a car, and she was very cold and hungry. The man driving the car was drinking out of a bottle as the car sped down the highway. He was yelling and singing and weeping, and the car was swerving and jerking.
âJingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the waaayyyy.â
Terrified, Jenny clung to the door handle with all her might. Suddenly the car swerved off the road. It started to run up on a bank, but the man twisted the wheel and the car shot back onto the highway.
âMama, Mama!â Jenny screamed.
The man reached back and tried to grab her. Jenny held on to the door handle and screamed again. She felt the manâs hand gripping her shoulder and pulling her toward him. She looked into his eyes. The pupils were like little pinpoints, and they terrified her. An evil grin spread across his face as he clutched at her.
âYou want your Mama?â he asked. âIâll send you to her right now.â
The man was turned toward her, not watching the road. The car shot off the road and over a bank. Everything seemed to go into slow motion. She felt the car lift off the ground and begin to roll over in midair. There was a sickening crash, and then they were sliding down a steep bank. Everything moved so slowly, and the manâs screams were low-pitched, as if someone were playing a recording too slowly. The car hit a tree and some rocks, but because everything was moving so slowly, it was all like a strange dance. Finally the car came to rest on its side at the edge of what looked like a snow-covered meadow.
Jenny had been thrown down between the front and back seats and then onto the side door, and she lay there, unable to scream or cry, frozen in terror. The man struggled around in the front seat, and his movements made the car roll over on its top. He fell heavily onto the roof and cried out. She was buried underneath the seat cushions and some clothing. The front seat had broken loose, and when the car rolled over, it fell down on the passenger side, blocking access to theback of the car. She saw his legs thrashing around and heard him groaning. Then she saw his hand try to reach around the broken seat, but he couldnât get to her, so he started kicking at the front passenger door until it finally opened. A blast of bitter wind came in and chilled her to the bone. The man crawled out onto the snow, and as he did, the wind blew the door shut.
Jenny groaned and tried to make herself wake up, but she couldnât move or make a sound. She slipped back into her whirling dream. The car was upside down, and she was lying on the roof. She could see the manâs legs outside the window. He had gotten up and staggered to the back door. Now his feet were next to the window. She heard him pulling on the handle and swearing. She lay terrified as he began to kick at the window. She could just barely hear him mumbling incoherently. The window didnât break, and then she could see him step back.
She saw him walk away from the car, and then she saw a piece of metal lying a few feet away. She watched him as he bent over to pick it up. Suddenly a hole opened up under his feet, and he fell into it. There was a big splash, and then he was up to his neck in water. He tried to pull himself up, but the edge of the hole kept breaking off. His face was only a few feet away from hers, and as she looked out the window of the car, she saw him sink beneath the surface.
He came back up, and with
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