The Girl on the Road
Chapter Seven: Lonely Roads revisited
"In death I am born"
Hopi tribal saying
He knew this was not reality. The cool night air hadn't disappeared yet and it was mid-morning or there abouts. It made the walking easier; he didn't know how long he had been walking, it could be ten minutes or ten hours.
This was their reality, not his. His reality lay back in Coolsville, not here on the desert.
His reality was with Velma and the kids they had raised between adventures and mysteries, not here in this desolation where he walked alone. He had lived many years; either too many or not enough depending on your point of view. He had told Velma and the kids that he loved them; Velma had kissed him, "Don't go" she had whispered.
His reality was the fact that he was dying and he knew it. He stopped walking. Let them come for him. He was tired and flat didn't want to walk anymore. The air shimmered in front of him and she appeared. She was dressed in her black outfit that she wore when he had picked her up as a hitchhiker so many years ago. "Hi Shaggy."
"Hi, Kathie, don't you have any other clothes? So we do meet again, I was wondering if your Order would send you, especially in this forsaken place where we first met."
"I wanted you to recognize me. Do I detect anger, just a little?"
"No, I'm sorry, just an old man. Am I your mission, did you come for me?"
Her laughter reminded him of laughter he had heard in a motel room long ago.
"I requested it, but was denied. I came along to make the transition easier for you that's all. And the fact that I've missed you."
"So you came along for the ride?" That laughter again.
"Yes" she answered.
"Then another comes…how much time?" He asked.
"Enough; don't be in so much of a hurry. The Dark Lord, He who we serve comes for you."
"So you didn't get his job. The big Guy huh, what makes me so important to rate the Boss Man himself…Kathie, is it permissible, could I hug you before He comes?"
"Thank Heavens; I thought you'd never ask!" Laughing she ran to him, throwing herself into his arms. "No, I didn't get His job. They have this rule that He must be male. It's so unfair! So I did the next best thing. You rate because you have become quite a celebrity.
"You remember those doors I showed you, the ones closed and marked with a warning? Because of you, those warning signs have been removed, the doors thrown wide open!"
"I take it that our little secret isn't secret any more."
"No, it's not a secret…I couldn't explain the silly smile on my face or the laughter when I thought of you. And our secret isn't little any more…"
The air shimmered once again; before Shaggy stood the Dark Lord Himself.
It was like looking into a mirror in his earlier, youthful days.
"Shaggy, may I present the Dark Lord….your son."
"My…son…our son?"
"Yes. Our son. Forgive me darling, when I wrote that letter I didn't know or I would have told you, and then later I had our son to raise. It hasn't been easy. He has your gentleness, your kindness. I had the job of teaching him the Way of the Order. He has your stubborn streak also!"
"Hello father, it is an honor to meet you at last" the Dark Lord bowed. "It is an honor to meet the mortal that changed immortality. Mother has told me much about you. Mother, do you wish 'a stolen moment of time'? You did so once."
"Uh, this is going to take some getting used to…son." Shaggy's mouth stood agape.
Looking at Kathie he said, "Smile, laughter? No, I think it was your expanding womb that exposed our secret."
"You always were a good detective."
"Kathie, as much as I'd like to take Him up on that moment…please understand…as I see it, until He does his job my commitment to Velma still stands. I promised to be faithful until death, well, death hasn't done His job yet, and that commitment is still binding."
"I understand and love you the more for it. Would you consider a kiss as being unfaithful?"
"This is an unusual circumstance, I think Velma would understand." Shaggy relented. She melted in his arms. He tasted those cool lips he had kissed before. The Dark Lord found something else to stare at while his mother and father kissed.
"Velma? what of Velma…will she be okay?" Shaggy broke their kiss. Kathie dropped her head.
"You didn't come along for the ride did you? You are on a mission too aren't you? Velma is your mission isn't she?"
"Yes Shaggy, I requested the mission. She doesn't want to live without you. Her request has been approved. Shaggy, each mission is different, people react differently. I thought it best if someone with some understanding of the situation took the mission. My request was approved."
"Will you be gentle? She has a gentle, loving spirit?" Shaggy inquired of her.
"I promise I will be gentle." was her response.
"Will she see you?"
"No, you made me unique; you are unique in that you are the only mortal to see death and live. She will not see me, but she will know."
"Son, your mother and I are ready."
The Dark Lord's scythe grew longer, encircling the three figures.
The mission was complete.
Route 66 cut through the desolation like a child's black ribbon; insects buzzed around the pink, yellow and blue flowers that blanketed the desert floor with their sweet fragrance. The caw of crows could have been heard in the distance if someone had been there to listen.
Death had passed by; it was safe to come out of hiding now.
------------Xxxxxx
All was quiet along the empty streets of Coolsville. She walked alone; a soft breeze pushed leaves and other light debris along the street.
She wore black. Black was her color. The house she sought was just ahead. She walked through the closed door.
"Velma Dinkley Rogers, it is time. Your request has been granted. I have come for you" the voice said softly, gently.
"Tell me, will I see Shaggy?" Velma sat in her favorite spot on the sofa where she and Shaggy had loved and talked long into the night after the kids had been put to bed.
"He who loved you all his life waits" the voice responded tenderly.
"I'm ready."
"Then arise and come."
A figure, clothed in radiant white, rose from the sitting form.
The mission was complete.
Author's note:
On November 18, 1967 in Budville, N.M., A stranger came in complaining about the price of 2 gallons of gas and a pack of cigarettes. During the argument the stranger pulled a gun and killed Harold "Bud" Rice and his friend/helper, Blanche Brown. He took $450.00 from the cash drawer, calmly turned off the lights and fled.
He was never caught and the case remains unsolved.
The next time you find yourself on a lonely road, alone…will you pick up that hitchhiker?
Shaggy was aboard the "Spirit of the Seas" when Velma arrived. Their adventure can be followed in "Romance of the Iron Maiden".