In Retrospect
Chapter II
Kat's bright red 1998 Toyota Celica zoomed down a narrow, foggy road in rural Maine. Kat had been driving for the past six hours along this road, and there was no sign of civilization in sight. Kat thumped her fingers in time to the music booming from the stereo, and though she kept her eyes on the road, she couldn't help but think about what her father was doing at the moment. She had left a note on his study desk explaining where she was going, because even she wasn't sure why she wanted to go to Guilford. She simply had an urge to find out...something. She couldn't quite place her finger on it.
Finally, a diner came into view. Kat gratefully steered the car in the direction of the car park. Parking the car, Kat walked up the gravel road leading to the silver chrome 1950s building. The words "Al's Diner" were illuminated in red neon cursive lettering. Kat let her self in, only to find the place completely deserted, except for a short, stout greying old man behind the counter, cleaning the counter top. The man looked absolutely ancient, complete with a few missing teeth and thick gold-rimmed spectacles. The man smelled like dead fish, too, which permeated the diner.
Kat sat down at one of the stools surrounding the counter and looked around curiously. She saw several dark stains on the ceiling, and noticed that several of the stools around her had springs sticking out of their red vinyl coverings. Kat soon found herself having second thoughts about coming in. "Can I help ya?" came a gruff masculine voice. Startled, Kat looked around to see the old man leering at her. "I said, 'Can I help ya, MISS?'". Kat had trouble finding her voice, and when she recovered it she said, "Uh...just a decaf coffee, please,". "Uh-huh, sure. That's what they always want..." came the old man's reply. Kat sighed as quietly as she could so as not to attract the man's attention. As he was pouring the coffee, the old man spoke up. "Name's Al. Don't get a lot of young folk 'round here. I guess that's the price I pay for being out in the middle of nowhere." Al looked back at Kat, who nodded her vague understanding. Al passed the cup of coffee to Kat, and after inspecting it for a bit, took a sip. The room was silent for a few minutes, Kat just drinking her coffee and Al just wiping the counter. "Uh, I was wondering how far Guilford is from here?" Kat asked shyly, remembering that she couldn't seem to find the place on her father's ancient car atlas.
"Guilford?" asked Al. "Well, I'd say you're about two hours away. Just keep following the road that got you here." "Thanks," said Kat. "You know, my wife's from Guilford. 'Course, she passed away." Kat felt some compassion for the old man, and muttered her condolences. "Nah, it's OK. It happened a long time ago. Now it's just...just me." Kat got the impression that the man was incredibly lonely. "Well..." Kat started. "Thanks for the coffee. I really needed a pick-me-up." Kat tipped him about ten times more the $1.50 she owed for her cup of coffee, but knew that money rarely solved anyone's problems. "Goodbye, now." said Al as Kat departed. Al went back to cleaning the counter just as he had when Kat entered the diner.
Feeling a little depressed by the old man's sadness, Kat got in the car and drove off, remembering Al's directions.
Sure enough, two hours later, Kat came to a green sign that read in white phosphorescent letters, "Welcome to Guilford. Population: 1, 500." Kat flew by the sign and into town. It was a relatively small, mostly industrial town, with smokestacks belching puffs of smoke and there were several little shops, but that was about it. Kat drove around on the outskirts of town for a few minutes, before finding her destination. The Manor Bed and Breakfast loomed into view, it's impressive stone facade with turrets and parapets reminding Kat of how intimidated she was the first time she saw Whipstaff. Kat pulled into a parking spot and exited her car. "This should be interesting," thought Kat as she made her way to the imposing stone building. "I have a lot of work to do...".