Don’t Take The Back Roads

I had known a remote gravel road since childhood. A worn down shack stood a short distance off the path, with no windows and a door that was always locked. It had become an ordinary landmark, and I had never seen anyone near it.

One night, while driving home from class, I noticed a faint light inside the shack. I had passed it countless times and had never seen the door open or any light inside. The glow in the darkness filled me with dread, but I slowed down to see what was happening.

A dark shape suddenly burst from the foliage and stopped directly in front of my car. I braked hard and saw a very tall, thin old man with scraggly gray hair. He looked dirty and unkempt. He walked to my window and knocked on the glass. I lowered it only a crack and asked what he was doing there.

He said that his truck was broken. I looked around and could see no truck anywhere. He pointed up the road and said it was nearby, then offered to show me. When I reached toward the gear shift to drive, he shook his head and told me to walk instead.

The request immediately felt wrong. A stranger had appeared beside a deserted road, there was no truck, and he wanted me to leave the safety of my car and follow him into the dark. I told him I would drive to the truck. He became agitated and said my car would not fit through the trees.

I kept the window barely open and told him I would call for help. His manner changed. He became impatient and insisted that I get out and walk with him. I refused again. He stood beside the car, staring through the narrow window opening, while the light from the shack remained visible behind him.

I decided to leave. I put the car in gear and accelerated away along the gravel road. In my rearview mirror, I saw the old man standing in the road. Then he turned and walked away from the road, directly back toward the lighted shack.

I drove without slowing until I was nearly home and certain he could not have followed me. I never learned who the man was or why the shack had been lit. I have never again stopped on that road to help a stranger who tries to lead me into the trees.