The Calling

The Calling

  By

  Kurth Warren

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  PUBLISHED BY

  The Calling

  Copyright 2011 by Kurth Warren

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  This short story is dedicated to my wife Raenae and best friend Randy. Without them this work and many others would not have seen the light of day.

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  The Calling

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  “911, please state your emergency.” The operator said.

  “Let me tell you what I did.” The man said. His voice sounded calm and comforting.

  “Sir, this line is for emergency purposes only. Do you need assistance?” The operator’s voice sounded more urgent than before.

  “I’ll say this only once, so if you don’t mind…”

  Click

  “Sir, I have your location. Are you in need of medical assistance or the assistance of the…” The operator did have the caller’s location. She also knew that it would take some time for any help to reach it as well.

  “I know you have the location.” The man’s voice did not change, he remained calm. Almost as if he realized that help was more than an hour away. “Interrupt me again, and you will have to explain to your superiors why you let someone else die tonight.” He remained silent for a few seconds. Heard nothing more than continued. “Now, let me tell you what I did.”

  “Sir, I’m afraid...” The line went dead. She knew that this man had said ‘let someone else die’. She needed to be sure of it. She clicked on the screen and the line began to ring.

  The line rang several times. She thought that she might have to check the tapes, and listen again, just to make sure of what she heard. The line stopped ringing; only silence remained. “Sir, did you say ‘someone else would die’?

  “I believe you understood me correctly.” His voice did not change. The room was as dark as the moon light would allow. No other light in the room was on. He flicked his lighter and inhaled. “I assume you know that if you interrupt me again, you know what will happen?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Good. Now let me tell you what I did.” The operator did not interrupt this time. “My day started off just as any other day has. Calm at first, then too painful to care.” He took another drag of his cigarette, and then continued. “I found that if I went for a drive my head would stop hurting. So I left the city. Hours later I found myself sitting on the side of the road. I had no memory of how I got to where I was. I got out of my car and went to the fence on the other side of the burrow ditch. There I stood for several minutes.” He stopped to take another drag and to listen. The line remained silent except for the faint sound of key strokes. He knew then that he had her attention and that she was busy trying to send someone out to his location. He didn’t care. He knew it would take some time before anyone would show up. He took a final drag and then snuffed his smoke.

  “I stood there until I heard another vehicle pulling up. I turned and saw an old white ford. The driver got out of the truck and met me by the rear of my vehicle. ‘Evening’ he said to me. What a gentleman I thought. Like a cowboy out of an old western movie on TNN. I greeted him back. He asked if I was lost or needed help. I told him neither. I just stopped to take a break and then would be on my way.

  ‘You sure you’re alright?’ he asked me.

  ‘About how far to the next town?’ I asked. ‘I’m kinda low on fuel and I’m starting to get a bit hungry.’

  ‘Well if you’re gonna keep heading that way; you’re looking at about an hour before you can stop for some gas and a bite to eat. Now back the other way, you’ll be looking at your gauges and wishing you would have went the other way. Crowheart is closed and Dubois more than an hour away.’ He looked at me with a puzzled eye. I could tell he knew that I wasn’t from around here. ‘Just-a-bout’s ya headed anyway?’ he asked.

  ‘Well funny you should ask. I’m not quite sure to be honest with you. I was just thinking about that myself. Not really sure where I’m going, really.’

  ‘Well ya sure did pick the wrong road to go on down. If’n ya don’t have any business out in these parts its best that ya just keep on moving east. The nights around here can get pretty nasty for a city man like yer self.’ He never did seem to get angry or anything like that. He seemed like a real nice fella.

  ‘Well can ya tell me what town I might come to first, if I keep heading east?’ I reached into the passenger side window. ‘To tell ya the truth, I really have no idea where I’m at let alone where I’m headed.’

  ‘Well I can tell ya that ya won’t be finding it on that there.’ He pointed to the map I was unfolding. ‘The town’s called Courserbanks, and it’s not listed on any map or in any phone book.’ He looked a little puzzled. ‘Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing anything saying it is there, but it is.’

  ‘Really, why is that?’ I asked. I stopped unfolding my map.

  ‘Just don’t.’ he replied as he started heading back to his truck. ‘If’n ya decide on heading that way, you might wanna stop by my place and get a few gallons of gas. I’ll sell it to ya for about twenty-five bucks a can, about five gallons or so. My place is on the left by some trees, about ten more miles down that away.’ He got into his truck and began to drive off. ‘Better make your way soon. The lights given way to night and you don’t wanna be about here at night in count of the wolves and such. Nasty things happen to city folk when they get lost out here.’ He drove off and waved as he passed my car.

  He heard the faint key stokes and smiled.

  “I went to the trunk of my car and spread the map out. I looked at it pretty good. The only town I saw past Dubois was a Crowheart Butte and then the road continued south. I was heading east, I knew that much. I didn’t even see the road I was on. I figured that Wyoming must not have dirt roads or tiny ass towns on maps. I thought the ‘Crowheart’ town as he called it was small. I remember turning left at the only building there, and passing an old railroad station a few miles later, but that was it, everything else is missing in my memories. I studied the map for a few more minutes, never did see a town called Courserbanks either. I thought about what he had said, when my head began to hurt again.” He took a moment and lit another smoke.

  The typing continued

  He smiled as he began again. “I decided to head east. So I started my car and drove. I saw the man’s house where he said it would be, so I pulled off the dirt road and headed towards it. I saw him unloading some things out of the back of his truck. He looked up at me and smiled.

  ‘Needing some fuel?’ he asked as he continued to unload his truck. Behind him stood an old barn of some sort. To my left was this house, not a large house, but cozy looking none the less.

  ‘I thought I might buy a can or two from you.’ I replied, as I got out of my car. I walked towards the man and extended my hand. He took it and greeted me with a strong grasp. ‘Pleased to meet you sir, my name is…’

  “Names aren’t too important right now. I believe you would like me to just get to the point. Am I right?” he asked the operator, making sure she was paying attention and not playing a game of some sort on her computer. He did that a lot of the time while on the phone with people.

  “Sir, I have dispatched a deputy to your area. He should arrive shortly.” She replied.

  “Good. Then I’ll continue.” He said. He knew he had her attention and that she spoke the tru
th about the deputy being dispatched. The arriving shortly part he doubted though. “After we introduced ourselves, and I handed him fifty dollars, he pointed to the gas cans by the barn.”

  ‘Help yourself son, you seem fit enough to handle it.’ He said to me. ‘I got to get these in the barn before night sets in.’

  I finished fueling up my car and began to put the empty cans back when he approached me.

  ‘You still hungry? The missus has fixed plenty to go round if’n ya would like to stay.’ He smiled a lot.

  I accepted his invitation and followed him inside. He introduced me to his wife and the two kids that were setting the table. His wife looked familiar to me. I couldn’t quite place it then. The two kids looked happy. We sat down to eat the dinner. He sat at the