The
Circle
At
The
Bridge
The
Pickup
Truck
|
The Bridge Kids
On Earth
The battered pickup lay in the ditch, nose down. The tire tracks were clearly visible through the light snow…ugly skid marks in the mud from the road to the ditch. The tree limb that was in the middle of the road had been moved when the pickup smashed into it. The blind curve had made it impossible to see the large limb before it was too late.
The water was rising inside the cab, slowly but surely. The driver was alive, but unconscious, his head only inches from the rising waters. He was wedged between the steering wheel and the pushed-forward seat, held upright by his seatbelt. He had only minor cuts and bruises, aside from the large goose-egg forming now on his forehead.
The sun had started on its way down. There were only a few hours of daylight left.
At The Bridge
Todd, Tinker Toy and Spooky were busy. The circle they had formed had made them very popular at the Bridge. Rainbow Bridge’s fields and meadows were playgrounds just made for small animals to chase and play. The sun was shining brightly after a gentle rain and the three stopped to watch yet another rainbow form.
Spooky felt a funny sensation in the pit of his stomach. An uneasiness that he hadn’t felt for a long time was nagging him. He glanced at the river, turned away, then spun back quickly to see a mist slowly forming in one certain spot. A mist with a light behind it. His stomach knotted up. He tensed. He turned towards Toy and just pointed. Tinker Toy looked at the river and the lighted mist forming. She grabbed Todd and Spooky and the three of them ran to the river.
Oh Noo... thought Spooky. Its mine! It’s my humans who are in trouble. I can just feel it. Please let them be ok, he thought. They ran faster. When they reached the edge of the slow-moving waters, the mist parted for them. Spooky, sweet, gentle, Spooky was the first to look into the waters. What he saw there made him feel faint. His human’s pickup truck. His human in trouble. Bad trouble. Spooky’s knees felt week.
Tinker Toy, right by his side, caught him just before he fell into the water. Come on Spooky..we’ve got work to do, she said as she shook him. Todd grabbed Spooky’s other side and they carried him to a comfortable patch of grass. We have to plan now. We have to think. We have to do something.
In what seemed like only seconds, earth time, the three of them had mapped out what they would do. Todd, the personable one, had been given enhancements to his natural powers of persuasion over other animals and humans. It was said about him that Todd could talk a Billy Goat out of its beard, but this time he had to do some tall taking to some animals he had not encountered before.
Tinker Toy, the adventurous one, had been in and out of scrapes her whole life on Earth. Now that she was at the Bridge, her courage had been given an extra boost for just this purpose. Toy would have to go underwater and either open the door or a window. It would be a very difficult task for so little a cat, but she felt she could do it.
Spooky had the really hard task. He would have to steer the humans in the right directions. A difficult enough task for another human, but it was his job to do it just right and to coordinate the entire mission. An even tougher job because it was his human that was in trouble. And they didn’t have much time.
On
Earth,
Spooky
The
woman
stood
at
the
stove
staring
dreamily
out
the
window.
She
was
waiting
for
her
husband
to
come
home.
They
would
have
dinner
then
go
visit
their
son
and
grandson.
The
little
boy
had
been
sick
lately,
but
was
much
better
now.
She
wanted
to
be
with
him
and
just
hold
him.
Don’t
know
what
brought
this
on,
she
thought
as
she
stirred
the
stew.
The
little
fellow
was
just
fine.
Only
an
earache,
why
am
I
so
protective
just
now.
The uneasiness grew as Kate waited for her husband. He’s late. He only had to go into the next town to pick up a few things he needed. The storm had ended, the sky was clear. Where was he? He knew I wanted to get over to Tom’s house. Mick, hurry home now. I don’t feel right. Something’s wrong. Kate kept pacing the kitchen in front of the window. Still, no truck in sight. She looked at the telephone, picked it up, waited for the dial tone. Satisfied that it was working, she replaced the handset. I wish now that we had gotten one of those cell phones, she thought. I could call Mick right now and know that he was all right.
She continued pacing, worrying. She felt a soft whisper of a breeze against her cheek. Then again, another soft breeze. She sat down. It’s going to be ok. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be ok. I’d better keep busy. We’ll need coffee, I’d better put it on and start baking. People will be hungry. Without really knowing what she was doing or why, Kate started to work.
On Earth, Todd
Todd was up to his ears in rats. No, not mice, rats. Huge rats. Big rats with huge teeth. He had managed to get them to understand enough to start gathering up all of the deadfall and placing it across the narrow part of the ditch. Now he had a crew cutting down even more branches to add to the dam. Nearly two hundred of them had answered Todd’s call and all were working away to build the dam that just might stop the water from filling up the rest of the truck’s cab.
I’m so glad they can only hear me and not see me he thought. If they knew they were doing this for a cat! Whew! Wouldn’t that be cool! "But we do know" brushed across his mind. Huh? What do you mean, you know? "We know that the Master has sent you. That’s why we’re helping" laughed the voice in his mind. Todd glanced at the crew working so hard. His eyes found the largest and strongest of the rats. Their eyes met and the rat winked. Todd smiled, turned and ran to get another crew started. This was going to work, he thought.
On Earth, Spooky
Spooky had sped through time and space to go from calming his human mom to the Sheriff’s department. Only the dispatcher was there. Spooky took in the chalk board that displayed which deputy was patrolling which area. He picked his deputy then sped to the patrol car. The car had just passed the ugly skid marks in the mud and Spooky had to talk the deputy into turning around. How? How do I do that?
The deputy had the radio playing and was singing along to a country-western tune. His favorite. The radio stopped. Just up and quit! Keeping one eye on the road, the deputy fiddled with knobs and buttons, but no radio. He thought he heard someone saying "turn around". Now I’m hearing things, he thought. I need to get more sleep at night.
The steering wheel kept turning to the left. Bob, the deputy kept pulling it to the right. Finally, in disgust, Bob stopped the car and got out. He checked the tires, checked the radio antenna. All were ok. So what’s wrong, he thought. He found himself looking back up the road and again wondering what’s wrong. Without another thought, he got back into the car and turned it around. The radio started playing again and the steering was again true.
On Earth, Tinker Toy
Ok, I gotta do this. I gotta do this right now! And with that, she dove headfirst into the cold, black water. She had scoped the scene out first and thought that she could open the driver’s door. It was free and clear of debris. Even if I can only get the window open it would help, she thought. The water could pass right through and wouldn’t rise any higher inside the cab of the pickup.
Hey! I don’t have to breathe! Wow! I forgot about that. Toy swam faster and stronger now that she remembered she wasn’t tied to earthly limitations. She managed to pry open further the wing-window in front of the main one. She squeezed through the opening. She glanced at Mick, saw that he was breathing heavily, but he was ok. For now. She started to work at the window handle. Mick’s leg was in the way. She tried the door handle. It wouldn’t give.
Oh no..Now what do I do? Keep trying, keep trying, don’t stop, don’t give up. Finally it dawned on her. Locked! The door is locked. That’s what’s wrong. She pulled at the small knob. It came up with a pop. She went back to the door handle and gave it a mighty yank. It too came up with a pop! She pushed the door open into the water. The water from inside of the cab ran out and mixed with the ditch water. Now the cab was still flooded with the nasty water, but it was no longer rising. Mick wouldn’t drown….yet anyway. Toy had to get to Todd and help him.
At The Bridge
The banks of the river, just this side of Heaven, were crowded. All of the pets who were waiting for their humans were standing, sitting, perched and laying at the edge, watching. They were lending their support. Mentally sending their strength and energy out to the Circle. The Guardian stood with them. Waiting.
On Earth
Bob, the deputy, had seen the skid marks. He pulled up and saw the pickup truck half buried in the ditch . He picked up his radio immediately and called dispatch to request Emergency ASAP. He ran to the pickup and saw Mick through the open door. He could wade through water up to his ankles, then his knees as he worked his way to the cab of the truck. That’s funny he thought. This water is usually up to my head here. The truck should have been submerged. It wasn’t. Good thing for Mick. Why, he might have drowned!
The ambulance with the paramedics had arrived. They waded through the water and pulled Mick out and onto the gurney. Bob, who knew Mick, gave them Mick’s name and address and found out what hospital they were taking Mick to. He told them that he would notify Mick’s wife, Kate. "Oh, by the way", said one EMT, "there’s something going on up the ditch a ways." "I saw a bunch of debris piled into the ditch. Looks like the storm must have brought it in, but it’s backing up the ditch water pretty bad. Might notify the county to clear it out." Sure will, said Bob.
Bob drove up the road until he saw what the EMT was talking about. The ditch waters had backed up, forming a huge pool behind a crude dam. Now is that a coincidence, or what, he thought. The minute that dam was breached, those waters would have flooded that pickup truck right down the ditch. Mick sure was a lucky man. If that dam hadn’t have formed itself, he’d be a goner by now. Bob didn’t see them, but four hundred tiny eyes were winking behind the shrubs and bushes. Bob drove on to give the news to Kate.
The Circle At The Bridge
The three of them stood, with the Guardian, in the soft, lighted mist while the Master gave them his approval and told them that they had done well. Together they looked into the slow moving river. They saw Kate packing up fresh baked bread to take to the hospital. They saw Bob, scratching his head and drinking the fresh, hot coffee, as he explained the puzzle of the dam to Kate.
I just don’t understand the whole thing, Bob was saying. None of it makes any sense, but the main thing is that Mick is all right. They’ll keep him overnight to make sure, but he’ll be home tomorrow.
They saw Kate finish packing the baked goods and saw her smile. Don’t worry about it Bob, they saw her say. Like you said, he’s going to be ok. That’s what matters. They watched as Kate groped in the pocket of her sweater for the collar. The collar she had pulled out of the drawer earlier. The collar that had Spooky’s name on it. She put it back into the drawer and closed it. She ran her hand along the side of her face…where earlier she had felt the calming breeze. She smiled again and said "Ok. Lets go to the hospital."
The Bridge Kids slowly walked back out into the sunshine. Their friends waved and congratulated them, hugged and kissed them. They looked at the Bridge and thought, not yet. One day, but not yet. They ran to continue the game they had been playing earlier.
