The Man From the Highway

by C.A. Parra

This is a story that happened to John many years ago, when he was homeless and didn't have nothing to live for but tried his hardest to survive in the hellish pits of Mississippi. He never knew, he would run into someone on this preticular day and that it would change his whole prespective in life and he still has nigthmares about it when he sleeps with his wife in bedroom with the lights on and just goes into night terror like never before. This is a story of John and the man he encountered with long ago.

The day was hot; it was the summer of 1935, the fifth of June in Rosedale, Mississippi as for John Phillips was walking in the middle of the blazing sun with sweat on highways one and eight. He wore a dirty old white shirt with ripped up blue pants, his eyes had a look of great depression and he smelt of sewage. He was very young looking with a big acoustic guitar strapped around his back. The guitar was very dusty and dirty but John still loved to play it on a regular daily basis. He never was any good but he still tried his best at practicing for the time being even though he couldn't because, he had to worry about surviving out in the world. His mind had been stuck on survival instead of guitar playing, but he used it for his advantage by playing on corners to see a person would pass by and put money in front of his feet.

But no one ever did cause he wasn't that good, but John had reached a goal to do whatever it takes to become a great guitar player. He always fantasies about becoming a great guitarist and getting paid bags of money and being with beautiful girls. He always said that to anyone that came across him and he never stopped saying them words. Back in Gunnison, he had to ate out of garbage cans and he had to find a place to sleep at night but of course on the streets or in alley ways, he wasn't allowed in fancy restaurants nor in the hotel's because they look at him like a poor person, a man with no dignity eating food from the trash, they seen him like filth and didn't qualify him the high class society. They told him to "leave" whenever he showed his face "and take your crappy guitar with you" they said with such disgust. So from that point on he left the town and never came back for those reasons, he didn't want to come at all after that.

Now he has been walking south and never stopped walking with his guitar on his back wearing the same old clothes he had on for years. He then sees in the distance a car coming towards him. He then raises his thumb up and stands on the side of the road waiting for the car to come up more closely. The car's engine roars with much power and suddenly comes to the distance of John and pulls over and stops by him. The car is a nice 1935 Ford Roadster with a one piece hood with smooth side panels, molded head lights, Desoto bumpers, LaSalle grill, shaved trunk with continental kit, extended tail light standards, and 40 Ford fender skirts. It was a real beauty as John looked amazed at the monster of a car. The Man inside looks really wealthy and clean, he wasn't dirty. He wears a Black three-button suit with notched lapels in a dark red. The White broadcloth shirt features a white collar and is worn with a madras bow tie as well as a panama hat with a a brim that is curled up all around like a Homburg hat. His black suede blucher shoes go very well with everything as well.

The Man in the car asks looking sideways "you need a lift buddy"?

John rapidly says "Yes I do".

The man inside the hot rod says "well hop on in" with a smile on his face.

John says "thank you" as he opens the door and lets himself in the car, putting his guitar in the backseat.

"What's your name, my good man"? The Man says.

"It's John, John Phillips". John says.

"Oh really now, that's a fine name you got there John, a real fine name". The man says driving the car down the road.

John says with curiosity "ahh, what's your name"?

"My name is Reficul", he says very proudly.

"What does that mean"? John says with confusion.

"It's means goodness". Reficul says smiling very mysteriously.

John looks at Reficul awkwardly and sees he is very pale and notices he has a very bad odor to him. He smelt of burnt matches the smell was reeking in the car. John plugs in his nose up with his fingers, so he can't smell the bad odor of the man next to him. He thought it was the worse smell ever, even though he looks very clean but, he smelt very dirty and John was very bewildered by it.

Reficul says looking back at the guitar "So you a guitar player"?

John says "Yeah" with his fingers up his nostrils.

"Are you any good"? he says curiously.

John then takes his fingers out of his nose and says "No" unconfidently, with his head going down.

"Do you want to get good"? The man says with a grin.

"Yeah I do, but I don't have time to practice", John says.

"Practice"! Reficul says in shock, "My boy you don't need practice to be good, I hope you know that" he says giggling.

"What do you mean"? John says.

"Well, I mean what it sound like son, I can give you the ability to play that guitar". Refiucl says with a smile.

John then says "HOW" with excitement.

Reficul says "Well, All you got to do is give me something in return".

"Like what"? John says curiously.

As Reficul is driving with both hands on the steering wheel, he suddenly turns his head to John. But something was different in his appearance, his face had changed from white to pale, his white shining teeth with from normal to sharp, his eyes with from brown to a flaming yellow and his voice with from soft toned to very deep and scary tone.

Reficul said in a very horrific tone "Your Soul" looking at John with no mercy, "I'm going to snatch your soul away from you, if you don't give to me to now". Reficul said in a very angry voice.

John was horrified of the mans face and tried to get out of the car, but the door wouldn't budge and the man tried grabbing him with his claws and rip him apart but fortunately John broke the window with his elbow and jumps out of the car landing into a pile of dirt. The Hot Rod kept on going until it stopped and the Man named Reficul (which now you know is Lucifer spelled backwards) got out of the car. He ran towards John with his feet which turned into horse feet.

John was terrified and ran up some more and notices a town up ahead and kept on running towards it. John never looked back but once he ran for a couple more minutes he had stopped for some reason and saw that the beast wasn't there anymore. He had a look of relief as he turned back around to see the town; he had just come from, Gunnison the place he had rejected from and where everyone rejected him, where he wasn't going to go back too.

He was then exhausted and sat down on the curb. He then suddenly realized that he forgot his guitar in The Man's car. But now he realized he didn't need the crappy guitar anymore and he just stood up from the curb and walked into the town and never looked back again with one thing on his mind now; Survival.


Rate this submission

Characters:
Dialogue:
Plot:
Wording:

You must be logged in to rate submissions


Loading Comments