Samantha quietly closed the front door for the very last time, popped the house key into the lockbox and got into the car. The purposeful sound of the engine, & the melody of the tape she had carefully selected for this ride, rang out loudly as she stepped on the gas. The large green hard cover suitcase was hidden in the compartment she had made underneath the back seat. The life savings that she and her husband had so diligently procured was concealed in such a way as to remain invisible. The case was extraordinarily benign looking, revealing nothing of what lay inside. On the sides she had written, “Family Photos.”
Approaching the Interstate, she was careful to keep to the speed limit and cautiously entered the collectors after 8 hours of driving. Rambling down the dirt road for 80 miles, she came to destination #1. Deeply hidden amongst the pine and bushes was car number two. Months previously, purchasing the “007 bus” under a pseudonym, had been much easier than she had ever thought possible. Pine branches lay heavily on its hood and roof, completely disguising and camouflaging it from view. Hiding the family vehicle may prove to be more difficult but, Samantha’s determination was fuelled by decades of love and longing, perhaps she was invincible.
Carefully selected freshly canned goods, and food staples, lined the pantry, powdered milk, coffee and tea had been purchased months ago and Sam filled the fridge, from the large cooler, she had already packed for the journey. Under cover of darkness she grabbed some sleep, before heading down the dirt road, heading north. The family car had been carefully driven into the swamp and submerged itself at the bottom, some thirty feet below the surface – the cement blocks in the trunk assured a final descent into the darkness.
…she followed her hand drawn map to the next location……..
Kathryn Kastner 