The Ugly Truth
About a month back, young Donny Willsome
made the mistake of accepting a ride home from a stranger. The
guy seemed as nice as red apples and hay when he offered the
ride, but once they started driving, he seemed to have a dark
mirth about him. And he seemed to be rather intent on using that
digital camera of his: taking pictures of his young passenger
as they stopped for red lights, or slowed for turns.
Donny asked him what he did. "Oh,
I'm an artist," the man explained: "I work in a number
of mediums, but none of them are as satisfying as this. There's
something so immediate about digital photography, wouldn't you
say?"
He went on and on, and as he did, Donny
lost all track of time, or distance. There was something entrancing
about the man's voice - something that made Donny want to listen
to every single word he said.
Before long, they were out of town,
as the "shortcut" the man knew of had led them to nowhere
at all. But Donny couldn't make himself be afraid, or try to
get out of the car. And it was not much longer beyond that point
that Donny was completely ensorcelled into doing the driver's
bidding.
It took about three tries down that
lonely road - with Donny holding onto the hood for dear life
- before the young boy got the perfect expression, just
as they got within range of the ill-placed speed warning sign.
And once the driver had what he'd come
for, he stamped on the brakes, and sent poor, young Donny flying
onto the pavement at about 105 MPH. Then the driver ran his subject
over - twice - and drove away, smiling at how perfect a day it
had been.
Fortunately, Donny was found less than
a half an hour later by a Boy Scout Troop that had been hiking
around those parts. Between their timely call for an ambulance
and first aid on the scene, they saved his life. His legs are
so badly broken that he may never run again, and he still needs
skin grafts on 3/4 of his back due to his being nearly-skinned
by the impact and the roll, but he's alive.
And the odd thing - something his doctors
put down to shock and trauma - is that he can't remember how
he got there at all.
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