The Tiger and the Moth

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The sun shone through her mirror and reflected on her eye lids. She could see the trees move across them. Her eyes flickered open and she felt a headache that ran across her eyes and sunk deep behind them. The rest of the car remained shadowed by a tree branch, and the shadow would flicker when the breeze came. Through her window, Emily saw that she was surrounded by rocks around her and she could hear what sounded like water running. Emily realized she must be in a stream or a river.

Surrounding the car were trees. It was nothing like she's ever seen before. Small green leaves and little white petals covered her windshield. Emily had only seen trees in houses or pictures, but none outside. California was too dry to have them. These trees grew wild and they were not housed or raised like children in a household. She looked through all the windows of her car, and then she remembered Ginger. She turned back to see that Ginger's cage was bent and the cat was sleeping on a pile of mess inside of it.

Emily reached for her seatbelt and unbuckled it. The sun was shining through on her face. A wave of panic took over. She didn't feel any discomfort but she quickly looked in the mirror and expected the worst. She was not sunburned and felt some relief. Back home, if she were that long in the sun unprotected, she'd take a long time to recover from the sunburn marks and would probably have skin cancer for the rest of her life. Emily leaned forward and opened her car door. She had to push it out hard. The door gave way and water rushed in, going as high as her knees. She had to get Ginger, so she hopped over to her rear door, and opened the door. She took Ginger's cage out and put it on the hood of her car. Emily pulled out Becky and turned her on. She lit up and was scanning for a signal.

Ginger meowed. She pet Ginger and Ginger's back curled up and she began to purr. Emily reached for her phone to check the time but it was dead.

She went into her car and to start it. It didn't click on, but instead it flash a battery light. The impact must of left the car-unit running and it needs a charge. Even if she were to get it out of the stream, it was still stuck in the riverbed, she thought. It would need to be towed. One the wheels didn't look right either. It might have to be replaced. Emily sat on the car, and looked around. She didn't know where she was. Emily tried to pull out a map to GPS her location in the car, but she couldn't pull up the map or get reception. There was reception everywhere in California. There must be something wrong, she thought. This is the south. She didn't know what to expect. Emily looked around and saw a glimpse of the road she must of skidded off of. Emily stepped through the stream bed and walked towards the road.

Emily waited there for a car to pass by. She figured if a car would pass by, this would be the best place to wait. She got comfortable and sat in the grass and waited. She felt it under her hands. It was fine and smooth. It felt like hair of the earth and she liked it.

It was as if it came to here so suddenly, but she had a memory that was vague and that was not so clear it cut of her sitting outside in the grass, and it itching her legs. She remembered waiting for her parents. They were inside, while she was outside. She sat there and she watched the ants move up and down the grass blades. A girl was in the same yard, but across the other way. She was building a rock garden and wearing a white and pink flowered sundress. Emily got lost in thought.

Finally after about an hour, she heard something come. Emily quickly stood up. Suddenly, she saw a car go by. It slowed down and the person looked at her, and sped quicker. She coughed as it left. It blew exhaust on her. Another went by without stopping. These cars were not like her car-unit. It was gas operated and she could smell the exhaust. Her mom showed her many like these. If only Aileen were here to help, Emily thought, she knows them inside and out. Maybe her mom was here, but her mom just couldn't get a signal.

The next car Emily saw, she waved her arms and stood in the road to force the car to slow down. Finally, she got a car to slow down in front of her. It was a young man driving a woody station wagon. He pulled over to the side and rolled down his window. Emily looked into the window. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. His long hair was a greasy with humidity.

"Would you mind if I used your phone?" Emily asked. "My car is stuck." The young man laughed and looked at hers suspiciously also. "I don't have a phone."

"Oh," Emily said. She didn't know what to do next.

"You're the only one who stopped in the last hour and you don't have a phone?" Emily said.

"I can give you a lift somewhere?" he said. Emily looked back at her car and paused.

"It's not going anywhere," the guy said. "Unless some of the creek people see it."

"Who?" Emily said.

"I'm just kidding," he said. "I'm Brian," he said, reaching out his hand.

"Emily," she said. Emily shakes Brian's hand. "I don't really want to leave my car. Is it safe?" Emily looked back at it.

"I could have a look at it," Brian said. He got out of the car, and walked towards Emily's car-unit stuck in the stream.

"No that's okay," Emily said. She ran up to Brian to block him, but he was already down in the creek bred. He opened the hood of the car. Emily watched him look inside. He leaned in to look inside the hood.

"Have we met before?" she asked.

"Nah just in your dreams" Brian said, winking. Emily rolled her eyes and looked away. Brian shook his head.

"This is incredible," he said. "Just like I imagined. I've only seen them from a distance. Not under the hood or anything..."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked. "Can you fix it? Is it that bad?"

"I don't know how," Brian said. "How'd you even get it over here?"

"I was driving down this route," Emily said.

"But this route leads to a river. The road has been closed for years," Brian said.

"Well that's what the car-unit said to take. It is very accurate. There was something in the road, and I swerved," Emily said.

"It's not like California, full of tumbleweed and things," Brian said. "Fires that make the sky scorch, and people who isolate themselves and hide away in their bubble city."

"How'd you know I'm from California?" Emily said. Brian lifted his foot and tapped the license plate. Emily crossed her arms.

"How do you know about California?" Emily said. Brian didn't answer, and she let out a sigh. He ran his finger over the emblem of her car-unit.

"Why don't you come with me. I know a guy who might be able to help your car. You can stay there, and there's a phone," Brian said, looking up from the emblem. Emily thought about it for a moment. She didn't know him and now that someone is helping her, she didn't know if she should trust him, but what choice did she have?