On a dark and gloomy high in the mountains and car raced a long a narrow mountain road taking corners to fast causing the tires to squeal as she went through tight corners. The woman behind the wheel didn’t slow down but continued to push the car as she repeatedly checked the rear view mirror. The woman’s face was covered in bruises that make up could no longer conceal. She was running for her life, and dared not slow down. He would find her he had money and power and she had neither at her disposal. She was desperate to escape; the repeated rapes and beatings had nearly killed her. If she died out here on the highway it would be blessings. She could no longer endure the pain she had lost the will to live. She just wanted to curl up on a ball some where and die. That was her plan she would find some place high in the mountains that was peaceful. She had a bottle of prescription drugs that she could take and it would be all over. No more rapes, no more beatings. She would be safe once she was gone from this world and she was so tired of living. The years of abuse had killed her spirit. She had once been full of life and dreams. Her husband had robbed her of those things. She had tried to leave him several times but he had found her over and over and each punishment had been worse and worse for her attempts to defy him. The last beating had nearly killed her.

The car started into a tight corner and the tires squealed as the tires struggled to hold the car to the road but she was traveling to fast and the car flew through the air rolling down a steep embankment over and over until the car landed in a gully at the base of the steep incline. Her last thought as she lost consciousness was that it was finally over.

A tall man with shaggy dark hair drove his pickup over the narrow mountain rode carefully. He drove and old red pickup that was in good repair. He was headed home after a short visit to the city. He hated the city with all its noise and pollution he loved his mountain home. He lived in a cabin that was high in the mountains on a lake. He loved the peace of having no neighbors although it was lonely sometimes. If he had his choice he would never leave his mountain home. He was in his early thirties and had grown up in the city. His parents had lived in an apartment in a bad neighborhood and he had grown up in rough neighborhood. He had spent his early years fighting to survive the mean streets. He had started writing in high school and that had earned him a scholarship to the University of Montana. It had been his ticket out of the slums where his parent’s still remained. His Dad was a drunk and his Mom was into drugs. He had raised himself from early child hood. Once in Montana he had never gone back to that life. He had published several award winning books and used the money to buy land high in the mountains where he had his cabin built. As he rounded a corner he saw squid marks on the road way and slowed he could clearly see that a car had gone off the road. Stopping the truck he got out. As he walked to the edge he could see the remains of a car at the bottom of a ravine. Going back to his truck he got his medical kit. Among others things he was a licensed EMT. Making his way carefully down the hill side he approached the

car already expecting the worse. He could see that a woman was slumped over in the front seat with long honey colored hair that reached her face. She was wearing a seat belt. The windows were all broken out of the terribly mangled car. Reaching in he felt for a pulse and was surprised to find one. She was alive by some miracle. He lifted her hair and saw that her face was terribly bruised. Someone had done a real job on her he thought with a dark frown. He recognized the bruises made by a fist. His Dad had used his fists on his Mom plenty. Reaching into a kit he placed a neck brace around her neck. He would have to pry the door open to get her out. He quickly examined her body for broken bones and fractures. Her injuries didn’t appear to be to severe the seat belt had saved her life. Still she would need immediate medical attention. He didn’t dare move her for fear of her having a spinal injury. He made his way up the hill side to his truck and used his fire radio to summon search and rescue units, he than returned to the car to wait for the search and rescue. As he was waiting she came around.

“Take it easy don’t move around you’ve been involved in a bad car wreck.” He told her taking her hand.

She opened her eyes that were a beautiful shade of blue and as her vision cleared she said “Please just let me die.”

“You’re going to be alright.” The pain in her eyes stabbed him.

“He’ll find me and kill me.” She told him weakly.

“No one is going to hurt you again. I give you my word. Your safe with me.” He told her as she back into unconsciousness.

The medics arrived and they pried her out of the car. They lifted onto a back board being careful of her spine. She was air lifted off the mountain and taken to a hospital in nearby Kalispell, MT.

“She didn’t have any I.D on her.” Rick an EMT commented as he filled out the accident report. “Just cash.”

“She must have been doing at least fifty as she rounded that corner.” Pete said as he joined Rick.

“You guys have this under control I’m going to take off.” The man said as he departed. He was anxious and wanted to drive to the hospital to check on her. The poor woman clearly needed help. And for some reason it was very important to him that he

help her. He had been touched by the fear he had seen in her eyes. He had seen that same look in his own mother’s eyes many times. His mother had chosen to ease her pain by taking drugs.

“She’s a very lucky young woman.” The Doctor told him an hour later. “She has a compound fracture on her left lower extremity, several cracked ribs, her left arm is broken and she also has compound fracture to her skull. She’s clearly the victim of long term abuse she’s got a number old fractures to her face and body.” Dr. Greg Andrews was a good friend to him. She doesn’t remember who she is and since there was no I.D on her person were calling her Jane Doe for the time being.

“How soon can she go home?” He asked.

“She’ll be here for at least a week; since she has no insurance the hospital may boot her to another facility sooner.” Greg answered.

“I’ll take care of her bill.” He said causing Greg’s eye brows to go up. “You said you didn’t even know her. The hospital bill for her care is going to be pricey.”

“I can afford it and she clearly needs help.” He answered with a shrug. He had plenty of money; it would be going to a good cause. “Can I see her?” He asked.

“We sedated her so she’s asleep. She’s in room 120.” Greg answered pointing to the room.

He walked into the room and stood staring down at the young woman. Her face was pale the only color came from the multiple bruises on her face. Without the bruises she would be a beautiful woman. Her long honey colored hair was thick and fell in waves to her waist she was small in stature. He would be surprised if she was a hundred pounds. Reaching down he brushed her hair back from her face causing her to stir. Her eyes opened and filled with fear as he towered over her. “It’s alright I won’t hurt you.” He assured her backing away from her.

It took a moment for her eyes to clear enough for her to realize it wasn’t him. She had terrible memories of being abused. She remembered him he had been one of the rescuers that had pulled her from the car. Everything was so blurry. She couldn’t remember her name or who the man was that had been so abusive toward her. She was terrified. “Thank you for helping me.” She told him politely. She was frightened by his size. His broad shoulders seemed to fill the small hospital room.

“How are you feeling?” He asked gently keeping back so that she wouldn’t feel threatened by him.

“Ok, just sore.” She answered calming a bit. She saw only gentleness in his eyes.

“Your lucky to be alive. Do you remember anything about the wreck?” He asked.

“I just remember waking up in the car.” She frowned putting a hand to her head.

“Just relax it will come to you. My name is Adam Michaels; I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll come by tomorrow.” He told her and turned to leave. He was gone before she could tell he didn’t need to bother.

He came to see her every day for a week. He brought her flowers, a stuffed wolf, candy, and books to read. She came to trust the gentleness in his eyes.

“The hospital is releasing you tomorrow. Have you given any thought to where you’ll go?” Adam asked on her seventh day in the hospital.

“I don’t know.” She answered she had no idea where she would go.

“I would like it if you would come stay with me. I have a guestroom you could use until you’ve recovered.” He offered.

“I wouldn’t want to put you to that kind of trouble.” She said feeling uneasy.

“It would be no trouble. I would welcome the company. I live in a cabin in the mountains it’s quiet and you’ll be able to get the rest you need. You’ll be safe there.” He told her.

“Ok.” She said after taking a minute to think about it. What choice did she have? She had no where else to go. And the man who had abused her was out there somewhere. Adam had said the cabin was secluded.

“I’ll come by to pick you up in the morning.” He told her rising from the chair.

The next day she sat stiffly in the old red pickup as he drove her up the mountain to his cabin. It took several hours to reach his hidden cabin. He hadn’t lied the cabin was completely secluded by trees. The two story cabin sat on a beautiful lake that sparkled in the afternoon sun light. As she stepped down from the truck she took a deep breath of the clean mountain air. The log cabin was beautiful, flower beds decorated the front of the

Cabin there was a nice wood porch that wrapped around the front and side of the house facing the water. “Come on will get you settled in your room.” He said leading the way up to the porch slowly as she was on crutches and moved slow. He unlocked the door to his cabin and was greeted by a golden lab named Sam. “Don’t worry about Sam he loves people.” He told her when she hesitated at the sight of the large dog. “Your room is just down this hall.” He led her to a large bedroom at the back of the house. A four postured bed sat in the middle of the room. The room was painted a light shade of green that was very soothing. The bed was covered in a colorful quilt. The room was everything she could have asked for. “I’ll let you get settled in.” He said as he set the small beg she had from the hospital down. He left her to explore the room and went back to the living room. She was surprised to find clothes hanging in the closet. She recognized the clothes as hers but had no idea how he had come by them. He must have gotten them from her wrecked car. His continued thoughtfulness amazed her. All she remembered about men was that they were abusive. Adam was different he was so gentle and steady. She couldn’t help feeling safe in the cabin even though she reminded herself she needed to be on her guard. There was always a price for everything. She wondered what Adam’s price would be. She laid down to take a nap and ended up sleeping through the night. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been able to sleep through the night. She soon discovered she hadn’t slept alone during the night as she woke up with Sam nestled up against her side. He was looking at her when she opened her eyes. She got up and took a shower and dressed. She was starved and the pleasant aroma drifting from the kitchen caused her stomach to growl. She made her way to the kitchen.

“Good morning, how did you sleep?” He asked as he flipped a pancake in the pan.

“Good, I can’t remember the last time I slept so good.” She answered and took a seat at the table. She enjoyed a good breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. “You’re a great cook.” She told him as she sipped her coffee after breakfast. “Who taught you how to cook.”

“I taught myself. My parents weren’t around much when I was growing up so I had to teach myself to cook or starve.” He answered as he sipped his coffee a crossed from her.

Our story begins on an old farm outside of Lacrosse, Washington where two beautiful little girls lived. Sierra was six and a first grader, and her baby sister Cheyenne had just turned four. Their Dad operated the family farm that had been in the family for four generations. They lived up a long crooked dirt road off highway twenty-six. The farm had numerous old buildings on it. Including and old barn that was full of straw, dust, and spiders. The old barn had a loft that the two little girls loved to play in, but their Grandpa didn’t like them playing in the old barn. He was afraid they would get hurt in the barn. So the little girls would sneak into the old barn to play. They loved the old barn and saw it as a wondrous place. On the first floor of the old barn there was a locked door. Their Dad had told them the key to the door had long ago disappeared. So each adventure in the barn consisted of a search to find the key to the locked door. They so wanted to see what was on the other side. On their adventures they were accompanied by their dog Cochise who was half German Shepard and half Siberian Husky. He went with them every where.
So it was on an ordinary summer day that they once again descended upon the old barn to search out the lost key. They searched through the straw with an old pitch fork. They used the old pitch fork to lift the straw that they than sifted through. And to their delight they found an old gold key. They squealed in delight. The key was old and made of gold. Sierra dusted it off on her jeans. The key gleamed at them as if it was alive.
They took the key to the locked door on the first floor, and inserted in the door that was locked on the first floor. Sierra struggled to turn the key as the door had not been unlocked in ages. Finally the door swung open and they stared into a pitch black hole. The two girls bravely entered the black hole without fear. Cochise followed them. Instantly they were falling through space. They landed with a thud in a beautiful meadow surrounded by beautiful mountains.
“Where are we Sierra?” Cheyenne asked as she looked around.
“I don’t know?” Sierra replied as she started forward intending to explore. She felt no fear as they still had their trusty dog with them.

“Be careful.” A voice said into Sierra and Cheyenne’s minds.
“Who said that?” Sierra asked her eyes moving around as they searched for the source of the voice.
“I did.” Cochise said into her mind as he realized that he could now communicate with the two girls.
“Who are you?” Sierra asked not realizing she was talking to Cochise.
“My name is Cochise I’m your protector.” Cochise answered as he scented the wind looking for danger.
“Cochise?” The girls said as they realized they were talking to their dog.
“You can’t talk?” Sierra pointed out.
“I can now?” Cochise replied.
“Where are we?” Sierra asked accepting that Cochise could talk to them.
“I don’t know, but were a long ways from home.” He answered.
“Come on Sierra let’s go explore.” They walked through the meadow taking in the beautiful green grass that was covered with beautiful flowers in every shade imaginable. Deer grazed in the meadow and to their amazement they found that they could also talk to the deer with their minds. They asked the an old male who had a huge rack of horns on his head. He towered over them.

“You are on the planet of Zarah.” The wise old buck answered in their minds.
“Cool.” Sierra replied. They continued to wander through the meadow exploring and talking to various animals. And than to their surprise two huge dragons dropped out of the sky in front of them. The dragons were beautiful. One was a deep teal color and the other one was a vibrant purple. The two little girls stood frozen in fear as the dragons folded their beautiful winds.
“Do not be afraid little ones.” Katarah the teal dragon said into their minds. “My name is Katarah, I am your guardian Sierra I’ve waited thousands of years to meet you.” She told them.
“I am Tamarah, Cheyenne I am your guardian.” The purple dragon told Cheyenne and I have also waited thousands of years to meet you.
“Wow.” Sierra and Cheyenne exclaimed.
“I don’t think Mommy and Daddy will let us keep you. Our house is too small.” Sierra told the dragon.
“We can’t be with you in your old world it is not allowed. We must stay here.” Katarah shook her head sadly. “Would you like a ride?” She asked.
“Yes.” Sierra said with a big smile.

“Climb on.” Kartarah said as she and Tamarah laid down on the ground so the little girls could climb a board. They climbed up onto the backs of the dragon and settled into the saddles on the backs of the huge dragons.
“Hold on.” Katarah told them as the two dragons took to the air. The little girls laughed as they flew through the sky. They raced a crossed the sky toward the mountains in the west. They passed over a beautiful lake. The water on the lake was so clear that they could see fish swimming below its service There was no cars or pollution in this beautiful place. The inhabitants lived in harmony with each other. The Dragon carried the girls high into the mountains where a beautiful castle was built into the mountains. They landed in a beautiful court yard made of white stone. Beautiful vines with colorful flowers wrapped around the stone columns, and their was a beautiful fountain in the center of the court yard. As the dragons settled to earth a handsome man walked toward them. He was dressed in a black shirt and pants. His caped swirled in the soft breeze as he walked toward them.
“Welcome to Zarah Sierra and Cheyenne. I have waited many years to meet you.” He told them as he approached. The dragons laid down so that the little girls could climb down.
“Are you human?” Sierra asked.
“No.” He did not elaborate. “Come you must be hungry.” He led them into the beautiful castle. They walked down a long hallway with beautiful white stone columns. The entered a beautiful dinning room where a long huge table was covered with food. They ate their fill and drank a sweet bunch the quenched their thirst.
After their meal they explored the castle until it was time for them to return the sun was setting when they returned to their dragons in the court yard.
“I don’t want to go home!” Sierra said stubbornly crossing her arms.
“I’m afraid you must. You can return tomorrow, but for now you must return to your home.” He helped Sierra up into the saddle.
“What’s your name?” Sierra asked him as he had yet to tell them.
“I am Prince Damon the ruler of this planet.” He bowed to her. “And you are my Princess.” He told her. “Take care of them.” He ordered the dragons before walking back into the castle. The dragons took to the air and carried their riders a crossed the night sky. They returned them to the meadow where they floated to the ground. Go through that bush and you will return to your world. Cochise was waiting for them with his tail wagging. He licked their faces as they dropped to the ground from the backs of the dragons.
“I’ll miss you.” They told the Dragons.
“We will see each other again. Now that you have the key to the door way you can come as often as you like. But you must be careful. Don’t lose the key without it you can’t return.
“Will be careful.” Sierra told them. She and Cheyenne reluctantly entered the bush and once again they fell through space but this time they landed with a thud on straw in their old barn. Sierra hid the key carefully under a loose board in the barn and they made their way back to their house with Cochise. When they reached home they told their mother of their adventures . She smiled as she listened to their wild tales.
After dinner they settled into their beds to sleep. Their dreams were filled with Dragons and the magical land they had discovered.

The End

I'm back at last. We are done moving now all I have to do is unpack a huge amount of stuff. Every time I move I realize that I really need to get rid of some stuff. Happy Halloween by the way. This is one of my favorite holidays I look forward to it each year after all this is the one night of the year that monsters, vampires, werewolves and other creatures of the night can walk freely among us so watch out. Have a safe and happy Halloween! I will be dressing up my littles ones to go trick or treating.

Well we are in the process of moving into a small house. I will probably be unable to blog again for a few days. We were lucky to be able to get into this house so quickly. It's a huge relief to me; I was beginning to think that we were going to end up on the streets for getting married. I am starting a new job tonight as well I will be working graveyard shift at a Nursing home which will be tough but save on daycare costs. Hope all is well with everyone. Talk to you when I get moved into my new place.

There is a new site on the web where you can post short stories for free and earn revenue off of them. This is a great site for writers and I know the guy who is operating this site. So it's all on the up and up. So all you creative people get over there and share your stories with the world. The site is located at www.postshortstory.com I plan to post a few short stories on this site as well.