Eilise, God, And The Witches [Fake Tattoos #2]

A New Home

Eilise had been driving for days.

She wasn't going anywhere in particular, just West. She held her foot to the floor unless something scenic caught her eye. When she got tired, she'd pull over and take a nap. She didn't ever sleep for more than a few hours. There was too much to do and too much to see.

As she climbed the Rocky Mountains, the air was cold. The oxygen starved engine growled harder with every mile to choke down fuel and keep the car at speed. The vibrations of the car and the sound of rushing air had become a beautiful lullaby.

Eilise heard the snap of the radio dial and Steely Dan's Reelin' in the Years blasted out the speakers. Eilise shook herself awake.

"I put on the radio," God said, "I hope you don't mind. You looked sleepy."

"Thanks." Eilise stretched her eyelid muscles. "Where the heck are we?"

"The Continental Divide," God said. "Just a little bit more and It's all downhill from here."

"Good." Eilise was grumpy. She got out a cigarette and put it in her mouth. She pushed the electric lighter in the dashboard to heat it up. "I could use some downhill."

It was reaching dark when Eilise came down the mountain. She only stopped in Idaho to get gas. She was going to the beach. She wanted to look over that great Pacific Ocean she had never seen before. It had become all she could think about. It was her waking dream.

She thought she had gone over the only mountains she would have to cross, but in the middle of Oregon, she found herself once again climbing into the hills. She reached into her purse for another cigarette, but she was out.

She pulled over into the little mountain town of Hoodoo Forks. It wasn't much of a town. Just a five mile diversion between where the two state routes met. Mostly an empty road, cutting though the Douglas Fir trees. In the middle of the road was a small collection of businesses. Everything was closed but the gas station.

Eilise pulled up and looked at the 1930's styled pumps. She expected a team of grease monkeys to come running out to the sound of the tire bell. Instead, she noticed the sign that said "Please come inside for gas."

How polite...

Eilise made her way inside the station's general store. The whole place had a malt-shop feel to it. Everyone wore clothes that went out of style over a decade ago. It was as if the town was being frozen in time piece by piece through history, not just the furniture in the store, but the half dozen people too.

"Cup of coffee? I just made it," said the clerk, whose long hair and paisley shirt made him look like a walking acid flashback. "On the house."

The offer of a free coffee sparked something inside of Eilise.

"Yes, please," Eilise said.

"Coming right up!" The clerk poured the coffee into a ceramic mug and set it down on the high counter next to the cream and sugar.

"Thank you." Eilise fixed up her coffee and took a sip. "You don't know how bad I needed that."

"I bet," said the clerk, "it's almost ten in the morning. You must be off to a late start."

"Actually," Eilise said, "I've been driving all night."

"Well then," he said, "you can really use it! Let me know if you need a refill. My name's Patrick, by the way."

"Thanks, Patrick," she said, "I'm Eilise. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Patrick said, "Around here were all about kindness."