A true and inexplicable story ~
A STRANGE PREMONITION – Cry of Desperation!
In early fall 2006, a year following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I volunteered in a Ward south of New Orleans to help clear major debris and repair homes when possible, as most were beyond re-habilitation.
That December, just before Christmas I drove from Orleans to Phoenix to celebrate with my brother and family. I only stayed a few days wanting to return home in advance of a major winter storm making its way along the I-44 highway route I’d be taking.
Typically, in situations when I just want to get home, I like to barrel through for as long as I can before having to pull-over.
Fortunately too, along the way are the essential Rest Area facilities of which there are many it being a major highway. Often, I would just park the car, a small SUV, in a dark corner and take a hard nap before heading on.
At this point I had been driving the better part of two-days, and being just outside of Indianapolis and two-thirds of the way home, I couldn’t drive another mile and pulled into the next available Rest Area.
After tending to the facilities,; settling into the nap by letting the seat rake full back.
Trying to get comfortable, it being around four to five in the afternoon, I put a blanket over me to block-out the day-light. It was then I heard voices of other travels making their way to the facilities.
For no reason I could explain, in that instant, a thought struck me: `what if I died here, being out of sight, and the people coming and going, being transient - why would they take notice of anything You could be dying or lying dead in you car, and no one would be the wiser, I guess until the smell that would alert someone!’
The sudden clarity of the idea ran a chill down my spine. I became so uncomfortable with the notion of that happening to anyone literally scared me.
Taking a moment to ponder the idea, I decided I had to leave; tired or not!
The circuit drive lane to exit being one-way out, I had to drive around to what is the rear entrance side of the Rest Area building. There were no cars parked there save for one: a silver gray Toyota Camry, but nothing surprising about it.
It beginning to get dark, and my eye-lids fighting to stay open, I decided to take a Motel 6 just off the high-way into Indianapolis.
That expression: `you get what you pay for!’ ; well it’s true that night. To this day I’m convinced the mattress moved when laid on. Fearing a case of bed-bugs, I put the few towels available between me and it. So, needless to say; I didn’t get much sleep, and headed out the first break of light.
Being concerned the forecasted Armageddon-level winter storm approaching Indianapolis might make the last part of this trip miserable, I tuned into the local NEWS channel. Fortunately, the storm, advancing slowly, wouldn’t be in the region until late afternoon. Knowing by then I’d be far gone was a relief.
But the next part of the NEWS broadcast put me in a state of shock and absolute disbelief!
`Welcome to the early-morning news: Earlier this morning, at Rest Area East-bound I-70 Mile Marker 64, just west of Indianapolis ,the remains of a deceased individual was found in their parked car a silver-gray Toyota Camry. The condition of the body suggest the individual had died some time ago, possibly weeks. It was discover by the scheduled maintenance worker who recalled seeing the car parked during his last visit two weeks prior. But thought nothing of it, and did not question it at the time….’
Wait a minute. I thought out-loud: that’s the rest area where I had that creepy feeling; just that exact happening, and blown away realizing it was the car I saw as I drove from the rest area!’
I realized, during the remainder of the drive home, having parked where I did, at the front of the Rest Area, I had parked in the same spot as the Camry was parked, but at the rear parking area. I would have been looking directly into their windshield if the building wasn’t between us.
`Crazy clairvoyant!’ I chuckled at the time.
I truly didn’t know how and what to make of it then, and to this day. Was this simply a matter of strange and bizarre coincidence, or the last anxious, death rendering moment of a dying, if not dead person, making one last out-stretched - cry of desperation?
THE END!
