I Don't Know if it's Her or Me...

In some ways it's much easier to check out a new place when you look like a kid. Some things are really tricky, though. There are all kinds of creatures that hunt kids, here, especially girls.

There are ups and downs to all of it. I learned a simplified vocabulary, like a child, but I got the papers that say I'm 25. Those cost a lot, but it's still easier to travel with a woman who looks grown-up.

I showed her those papers, told her I wanted to tour, too, and offered to split expenses (which I've mostly avoided doing.) I'm supposed to be learning about all of it, but I get bored.

I'd got a map on the laptop, but I told Helen the way about 8 times, and she couldn't remember, and when I told her she was going wrong she didn't believe me until she saw me look at the lappy. So I found some games.

There were animals on the road when we were getting near Sunnydale, and Helen kept yapping about it, so I found this game where you shoot them.

Then Helen realised what I was doing and turned around and started shouting at me - and she was looking at me, not the road. When I looked up, this big cow-thing with horns like a chaos-demon was right in front of us...

Then it was like Hell broke loose...

Snake

I think Helen just missed the deer, or stag or whatever it was. She hit a tree. I guess she missed the snake, too. It didn't act like the car had gone over it when it came after us.

I've seen pictures of snakes. They're pretty, but the big thing crawling over the car wasn't like that. Helen was sort of slumped over in the front seat. She kept on trying to pull herself up.

The snake was looking at her through the front glass, where the blood was. It was swaying its head and neck. Every time it hissed we could see right down its throat!

The Other Car

I never saw the other car until the horn sounded behind us. Helen sort of tried to turn and then slumped.

I thought the other driver saw the snake, then, but he just looked shocked and then made a funny gesture at his own arm. I thought he was trying to signal me something.

Then I realised that he'd injected himself! So I guessed he was sick, or addicted, probably no good - especially when he just sat there.

The snake kept on nosing its way around the car, but going back to the front and mouthing at the window in front of Helen's face. I guess it could maybe smell the blood?

The car had a broken window in back. If the snake found it I might even be a snack. The mouth looked easily big enough to take me. When it got too near I started to get out of the car on the other side.

The head whipped up out of sight, and I guess from the thumps that it was going over the roof. When the head came down by the other door it tongued around the window a bit and then went back to trying to get at Helen through the windshield.

I did that about four times and I guess it was getting wise to it, every time I did it the snake was slower to move to the other door.

Then the guy in the other car seemed to make his mind up and stopped just watching. He opened the car door and pushed a big box out, then kicked it clear.

The snake started to whip over toward him, but then he closed his door and the snake was coming back at me, on the same side as the broken window. Its whole body was on the ground, until it started to crawl up the right rear of the car.

The other driver got out of his car and started to move toward the snake, very slowly. I thought then that he was trying to make it bite at a stick. He'd left the door of his car open...

So I got out on the side away from the snake and ran to his car... and then things got even worse!