The Guardian Angel

The Guardian Angel

Valhalla Peaks is located in Rosebury, California. Its windy roads are full of curves, twist and turns. The roads have confused many of wayward drivers causing many accidents. Guard rails were place on each side of the roads for safety. It's the month of October 2021, there was a four-day writing retreat held in the town of Sabogal. Melanie Rains was meeting her two friends Abigail Shaw and Debbie Nichols. She had to drop her tabby cat Issa of at the veterinarian clinic later that afternoon. Melanie was really excited about the writing retreat. She had gone online to booked it two months ahead of time. Tamia Stephens was one of the bestselling authors attending the retreat. Melanie had a huge crush on her and had read all her books. Tamia played forward for the WNBA before her knee injury. She had always been passionate about mystery novels and decided to become a writer. Melanie was wildly attracted to Tamia since her days of playing basketball. It seemed like fate that they were both going to finally meet in person. After dropping Issa off at the veterinarian clinic, Melanie went back to her house. She had forgotten her tickets for the retreat on the coffee table. As she was locking her door to get into her car, it began to rain hard.

“Oh. Man,” said Melanie. “This is not what I need today.”

She threw her purse up over head and ran to her car. She programmed the address to the retreat into her vehicle GPS navigation system. Melanie waved to her neighbor Mr. Wong sitting on his porch as she drove away. The rain began to pour from the sky like floods of tears. Melanie began to drive through Valhalla Peaks. The GPS navigation system goes amok and start telling her to turn right every turn. Melanie looks around and sees nothing but woods on both side of the roads. There are no signs to tell her where she is located. She reaches into her glove box to see is there a paper map to tell her the location. Melanie had forgotten that she had thrown out her paper map when she cleaned her car out last month.

“That was smart,” said Melanie.

It had stopped raining, and a mist was forming over the roads as the sun had begun to down. A hooting from an owl can be heard in the darkness. As she looks into a wooded area on the side of the road, she sees bright yellow eyes staring back at her. Melanie heart began to beat fast, and her mouth went dry in fear of what creature the yellow eyes belong. Then suddenly emerging out of the woods stood a mule deer.

“Oh, my God!” exclaimed Melanie.

Melanie decided to get back into her car and drive around. The last thing she needed to be is lost on a dark road alone. There's no telling what else would come out of the woods. She drove slowly hoping to see a person or house along the road. The only light that could be seen was her headlights. Melanie continued to drive slowly. She came across and abandon shack on the side of the road. The windows were broken out and the roof was caving in. Melanie continued to drive up a steep little crooked hill. Blankets of fog began to creep into the pale moonlight. She continues to drive her car up the hill. There to the left was a white house with a streetlight on the side. Melanie opens her door cautiously and looks around the house. There are lots of pinwheels and garden gnomes all around the front of the house. She steps onto the front porch and rings the doorbell.

“Who there?” says a voice.

“My name is Melanie Rains.” says Melanie. “Do you have a telephone?”

“Are you lost honey,” says the voice.

“Yes, I am,” said Melanie. “Can I use your phone please?”

The door opened slowly. A short old, chubby woman with glasses and gray hair in a flannel robe appears behind the door.

“Come in deary,” says the old woman.

“Thank you,” said Melanie.

Melanie goes into the woman's house. She notices that the old woman has a large number of cats and kittens. The animals were walking all over the coffee tables, laying on the couches and roaming on the floor.

“I love cats,” says the old woman. “My name is Trudy Garner.”

Trudy has Melanie her cordless phone and takes a seat in a chair. Melanie calls her friend Abigail and tells her what had happened.

“I have been calling your phone all evening,” said Abigail. “Are you alright?”

“I'm okay,” said Melanie. “I'll try to get there as soon as I can.”

Ms. Garner gave Melanie direction on how to get back to the main road. A few left turns and two rights, she would be on her way to Sabogal before nine o'clock tonight. As she got back to the main road her GPS and cell phone started working once again. The fog had subsided, and she could see her way clearer now. Melanie finally reached the town of Sabogal. She parked her car in the hotel Renaissance parking lot. There in the lobby waiting for her were her friends Abigail and Debbie.

“It's about time.” said Abigail. “You had us worried silly.”

“I got lost,” said Melanie. “Dang GPS lost its signal on me.”

“It's your own fault taking shortcuts,” said Debbie.

“Meanies,” said Melanie.

Melanie checked in at the front desk. It was late and there was no one to take her bags to her room. She gathered her things along with her friends getting on the elevator. It was a long exhausting evening. All she wanted to do was lay down in her room and rest. After trip, Melanie wanted to find Ms. Garner and thank her properly for helping her find her way. She was concerned about the old woman being alone with hardly anyone close around. Melanie wasn't close to her own family, but something about Ms. Garner touched her heart. After the writing retreat wrapped up, Melanie wanted to take her friends to see the kindly old woman who helped her that night. They drove up to the house with the pinwheels and garden gnomes. Melanie got out of the car to knock on the door. When she got up to the porch, the door was slight cracked. She opened the door and looked inside. It didn't look like anyone has lived in the house for years. Her friends got out of the car and joined her inside.

“Are you sure this is the house?” asked Debbie.

“Of course, I'm sure,” said Melanie. “This is the house.”

“No one is here though,” said Abigail.

“I'm not crazy,” said Melanie. “There was an old woman with lots of cats right here.”

There was dust all over the furniture, spider webs covered the walls and ceilings. The windows were stained with mold and there were weeds growing through the hardwood floors. Melanie wondered if she had imagined all this that night, but it seemed so real.

“Let's go,” said Debbie. “We have a three-hour drive ahead of us.”

“Yea,” said Abigail. “Come on Melanie.”

“Okay,” said Melanie.

As they were leaving out of, the house an old man in a red pickup truck pulled into the yard.

“Can I help you ladies?” asked the man.

“Do you know Ms. Garner?” asked Melanie.

“Yes,” said the man. “She was my aunt.”

The man told the women that his name was Joshua Riley. He said his aunt Trudy lived in the old house with her twenty cats for thirty years. People used to call her the crazy old cat lady. Joshua was the only family that she had. He visited his aunt as much as he could before she passed away fifteen years ago. Melanie was in disbelief. A woman who had died fifteen years ago had shown her the way to get to the main road. Could she have seen a ghost? Joshua had sold the land his aunt Trudy's house was built on to a real estate company for development.

“By the way,” said Joshua. “How do you know my aunt?”

“She helped us awhile back,” said Debbie.

“Aunt Trudy was like that,” said Joshua.

“It was nice meeting you,” said Melanie.

“You too,” said Joshua.

The ladies got into their car and drove away. It was a quiet ride home to Scottsburg. Melanie took solace in the thought of Ms. Garner being her guardian angel. How else could she ever explain talking to a woman who had died fifteen years ago.