My good friend, Grammy Dee, from Grammy’s Grid, hosts a blogger’s link party based on story prompts. This story is linked to her SHORT STORY PROMPT LINK PARTY 30. Write a story using this first sentence prompt: There was nothing she could do but…
My version is based on a true story.
A RED-HEADED ANGEL
There was nothing she could do but pray. Praying was a regular event in my family and that day was no different. The drive across the peak of the mountain range was a beautiful drive. Weather in Montana can be brutal during the winter months, but the family had chosen to make the trip in early October before the snow storms set in. Her husband, Ed, was tired from driving all day so Rebecca took over for the last two hours of the trip.
The mountain pass was steep, but the scenery was beautiful. Rebecca’s mother-in-law and granddaughter were laughing and singing worship songs in the back seat as they often did during their road trips. No one noticed the purple clouds creeping up on them.
Rebecca commented on the snow flurries, but she only had 80 miles to go. She had them check the weather app on her phone, but found no warnings for the area. She was confident they would make it before any accumulation would cause a problem.
Rebecca had driven about 30 miles when the sky darkened, and the wind began to pick up. The flurries quickly became a hard blowing snow and within minutes they found themselves in a full blown blizzard. The clouds covered the sun and the snow was blinding. They frantically searched for a place to turn around but could not see the edge of the highway for the drifts that were already covering the road. It was a narrow winding road, and just beyond the right shoulder was a steep drop off down the side of the mountain. With no visible shoulder, Rebecca stopped the car in the middle of her lane and Ed took over driving. Rebecca knew all she could do was pray.
She, her mother-in-law, and her little granddaughter all began to pray. They asked God to help them find a place to turn around. It was dangerous to drive this mountain pass in a blizzard and it would be dark soon. The snow was blowing hard into the windshield and they couldnt see past the front of the car. They were blinded by the snow and they needed a miracle.
Praying aloud, Rebecca called out to God for a miracle and within minutes her husband saw something in the road. As they got closer they could see it was a woman in a long overcoat standing in the middle of the road waving them down. She had a very kind face, and long flowing red hair. Ed rolled down the window and she told them that the blizzard had dumped so much snow that the road was completely unpassable. They must turn around and head back down the mountain.
Ed explained he had been unable to find a place to turn around. He couldnt see the edge of the road for the snow drifts. The woman told him she could help. She told him to watch her and she would guide him by standing near the edge of the road. She was hard to see except for her bright red hair that was blowing in the wind. Ed pulled up, and then back, then up and back again, watching her red hair and waving hands, until he was completely turned back down the mountain.
The family was so happy to be pointed back down the mountain, and they began to look for the woman to thank her. She had disappeared! Fearing that she had fallen off the edge of the mountain, Ed got out of the car and walked back to where she was standing. He found her footprints in the snow where she stood to motion him around, but no prints leading from that spot.
They called out for her, but there was no answer. It occured to Rebecca that they had not seen the woman get out of a car. She had just appeared in the middle of the road. How did she get there? Where did she go?
The family was baffled, but a small voice from the back seat declared that she knew the answer to the mystery! Their little granddaughter reminded everyone that they had been praying for a miracle. She said, “Granna, you prayed for a place to turn around, you asked God for a miracle! God sent us a red-headed angel to show us where to turn around! He made her hair red so we could see her in the blizzard!”
The family laughed and all agreed God has sent a red-headed angel.
Was she a red-headed angel? What do you think?
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