I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY SIDE

heading toward the river witch I know I have to cross. Roads are narrow and icy xept when they are wide and icy. I pass car after car after stopped car. And truck. Some are in the ditch. Some are busted. None of them can go. I gess in the city everything is salted and sanded but out here it is a day for no cars.

I am feeling ok. Really. I miss Spencer. I miss mom and dad. I miss Jade even tho we havent seen each other in a while. I sort of miss my cousins. DJ is always sure what to do. Whether it is rite or not he is always sure. I culd use some of that now. I wonder if DJ will get in trubble now? Trouble I mean. He was sort of looking after me and I got kid napped. It wuld be 2 bad if he got in trouble—it is not his falt.

My cousin Adam is from New York. Spencer stayed over at his place when he was on his way to kiss that actress. Huh. I shuld of looked harder at the map in the Joy jail. Maybe I wuld of seen Adams place.

Swoosh swish. My shadow is to the rite of me and way out in front. It is like I am a huge snake or a train or something. That is what my shadow looks like.

You know what I do not miss—jail. Creekside or Joy ether. Being locked up is not fun. Flying down the road like this is the opposite of being in jail. Dad sings a song about a river you can skate away on. It is a pretty cool song. If I new the words I wuld sing it now. I dont know them but I know the tune. I hum a bit.

I keep my rite hand in my pocket. It is the one without a glove. I lost it on the fence at the Joy jail and now I dont have it. My hand is okay in my pocket. Things culd be worse. Some people have no shoes. If I had no shoes I culd not put my feet in my pockets.

I hear loud noises of scraping and grinding from behind me. I move to the side of the road as here comes a tow truck—the kind with a long flat bed. Sitting on top of the truck is a little car with a camera sticking out of the top. The front of the car is smashed. The sine on the side says GOOGLE. The camera is still working. It turns to point at me as it goes past. I wave. I am going to be on google maps if anyone wants to get here.

I have to pee. That is easy because I am alone. Nothing but fields all around me. Its a good thing I was not peeing when the google car went by.

Things do get worse now. My left skate is undone and when I bend over to tie it again the lace breaks. Bang. Or more like Thwap. I end up lying in the road holding a piece of lace. This is not a big bad thing like being kid napped or being cold and late and a long way from home. Witch is also true for me. But it seems really really bad. I was not upset befor but I am now. I am healthy and free and I dont have to pee any more but I almost start crying over a skate lace. Funny eh?

And then I hear Santa.

Jingle Jingle Jingle.

Dammit Rudolf!

Jingle.

Stop Rudolf! Stop! I say. Dammit stop!!

Thats what I hear. Its not really him but Santa is what I think when I hear the jingling and the name. And this is a good place to see Santa—a real old fashioned winter picture with snow and ice and some forest and a lot of quiet. I used to think of him flying down from the North Pole every year on just this kind of evening.

A horse is pulling a sled toward me. Perfect for the seen. It has those big runner things that bend up in the front. Bells hang on the what are they—the rains. The driver pulls on them and the sled finally stops.

Want some help? he calls to me.

I am trying to figure him out. Hes fat and he has a beerd and he drives a sled with jingle bells—but he has a horse insted of rain deer and his sled doesnt fly and his beerd and coat are brown. Hes like Santas poor little brother.

I think about that for a sec—life at home with a big brother who brings home A+ report cards and gives presents to the poor. His parents and teachers go on about how wonderful he is. That Nickolas is a saint! And mean while this guy is not doing so well. Every body is shaking there heads saying he wont amount to anything. A saint—dont joke with me.

Hmm. These thots are getting close to my home life. Spencers teachers like him and mine dont think much of me. The only A I ever got was at Creekside this year. Mr Wing liked the story I rote about getting that 15 tatoo.

When I get back I will rite up this hoss stage and skating story. I wonder how it will end? I hope Mr Wing likes it.

All this time the driver stares down at me. You wanna lift there pal? he says. Lemme help you out.

I need help so I hop over to his sled and climb on and soon enuff we are swooshing down the road with the horse Rudolf clopping ahead. I am trying to fix my skate lace—taking it out and tying a not and putting it back in. It isnt working.

While we drive the guy tells me all about himself. His name is Steve. I ask if he has a brother named Nickolas and he says no. He has no brothers or sisters or mom and dad. He is 24 years old and lives in a house in the next town witch is where he is going now.

Are you close to the river? I ask.

The saint low rents?

Thats it!

I dont know the way it is spelled but thats what Bet said when I asked about it. Low rents. I told myself to remember that name and then I forgot.

Its not far from my house says Steve.

Great I say and go back to fixing my skate. Witch is not going great. The lace keeps breaking. I have 3 nots now and my lace is getting shorter and shorter.

You look like you mite need a new lace pal says Steve.

He calls me pal. That is okay.

We can get you some in town he says. The store shuld be open. I have to stop there anyway. Its not far he says.

Thanks I say.

I check my pockets for money. I had 5 dollars when I went skating. Spencer was going to buy me a hot dog but I was kid napped befor he got back so I never payed him.

The money is in my back pocket. Good.

My hand is warm now. It was getting cold after all the time I spent trying to make nots in the lace. I keep it in my pocket and lean over.

You ok pal? asks Steve.

Sure I say.

We are sledding over a field of snow. The road is beside us on the left side. There are woods on the rite. We are coming to a traffic lite—the first in a while. Steve pulls on the rains and tells the horse to slow down. He pulls harder. He yells. We bump off the field and onto the road and past the traffic lite.

Dammit Rudolf! yells Steve. Why dont you do what I want? You mite as well be my kid!

I laff. Mom yells at me all the time for not doing what she wants.

Steves town is called Perivale. We pass the sine. Theres houses and stores and street lites and a big Christmas tree in front of the town hall. And a school and an other one and a donut shop and a Burger King and 2 stop lites. And some pick up trucks driving slowly. Steve tells me that Perivale is the biggest town in the county. He says there are even more people there on Saturdays when the farmers come in for the market.

The store is called Food Land. It is down the main street from the town hall. We stop. Steve fastens Rudolf to one of the lite posts. We are the only sled in the parking lot.

Gess what? They sell skate laces. And other things that you dont normally see at a food store—fire wood and nails and socks and glasses and folding chairs and beer. Huh. There are people putting all these things in shopping carts.

The laces cost $3.95 but befor I can pay Steve takes out his wallet. He is standing behind me in the line holding a big bag of food for Rudolf. Oats I gess.

All together he says to the checkout lady.

Are you sure? I ask him.

I like to help people he says.

He hands me the laces—and also a mitt.

I saw you are missing a glove he says. Take it. Its a mitt—it can be left or rite he says.

Where did you get it? I say.

I lost the other 1 says Steve. So you shuld have it.

It is brown with wooly stuff sticking out. It is pretty heavy.

Well thanks I say. Thanks Steve.

I hop over to the Food Land door and sit down so I can do up my other skate. Only I cant do it. The laces are in a plastic pack and I cant get it open no matter how hard I try.

Dont you hate that? Who decides to make a pack so tite nobody can get in it? Who ever he is I wish he was here so I could make him break his fingers and teeth trying to get the laces. Id still be there going crazy xept that Steve hands me a sort of nife. You push the blade in and out with your thum. I nife open the pack and in 5 minits I am ready to go. The other lace is in my pocket.

Thanks Steve I say. Thanks a lot.

He tells me to keep the nife for now. You mite need it agane he says.

We go out of the store together. It is dark now—winter dark witch means afternoon snack time. Summer dark is bed time. Steve asks do I want anything else?

Like what? I say.

I dunno he says. Anything.

I dont have to think very hard.

Do you have a phone? I ask.

He smiles. You can call from my place he says. Lets go there now.

Rudolf makes a horse noise. He smells the oats.