The Hike Read Online Free PDF Page B

white blouse with a red shawl over it. Wooden clogs peeked out from under her frock. She looked familiar to Ben, although he couldn’t put a name to the face.
    â€œPlease ma’am, I need help!” Ben pleaded.
    â€œWho are you, my dear?” she asked. She had a British accent.
    â€œMy name’s Ben and I’m lost and two people have tried to kill me and they’re still out there. I need to use your phone.”
    â€œPhone?”
    â€œYes, your cell phone. Or a landline if you have one.”
    â€œLandline?”
    Oh shit, I’ve run all the way to Amish country.
“A phone! Do you have a phone? Do you know someone nearby who has a phone? Does anyone live near here? Is there a town nearby?”
    â€œOh, the town is miles down the path.”
    â€œAnd what town is that?”
    â€œCourtshire.”
    â€œWhat is Courtshire?”
    She was puzzled by the question. “It’s . . . It’s Courtshire! The town!”
    â€œAm I still in Pennsylvania?”
    â€œPennsylvania?”
    He may as well have been speaking Japanese. Every answer of hers seemed to make things
less
clear.
    â€œIs there someone in the town who can help me? A policeman? A doctor?”
    â€œYou can find help there, yes. I don’t like the idea of murderers and thieves running loose. I can help you get to Courtshire.”
    â€œMy goodness, thank you. Thank you so much. Do you have a car?”
    â€œA car?”
    â€œOkay, a horse or something.”
    â€œOh, ho ho! No, I’m afraid I’m much too poor to afford a horse, but I can help you get to Courtshire still. But first, I’ll need you to weed my garden.”
    â€œWhat.”
    â€œI’ve grown old and weak and you look like a fine, stout young man. Pull the weeds in the front of the cottage and I’ll get you on your way to Courtshire.”
    â€œI don’t think you understand. I am in grave danger.
You
are in grave danger. We have to leave for Courtshire.”
    â€œNow? Oh, I’m not going anywhere.”
    He grabbed her. “You have to come with me!”
    â€œTake your hands off me, young man.”
    He stepped back. “I’m sorry. I’m not a violent person, but these men killed a little girl. It wasn’t that far away from here. They killed two dogs as well. I can show you the bodies.”
    â€œYou can go where you like, but I feel safest here, in my home. Not out there in the forest. If you want me to help you get where you need to go, you’ll pull my weeds.”
    She stuck her hand out to consummate the deal.
Has the universe lost its fucking mind?
But there were no other offers to consider. He shook on it.
    â€œThe weeds are small but pesky,” she warned him. “Finish by noon and I’ll be sure to feed you before you go on your way.”
    She shut the door and now Ben was confronted with a morning’s worth of tedious labor. Between the rows of tomatoes were little arachnid weeds that sprouted out instead of up. He knelt down and his right knee—the bad one—flared up from the impact. After taking amoment to wince, he thrust his hand into the soil, which was surprisingly warm for this time of year. He figured the weeds would come up easily, but when he went to pull, they stayed firmly rooted. He grabbed at the base of the shoot, but all that did was rip away the shoot, leaving him with a tiny stump to yank out of the ground. The only way to get the weed out was to grab the whole hunk of soil around it and pull. The first weed came loose and the thin, tensile roots stretched down one foot, then two, then five, then ten. It was like reeling in a fishing line. The roots seemed to have no end. By the time he was finished with the first weed, there was a coil of root sitting in the dirt, long as a garden hose. Down the row, there were hundreds more to pull. More punishment.
    After an hour, he had cast off the blanket and sweat was running in