I searched for several minutes, but there was nothing out there other than me in the middle of the road, looking for someone that was possibly a figment of my imagination. Some lights coming from a town were visible off in the distance. In the direction the old man had been looking. Having just traveled through that area, the town had not been there. It was like a town just appeared. I decided to turn around and investigate. How does an entire town disappear then reappear? Glancing at my rearview mirror, the old man was visible again in the exact same spot. Just standing there, on the side of the road, but this time looking at me.

I could not believe it was possible to have driven through this stretch of road not more than 20 minutes earlier and not seen what was before my eyes now. I was approaching the outskirts of a small town. It was with some trepidation that I walking through the doors of a 24-hour fast food joint hoping to get some coffee, not quite knowing what to expect. The girl behind the cash register was too busy talking on her cell phone to even acknowledge me, so much for customer service. She was talking about the blackout that had wiped out the electricity for miles around and how their computers were just now getting back online. I must have driven through the town and not even notice.

Once finished, she informed me about the blackout and how scary it was for them. She said she could not call her boyfriend because her cell phone had no signal. I asked for directions and sure enough I had gone straight instead of turning left at the corner that the girl referenced to with a swing of her arm. The road was apparent through the windows and a lone car turn onto it. I ordered some coffee, she said it was not too hot because of the blackout but that was fine with me, years of college had taught me to drink coffee at any temperature.

After making it to the hotel, my mother and father came by my room to “check” on me, she started crying saying she had been worried. Mom, always made me feel wanted. My dad just rolled his eyes, but he was relieved also. Later, a map indicated my mistake had placed me on one of those small roads that just seem to go on forever without arriving anywhere. If I had not turned around, it would have added hours to an already long trip.

My head hit the pillow and the old man in the road popped into my mind’s vision. Had the old man been a visitation by my grandfather, one of his friends, or just my subconscious manifesting the facts about the blackout to my conscious mind? Considering the prankster my grandfather was, if he could come back, he would find it funnier to cause the blackout, which almost launched me on a cross-country trip. Although, I would like to think it was my grandfather trying to tell me he was looking out for me. I feel asleep mumbling, “go cut your grass grandfather, go cut your grass.”