Melanie

from Ghost Trucker by Joshua David Ling

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lyrics

As Mike Kraft flew down the highway,
The radio continued it’s static.
The interference was getting to him,
As was the enigmatic-
Moment several hours ago
When the radio screamed at him.
And the weather wasn’t looking good either.
In fact, it looked rather grim.

As the road stretched on and on,
A tiny shape came into view.
It was so dark that he almost missed it,
And his alertness he renewed.
He swerved to avoid the human-ish object,
But felt that something was hit.
He cursed under his breath,
And pulled over to take a look at it.

He ran back fifty yards or so,
And saw a little girl.
She was shaking in the cold of the desert,
And fright had rocked her world.
She stared down at the remnants
Of a Hard-cover backpack,
The victim of Mike’s eighteen wheels,
And when Mike shouted, She shouted back.

“What the flying squirrel are you doing?!
Do you realize where you are!?”

“I’m walking to California. Is it very far?!”

The girl shook with cold and fear.
Mike couldn’t believe his eyes.
He grabbed his phone from out of his pocket,
And lifted it to the skies.

“No signal, figures.
Dispatch has been pinching pennies,
Downgrading our phone service and plans.
What a bunch of ninnies...
Girl, what is your name?”

She took a moment to respond,
As Mike grew patient with her.

“Melanie is my name.”

“Well, I’m not leaving you here, for sure.
Come with me to the next town,
And the police can help you there.”

They gathered up her undamaged belongings
And got aboard his truck,
And drove on to the next town,
To see what would be their luck.

credits

from Ghost Trucker, released February 24, 2021

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about

Joshua David Ling Augusta, Georgia

I am Joshua David Ling, and I am a storyteller. I’ve been telling stories ever since I was a wee tot in diapers. Mom and Dad couldn’t stop me, no matter how hard they tried. Of course, it didn’t help that I had a steady diet of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and other anachronistic tales that instilled in me a sense of wonder, longing, and chivalry. ... more