Five Stories in One - The five senses -Sight

Five Stories in One

The five senses

Sight
March 12, 2002

Billie Lancer had asked Ivor Johnsnon to write something for his wife's funeral and this is what Ivor wrote:

Sharon was driving her husband's Billie Lancer's truck down State route 11 late afternoon on a Sunday from junction of 30 with Route 11 down into Wellsville on the Ohio River. There had been an early morning snowstorm this March day and there was over eight inches of snow on the road. The entire countryside was covered with silent white crystals of snow. Because of the snow and complete lack of wind there was no sound.

No sound except the deep crunch of the double wide pickup truck. The ford 350 had four rear radial tires and Billie had insisted that Sharon drive his truck to her sister's party down in Wellsville. Billie had done various things to delay her leaving on the snowy roads until he finally he had to take her Nova at 2:30 to get to work as a security guard over at Jones Mill. Billie was angry with the County for the delay in getting the snowy roads properly plowed and wanted Sharon to wait until some salt was down to leave.

Nature compensated for the snow by providing a blue sky like a painter would move to Taos, New Mexico or Southern France to live under.

As she drove up and down the low hills toward the river, Sharon Lancer began to wonder about the Indians who had lived in these hills over 250 years ago. She wondered if a brave walking through their secret paths and trails down into what is now West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina would notice the spectacular beauty of black trees covered in soundless white snow. The white snow covered trees sloped up the Mountains toward the blue blue sky and when route 11 veered Southwest toward Wellsville the late afternoon sun burst brilliantly through the black trees and reflected in majesty onto the road below. The intensity of the light was blinding.

Sharon had a thought. Could a large animal walking down the original animal trail that State Rout 11 had later been built on be aware of the beauty of the timeless light, blue sky and snow covered trees on these mountains.

Following that thought about animal trails being here long before Indian paths or Route 11, Sharon's truck began a long slow gentle slide on a quarter mile slope and as she watched the intense light from the setting sun through the snow covered trees in the ancient mountains, Sharon Lanser slowly slid to her death. She couldn't stop the truck but she had good control of the large stable vehicle in the slow descent so she turned into the slide toward the west, keeping the bright blinding sun in the center of her windshield as long as possible until the truck tumbled into the silent snow covered windless mountains and trees