they’d
never eat. When she reached the roundabout that led onto the A1, she managed to push the car over fifty for the first time. She began to relax, letting her mind drift with the music.
There was no warning. Although she quickly slammed her foot on the brakes, it was already too late. There was a dull thump from the front bumper, and a slight shudder rocked the car.
A small black creature had shot across her path, and despite her quick reactions, she hadn’t been able to avoid hitting it. Diana swung onto the hard shoulder and screeched to a halt,
wondering if the animal could still be alive. She reversed slowly back to the spot where she thought she had hit it as the traffic roared past her.
And then she saw it, lying on the grass verge – a cat that had crossed the road for the tenth time. She stepped out of the car, and walked towards the lifeless body. Suddenly Diana felt
sick. She had two cats of her own, and she knew she would never be able to tell the children what she had done. She picked up the dead animal and laid it gently in the ditch by the side of the
road.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, feeling a little silly. She gave it one last look before walking back to her car. Ironically, she had chosen the Audi for its safety features.
She climbed back into the car and switched on the ignition to find Gloria Gaynor was still belting out her opinion of men. She turned her off, and tried to stop thinking about the cat as she
waited for a gap in the traffic large enough to allow her to ease her way back into the slow lane. She eventually succeeded, but was still unable to erase the dead cat from her mind.
Diana had sped up to fifty again when she suddenly became aware of a pair of headlights shining through her rear windscreen. She put up her arm and waved in her rear-view mirror, but the lights
continued to dazzle her. She slowed down to allow the vehicle to pass, but the driver showed no sign of doing so. Diana began to wonder if there was something wrong with her car. Was one of her
lights not working? Was the exhaust smoking? Was . . .
She decided to speed up and put some distance between herself and the vehicle behind, but it stayed within a few yards of her bumper. She tried to snatch a look at the driver in her rearview
mirror, but it was hard to see much in the harshness of the lights. As her eyes became more used to the glare, she could just see the outline of a large black van bearing down on her, and what
looked like a young man behind the wheel. He seemed to be waving at her.
Diana slowed down again as she approached the next roundabout, giving him every chance to overtake her on the outside lane, but once again he didn’t take the opportunity. He just sat on
her bumper, his headlights still bright. She waited for a small gap in the traffic coming from her right. When one appeared she slammed her foot on the accelerator, shot across the roundabout and
sped on up the A1.
She was rid of him at last. She was just beginning to relax and to think about her goddaughter Sophie, who always waited up so that Diana could read to her, when suddenly those high-beam
headlights were glaring through her rear windscreen and blinding her again. If anything, they were even closer to her than before.
She slowed down, he slowed down. She accelerated, he accelerated. She tried to think what she could do next, and began waving frantically at passing motorists as they sped by, but they were
unaware of her situation. Diana tried to think of other ways she might alert someone. She suddenly recalled that when she had joined the board of the company, they had suggested she have a car
phone fitted. Diana had decided it could wait until the car went in for its next service, which should have been a fortnight ago.
She brushed her hand across her forehead and wiped away a film of perspiration. She thought for a moment, then moved her car into the fast lane. The van swung across after her, and hovered so
never eat. When she reached the roundabout that led onto the A1, she managed to push the car over fifty for the first time. She began to relax, letting her mind drift with the music.
There was no warning. Although she quickly slammed her foot on the brakes, it was already too late. There was a dull thump from the front bumper, and a slight shudder rocked the car.
A small black creature had shot across her path, and despite her quick reactions, she hadn’t been able to avoid hitting it. Diana swung onto the hard shoulder and screeched to a halt,
wondering if the animal could still be alive. She reversed slowly back to the spot where she thought she had hit it as the traffic roared past her.
And then she saw it, lying on the grass verge – a cat that had crossed the road for the tenth time. She stepped out of the car, and walked towards the lifeless body. Suddenly Diana felt
sick. She had two cats of her own, and she knew she would never be able to tell the children what she had done. She picked up the dead animal and laid it gently in the ditch by the side of the
road.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, feeling a little silly. She gave it one last look before walking back to her car. Ironically, she had chosen the Audi for its safety features.
She climbed back into the car and switched on the ignition to find Gloria Gaynor was still belting out her opinion of men. She turned her off, and tried to stop thinking about the cat as she
waited for a gap in the traffic large enough to allow her to ease her way back into the slow lane. She eventually succeeded, but was still unable to erase the dead cat from her mind.
Diana had sped up to fifty again when she suddenly became aware of a pair of headlights shining through her rear windscreen. She put up her arm and waved in her rear-view mirror, but the lights
continued to dazzle her. She slowed down to allow the vehicle to pass, but the driver showed no sign of doing so. Diana began to wonder if there was something wrong with her car. Was one of her
lights not working? Was the exhaust smoking? Was . . .
She decided to speed up and put some distance between herself and the vehicle behind, but it stayed within a few yards of her bumper. She tried to snatch a look at the driver in her rearview
mirror, but it was hard to see much in the harshness of the lights. As her eyes became more used to the glare, she could just see the outline of a large black van bearing down on her, and what
looked like a young man behind the wheel. He seemed to be waving at her.
Diana slowed down again as she approached the next roundabout, giving him every chance to overtake her on the outside lane, but once again he didn’t take the opportunity. He just sat on
her bumper, his headlights still bright. She waited for a small gap in the traffic coming from her right. When one appeared she slammed her foot on the accelerator, shot across the roundabout and
sped on up the A1.
She was rid of him at last. She was just beginning to relax and to think about her goddaughter Sophie, who always waited up so that Diana could read to her, when suddenly those high-beam
headlights were glaring through her rear windscreen and blinding her again. If anything, they were even closer to her than before.
She slowed down, he slowed down. She accelerated, he accelerated. She tried to think what she could do next, and began waving frantically at passing motorists as they sped by, but they were
unaware of her situation. Diana tried to think of other ways she might alert someone. She suddenly recalled that when she had joined the board of the company, they had suggested she have a car
phone fitted. Diana had decided it could wait until the car went in for its next service, which should have been a fortnight ago.
She brushed her hand across her forehead and wiped away a film of perspiration. She thought for a moment, then moved her car into the fast lane. The van swung across after her, and hovered so
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