here? I do.”
* * *
Gracie sniffed the air and asked, “What’s that smell?”
“What smell?”
“Like something burning. Don’t you smell it?”
Danielle rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
“How do you know? It seems like it’s coming from the motor.”
“Because I know my own car,” Danielle said with anger. “She’s been running for hours and she’s probably getting tired. Just don’t worry.”
“You mean you’ve smelled this before?”
“Of course,” Danielle said. “Besides, we’re in Yellowstone with all the geysers and such. They all smell a little like toilets.”
But Gracie wasn’t sure she believed her.
* * *
There was a long straight run and Danielle obviously felt comfortable speeding up. To the south was a wide-open vista that stretched out for several miles until it butted against dark tree-covered foothills. A wide black river serpentined through the meadow, the surface of the inky water reflecting the sliver of moon and the stars. Elk and bison grazed near the banks framed by wisps of thermal steam. Huge white trumpeter swans nested in the tall grass near the river. Danielle seemed transfixed by the screen of her cell phone and the NO SIGNAL message where bars should have been.
“It’s really kind of pretty,” Gracie said.
“What is?”
“Look out there. You can see wildlife in the starlight.”
“I thought they were cows.”
“This is Yellowstone Park, Danielle,” Gracie said. “They don’t graze cows in a national park.”
Danielle seemed to be thinking it over. Then she said, “I heard cow farts are one of the leading causes of global warming. That’s why we shouldn’t eat so much red meat.”
Gracie sighed.
But as they started a slow turn away from the Lamar River valley, she noticed a tiny wink of light through the back window in her rearview mirror a long distance behind.
“At least we aren’t the only people on the road,” she said.
“What?”
* * *
As they crossed over a long expansion bridge with a thin angry river far below them, Gracie could see a smudge of light ahead coming from beyond a shoulder of mountain. Then a small wooden sign reading: MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, 2 MILES . She glanced at the GPS. Three more hours.
“We’re just about out of the park,” she said.
“And I have a signal!” Danielle shrieked. As she said it her text box lit up.
“Two texts from Justin,” Danielle said. “That’s so sweet. He was worried about me.” To the phone, she said, “Don’t worry about me, J-Man. I’m coming to save you.” She began to text.
* * *
Fifteen minutes LATER , Danielle’s phone chirped. “He wants to know where we are.”
A beat passed, and Gracie said, “So tell him.”
“Where are we?”
Gracie sighed, looked at the GPS display, and said, “Tell him we’re in Montana again. We just drove through Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner and we’re going north on Highway 89.”
“Slow down,” Danielle said, tapping the keys.
“You could look at the screen, you know. It says we’re close to Yankee Jim Canyon.”
“Yeah, yeah,” her sister muttered.
The highway paralleled a river and there were high canyon walls on both sides. The night sky was a belt of stars straight above them, its expanse narrowed to a trough by the walls. Gracie thought the sky looked like a mirror of the river they were driving by.
Suddenly, the car lurched.
Gracie looked up, “What was that?”
“I don’t know,” Danielle said. But when Gracie leaned over and checked the temperature gauge she saw the needle had not only entered the red but was pressed tight to the far corner of it. The engine lurched again and went silent. It was as if the soul of the little car had left it, leaving the slowly rolling husk.
“Oh, no,” Gracie said.
“What is it?” Danielle asked, frantic. The Ford slowed.
“Something happened to the motor. The steering wheel is all stiff.”
It was
* * *
Gracie sniffed the air and asked, “What’s that smell?”
“What smell?”
“Like something burning. Don’t you smell it?”
Danielle rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
“How do you know? It seems like it’s coming from the motor.”
“Because I know my own car,” Danielle said with anger. “She’s been running for hours and she’s probably getting tired. Just don’t worry.”
“You mean you’ve smelled this before?”
“Of course,” Danielle said. “Besides, we’re in Yellowstone with all the geysers and such. They all smell a little like toilets.”
But Gracie wasn’t sure she believed her.
* * *
There was a long straight run and Danielle obviously felt comfortable speeding up. To the south was a wide-open vista that stretched out for several miles until it butted against dark tree-covered foothills. A wide black river serpentined through the meadow, the surface of the inky water reflecting the sliver of moon and the stars. Elk and bison grazed near the banks framed by wisps of thermal steam. Huge white trumpeter swans nested in the tall grass near the river. Danielle seemed transfixed by the screen of her cell phone and the NO SIGNAL message where bars should have been.
“It’s really kind of pretty,” Gracie said.
“What is?”
“Look out there. You can see wildlife in the starlight.”
“I thought they were cows.”
“This is Yellowstone Park, Danielle,” Gracie said. “They don’t graze cows in a national park.”
Danielle seemed to be thinking it over. Then she said, “I heard cow farts are one of the leading causes of global warming. That’s why we shouldn’t eat so much red meat.”
Gracie sighed.
But as they started a slow turn away from the Lamar River valley, she noticed a tiny wink of light through the back window in her rearview mirror a long distance behind.
“At least we aren’t the only people on the road,” she said.
“What?”
* * *
As they crossed over a long expansion bridge with a thin angry river far below them, Gracie could see a smudge of light ahead coming from beyond a shoulder of mountain. Then a small wooden sign reading: MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, 2 MILES . She glanced at the GPS. Three more hours.
“We’re just about out of the park,” she said.
“And I have a signal!” Danielle shrieked. As she said it her text box lit up.
“Two texts from Justin,” Danielle said. “That’s so sweet. He was worried about me.” To the phone, she said, “Don’t worry about me, J-Man. I’m coming to save you.” She began to text.
* * *
Fifteen minutes LATER , Danielle’s phone chirped. “He wants to know where we are.”
A beat passed, and Gracie said, “So tell him.”
“Where are we?”
Gracie sighed, looked at the GPS display, and said, “Tell him we’re in Montana again. We just drove through Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner and we’re going north on Highway 89.”
“Slow down,” Danielle said, tapping the keys.
“You could look at the screen, you know. It says we’re close to Yankee Jim Canyon.”
“Yeah, yeah,” her sister muttered.
The highway paralleled a river and there were high canyon walls on both sides. The night sky was a belt of stars straight above them, its expanse narrowed to a trough by the walls. Gracie thought the sky looked like a mirror of the river they were driving by.
Suddenly, the car lurched.
Gracie looked up, “What was that?”
“I don’t know,” Danielle said. But when Gracie leaned over and checked the temperature gauge she saw the needle had not only entered the red but was pressed tight to the far corner of it. The engine lurched again and went silent. It was as if the soul of the little car had left it, leaving the slowly rolling husk.
“Oh, no,” Gracie said.
“What is it?” Danielle asked, frantic. The Ford slowed.
“Something happened to the motor. The steering wheel is all stiff.”
It was
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