The road is quiet, almost unnaturally quiet. It’s lit only by the moon, thankfully full that night. It’s not too far from town, too late in the night to be busy. The silence is broken by a rustle to her left, only a small herd of deer. After dark this road belongs only to them.

The woman feels lost. She knows this road, yet she doesn’t. There is something in the road ahead of her. 

As she walks to see it she feels as if she's walking through mud. The something is small and dark in color. The word “shoe” comes to mind, then “sneaker”. She looks at her own feet, “boots”. 

Her head burns as an image flashes in her mind. A man, young, not yet an adult. Outside, a field, baseball. She thinks she’s on the stand. Another image flashes, the same boy. He’s talking. He looks scared. There's something red on his head. She can only catch a few words, “Hurry… Driving… A deer… Old Mill Road… My mother…” The voice cuts out.

The woman looks to her feet again. She notices a gash on her leg. It’s bleeding but doesn’t hurt. She hears something clatter behind her, she turns. A car is crushed against a tree. The young man from her memories is laying beside the car, unconscious. She has another flash, the boy hitting his bat against the car windshield, then pulling her out of the car. She feels lost, as if her heart is the thing crushed against the tree. The boy needs help, her help.

She starts to hobble back towards the wreck, her injured leg making itself known. She stumbles and remembers. Her son needs help. She falls to the ground, tears in her eyes. Then she sees the sirens flash. Her eyes close, voices surround her, a few minutes pass, “They should be fine,” is the last thing she hears before losing consciousness. As the ambulance drives away, the road returns to its silence.