Under a Diamond Tree

Tom was quite cautious as he headed down the road on this mid-February morning. Everything looked to be covered with frozen rain or frost from the night before. When the sun peeped through, it appeared as if everything was covered with sparkling diamonds. As he drove along, he thought to himself, this wet pavement could be frozen and quite slippery - and I hope I'm not late for work.

Then, Tom thought he saw someone lying under one of those sparkling trees, and he thought, oh no, that person could be frozen. Tom turned his pickup around and went back to check, but he didn't see anyone lying there. Tom was a little troubled by this, as he was almost sure he had seen someone or a body.

When it was time for lunch, Tom decided to go back the way he came to work and check under that tree again. As he drove retracing his morning route, Tom kept thinking perhaps he was imagining things. No, I'm not that old yet - at least I hope not, he said aload. As he came closer to the spot where he thought he had seen someone lying, he slowed down and even rolled his window down for a better view.

There it was - someone who looked like a young woman or a girl. She was wearing a kind of white fur long coat. Tom pulled off the road and parked. He ran over to where the person was lying, bent down and took her hand. He felt her pulse, and decided she was alive. He looked into her eyes as he held one eye open, and said, "Good morning, aren't you cold lying here in the snow and freezing rain?"

There was no answer, as both of her eyes closed again. At that point, Tom pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed 911. "I found a young woman lying along highway 16, about two miles from Stanford, and she has a pulse, but she does not respond to any questions. I have a blanket in my pickup which I will cover her with. Please send an ambulance ASAP over here, as she probably has hypotherma or frostbite on some parts of her body. I have no idea how long she has been here."

The operator said, "I'm sending an ambulance right away."

Then Tom changed his plans as he had spoken. He picked up her slight body and carried her to his pickup. He laid her across the two seats in front, and then covered her with the old blanket he kept in his truck for certain emergencies as this. He turned the heater low, so she wouldn't be shocked too much by the warmth. He then stood outside the truck and waited for the ambulance.

As he waited, Tom was thinking, "She sure is a beautiful lady, and I do not remember seeing her around here before. Then Tom looked up at the lovely sparkling tree where he found her and wonderd how she happened to be there. That special tree seemed to sparkle more than any of the other trees and shrubs that were near.
When the ambulance arrived, Tom told the perimedics he would follow them to the hospital, and that he was interested in how she was doing. When they reached the hospital, the lady had some tubes and IV's attached to her, and she had a little more color in her face. The perimedics told Tom her name was Sarah, she was single, and lived alone. So Tom sat down and waited until he could see her.

When Tom walked into her room, she was awake.

"Well, hello, Sarah," he said. She gave him a weak smile and held out her hand
"Nice to meet you, Tom," she said. "Do you remember me?" she asked, "way back in high school?"
"I'm not real sure, but let me think on that for awhile," Tom answered.

When Tom was ready to leave, he gave her a small card with his name, address and phone number. "Maybe we can get together when you're all better. I'll try to stop by tomorrow."

As Tom drove home, he looked at that special diamond-sparkling tree - "gorgeous" - he exclaimed.

Sources:
Fiction