Leah Hampton is a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers and editor-in-chief of Bat City Review. Her work has appeared in storySouth, Appalachian Heritage, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Through the rear windshield, we saw her long hair lying across the back seat, her head tilted at an unnatural angle. Her face was so white, I thought maybe she was sleeping. I kept inching toward the car; I guess part of me wanted to wake her up, whisper to her or stroke her hair to raise her.