Snowbound Encounter

The snow had been relentless and my situation was growing increasingly dire by the minute. This whole trip had devolved into a comedy of errors but now I was courting disaster. I should never have tried to outrun this weather system, tried taking this stupid shortcut, or not fueled up at my last opportunity. The shortcut problem was only partly my fault though. It appeared that this remote rural expanse didn’t believe in road signs so every sparsely placed intersection was like playing Russian roulette. The snow was getting deep enough it was even difficult to pick out the road from the surrounding landscape. Fences, power poles and occasional mailboxes helped though. My phone had no reception out here in the middle of nowhere and my old paper road map wasn’t detailed enough to be very helpful.

Now, to make matters worse it was night and the snow was getting so deep I knew it was just a matter of time till my little sedan got high centered or stuck. It had been miles and miles since I’d seen any signs of civilization like houses. I made it almost another mile when my worst fear was realized. The snow was just too deep now for traction and I was stuck. I tried over and over to get moving again but it was no use. And even if I could get going the question loomed, go where? What now? It was in the low teens outside. Would I freeze to death here? Was this the end of my short twenty years of life? Such thoughts I knew would do me no good. This was a survival situation of my own making and I had to find a way out.

The car’s heater could be used only sparingly because my fuel was so low. Nobody on earth knew where I was, hell, I didn’t know where I was! To conserve resources I turned everything off. Due to the reflective nature of snow it wasn’t as dark as I imagined it would be. I decided to get out and evaluate things and see if there was anything such as a distant farmhouse around here. After bundling up the best I could I stood by the car and scanned the seeming endless horizon. Scattered silhouettes of naked trees, the usual old fences, and…..A LIGHT! I could barely make it out but it was there! It had to be a farm house. It was the only hope I had but only if I could reach it without literally freezing to death. Throwing some meager supplies in a small pack and securing the car the best I could I set off.

It was a long, slow, exhausting slog as biting cold wind stung my face. My hands were getting cold even though they were tucked in my coat pockets. Ever so slowly I could start to make out the form of a modest farm house where the light emanated. Soon I could make out windows that were lit as well, meaning someone was home! I just hoped they were friendly.

I was nervous as I approached. It was an old averaged sized house with a big porch probably dating to the early 1900s. Scattered out buildings, old cars and farm equipment, and a row of dormant poplar trees stood in defiance of the drifting snow. Curtains over the windows prevented my having any preview of the occupants. Now nearly frozen, I gathered all my courage and knocked on the doorframe.

Nothing happened, I tried again and this time heard movement. The door creaked open and a tall, well- built man in his forties looked down at me through the beat up screen door. “Yeah, can I help you?” he asked. In my case it was not a merely rhetorical question!

My teeth chattering from the cold I explained my predicament and hoped for a sympathetic response. He invited me in much to my profound relief! “Come warm up by the stove and take your coat and shoes off.” The house was a bit cluttered but warm and cozy, especially to me. My host pulled a chair over for me and I began to thaw myself out. I was glad to discover my hands and feet didn’t have frostbite. I heard some activity in the kitchen area but didn’t take much notice of it. A few minutes passed and a pleasant female voice asked timidly “Would you like some hot chocolate?” I looked to see a fairly attractive girl a year or two younger than me handing me a steaming mug. I thanked her politely. “This is my daughter Shari. I’m Rex. Let me catch you up to date. This storm is supposed to last another day or two and it’ll be at least that long till the road is plowed and passable for your car. The whole area is without power. The only reason we have it is that we have a dam on a creek nearby providing it. We have a landline but we must have a downed line somewhere. We’re so far out in the boonies we’re usually the last to get serviced.” None of what he had told me sounded at all encouraging.

About this point Shari nudged her father and gestured she wanted to talk with him privately. “Excuse us, we’ll be right back.” I said “No problem.” and realized I was now warm enough to begin feeling almost normal so I sat pondering my options, or the lack of them.

Shortly the two returned. This time I had thawed out to where I was much better able to observe and process things. Chief among them was Shari. She seemed different. No she wouldn’t win a beauty pageant but she had a wholesome “girl next door” look. With her perky face, dirty blonde ponytail spilling over her shoulders, short denim skirt, and long almost skinny legs she was quite cute. They sat down and offered me a bowl of warm stew which I readily accepted since I was starving.

It was hard for me to not stare at Shari. My girlfriend had broken up with me a couple months earlier and I hadn’t had sex since. As a result I was very horny below the surface but I did my best to keep it under control. Getting a hard-on with her dad here could be a very bad thing.

“So, now you know the situation. You’re basically stuck here with us and that’s ok.