The Legend of Strawberry Hill Road

[deskjet]

THE LEGEND OF STRAWBERRY HILL

Chapter 1

On May the 2nd 1966, at 1.30am, Traffic Patrol Officer Wayne Johnson was patrolling Strawberry Hill Road, as he rounded a bend he saw small Deer crossing the road so he stopped, he got out of the car and was standing one foot on the ground and waited for the Deer to pass.

At that precise moment in time, a young woman in a sports car driving at high speed came around the bend from the opposite direction, she saw the Police car at the last minute as it was parked in the middle of the road, she tried to swerve to miss it but because she was travelling so fast she was unable to miss hitting the drivers side door, the impact smashed the door of the Police car and Officer Johnson was mortally wounded, as he lay on the verge of the road he slowly regaining consciousness and looked up to see the woman coming back to him it was then he recognized as the high society girl from the rich part of town.

The woman, after stopping the sports car a few yards down the road jumped out and ran back to look, when she also recognized the Police Officer looking at her laying there blood poring from his wounds, in a flash she realized that she was in big trouble now he had booked her many times for speeding, now she had hit him in this accident she knew she would go to Jail, so she fled quickly, driving her car away again as fast as she could, terrified she would be caught.

Officer Johnson lived on long enough to scratch a few words in the sand but died before her could identify the driver in words.

No one was ever convicted of the crime and the death of Officer Johnson remains unsolved to this day, From this event the legend surrounding the death of officer Johnson was born.
Those who knew did not drive a car on Strawberry Hill Road at 2am on Monday 2nd.

So through the mists of time a strange event was to take place.


In the sleepy little town of Covington, Illinois, Dr Ann Fisher was fast asleep in her parent’s house that also served as a Doctors Surgery, her father was now the resident Physician and together they served the community in this small country town, quite able to attend to most of their ills, when something major arose then the Ambulance was called and the patients were taken to Hospital.

Ann had only recently completed her Internship at the local Hospital, it was a quite a celebration that now the 25 year old could now practice with her father.

Many years earlier her Aunt, Dr Ann Fisher, who she had been named after had been the Resident Physician and her father had assisted in the same practice, now that her Aunt had passed on her father had taken over and had waited patiently for his daughter qualify and then assist him.

In fact it had been her aunt who had inspired Ann to study and take her Aunts place when she had qualified.

Little did our present day Ann know of the wild things her predecessor had got up too. Although she had never had an accident she had been booked many times for speeding.

This Monday morning was Ann’s turn to be on call, so her night phone was switched to her room; as it rang stridently, she opened her blurry eyes and answered the phone.

It was Mrs. Philips, who said “I think I’m going into labor what should I do”?

Ann replied “Just get your husband to make sure you are comfortable, boil some water and stay calm I will be there as soon as I can. Can you tell me how far apart the contractions are?”

Charlotte replied “I think about 10 minutes”.

Ann replied “not to worry it will be a long time yet, these are probably the early contractions, the main ones will come later, see you soon.”

She got dressed and whispered to her Father where she was going, he grunted and went back to sleep.

She hurried out to the garage and hopped into her Aunts refurbished 1965 sports car and started down the new Highway and headed for the turn to the old highway that would lead to Strawberry Hill Road, the time was 1.40am.

She found the turn of into the old Highway and though normally a very safe driver she thought to herself as there was no traffic she would speed up a bit to the next turn to Strawberry Road.

Her stomach lurched when she saw the red and blue flashing lights in her rear view mirror appear out of nowhere behind her and the Blare of the Police siren. She had just pulled off of the old highway and turned into Strawberry Hill Road. She dutifully pulled over onto the grass on the side of the dirt road.

She hadn't seen one car on the road it just seemed to appear out of no ware, but that wasn't surprising it was about two in the morning and she had been concentrating on the road watching for the turn off to the road that would lead to the farm she had to go to.



She rolled down her window, letting in the cool night air with just a hint of dampness. It was a relief after the heat of the day. She then rummaged through her wallet for her license, hearing his boots crunching the gravel as he came up to the car, waving his flashlight in through her window. It was the only light out here—there were no streetlights at all but the moon was very bright.

"Ma'am." He bent down to look into her window. She glanced up at him, her heart leaping as it always did whenever she faced someone in authority.

"License, registration, and proof of insurance?," A voice growled

She handed him her license, flipping the glove box open and digging through. The papers she needed were buried under medical supplies.

"Here you Officer." She managed to keep her voice from quivering, but was unable to stop the way her hands trembled.

"Officer, I'm sorry, but I'm really in a hurry. I'm on my way to a birth."

He dipped his head back down, frowning. “a birth? Are you a Doctor?"

"Yes," she said, softly,"

His gaze was level and cool, disbelieving. "There isn't a hospital around here for miles, Doctor."

“It's a home birth," She explained, pleading at him with her eyes. His face had that square, chiseled look she always associated with cops.

"I have the address. I swear I'm telling you the truth. There's a woman in labor about half a mile from here who's waiting for me to deliver her baby”.


He fixed his eyes on her for a moment, assessing. Without a word, he took her paperwork, turned around and went back to his cruiser.

She grabbed her cell phone out of her purse, ducking down a little in the seat, hoping he couldn't see her. She dialed her home number hoping her father would hear it, then she realised the phone was switched to her room and she had forgotten to switch it to her fathers phone.

"Dam," she swore, looking at the blank screen illuminated on her phone.

She heard his boots kicking gravel again and shoved her phone back into her purse, looking up at him as he leaned over to talk to her.

"Do you know why I pulled you over, Doctor?"

"No." she shook her head, seeing him raise his eyebrows at her under his hat.

"You were driving your fancy sports car at 15mph over the speed limit; you also have a headlight out." He pointed to the front of her car.

She always looked after her Aunts car, so it must have happened this morning on her way to here. She sighed, closing her eyes in frustration. She thought it had seemed darker down here than the last time she’d traveled this road.

“I’m sorry about the speeding I was in a hurry to get to the birth and I didn't know about the headlight, officer," she insisted. "It must have happened this morning."

"Officer, there's a woman in labor, I really have to—"


He took off his hat, revealing dark, close-cropped hair. "Doctor, do you also realise the while you were speeding down the highway you're driving on an invalid license, this license hasn’t been issued yet, the date on it is way in the future?”

She stopped, staring at him, blinking fast. "No," she replied, incredulous. "That's not possible I had my license renewed last week because I transferred from New York."

He shrugged, “my records show that this License was issued to an Ann Margaret Fisher in 1922 it had expired in 1965,

"Please get out of the car, Doctor?" he asked, taking a step back.

"Wh—What?' Her heart was racing and her hands were really trembling now. "I don't understand. I’m only 25 years old how could I have been issued a driving license before I was born, the License you are referring to would be for my Aunt, Dr Ann Fisher, who has since died and I was named after”

"I don’t know about that, you have been driving this car with out a valid license, I'm afraid you'll have to come with me," he said, indicating with his hand that he wanted her to get out of the car. "Please roll up your windows and lock your vehicle."

She sat motionless, stunned, her mouth working but nothing coming out.

"Doctor," This time his voice was more firm. "Step out of the vehicle. Now."

She felt tears welling up and choked them back, grabbing her keys and her purse and opening the door. He nodded toward the window, so she rolled it up, shutting the door and locking it.

She was still blinking back tears when she turned to face him. "Officer, please... I really didn't know."

"Did you get a ticket for speeding a few months ago in Newport and another on two weeks ago in Salisbury?" he asked her.

"Put your purse on the ground, Doctor."

She dropped her keys into her purse and set it down by the back tire, a slow, terrible realization dawning.

"No Officer, I don’t think I have been to either of those places," I have never been booked while driving I have a clean record
She said. .

"He didn’t seem to hear her reply, “So you haven’t paid the tickets yet, Doctor?". He took a step toward her. He was very tall and broad-shouldered, formidable in that uniform and she shrank against the car.

"No, as I said I haven’t been booked for any infringements—" she stated, and he touched her shoulder, his grip hard and firm.

"Turn around for me, Doctor." He twisted his hand, his thumb digging into the flesh above my clavicle.

She did as he asked, feeling hot tears starting, and she couldn't stop them. She knew he'd had to do a lot to do lately, but she couldn't imagine who had been driving her car and get the traffic fines. The Officer seemed to be confused with the time period and the person who was driving the car, it wasn’t her so who was it.!

What she really afraid off now was that because according to him she didn’t have a valid driver’s license she could finish up in jail?

Something was very wrong; he seemed to be living in another era. It was now very real to her that she was in big trouble, just standing there at the side of her car in the light of the flashers, and she felt weak with the realization.

"Put your hands on top of the vehicle," he instructed and she cringed, not believing this could be happening. She pressed her hands to the cool surface, looking off through the field, seeing everything through prisms of tears.

She was glad for the support of the car against her, because she was feeling faint. "Spread your feet apart, ma'am."

She looked over my shoulder at him, incredulous. He couldn't be serious! He raised his eyebrows and nodded once. "Doctor, spread your legs now."

Turning her face away, she slowly parted her thighs, her heart thundering in her chest, her cheeks flushed red. She decided to try one more time.

"You don't understand" she heard the tremble in her own voice, and her feeble attempt to control it. "There's a woman in labor and I have to be at her birth. Can't you please just let me go?"

She said the words to the trees rustling in the breeze, listening behind her for any response from him. It was quiet for a moment.

"Are you the only one who can deliver this baby?"

She sighed. "Yes at the moment," she said. “The primary midwife will not arrive till around 3am, If I am not there then the mother will have no help at all, there could be complications she could even die."

"Are you the only person responsible for this woman and her baby?"

She closed her eyes, shaking her head, whatever hope she’d had to make him understand was fading. "Yes of course Officer as I told you I am a Doctor on my way to deliver a baby— she will be counting on me to be there. This is my job. I need to go. You don't seem to understand!"

He looked her sharply “just remember who your talking too, when you spoke to the woman her how far apart were the contractions?

“I’m sorry officer, about 10 minuets apart”

“That’s plenty of time; if it is only a half a mile away then you can walk there, “I can understand your dilemma, but you need to understand mine" he said, but I have a job to do and at the moment it takes precedence over yours.

"You also need to understand your position, your license has been suspended—you can't drive so when I’m finished with you will have to get to the delivery as best you can."

I am now going to arrest you now for speeding, unpaid fines and driving at without a valid license. I must now treat you as common criminal who may have stolen the car, you may be concealing contraband, it is now my job to make sure you are who you say you are, and that you not concealing any weapons or drugs.

She felt him moving behind here, as yet not touching her, but the presence of his big body behind her was very unnerving.

The fear of what he intended to do to next was making her shake with fear, she waited in anticipation for his next move.

What was he going to do to her, he was so big she couldn’t defend herself; she was all alone on a deserted road and at his mercy.

To be continued