Whispered Prayers

by Alex Grayson

I’m used to driving in the snow, but it still makes me nervous, especially when it’s coming down so thick. The roads are covered, so I ride down the middle since the lines are no longer visible anyway. I drive slow and grip the steering wheel tightly. When we come across the stretch of road that declines for two miles, I become anxious. Luckily, we make it down the hill without any problems. The relief doesn’t last long though. We’ve been driving for about twenty minutes and are coming around a curve when all of a sudden, something about the size of a dog with a gray fluffy tail runs across the road. I know better than to do it in this type of weather, and I realize my mistake right away, but my first reaction is to hit the brakes to avoid hitting the animal. The back end of my truck fishtails around until we’re almost sliding sideways down the road. I vaguely hear Daniel yelling, but I’m concentrating on trying to straighten out the truck It’s a fruitless effort, as seconds later, we come to a jerky stop with the front end in a shallow ditch. I immediately turn to the kids. “Are you both okay?” I ask, looking over Daniel, who’s shaken but otherwise unharmed. My eyes go to Kelsey next and see no visible injuries. Her eyes are wide with fright and the look makes me sick to my stomach. “Kelsey?” Her gaze swings to mine. I reach back and grab her shaking hand. “Are you okay, baby?” She doesn’t respond right away, just looks around wildly, and fear spikes through me. Finally, ...