Cheryl didn't really consider herself to be that small. OK, so she had to stand on her toes to measure five foot tall, but she did officially measure that much. Despite her lack of vertical inches Cheryl had all the necessary inches where it counted and had attracted her share of whistles. She also had her choice of partners as all men were taller than she was. She didn't have to worry about towering over her boyfriend, unlike some people she could mention.
Cheryl had a dynamic personality and was always on the go. She liked to keep busy and nothing ever happened fast enough for her. Things could always be improved, she insisted. She was currently doing a course in Information Technology, and doing quite well at it. She really liked System Design, pulling an existing system apart and putting it back together better that when it started.
For her eighteenth birthday her parents had bought her a small sports car. This was her pride and joy and she'd often go for a drive on the weekend, especially if it was sunny and she could have the top down. That was what she was doing at the current time.
She'd just left home and was about to pull into the main road when there was a warning horn. Grumbling to herself she relaxed, letting a great 4WD have the right of way. Cars that size shouldn't be allowed on the road, in her opinion. He could have slowed down and let her in.
Now she was stuck behind the 4WD. He was too big to see past, making it hard to pass him, especially on a busy road. And did he have to drive so slowly? Some people had places to go.
Seeing that she was near her normal petrol station Cheryl decided to pull in and fill up. She might as well do it now. It would also allow that behemoth to go trundling off into the distance and out of her way.
Wouldn't you know it? He turned into the petrol station as well, taking the last empty pump. She was going to have to wait until someone else finished. She certainly wasn't going to wait behind his car. He'd probably need a quarter of an hour just to fill his tank.
She watched the driver get out of the 4WD and stroll around to the pump. No wonder he had such a big car. The man was enormous. Not fat enormous, but just giant sized. He obviously needed a car that size because he'd crush anything smaller. It also explained his slow speed. His car couldn't go any faster with his weight inside it. (Cheryl conveniently ignored the fact that he'd been driving at the designated limit. She'd wanted to go faster and he'd blocked her way. He was at fault.)
Eventually she had access to a pump and topped up her tank. Going inside to pay she was again irritated to find herself behind that man. He was too large for her to nip past him to get to the checkout first and so she had to wait for him to finish. Did he need to be quite so sociable and polite to the woman serving? People were waiting.
Cheryl paid and headed back to her car. Seeing that the 4WD was about to drive away she moved quickly, starting up and driving off while still putting on her seat belt. An irritated beep made her smile. She hadn't really cut him off. He'd just been too slow driving away.
She next saw the monster with the monster car half an hour later. She was standing by the side of the road, smiling and flirting and assuring the nice officer that she was terribly sorry but she hadn't realised that her speed had crept up and she would be much more careful in future, etcetera, etcetera.
She was quite pleased to get off with a warning. She wasn't quite so pleased that the 4WD had passed while she talked and it had slowed down as it passed. The driver had been looking towards her with a big smile on his face. He'd pointed to her and waved bye-bye, before speeding up again. And she'd had to smile, smile, smile, because the traffic-cop was lecturing her.
Cheryl's mood was not improved ten minutes later when she found herself behind the 4WD again. It was just idling along, sitting on the speed limit. It was the fact that she couldn't pass the man that irritated Cheryl. While she may not have been going anywhere in particular she did like to drive fast. Especially when she knew that the traffic patrol car was well behind her. Making a lightning decision she headed off down a side road. She'd see where that took her.
Cheryl found that the road she took led her to a small village nestling in the mountains. She stopped and looked around, having a cup of coffee and browsing through an old shop. Feeling refreshed she decided to continue down the same road. Fifteen minutes later, disaster struck. She came around a sharp corner to find a rabbit sitting on the road staring at her wheels of doom.
She had room to pass him without hitting him. She moved abruptly towards the side of the road, confident that the rabbit would be safe. The stupid animal bolted, in the direction she was moving. She heard two distinct thumps. The first she just knew was a rabbit departing this world for rabbit heaven. The second was a large rock hidden by the grass. Low enough not to impact her actual bodywork but large enough and sharp enough to rip a hole in the side of her tyre.
She pulled up and sat in her car, frozen. She could change the wheel if she had to but that would mean facing the corpse of the rabbit she'd so brutally killed. She just couldn't do it. She sat and waited. Maybe after she'd calmed down a little.
Ten minutes later the day proved that this was get Cheryl day. A 4WD came up the road towards her. Not just any 4WD but THE 4WD, the one that had kept getting in her road. It pulled up across from her and the driver wound down his window. Hesitantly, Cheryl did the same.
"I see you've got a flat. Need a hand?"
"I killed him," Cheryl wailed. "He was right in the middle of the road and I tried to turn but I hit him and he's dead."
The man heaved himself out of his car and strolled over to Cheryl, looking concerned. He walked around the car. Stooped and looked under the car. Straightened and leaned on the car, looking at Cheryl.
"No body that I can see," he said. "Who'd you hit and what makes you think they're dead?"
"Not a person. A rabbit. I hit him and he's under the car. The poor thing. I'm a murderer."
"Murderess, actually," she was told. "A moment."
The man checked under the car a second time and then walked around to the front of the car and regarded it. Nodding thoughtfully he returned.
"OK, so you killed a rabbit. Trouble is no-one told the rabbit that. He's long gone."
"What?"
"Check the front of your car. You can see rabbit paw prints in the dust. He jumped up and used your car as a springboard to get the hell away from here. He probably saw how you drove."
Cheryl almost leapt out of the car. Running around to the front of the car the two paw prints were plain to see. She stood there, glaring at them.
"If I see him again I will kill him," she vowed. "He scared me half to death."
She turned on the 4WD driver.
"Just what do you mean by that crack about the way I drive? I'm a good driver."
"Yeah? Is that why the traffic cop pulled you over? To give you an award for good driving?"
"He merely pulled me over to let me know my speed was creeping up and to be more careful," Cheryl said sniffily.
