I couldn’t make out the face of the man picking me up from St. Stephens. It seemed so far away, miles up and away from his neck. I got in the backseat and strapped myself in. The man with no face winded down Back River Neck Road in his car. The back of his head was strange. It was more of a face than his face could ever be, facing towards me as he went away. We pulled up to the 7-Eleven and I could make out my mother standing just shy of the door. The no face man gathered me from the backseat and tugged me towards my mother. I was behind him, slightly to the side, even with my hand in his. He pushed me to my mother. 

“Take her, I don’t want her anymore.” 

My mother collected me and I took one more look at his blurred face before he turned his back to me and walked away, for good. 
🌟

published May 3, 2022