unobstructed ahead, she stepped down on the
accelerator and watched the needle climb up and past the legal 65-mile
limit. The sound of her tires on the smooth concrete was soothing and
the rush of wind outside gave the morning an illusion of coolness. She
edged away from the tangle of cars that had pulled onto the freeway
with her and momentarily was alone on the road, with her rear-view
mirror blank, the oncoming lanes bare, and a small rise shutting off
the world ahead.

That was when it happened. "Get out of the way!" a voice shrieked
"out of the way, out of the way, OUT OF THE WAY!" Her heart lurched,
her stomach twisted convulsively, and there was a brassy taste in her
mouth. Instinctively, she stamped down on the brake pedal, swerved
sharply into the outer lane. By the time she had topped the rise, she
was going a cautious 50 miles an hour and hugging the far edge of the
freeway. Then, and only then, she heard the squeal of agonized tires
and saw the cumbersome semitrailer coming from the opposite direction
rock dangerously, jackknife into the dividing posts that separated
north and south-bound traffic, crunch ponderously through them, and
crash to a stop, several hundred feet ahead of her and squarely
athwart the lane down which she had been speeding only seconds
earlier.

The highway patrol materialized within minutes. Even so, it was after
eight by the time Lucilla gave them her statement, agreed for the
umpteenth time with the shaken but uninjured truck driver that it was
indeed fortunate she hadn't been in the center lane, and drove slowly
the remaining miles to the office. The gray mood of early morning had
changed to black. Now there were two voices in her mind, competing for
attention. "I knew it was going to happen," the truck driver said, "I
couldn't see over the top of that hill. All I could do was fight the
wheel and pray that if anybody was coming, he'd get out of the way."
She could almost hear him repeating the words, "Get out of the way,
out of the way...." And right on the heel of his cry came Dr.
Andrews' soft query, "For no reason at all, Lucilla?"

She pulled into the company parking lot, jerked the wheel savagely to
the left, jammed on the brakes. "Shut up!" she said. "Shut up, both of
you!" She started into the building, then hesitated. She was already
late, but there was something.... (Get out of the way, the way.... For
no reason at all, at all....) She yielded to impulse and walked
hu