{"id":79203,"date":"2026-03-16T08:55:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T11:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?p=79203"},"modified":"2026-03-16T08:55:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T11:55:30","slug":"when-strangers-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?p=79203","title":{"rendered":"When strangers help"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jane Nash: Short story: ‘When strangers help’

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Jane Nash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Imagem gerada pelo ChatGPT – https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/c\/69b7ed33-80a8-83e9-a202-adb4af1eee5c<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Emily wasn\u2019t paying attention to the traffic, earbuds firmly in her ears, cranking out tunes to narrate her morning of waking, washing and going to work. On the pedestrian crossing she felt a hand grab her upper arm and drag her sideways. Surprised she looked up from her phone. There were two strangers, one each side of her in the middle of the road, traffic beeping their horns to make them clear the crosswalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018A motorbike didn\u2019t stop,\u2019 he said.\u2019you were headed for a collision.\u2019 She shook her head, the moment passed and she noticed the woman to her right. The woman took her phone from her and tapped in a phone number causing the woman\u2019s own phone to ring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Rod and Trish\u2019 she said, \u2018you have our number now\u2019 and she handed the phone back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Thank you for saving me\u2019 mumbled Emily, still shocked from being manhandled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018No worries, It\u2019s all in a day\u2019s work,\u2019 Rod replied, releasing her arm. The three of them continued along the pavement a little way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018How can I thank you?\u2019  Emily asked, not really expecting to have to give them anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Nothing much.You didn\u2019t mean to get run over today, did you?\u2019 said Trish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily was unquieted by their response but thanked them again and made her way to the BEE-GOOD advertising agency where she was a receptionist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 12.00 pm her phone rang. \u2018Hi! It\u2019s Trisha. Fancy a coffee at lunch time? It must be around your lunch time now?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Er, yes, how about Christo\u2019s, do you know where that is?\u2019 she wondered how Trisha would know her lunch schedule. Feeling somewhat beholden to her, Emily exited the building to unexpectedly see both Trish and Rod, beaming at her and waiting. Coffee was initially awkward at Christo\u2019s caf\u00e9, located on the corner, but Trish didn\u2019t seem to notice. Instead, she collected facts about Emily\u2019s opinions and life. Not realising they were mining her data so easily, Emily nevertheless turned the conversation towards them instead. Trish was willowy, almost 6ft tall with wild hair, not cut for some time. She was chatty with small dark eyes. Rod was shorter, squat with thick arms and muscly shoulders. He was also verbose and often competed with Trish for sentence space. They didn’t match as a couple but they shared a sense of enthusiasm which infected Emily. Familiarity breeds a sense of security and by the end of the month, it was a frequent meeting, the two of them with Emily during her lunch at Christo\u2019s Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call came in at ten minutes to midnight one Tuesday. Emily woke, groggy from taking a sleeping pill earlier due to her insomnia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Emily, it\u2019s about Trish. I need your help.\u2019 Rod\u2019s voice wasn\u2019t urgent, instead it was monotonous as if leaving a message on an answer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Where are you?\u2019 Emily tried to shake herself more awake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I\u2019m front of your apartment building. Please come now.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily\u2019s curiosity of how he knew where she lived was quickly replaced with worry for her new found friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the car, Emily didn\u2019t recognise where they were as Rod drove out of the suburbs onto a back road with no other traffic on it. A cold prickle ran from the back of her neck down to the middle of her back. Her head was still foggy and she knew her speech was slow. Something, however was not quite right. Rod barely spoke while driving. Her survival sense screamed \u2018RUN\u2019 but her head tried to ignore her heart and she wiped her sweating palms onto the sides of her trousers. Her increased pulse rate and the trembling shortness of breath she was experiencing still called to alarm. The night as well as being seductive to sleep began to contain a sense of dread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rod turned off the back road after about fifteen minutes of bumpy driving, through some cattle gates leading to an old farmhouse. A light shower fell upon Emily as she stepped from the car, helping to clear her head, adrenalin now fully kicked in. Being wet made sense of walking into the farmhouse even with its peeling paint on the weatherboard walls and door frame. The front door opened into darkness. Emily snapped into alert but it was too late. A searing pain struck her in the chest and zapped her body and she fell to the floor. Trisha stepped out of the darkness holding a now discharged taser. Emily\u2019s limbic system went into overload and unable to run away, she fainted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She opened her eyes as Rod\u2019s hand finished clamping her ankle to the leg of the chair she was now tied to. She could smell her own urine and her legs were wet, her trousers soaked at the crotch. She could taste his breath in the air, sour and pungent from eating garlic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trisha walked around the chair, caressing Emily\u2019s cropped blond hair, saying nothing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Why am I here? demanded Emily which was quickly followed by \u2018Let me go. Let me go. Let me go. I won\u2019t say anything to anyone, I promise.\u2019 Trisha yanked Emily\u2019s head back, exposing Emily\u2019s throat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Cry out if you like. No one can hear you.\u2019 This sharp action caused Emily to swallow hard which hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily noticed two German Shepherd dogs panting, lying down to attention by the front door. \u2018Bruce, Highway\u2019 Rod called the dogs. They came to him meek and obedient. \u2018Don\u2019t be fooled,\u2019 Rod said, his voice suddenly sharp and cold. \u2018They don\u2019t know you. They let you in but they won\u2019t let you out without my say so.\u2019 Emily made a mental note that the dogs were not worth crossing. She asked again, \u2018Why am I here?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trisha, stood in front of her. \u2018Plaything,\u2019 she said smiling. Horror is not a regular emotion to carry, certainly for most people on a daily basis but here Emily was in a not-so-private hell. Her brain couldn\u2019t compute the many possibilities which lay ahead for her. Fear dried her mouth and spiked her eyes. Trish cut Emily\u2019s jacket from her body and held a small pistol pointing at Emily\u2019s heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Small but deadly\u2019. The couple laughed unnecessarily loud, enjoying the sounds of their own voices. Rod took a large kitchen knife from a drawer. A light was switched on. She was in a living room. The irony did not escape her. He held the point at Emily\u2019s chin. \u2018The pistol and the dogs, our security, but this,\u2019 Rod pressed the tip of the knife into Emily\u2019s chin, just enough to make her feel a rivulet of blood run down over her neck. \u2018This is for fun.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018It\u2019s an old belief, we know, but we saved you – we are now responsible for your life.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily stuttered, \u2018I don\u2019t think the principle is meant to work like that.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018If you are our responsibility,\u2019 said Trisha<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We own you\u2019 both predators echoed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Jane Nash<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Emily wasn\u2019t paying attention to the traffic, earbuds firmly in her ears, cranking out tunes to narrate her morning of waking, washing and going to work. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":79207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9607,9285],"tags":[16415,10287],"class_list":["post-79203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-contos","category-literatura","tag-amizade-enganosa","tag-suspense-3"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":538,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/48d39427-aca9-4be0-9f61-b21b7d2cfe02-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":80034,"url":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?p=80034","url_meta":{"origin":79203,"position":0},"title":"Seven eleven","author":"Jane Nash","date":"13 de abril de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThat cat!\u201d Shouted the bald assistant behind the counter. He came out from behind it, flapping a rolled up newspaper towards the cat. It was as comical as...","rel":"","context":"Em "Literatura"","block_context":{"text":"Literatura","link":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?cat=9285"},"img":{"alt_text":"Imagem gerada pelo ChatGPT - https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/c\/69dd22b2-123c-83e9-ad5b-d22da661e70e","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c8d4dc11-6067-4857-9627-1e227e8fefc4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c8d4dc11-6067-4857-9627-1e227e8fefc4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c8d4dc11-6067-4857-9627-1e227e8fefc4.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c8d4dc11-6067-4857-9627-1e227e8fefc4.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":80357,"url":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?p=80357","url_meta":{"origin":79203,"position":1},"title":"Availability","author":"Jane Nash","date":"28 de abril de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"I rise at 4am as I have for the past 16 years but there\u2019s no-one to call at this ungodly hour. I have ungodly needs. I\u2019m tempted by Ouiji boards, but in...","rel":"","context":"Em "Cr\u00f4nicas"","block_context":{"text":"Cr\u00f4nicas","link":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?cat=9392"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jane Nash","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/d69f773d-d63a-4eb6-a52e-e5440f88c691.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":78823,"url":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?p=78823","url_meta":{"origin":79203,"position":2},"title":"She takes a sip","author":"Jane Nash","date":"2 de mar\u00e7o de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a sip. It is enough to register in her hair if needs be but not enough to kill her. She\u2019s practiced the smile she now uses, urging her husband to finish...","rel":"","context":"Em "Microconto"","block_context":{"text":"Microconto","link":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?cat=16262"},"img":{"alt_text":"Imagem gerada pelo ChatGPT - https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/c\/69a58bdd-2a74-832a-b808-748f6a468bde","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6520697a-11ff-4fff-beb6-c2608092c59b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6520697a-11ff-4fff-beb6-c2608092c59b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6520697a-11ff-4fff-beb6-c2608092c59b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6520697a-11ff-4fff-beb6-c2608092c59b.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79811,"url":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?p=79811","url_meta":{"origin":79203,"position":3},"title":"Tapestry of magic","author":"Jane Nash","date":"6 de abril de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Of the sea and the sky hands weave details beyond the ordinary fibres sourced from many places blankets my background I have become accustomed to it","rel":"","context":"Em "Literatura"","block_context":{"text":"Literatura","link":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?cat=9285"},"img":{"alt_text":"Imagem gerada pelo ChatGPT - https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/c\/69d3b90c-94f8-83e9-939c-8783018482af","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3beb3c42-9aa7-4625-ad83-ad39e4cb54e2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3beb3c42-9aa7-4625-ad83-ad39e4cb54e2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3beb3c42-9aa7-4625-ad83-ad39e4cb54e2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3beb3c42-9aa7-4625-ad83-ad39e4cb54e2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":80173,"url":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?p=80173","url_meta":{"origin":79203,"position":4},"title":"Forks","author":"Jane Nash","date":"20 de abril de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The poem FORKS came to me thinking about forks in life, decision making and how we are meant to face these situations in life. Do I choose the first option...","rel":"","context":"Em "Literatura"","block_context":{"text":"Literatura","link":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?cat=9285"},"img":{"alt_text":"Imagem gerada pelo hatGPT - https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/c\/69e5e639-5c34-83e9-a933-05dc28cc5167","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c68bb1d7-cd43-468f-bea2-fc2007b07c87.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c68bb1d7-cd43-468f-bea2-fc2007b07c87.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c68bb1d7-cd43-468f-bea2-fc2007b07c87.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c68bb1d7-cd43-468f-bea2-fc2007b07c87.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79659,"url":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?p=79659","url_meta":{"origin":79203,"position":5},"title":"Red patent leather shoes","author":"Jane Nash","date":"30 de mar\u00e7o de 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Jane Nash: 'Red patent leather shoes' Jane Nash Imagem gerada por IA da Gemini - https:\/\/gemini.google.com\/app\/36406a29ddd907aa?utm_source=app_launcher&utm_medium=owned&utm_campaign=base_all The light of each moment escapes her eyes and drops like Swarovski\u2019s most delicate crystal tears upon the place beneath. The fairy hair of a three year old. She is blond from the summer\u2026","rel":"","context":"Em "Contos"","block_context":{"text":"Contos","link":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/?cat=9607"},"img":{"alt_text":"Imagem gerada por IA da Gemini - https:\/\/gemini.google.com\/app\/36406a29ddd907aa?utm_source=app_launcher&utm_medium=owned&utm_campaign=base_all","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6229150a-0ac2-4dc3-8803-f22e72226aff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6229150a-0ac2-4dc3-8803-f22e72226aff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6229150a-0ac2-4dc3-8803-f22e72226aff.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jornalrol.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6229150a-0ac2-4dc3-8803-f22e72226aff.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79203"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79209,"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79203\/revisions\/79209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/79207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=79203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jornalrol.com.br\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=79203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}