I may have read one too many Dean Koontz novels or perhaps have seen more than my fair share of creepy movies. Whatever the case may be, the conglomeration of macabre tales has left a lingering doubt in my mind when it comes to hitch hikers.
I have never entertained the thought of sticking my thumb in the air and hoping that a random stranger would stop and let me into their vehicle. And on that same train of thought, I have never picked up a hitch hiker that I didn’t know personally. I occasionally feel guilty about driving by and leaving them with arm extended and a thumb reaching up like a beacon of hope. I even go so far as to not look directly at them, although I know full well that they cannot see the direction in which my ocular orbs are focusing.
Scenes from movies play like a slide show in my brain and I imagine the most innocent looking person taking hours to remove my appendages and build them into a sinister piece of art nouveau. It may be a warped interpretation but one that could salvage my digits and leave my body intact.
Although there is always the nagging doubt that picking up that hitch hiker will hold some sort of malice for me, I still feel the need, in my head, to explain why I will not invite them into the sanctuary of my four-wheeled haven. I constantly feel the urge to roll down my window on the way by and tell them that my turn is only meters away and that they will have a better chance of a full ride with another driver. Regardless of any guilt I feel for not stopping, I still avert my eyes from their general direction and carry on, alone in my car, to my destination.
I am not labeling worldly travelers nor am I judging those whose means of travel relies on a digit that many animals do not possess. I am simply propagating my existence in my over-active imagination and choosing to not share the sanctity of my car with a potential serial killer.
Best wishes to all of you that have the guts to be the hitcher or the driver that stops to pick up those wayward travelers. The neurons in my brain will always fire in the same way and err on the side of caution but for those brave enough to pick up or be picked up – thumbs up to you.
polysyllabic profundities 
“Scenes from movies play like a slide show in my brain and I imagine the most innocent looking person taking hours to remove my appendages and build them into a sinister piece of art nouveau.”
Classic.
Well done.
Thank you….I’m a little warped, as I’m sure you have been able to surmise! 🙂
Warped works for you.
Haha….thank you!
I’ve hitchiked a few times. Never picked anyone up though. Just haven’t really seen any thumbers….
They seem to be fewer and farther between. Maybe more people than I realize think like I do!
I was a teenager the last time I hitched. No one over twenty should be careless enough to try it, imo. 🙂
The thought of it scares the Hell out of me.
I’m the same way. They conditioned us as children that anyone offering us a ride was 187% likely to be a criminal of some sort.
And I don’t like those odds!!
Right??
I don’t blame you. I won’t pick up hitchhikers. Maybe I’ve read too much Koontz as well.
The weird dream I had last night isn’t helping their plight either. (Side note – don’t eat Cashews before bed!!)
I’m not a fan of cashews, so that shouldn’t be an issue
I’ve never picked up a hitch hiker nor have I ever hitched. I think both are very risky and I’m not a big risk taker when it comes to the possible of being found dead in a ditch along the road. I do feel guilty passing hitch hikers, especially if it’s raining.
Me too….but I can only hope they realize it’s a risk they take by hitching.
My Dad used to pick up hitch hikers at night when he was driving me home from my ballet lessons – we lived 30 minutes away from the lessons in a small town near the highway. I’m sure my mother would have killed him had she known about it.
Smaller towns don’t seem to be as bad, but it’s still scary!!
I have many fond memories of hitch hiking. When I was a poor starving university student, who couldn’t afford a car, there was actually a system in place at my school where students could wait and other students with cars would know to pick them up from the designated “hitching bay” if they were so inclined.
More recently I did a solo trip around Australia, 14 weeks in all. I picked up many hitch hikers and not one of them felt the need to practice their skills with a boning or filleting knife on my person.
I do have one funny memory though. When I was passing through a place called Wolf Creek (made famous by an Australian horror film featuring the gruesome deaths of numerous hitch hikers) two German tourists were seeking a ride. I only had room for one at the time so I couldn’t offer them transport. I did however suggest they watch the film and that their current location was the single worst place in the country in which to be a hitch hiker.
Happy Trails
Regards
Sir
I’m a bit paranoid so I’ve never considered picking up a hitch hiker…that same paranoia prevents me from ever hitching a ride. Both leave me with imagined scenarios of my body parts being found scattered across the Arizona desert. I had a friend in high school who would pick up hitch hikers. I told him he was crazy and could end up dead. So far, I haven’t heard about his death, so maybe I was wrong 🙂
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