Take the ditch

After a moment’s thought she decided taking the ditch was the quickest way to go. She could take her chances on it being deep enough to hide her, and even if it was a bit shallow in places she could lay down completely and with a tiny bit of luck the grass growing in and around the ditch would hide her enough to go unnoticed.

Jen needed to get moving before the lawn mowers started making any progress towards her position. She crept through the trees towards the road, just far enough so she could get a decent view. Once she was satisfied that there were no cars coming she left the trees and sprinted towards the beginning of the ditch. She prayed not to step on a rock she couldn’t see as she ran through the grass. Once she reached the ditch she quickly bent down, planted her right hand on the ground and hopped into the channel.

Still no cars, she thought to herself as she began quickly walking north.

The depth of the ditch varied along its length, but never more than about six inches. It was a crude trench carved into the ground, not a paved ditch like what might be found in a city or suburbs. It was overgrown with grass on the sloped edges and in spots along the bottom. The berm hit Jen around her hips, sometimes up to her waist, sometimes as low as the top of her thighs. She wouldn’t be able to simply stroll through the ditch if anyone came along, but she could duck down if she had to.

She tried to move at a speedy pace but quickly found out that she would still have to have some care about where she placed her feet. She couldn’t see much of the ground due to the grass and after stepping on a few small stones she knew it was only a matter of time before she hit a larger rock. The last thing she needed on top of her humiliation was a nasty cut on her sole. She adopted a strange pace, planting one foot, quickly swinging the other leg forward then gently taking that next step. It seemed like the only way she could get any speed with this, and settled for it being her best option.

Jen made it about twenty yards before she had to first duck down and hide. She heard a motorist a few seconds before seeing them, giving her more than enough time to put herself out of view. Hunkering down as low as she could, her butt nearly touching the ground, she was relieved when she only saw the very top of the car roof from her position. If she couldn’t see the person inside then they couldn’t see her. But she realized if an SUV or truck came by, she might have to lay down to be out of sight.

The sound of lawn mowers started in the distance and she knew they were entering the field now. She hadn’t made as much distance as she would have hoped but unless one of the mowers drove right by the ditch she shouldn’t have any trouble going undetected.

Another car came and went without incident as Jen ducked back down. As she walked she only bothered to cover her breasts with her arms. Her lower half was fairly consistently concealed by the edges of the ditch and grass, but leaving her top exposed wasn’t something she could come to grips with, even with no one in sight.

The whirring of the mowers grew louder and she decided not to press her luck. She couldn’t see anything in the field but they had to be close. Jen ducked down for a moment, thought better of it and eased herself into laying in the ditch.

Thank god there’s no water in here, she thought.

She laid completely flat in the dirt and grass, turning her face to the right. Keeping an eye towards the field she watched for any visual sign of the mower while the sound continued to grow louder. After a few moments the grass cutter sounded like it was right on top of her, and she saw a red hat sliding along the top of the grass. Jen realized had she not lain down, the mower very likely would have been able to see her.

The loud buzzing noise started to recede. Jen gave him an extra few seconds to move away from her before she stood up and started walking again. Her awkward pace was quickly resumed and she estimated that she was a little under halfway past the field.

Over the next several minutes she ducked twice for passing cars, keeping an eye towards the road during these moments to make sure she was hidden completely. The sound of the lawn mower came once again and she went back to laying down. While watching she saw the red hat slightly closer than when he had passed previously.

Oh jeez, she thought, he might mow this path right next to me next!

Once he was a distance away Jen scrambled to her feet and began walking as quickly as she dared. The mower was getting further away from her and she realized she couldn’t possibly outrun them. She wasn’t going to be able to get out of the ditch and to her clothes before he was coming back this way. Now it was a matter of picking the best location to hide.

She immediately passed a section of the ditch with minimal grass for cover and started heading for areas with more growth. Ahead she saw an area that looked promising, good clumps of grass growing from both sides that the mower wouldn’t be able to hit without tipping his rider over, and some growing from the bottom to boot. She hustled to the position and laid down just before reaching it.

Not wanting to possibly bend any grass Jen felt it safer to lay down and crawl under it. She’d already gotten some dirt over her body from laying down twice before, a little more wouldn’t make things that much worse.

She squirmed through the ditch until she felt well hidden by the grass. It wasn’t complete cover, sporadic patches of her body could be visible through the grass and her feet might be exposed. But if she moved up any further then her head wouldn’t be hidden either. No perfect answer.

The grass on the ground would provide some extra cover if she let it, but she wouldn’t be able to lay on her stomach or she would crush it. She settled for laying on her left side, facing the field, covering her body with her hands like she’d done so many times today.

Soon she realized that she was right, the mower was coming back this way and he sounded like he was closer. If he wasn’t mowing the swatch of grass bordering the ditch he would be on his next pass.

Jen tried to be patient as she waited. She had gotten into position before the mower was coming her way and she had no choice but to keep calm. Her desperation for clothing made this difficult but she kept telling herself it wasn’t optional. Not unless she wanted to risk exposure and someone possibly calling the police.

Before she could see the mower, the noise started to grow deafening. She knew little about acoustics but assumed the sound of the rapidly spinning blades and gas motor was reverberating through the ditch. Eventually she had no choice but to move her hands so she could plug her ears with her fingers. Her body was left exposed, hopefully hidden as fully by the grass as she thought it was.

If he doesn’t look, it doesn’t matter, she thought.

Soon the front of the mower came into view, rumbling along the edge of the ditch. Jen could see its right side tires hanging an inch off the berm, obviously still stable but worrying to see from this angle. The noise continued to grow and she could feel vibration in the ground. As the front of the mower moved past she was able to make out the driver’s face. He was an older man with weathered skin, likely around 70, likely riding the mower as part of a retirement job. He bounced lightly in his seat, swaying side to side a little. Jen was able to see that he was wearing ear buds.

Thank god he’s keeping himself distracted.

The man stared straight ahead, mind on his music and the task in front of him. His eyes didn’t swing her way at all, and he passed by without a moment’s hesitation.

Jen got back to her feet, looked around to make sure no cars were approaching and began hustling through the ditch. She was less concerned about stepping on anything, and more focused on making time. The mower would be turning around in a minute or two. He would likely be hitting the next swatch closest to him, further into the field but still with a clear view of the street and ditch now that he’d cleared out the grass Jen was using for cover. He would have a clear view of her if she wasn’t hiding or out of the area. She had to start making some serious distance before she was trapped laying in the trench for minutes at a time, waiting for him to pass her again.

She was now three quarters of the way across the field. She glanced back and saw the lawn mower was moments way from turning back around. Anxious to be out of his field, practically frantic at the thought of having to hide in the ditch for another few minutes, Jen felt the need to call an audible.

Jen climbed out of the ditch and began sprinting across the field and towards the tall grass that hadn’t been mowed yet. She knew this was a risk. She couldn’t tell where the other mower was, if he might be facing her, and she had a hard time determining just how thick this row of grass was. Clearly it was thick enough that she could remain hidden from every angle, but each pass of the mowers would be narrowing her coverage area.

As she reached the grass she glanced to her right and saw the man start turning his mower around. She had timed things perfectly and knew she wasn’t seen. She dipped into hiding and crouched between tall clusters. From every angle all she could see was grass, so neither of the mowers could possibly see her.

She focused on listening as carefully as she could. The older man riding the mower was approaching from behind her, which she already knew. The noise from his machine made it difficult to estimate where the other mower was. She could tell he wasn’t too close, but not if they were north or south of her position.

Jen began walking northwest, moving in a stooping position to keep her head below the shorter clusters of grass. She took less care to avoid stepping on things in the hopes of moving faster. She ignored the smaller stones, accepting the discomfort of briefly standing on them as a tradeoff for better speed.

She was finally far enough away from the older man that she could determine the other mower was south of her but moving closer. Despite her attempt at moving quickly, the mowers weren’t restrained by avoiding bigger rocks or weaving around thicker grass clusters. Jen aimed slightly more northwards.

She covered several yards before it became clear that the other mower was getting too close for her comfort. Jen paused, stood up slightly taller and saw she was nearing the end of the grass to her east. She couldn’t see the mower but knew it was time to hide again.

She took a few steps back to the west and found a thick, wide cluster of grass she could take cover in. She parted the blades with her hand, stepped in and hunkered down.

She didn’t have to wait long. The mower came closer and peering through the blades she was just able to make out the person controlling. He was a younger man, clearly hating his job, and trying to balance a magazine on the steering wheel. She couldn’t tell if he was frequently looking up from the magazine or not, but knew that he couldn’t be completely focused on it unless he wasn’t concerned with doing his job very well.

When he passed Jen knew there was only one more mower’s width away from being out of cover. She left her cluster of grass and stepped a yard further west. She walked due north for less than a minute before she realized the younger man had turned around and was already coming back her way. She must have gotten further north than she thought she had. She found another patch of grass to hide behind and waited for the sound to start receding again.

This time she only caught the barest glimpse of the man as he rode past her. Once he was a yard south she got up and hurried north again. Soon she came to the end of the grass and moved east until she was in the last corner of the field she could safely hide in.

She could make out the parking lot clearly. Her car sat untouched about thirty yards away. A red SUV and another sedan rested in their own spots, each a slight distance from her own vehicle. She couldn’t see anyone sitting in the other cars. Almost directly across from her sat the green, steel trashcan holding her clothes. To the east, trees grew, bordering the southern edge of the parking lot, a small patch of natural woodland left by the city. Jen knew beyond the trees she could locate the main trail through the park.

She estimated from the trashcan to her car it was about a ten second sprint for her, maybe fifteen seconds. The trees were closer, she felt she could cover that distance in less than five seconds. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the mower was about ten second away from turning back her direction.

Guess we’re heading for the trees, she thought.

Jen burst out of the grass and immediately sprinted for the trash can. She stood at its side for less than a second, her hand jamming in, feeling plastic and pulling the bag out. Instantly she turned right and made for the trees. Another quick look south and she saw the mower was nearing his turnaround point. The fear of imminent humiliation spurred Jen to run as fast as she could manage. The bag swung forward and back in her hand, lightly thudding against her forearm. Once she reached the trees she didn’t pause, bolted in for a few yards and found a wide trunk to hide behind. She took a moment to brush the worst of the dirt and grass from her body. A fast peek out and she saw the mower was just starting to swing the machine around.

Jen thought about heading to her car to get dressed, then instead untied the bag and dropped it on the ground. Her panties were on top of the little pile of clothes and Jen put these on first. Then came her bra, straps over the shoulders then reaching behind awkwardly to fasten it. She set her sandals aside and grabbed her jeans. She nearly fell over, trying to balance on one foot while sticking the other leg through, but managed to stay upright as she dressed. Once the jeans were in place her t-shirt came next. With the hem pulled down to her hips, she finished dressing by sliding her feet into the sandals.

Taking a few deep breaths, Jen left the trees and walked straight to her car. The key was sitting on the tire, just where she left it. Triggering the remote, she heard the car doors unlock. She practically fell into the car, exhausted from the walking, the sporadic running and constant fear of being discovered. The muscles in her neck, shoulders and back were in tight knots.

She plugged the key into the ignition and started the car. She kept the door open for a moment while the air conditioner started doing its thing. Once the air coming from the vents started to cool Jen closed the car door, worked the gear shift and started driving.