He knew he shouldn't have driven his old junker out here. It overheated far too easily and, lately, the starter had been giving him some trouble. He had to get across the desert though. He hoped to make it in one day but he had to stop once the steam began to rise from the hood and, once the engine had cooled, he couldn't get the ignition to start. He didn't see any outposts of civilization coming down the highway so he decided to sit it out until someone drove by, which would be for some time. He'd been all alone on the road for the past two hours and he knew it would be at least that long until someone else drove by.
As he waited he heard a noise that he swore sounded like a child giggling. He opened the car door and got out. Down the road a young girl, no older than seven, walked towards him, playing with a set of three old fashioned keys.
"You wanna play?" the little girl asked.
"Sure." The heat had relaxed his mind a great deal. He saw nothing strange about a little girl being out in he middle of nowhere alone.
She took one of the keys off the ring and handed it to him. As he grasped it he heard bird songs above him. Trees rose from the sand, which had become soil, and mountains grew in the distance. He found himself in the middle of a thick forest. The little girl continued to giggle.
She handed him the second key. As he took hold of it the bird songs became human voices singing in a four part harmony. He seemed to recognize the tune, but he wasn't sure from where. The little girl's giggling was louder now as she tried to sing along with the voices.
As she offered him the last one, blue vapor rose from the trees, the hills grew, and the clouds burst into flames. As his hand wrapped around the trinket he felt an incredible sensation. The ground beneath him dropped and, for a moment, he felt the oft dreamt of exhilaration of flying. To his horror, however, he discovered that he wasn't flying, but falling. As the earth drew nearer the sound of the girls laughter filled his ears with a deafening volume...
"Looks like he's been out here for a while. I'd venture to say two days."
Sheriff Brockman stood over the body, shadowing the man's face. "Heat prostration, gets 'em every time."
"I'll radio it in." Deputy Harris picked up the CB microphone and called in the report.
"I've seen it before," the sheriff mused," Happens a lot out here you know. Strange thing is they always seem to have that same smile on their face. Looks so peaceful."
"Coroner's on his way," Harris stepped out from the patrol car, "He'll be here in an hour or so. We're supposed to cover up the body in the meantime."
"Don't matter. No one will be on this road for a while. Throw the tarp on him anyway. We might as well just sit in the car and wait."