Yesterday was my day to be in the shop for Artisans of the Gap. The shop is the yellow building with Fiona's sign hanging located on 419 Wood Avenue or Main Street Big Stone Gap. I had been creating a new necklace with jasper, lapis, glass, copper wire, and copper washers when I got up to walk around. I stood behind the glass case in the front of the shop looking out the front window.
A person was getting ready to cross the street. I could not tell if it was a man or a woman. However, I will used she to describe what happened next. She stopped. Dropped a bag. Grabbed hold of her head with both of her hands wincing in pain. She immediately dropped to the ground. A man walking on the sidewalk stopped. A black SUV driving by stopped, a woman got out with her cell phone. I was spell bound. Onlookers began coming around, cars stopping. Then the police came in an unmarked vehicle. He took the woman's vital signs.
A rescue squad vehicle came with flashing lights. The people who were there left but new people continued to stop and were sent on their way. A policeman came in a Big Stone Gap police car with flashing lights blocking the street and view of the woman lying between sidewalk and street. He began directing traffic.
The EMT placed the woman into a white bag. She was placed into the vehicle. There were no flashing lights when the rescue squad car left. The two police cars pulled away. Traffic continued in four directions.
In the time it had taken me to eat a chip, the woman dropped to the ground. I can only assume she died.
Wednesday morning, I shared stories with the kindergarten class at Norton Elementary School and told a story and did the butterfly hand story. A bear has been videotaped going through the garbage at the school The children are told to be careful when they go outside on the school grounds. Earlier in the week, a bear left a paw print on a car across the road from where I live.
You never know what can happen in a moment. Hold it close and dear.
