December 1997 So I'm driving the Land Rover home from work the other day, right? Typical drive home, typical traffic. Just as I passed the signpost marking the edge of the Twilight Zone POW! I lose all power to the truck - dash lights go out, motor dies, gauges fall flat. "Now what?" was the first thought, not surprise or panic or even getting pissed, because owning an old Land Rover is to be prepared for little, um, idiosyncrasies in the vehicle.As I coasted to a place out of traffic, reviewing the wiring diagram in my head for places where a short would kill the whole system, I didn't really notice it getting darker. Maybe my mind assumed that a cloud was passing in front of the sun or something. Nor as I climbed out of the cab did I also didn't notice that the pavement had a certain springy quality not normally found in tarmac. I popped the bonnet ('hood' for us Yankees), and began looking initially for any loose or obviously broken connections, while beginning to realize that the traffic noises were becoming fainter and the sound of strange birds and wind rustling through leaves was growing. Was it getting hotter, or was it just the heat of the little motor? Something brushed past my feet, startling me. I jumped out from under the hood in time to see the bushes moving with the scampering of a small animal.
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