wordle using words played on Words with Friends

Gotcha  

The road stretched out into a dark void.

I sat on the front seat of the car

blinking back tears unwept.

It was my birthday and not one

of my friends remembered it.

 Seated beside me was my dog, Jake.

He nuzzled my shoulder as if wanting

to prove  his love to me.

The headlights shone on a figure
standing in the middle of the road,
a male  about 180 pounds.
He was waving me to stop.
I didn’t feel safe, even though
I knew Jake, a German Shepherd,
could easily take him. My car wasn’t roomy,
barely enough room for Jake and me.

I knew the sand dunes were just over the hill.

What if the stranger’s car was stuck?

And the fog was becoming milkier.

 I decided to take my chances

and stopped the car and just then

an old van pulled up. The man,

probably hearing Jakes barks
and warning growls headed to the van.

I thought maybe I could worm

my way out of this one.
Zillions of reasons to not become involved
 marched through my mind. Alone in the shire,

I wasn’t about to kill the fatted calf for a stranger,

especially when I could be the fatted calf.

For some strange reason, I thought back

to the second grade class I taught.

A noun is a person place or thing.  

Well there’s the person, this spooky road is the place

and the thing is this gage or challenge

seemingly coming from the heavens,

or from somewhere else?

I tend to want to do everything

but end up doing nothing. I quit arguing

with myself, leashed Jake, opened the car door

and approached the van.

 The van doors flew open.

Hooded figures jumped out
and yelled, “Gotcha!”
My heart stopped pounding
when I realized they were my friends,
emphasis on the “were.”
“Happy Birthday!” they said
and we headed for the dunes to party.