Westward

Written 56-A04 [2024-07-24], Edited 56-A04 [2024-07-24]

Image credit: Twitter Twemoji

Driving westward through New Brunswick was getting tiring. The trip all the way from Ottawa felt like the biggest mistake of my life. As the sun sunk below the horizon, my eyes sunk below my pupils. The vibrant greens of the trees were starting to appear black under the night sky. My hand movements were getting too erratic for the gentle curves of the road.

For a brief moment my eyes closed.

No, wake up! I thought, and startled myself awake. I put my foot off the gas and on the break, gently slowing down. That’s when I saw the light.

Yes, a light up ahead of me, probably the headlights of a vehicle heading the opposite way. There were two great beams of white light, and the glare was so great that I had to squint.

As my car came to a stop, the other vehicle slowed as well. It was a mammoth’s shadow, a great beast walking towards me in the darkness. And it was loud! My sleep-deprived brain took a long time to recognize that I was looking at a tractor.

The tractor stopped next to my car, while I faced west, it faced east. I looked to my side and saw the window shades pull down, revealing the face of the driver. No skin, no eyes, only a spectral skeleton in a hooded cloak.

‘You were probably expecting a scythe,‘ the skeleton said.

Feedback From the Joy of Writing Group

• Driving the wrong way!!!! Have to call the geography police!!!!

Notes

This was written in 15 minutes during a Joy of Writing meetup.