HEAVEN IN A HATCHBACK
The road was long and boring. No scenery to speak of, nothing on the radio, and I’d thought every deep thought I could think of.
And still had two hundred k to go.
I was so BORED.
A car came towards me, going back in the direction I’d come. As it flashed by I saw the occupants, a couple, laughing as they looked at each other. It looked like fun in there. Certainly more fun than I was having.
I thought how cool it would be if you could just flash yourself into their car, their life. Obviously, some lives would be more boring than mine, but some would have to be more fun, more exciting.
As the next car headed towards me I tried to imagine projecting myself in there.
I know, it’s stupid, and impossible, but I was bored, and it helped pass the time.
Of course nothing happened and as the car passed by, I saw a sour-faced guy behind the wheel and was glad I hadn’t been able to do it.
I continued trying as each car approached, creating scenarios from what I saw going on in the car as it passed.
By now I was no longer bored and looked forward to each car passing. I saw a van approaching and prepared to create a fantasy from what I saw. I stared through the windshield intently -
And was shocked to see my car flash past, with me at the wheel!
Before I could work out what was going on, a child’s voice asked in a whiney tone, “How much longer Mum?”
A male voice spoke, “I told you before, we’ll be there when we get there!”
I looked around me, I was in the van! Just, there! I didn’t have a body, it was just my ‘spirit’ in the van! I was whatever I wanted, I could see without turning my head or thinking about it.
Was I dreaming? A feeling of dread coursed through me, but I realised that if I was dreaming, that thought alone would have woken me.
“Shut up you little nerd!” Another, older, child’s voice said.
“Moira! Don’t speak like that. I’m sick of your attitude lately, you . . .”
I decided I’d had enough of this car, and seeing another, decided to try and project myself into it.
I flashed into a couple more cars but found their occupants’ world either uninteresting or depressing.
Finally I transferred into a small hatchback.
This was more like it! The stereo was pumping loudly, I ‘looked’ around me and saw that I was in a car full of young girls wearing bikini tops and sarongs. They were chatting happily and laughing. It smelt wonderful in here, perfume, shampoo, warm hair, all sorts of girl smells that I found delicious.
My ‘id’, or whatever it was, sat happily in this car, like a fly on the wall, listening to the girls speak of things they would probably only talk about when there were no boys around. It was great!
“Look!” The girl driving said, sounding concerned, “I think there’s an accident!” She slowed and drew to a stop behind one of my previous rides. In fact most of the cars looked familiar, and with a start I realised the car that had rammed into a pile of roadside boulders was the most familiar – it was mine!
“Ooh, the poor guy.” One of the girls said, sounding concerned, “I wonder if he’s dead?”
I could see my body slumped over the steering wheel, blood covering my head. One of my former drivers was at my car, trying to free me, but threw himself back suddenly as, with a WHOOMP, the car burst into flame.
I heard the girls exclaim, but the sound was faint, as though from a distance. I couldn’t see clearly now either!
There was a . . . a film over everything.
And the world was growing more . . . and more . . . distant .
Copyright: Mark Burton 2007 |
|
|
