Close Encounters

Mood: tired; wanting to sing and randomly dance around...
Hating: that I'm procrastinating so badly even though I've got a hundred and one things to do...but writing stories is much more entertaining than working on ISUs
Loving: food, and the fact that class is almost over!
Lip-syncing: nothing; listening to the beeping of a stupid malfunctioning printer...I do, however, have Bon Jovi's Living On A Prayer stuck in my head...

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The car cruised along the empty roads, galloping along the stretch of concrete until it slowed to crunch upon the dirt of the unmarked roads ahead. Though it was nearing dark– it already being close to five– the sun shone its last few, cold, rays of light to illuminate the journey ahead. They drew her in. The fields on either side were empty save for the few grazing animals here and there, but she could see nobody other than herself, and, more importantly, she could see no other traffic up ahead. The road was free, free for her to drive as fast as she liked, for as long as she liked. Fiona's hand flexed on the steering wheel, her grip lingering on the handbrake as she brought the car to bite, feeling the engine lift as she raised her foot. This was the careful stage, careful to push the car just enough to gain speed, but not enough for it to roll down the hill and spoil all the fun of feeling it move rapidly underneath her. As she released the brake the car rolled foreword, slowly at first but quicker as she pushed the gas down, foot getting nearer to the floor, sixty kilometres per hour showed up on the display behind her hands. The blues, browns and greens around her started to morph into shapeless colours. Just a little bit faster. Her foot continued to apply pressure, closer to the floor.
Shift to third.
Eighty kilometres.
Shift to forth.
Ninety kilometres.
Shift to fifth.
She was nearing a hundred and ten; taking turns rapidly as the country road soared past. The CD from the radio blasted a guilty pleasure, with the voice of Bon Jovi screaming about living on a prayer. Fiona was living on a prayer right now, speeding down these roads like a bat out of hell and not even turning the radio down a little to hear of any oncoming traffic. Where was the joy in driving a car fast, but safely? If you were going to become a speed demon, you embraced the exhilaration that came from knowing, that with just one second, you could end your whole life. Blood coursed through her veins, pushed by the sheer adrenaline she was experiencing. She took the corner too quickly and for a moment the tires skidded on the dirt path and her stomach dropped. But just as quickly as quickly as the panic had settled into her, the tires evened out and both fears were gone. She was cruising smoothly once again.
Trees flew by, no longer being individual solid forms but becoming a blur of green and brown outside her windows, then disappearing to become dots in the side mirror. The road panned out before her, markings rapidly moving under the car, the wheels skimming over the rough ground, the colour of the car becoming crisp in the sunlight. This was what they made cars for. This car wasn't just functional, it was her baby, and it was her pride and joy. It got her from zero to sixty in less time than it took to even boil a damn kettle. She could even wind down the window to have the breeze whip through her hair, feel the freedom the road provided sliding along her skin. Her head bumped along to the next song on the CD, filling the car, vibrating through it as the bass shook the speaker in the back. For a brief moment she closed her eyes, letting her concentration hone in on the whir of the road below her. She was glad to have left the city behind, to leave the fumes, the noise, the shouts and the cries back in that circus of a town. The country roads were deserted, empty except for the animals in the field. They were back roads, marked only by the noise she made, like her own private part of the world. All her own to do what she liked.
Her hands gripped the wheel tighter. Her heart thundered in her chest, echoing in her ears despite her voice chanting along to the lyrics pouring from the speakers.
The roads were long and winding and as she rounded a wide bend she became faintly aware of another sound. It was coming along the narrow road, loud and obnoxious, not like her silent car. She caught sight of it as she rounded the bend, big yellow, machinery pushed together. A tractor? It glimmered in the gaps in the hedges and she slammed down hard on the brakes as it came into view, going slow but not slow enough for her have braked any sooner. The driver stared wide eyed, yanking the steering wheel and plowing into the hedges, while Fiona's car skidded to a stop, her front bumper going straight into a fence of bushes, the tractor barely cleared the front of the car.
The man in the tractor started to rave first, ranting and raving about kids driving too fast down the lanes, along with, "Haven't you seen the signs?!" His face had gone red and while Fiona felt slightly embarrassment she did nothing more than reverse carefully back up into the bushes and pray it was enough room for the tractor to drive by. The guy gave up shouting and set his gas before driving close into the bushes to clear the gap. Fiona sat in her car and once he was past let a small smile play onto her face. The smile turned into a grin, and after the grin she broke out into giggles. She was still giggling even as she set back off and decided to head home.

Fiona liked driving fast, but she was growing fond of close encounters too.



Dedicated to Fi, whom I miss very much <3