Luchies

The day was so boiling that you could see the heat simmering above the road. I sat beside Lauren, my best friend of two years, as we buzzed down the highway in her father’s, or as I call him Burnie’s, Cadillac De Ville Convertible. With the roof off and wind in our ears, blocking any possible sound from being heard.

Shattering snowfall of glass surrounded my form with the offending rush of cold air resembled a blizzard; the scent of alcohol now strangled my nose and throat. Blinding lights of neon signs complimented the dark night of the cold fall nights of Telegraph Rd.. However, the chilled air was not able to breach the inside of the warm car that held us; my sister, father, and myself, with the soft music of gospel quietly played. Inevitably, our peaceful serenity was interrupted by the commotion of a semi-truck swerving behind us. Right lane. Left lane. Right lane. Left lane. This behavior became the focus of my father as he was trying to drive us home safely that night. Cautious steering became useless in a single damning moment; our car swerved, my sister wailing, father’s muffled exclamations, and the protruding smell of beer. Thankfully, my body was unscathed; however, the way I envisioned the world changed drastically.

The day was dark. I could feel a storm approaching. The gentle sunlight glistening through the clouds, now covered by a heavy mist. Drop. Drop. Drop. The coldness of the water tinged my face. And the earth shook, as a large boom erupted from the sky followed by a light crackle. By now, I was soaked, like that night. I continued walking through the deserted streets when a large flash erupted from the sky. Oh, great lightning, today was getting better and better. A woman and her young child was running towards their car to seek shelter. The walk was a long and dreadful one, I found myself looking at the place I left 15 years ago. The house was still dark and foreboding as ever, the shutters hanging off its hinges and the roof in a state of disrepair.

“Mom, come on!” I yell while I’m already rushing to the car. Soon enough, she comes out the garage and sits in front of me in the driver’s seat. I listen excitedly as her keys jingle and feel so much relief as the air vents come on, putting me out of my misery in the the dry, 95 degree heat. The radio plays in the background while I look out the window at the scenery I see everyday on my way to school.

In just a matter of months, Sarah has hastily experienced and heard things that she hadn’t thought she would. As she moved into her cousin’s home, she begins to see how the

“Well I would say goodnight, but I don’t like you.” I pulled out and she sat back down, with tears streaming down her face. I drove through little communities listening to the radio and eating the food I saved. I arrived in Reno, Nevada at 7:00 a.m. My bloodshot eyes told me I needed to rest, even for a few hours, but I’m going to see my daughter. I was low on gas, but I decided to take the risk of going up the mountain on the way to Tahoe. The tree’s became a blur as I pushed the pedal. The warm summer light beaming onto the road before me. The pine trees smell blessed my nose.

The car's wheels caress the highway lovingly. I forget the rumble of the cars behind for a moment, instead focusing on the insignificant touching of the wheels and ground. My sister sat at the wheel seemingly waiting for some kind of sign, waiting for me. She spoke, “Are you excited about moving back to Meetleburg?” As if, I am leaving behind all that I have worked for in the past four-teen years! I stayed silent to the dismay of my sister.

When the Weeping Willow trees became abundant around every sector of the car, I knew we were getting close. Once we passed the bridge by the small, grass bank called Cypher Beach, I could barely sit still in the front seat of my grandparents truck because I knew we were about to arrive. There I sat, waiting anxiously with my size ten feet smashed into a size seven foot box because if I removed them, I affected my grandfather's ability to drive and my grandmother’s ability to sit and look pretty. Even though the flip of the coin always caused me to sit in the front, compared to the comfy back where the other four children sat, it was all worth it when we arrived to our destination. The destination was just up the road, where we turned right

One Spring, my mother and I were visiting my uncle in Alabama. I wanted to see what all the state had to offer. My aunt informed us that a new clothing store had opened in a small town outside of Mobile, Alabama. My mother and I love to shop so we immediately jumped in her sedan and proceeded to the store. Alabama’s scenery was so mesmerizing. The bright sun glistening on Mobile Bay was absolutely breathtaking. I could hardly keep my eyes open to enjoy the view because the sun began to impair my

It was a mysterious, windy, dark night. Annabel, a short young girl with jet black hair, eyelashes that reached the sky and eyes like a puppy dog, had just awoken on the floor of a cold dark forest. As she took in her surroundings and wondered how she had got there, a sudden pain appeared in her head and she had a brief flashback of painful memories of the car crash that she and her parents had just been involved in, a horrific accident; she lay there as tears slowly welled up in her eyes and rolled down her soft, pale cheeks. The thought of her deceased parents sent a shiver up her spine; she couldn’t believe they were gone.

For a moment, I was transported back to my grandmother’s house in Small Town, Tennessee. I could smell the fresh Earth and hear all of the different livestock, fowl and outside dogs that guarded the animals, just as they did the house, from any predators. I recalled being a little girl dancing like no one watched, dreaming up inventions,

Gwen walked outside only to get a face full of the cool, cold breeze gliding across her face. She had on a lightweight, zipped up maroon jacket that still kept her warm despite its thickness. She also was wearing a dark gray - almost black - beanie her dad had got her the Christmas before he joined the army to go fight in Afghanistan. She’d had it since she was 14. Her somewhat medium-length bright, blonde hair went down just a little past the hood of her jacket. Being 17, Gwen hopped into her bright white 2014 Volkswagen Jetta - not the most spacious car in the world, but it got her where she needed to go. She set off to go pick up her best friend, Lauren, to set off on another adventure. The city of Cleveland was pretty busy this morning, yet it was nothing compared to New York City or Tokyo.

As I drove past the Russell Stover headquarters, the song “My Way” started to play. As I sat at a red light, I anticipated my favorite lyric of the song. Before I knew it, the song was almost over. Realizing I had missed the lyric, I restarted the song. The light turned green and I continued down the road. As I drove, I saw the building that one of my friend’s family owns. From there, my mind was as far away from Frank Sinatra as it could get.

I remember the day just like it was yesterday, the pale color and coldness of her skin. The sky was clear blue, soft, with a touch of red, and the trees seemed stiff in their bright green shade. The wind was blowing with its humid dry air. And All I could do was stand silently in disbelief, caught up in my own thoughts and calm as I ever been. Wondering what I could have done differently to change the course of time, life had taken us upon. Since that very day a chunk of my heart was ripped away, and broken into pieces… “Oh how I miss her so much.”

The days were getting longer as they kept on driving through the cold rain and the humid sunlight. Julie’s son, Michael was on the verge of becoming 12 years old, and since their family wasn’t in town, they had to drive all day and night to San Francisco, California. Not to mention the drive all the way back. They had a large family, but, Julie was the only one to move and start her own life in a new environment. No one in her family even thought twice about coming to visit Michael, instead they had to travel in a dreary car all day long(Forever Grateful).