Driving Alone
November 7th, 2005The storm started after dark.
Great fat drops of rain pounded my windshield relentlessly, drowning out any sounds of thunder. Enormous streaks of lightning lit up the sky.
I felt as if I were hurtling through a gigantic blackened tunnel. Then the sky would light up, as bright as day, and I would see the outline of the trees etched against the sky. Sometimes all I saw was a burst of light, but more often the sky was ripped apart by horizontal jagged streaks that seemed to stretch for miles. Then darkness would assert itself again.
I drove on, leaning forward, gripping the wheel tightly with both hands, braking cautiously as the misty spray from some passing car further obscured my view.
Later I glimpsed a narrow sliver of moon, a thin orange crescent gleaming peacefully away up there in the sky.
Very descriptive, but where’s the happy ending?? Or is this some sort of allegory??
I was driving from NY to MD last Sunday evening. This happened near Frackville, PA, where I always seem to have my scariest highway adventures. Once I was stranded on the side of the highway there for 4 or 5 hours.
This really is just a description…no allegory. I guess the happy ending is that I made it home ok!