As the chill took my breath away
I stood in its midst
Stunned by the sudden punch to the lungs
And hardened by its frost
But as I stood
I felt every ounce of
Hot and deep anger
Burn within me
That even an eternal winter
Could not take the warmth out of
Don’t lose his tail lights. Don’t lose his tail lights. I chanted it over and over in my head as his tail lights began to fade into the white wall. I slowly pressed the gas trying to keep the disappearing tail lights in view. What was I supposed to down shift into when the roads were this bad? Drivers Ed had officially gone out the window. Ah the tail lights had come back into view for a moment. For some reason it had felt comforting to see them. For all I knew they were leading me into a ditch. For all I knew I wasn’t on the road at all. I white knuckled the wheel as I realized he was disappearing. No. No. No. He was gone. A string of swear words spewed from my mouth as I held the wheel steady. I have never been so happy to have four wheel drive in my life.
I had only one more well lit roundabout to go though. Darkness was falling. Daylight almost lost. There was no going back. It was only white and home ahead, if I made it that far. I turtled along slowly. As I went through my last roundabout I began silently praying for daylight to last a little longer. I saw the headlights of some behind me. We would caravan together. For as long as we could.
About a mile from the last roundabout was the interstate overpass. The next landmark I had set my goal on. If only I could make it that far, then I could set my sights on the next. Slowly a red glow higher than the height of my vehicle came into view. It was there, standing lit by the headlights and tail lights of the stand still traffic overhead. The interstate at a deadlock stand still. Night was falling much more quickly. Dead mans curve was ahead. I feared that turn. I would have feared it less if I had seen a plow on the road at some point, but there was no such luck. We were out there alone.
We called it dead mans curve because nearly every winter someone would die in an accident on it. This year would be no exception. As I made the turn the lights of a police car flashed before my eyes. A grey mass of a shadow was in the ditch, like a beast wounded in the darkness. To the far side of the road a series of flashing orange lights came from a shadowy mass greater than the one laying in the ditch. I threw on my own flashers as I drove by the police car. Much of the caravan behind me had abandoned me for the slow traveling interstate. I averted my eyes as I drove past the ditched vehicle. I didn’t want to risk seeing the glassy eyes of death peering back at me. I heard other emergency vehicles nearing the site. They came from behind me. I slowly pressed the accelerator. I had to keep going.
Every open field I passed cast a white blanket of swirling nothingness in front of me and the same mess whirled behind me. I saw nothing. Headlights disappeared behind me. I felt my car hit drifts that couldn’t be distinguished from the air ahead. My speed was steady, but my body and heart restless and tense. My next goal was the gas station. If I could see the glow of the gas station, I would know home wasn’t much further. Only open fields laid beyond for a ways. Then town, which would be well lit. Then home.
The driveway proved to be my greatest adversary. With each plow that passed while I was away came another mass of snow piled up at the end. I slowed and threw my SUV into reverse. It wasn’t safe to stay on the road. I accelerated and pushed forward. I made it half way. I reversed and pushed once more. Barreling through the snowy threshold I parked my car before the door. I could go no further because of drifts. I did not desire to go further. I put the car in park and took a moment to breath before I turned off the ignition. I was glad to be home. Glad to be alive.
I heard the dog barking from the other side of the door.
...Bag O' Magic Soup 