Flash Friday Fiction: The Road to Nowhere

Wawona Tree Road. Photo by the National Parks Service.
Wawona Tree Road. Photo by the National Parks Service.

The Road to Nowhere (152 words)

The old man clutched the steering wheel tightly while he maneuvered through the tunnel carved into the tree, a chuckle escaping him as they cleared the other side.

“Remember, Mabel, when we was young and we thought that tree was magical – that it could whisk us to some other time or place, some place better? I always wanted to go to the City, be in thick of things.” He chewed his cheek for a moment.

“You just prayed to disappear.” He shook his head. “Never understood that.”

Mabel stared out the window. The truck bounced as it hit a root. She’d learned long ago there was no such thing as magic, no such thing as escape. Her pa had taught her that, with his switches and his groping. Her husband had taught her that, too.

She looked down. Her fingers were dissolving, her legs no longer visible. She smiled. At last.

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3 Replies to “Flash Friday Fiction: The Road to Nowhere”

  1. Pingback: Flash Friday Fiction (A Twofer!): Still Standing | Margaret Locke

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