My rain boots loudly squeak with every step I take away from the diner. I shiver and clutch my sweatshirt tightly; it was still pretty chilly from the storm. “Beep-beep. Beep-beep”. The car unlocks as I press my thumb down on the unlock button. I scurry into the Driver’s seat of my large SUV and slam the door shut on the crisp autumn breeze. As soon as I start the engine, I immediately turn the heat all the way up and put my phone in the cup holder to my right. The leaves are like a blanket covering every inch of the rainy, cold road beneath me. Something about the colors of fall has always mesmerized me and made me genuinely appreciate nature. The crisp smell of wood is oddly refreshing to me; The sound of the leaves crunching beneath my feet is music to my ears; The fact that it’s never too cold or too warm- you can always get away with just a sweatshirt and pants. The sun peaks through the clouds and my eyes begin to burn. It’s violent rays shine directly into my eyes, but as much as I want to put my visor down to relieve my eyes, I don’t. I take a deep breath and appreciate the sun’s warmth soaking into my skin through the car window.
Almost home, I pass my favorite scene to drive by. A big farmhouse complimented with endless trees high up on a hill behind it. From the angle I passing them as it looks like a long, fall mountain of red and orange. I’ve taken walks on a trail right by the trees, but I like the way they look from down here better. I turn my right blinker on and begin up the road to my house. Looking to my right, I take one last look at the beautiful view and quickly it disappears from my sight.
As I come up the road it begins to get darker. Enormous trees hover over both sides of the windy, narrow road like an archway. Driving through the tunnel of trees, I head for a little hill- the kind of hill that makes your stomach get butterflies when you drive over it quickly. As I drive over the little hill, I also have to steer to the left because it curves at the peak. Suddenly, I loose control of the car as it seems to gain a mind of its own. Like a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel, the tires meet the slippery, wet leaves and the car begins gliding to the other side of the road leaving me with no control. Without thinking, I franticly swerve the steering wheel in the opposite direction hoping the car will obey my command and save me from crashing into a tree or telephone pole to which I was headed straight for. My stomach knots and it feels as if my heart has stopped beating from the terror. As the vehicle slides uncontrollably, I clench my fists around the steering wheel as hard as I can, bracing myself for the crash. Praying for the best, but expecting the worst, I tightly shut my eyes. In unison with a huge thud, I am jolted around the drivers seat. Struggling to keep hold of the steering wheel, my seatbelt prevents my body from coming loose inside of the vehicle. My neck and limbs violently jerks around and I hear a final bang.
I open my eyes slowly in fear of what I am about to see and amazed that I am still capable of doing so. My hands are trembling, still glued around the steering wheel. I slowly release them. My left shoulder is parallel to the dark cold ground- the only thing separated myself from the road is the shattered window between us. Still shaking, I unbuckle myself to relieve my body from being choked by the seatbelt from the foreign, sideways position of the car. Luckily the car had not flipped on the passenger side or I would have been dropped like a penny from a balcony. The small, enclosed, unusual position the car is in makes me panic. I immediately want to get out of the vehicle, but because the entire driver side of the car is aligned with the concrete, I am trapped. Calming myself down, I come up with the idea to climb out of the sunroof. I struggle to turn the ignition hoping the car will still turn on. My ears rejoice to the sound of the engine roaring and I hurry to click the sunroof button to begin my escape. I cautiously crawl making sure I do not cut myself with any glass from the shattered windshield and windows. Finally out of the suffocating collection of metal, I take a deep breath and notice the leaves again. How could something that had almost nearly killed me still bring so much beauty and joy to me? I think back to when I was driving up the road admiring the leaves- it was just two minutes ago-if that. I was appreciating the colors of my gorgeous murderer and then seconds later, their wetness took advantage of my giant vehicle. So fast and so unexpected, everything changed so quickly and the scariest part of it was that I had absolutely no control over it.
This is not a public service announcement to scare you in hopes to make you drive more cautiously, it is just me sharing my story with you. A story to which I never thought I would have to tell. We as young people often believe we are invincible and that nothing bad can every happen to us, but I am here to assure you that something bad is perfectly capable of occurring to anyone. It is important to cherish life when you have it; when you have the ability and chance to live to the fullest. As youth, we are strong, confident, and determined individuals. Do not wait for a life-threatening event to happen to you to realize this.
