Journey Back to Point A

Driving to work every day, we sometimes don't realize that most of the traffic moving along are the same people every day. Every morning and every afternoon. We're so involved in the cocoon inside our vehicles, that we forget that we're like a large family coming from a neighborhood instead of a single house. We don't know each other, but we recognize funny number plates, scars of accidents that aren't fixed yet, stickers, peculiar families and little things that ripped us from our subconscious commute into a momentary lucid state.

Story Summary

A simple sedan explains his journey with his owners to work and back, but from the perception of the journey a car would have if it was alive. The owner climbs in the car and wait for his wife to climb in. She's a bit late and as soon as she climbs in, there is tension between the two as if there was some form of confrontation before.

The wife's demeanor is aggressive, and the man restrains himself from acting out, but the car notices subtle changes in his driving style.

At an intersection, the sedan's breaks shows more signs of failing, and the other vehicles respond with their disgust, but some appear understanding. They also greet each other and joke around about failing parts.

The breaks squeal more and the owner decide to take him in for respirations. The tires seem to skid from wear, so the owner lets the shop fix everything. On the way back, the car feels much better and even finds respect from other condescending vehicles.

Point of the Story

It might sound like a stupid story, but imagine how we would act if we were cars. We don't have the troubles humans have, so we're more aware of our surroundings because we're not tired, stressed or zoning out and into our thoughts. What if we notably recognized the people we see every day, sometimes twice, and acknowledge that for a period of the day, we share the same experience. People have that in common all over the world.

It isn't unknown for people to talk to their cars. The plead with them when they struggle to start, lose their temper when something breaks, and sometimes speak soft words after a car wash.

If you and your car could have a talk every now and then, what would it say? What emotions and problems will it have? How would their day be?

If you like to read the story, you are welcome to buy the book from our store page. It is available in eBook format at Smashwords, Amazon Kindle, as well as in a Print on demand paperback format at Amazon Paperback. In South Africa, I recommend buying from Takealot.