"Unforgettable Road Trip" - Lindsey Hanks

The highway stretched a crossed the high desert landscape with hundreds of cars and trucks speeding along to there destination. Elaine and her mother had been driving down the long stretch of road for a couple hours. Elaine sat in the back seat perfectly
content watching her favorite movie, The Mummy, on the portable TV that sat on the middle conceal between the two front seats.

"Do you want to stop at Subway?" Elaine's mother asked as she leaned her head back on to the headrest.

"Yeah, can I get a cookie with my sandwich?" Elaine replied excited about the
prospect of a chocolate chip cookie. "Mom, can I get a cookie?" Elaine asked again.
There was no answer. Elaine looked up from the TV and noticed the car was starting to
veer off the road, heading straight for a speed limit sign. "Mom!" Elaine yelled while
she sat up in her seat. Elaine's mother’s eyes flew open as she gasped and swerved away
from the sign. The car began to tip over. Elaine grabbed the grab handle, or crap handle
as it is often referred to, and the door. Not having her seat belt buckled that was the only
thing she could think to do. The car immediately filled with dust as it began to roll down
a small hill. Elaine's heart began to beat faster and faster as she watched the contents of
the car roll around. The TV was knocked into the passengers by the driver’s side air bag.
Time seemed to have slowed down while loose CDs began flying around the car; the
sharp edges cutting Elaine’s arms. With each roll of the car Elaine slammed into the side
of the door. The car finally came to a stop. Elaine finally let go of the death grip she had
been holding on to the door with and slid down the seat into the other door.


"Mom? Are we dead?" Elaine asked whipping the blood away from her nose in a
vain attempt to get it to stop.

"I don't know, but we need to get out of the car.” Elaine’s mother replied as she
crawled into the back seat.

Elaine shoved the back door open and looked at what was left of their Jeep. It
looked like a crushed pop can; the passenger door was mangled with a fence post sticking
out. Elaine looked at the cliff that lied about a hundred yards away from were the car
stopped. A trucker came running up to them asking if they were okay. He Took Elaine
over to his wife, who helped clean the blood off of Elaine’s face and hands. The police
officer asked Elaine and her mother to recall what exactly happened.

“I am not going to give you a ticket.” The officer told Elaine’s mother. “I think
you have learned your lesson.” Elaine’s mother nodded. The officer gave them a ride to a
gas station where they waited for a friend to pick them up.