Serendipity & the Serpent

The Cast & The Castaway

Your eyes fluttered open with the sound of hospital machines whirring. Everything took a moment to register, but when it did, you swore your heart stopped.

Nurses stood crowded above you. The bright lights overhead made your temples pound. What happened?

Then it came flashing back.

The arguing. The lead foot on the gas. The red light. The car.

The crash.

"She's awake!"

"She's up and moving."

"Check the x-rays again for any more damage!"

"Everything's clear. She was only knocked unconscious from the force of impact."

"Someone get the mother's phone number."

"Get in contact with a guardian!"

As the nurses continued to shout, you felt them lift your body, propping you up into a seated position. Your head, feeling extra heavy, rolled back. Luckily, one nurse caught on to you and fluffed up your pillow. Once you were securely seated upright, you examined your surroundings.

But you couldn't help but notice the pain in your right arm.

Looking down to examine the injury, you found there was more damage then you had hoped. A small blue cast was encased around your wrist and up your forearm, wrapping around your thumb, and stopping halfway up your palm.

As you tried to register what you were looking at, the voices of nurses in the far corner attracted your attention.

"The boy left the girl's apartment phone number. He said her mother should answer, and if not, we have his mother's number as well."

When their words began to make sense in your brain, you pulled yourself out of the bed. Your arm was somewhat sore when you moved, but you were sure the painkillers they had provided you with were doing their job.

You walked over to them, your throat dry when you spoke. "Let me call my mom."
•••
"Hello?"

"Mom."

"Oh sweetie, great! Tell me, was it the China Ball, the China Doll, or the China Wall, that had the really good shrimp balls?"

"I think it was the China doll."

"Okay, these can go." You heard a thud, "you'll be so proud of me, I'm organizing the takeout drawer! I'm weeding out all the duds and I'm putting happy face stickers on the dishes that have been huge successes, to make our ordering more efficient. Where are you?"

"I need you to be calm."

"Calm about what?"

"Calm about what I have to tell you."

"What..." her voice grew weary, "where are you?"

"I'm alright."

"Well of course you're alright," she spoke hesitantly, "why wouldn't you be alright?"

"Because... I got in an accident."

"What? What accident? What do you mean you got in an accident?!"

"Johnny and I went out to eat and we were leaving and he was driving and-"