Beside Serenity

D

Slowly we inched forward towards the flashing lights. We became close enough to the accident that the lights began to turn everything inside our car a new shade of bright purple. My sister, again, enjoyed the strobing colors.

A fat man, in a white tank top and blue jeans, sat crying on top of a wheel at the edge of the field. Above him, two policemen looked down. One was taking notes on a little pad of paper. An old woman stood not far from him, looking at two children who sat in another part of the field. The children were chaperoned by a woman officer.

One of the children looked over towards the street. When I looked in the same direction, my view was blocked by my mother's seat. Curiously, I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood up.

"What are you doing, David?" My mother asked.

First, I saw the big red truck, which didn't phase me. I'd seen accidents on the news before this, and the truck was nothing in comparison. But the sedan. It was like a cartoon, so much so that I expected the front of the little car to expand and contract, making noises similar to bagpipes, as an accordion does. My jaw dropped to the clean floor of the new minivan. While I was standing frozen, two men in heavy yellow overalls, confidently and efficiently, cut at the driver's side door with a pair of giant, metal scissors.

"Sit down!" I heard through the ringing in my ears. I was in disbelief. The two firefighters with the big scissors finished cutting the door off and pulled from the car a woman. I did as I was told. My sister looked at me with a curious face.

"I want to see!" She exclaimed. I put my hand on the button which would unlock her seatbelt. She tried to wiggle free, but by the time she escaped we had already passed the accident.