Alice (permanently on hold)

Alice

"Fuck you, egg!"

"Alice," was the immediate response, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Alice then remembered where she was. She was at Chester's Groceries. They had about twenty customers, and most of them were over seventy. The owner of the place, Al Chester, wanted to keep as many of them as possible.

And Alice remembered why she had gone to the store. Her fridge was nearly empty. There was a half empty bottle of ketchup, a bowl of spaghetti that had been in there for a disturbingly long amount of time, and a six-pack of beer. Of course, there was also the stack of microwave dinners in the freezer behind the house. But there was no way Alice would let her sister eat that crap.

"The egg fell on its own!" she protested, walking around the corner to see the old man.

He shrugged and said, "You know the rules, kiddo. You swear, you leave."

"But- but-" Alice sputtered.

"Out," Chester barked, pointing at the door, "You're welcome to come back tomorrow."

"Fine!" Alice yelled, storming out. It wasn't the first time she'd been kicked out of the store, but that didn't make her any less pissed about it.

She swore to herself as she stalked down the street. The wind picked up. Alice wished the bus came by more often, but she knew it'd be at least fifteen minutes late. It always was.

She sighed as she approached the rusted bench at the bus stop. There were several pieces of blackened gum stuck to the bench. Alice hated that. She decided to stand.

The wind blew her hair into her face. Alice hated the wind. Her sister, nine year old Kendall, loved it. Alice didn't understand why. Alice rarely understood Kendall.

The bus arrived twenty-three minutes after the schedule said it would. Alice waited for a young mother and her son to board the bus. The bus driver, a middle-aged woman named Beck, smiled at Alice. Alice knew Beck. Beck didn't normally drive that bus. Alice didn't question this much.

"You're late," Alice muttered.

"Sorry, Hun," Beck said, with her slight southern accent, "It's all this darned wind, knocking things over."

Alice sighed and handed Beck a two dollar bill. She knew the bus couldn't give change, but she didn't want to search through her pockets for sixty-five cents.

Alice took a window seat near the center of the bus. Nobody sat near her. This is what Alice wanted. She looked out the window as the bus groaned to life and slowly started down the street.

Alice watched the street go by. The wind really was terrible. The trees were swaying, not just the branches but the trunks too, and a small sized bush had been ripped from the ground and was rolling alongside the bus.

The bus began to pick up speed. Alice turned away from the window. The blur of colors was making her feel sick.

Suddenly, the bus screeched to a halt. Alice shot to her feet. In front of the bus, barely visible from where she was standing, was the thick trunk of a tree. It was blocking the bus. It was blocking the road.

"Goddamnit!"

Alice opened the door to her house to see Kendall and her father eating at the table.

"It's blustery out there, huh?" her father asked, "Want some microwaved lasagna?"