STORYLAND

THE BOOT

The yellow and green rickety bus came to a very unprofessional halt, almost pushing a group of men selling cheap lace materials by the side of the road. These men proceeded to reign insults on the bus driver, dramatically gesticulating as they did so. The driver didn't seem to bother. He just took one look at them and continued to ferociously clean his teeth with the chewing stick he was holding on one hand, while the other hand rested lazily on the worn out steering wheel. The bus conductor violently struggled to open the door. After a few failed attempts, the door finally opened.

Missy took a deep breath and stood up from her seat. The bus was full, tight and very uncomfortable. Coming out was more of a struggle. When she finally stepped out of the bus, she almost lost her balance. She lost grip of the little grocery bag she was holding and it clatterred onto the paved ground. She screamed inside her head, the bent down to quickly pick it up. The whole roadside was dirty, and she didn't want her grocery bag messed up.

Taking a deep breath, she mentally tried to conditioned herself for the little walk ahead into the motor park where she was supposed to take a bus to the University she attended. Those thirty steps seemed little, but those steps were hell. This was because the park was always congested with travellers and hawkers moving up and down. The pickpockets waiting for the slightest opportunity to bump into you and steal your purse or phones were also there. There were the perverts too. Those irritating men who for some pathetic reason didn't have any control of their libido, and seemed to always look for ways to stylishly and shamelessly touch you on the breasts or buttocks.

Not today though, Missy thought, as she marched into the park, stealthily dodging people as they came towards her. Hawkers practically pressing their goods into her face, union workers shouting bus destinations from various directions. She breezed through like someone used to it, and before she knew it, she was at the bus spot she had been heading to. The bus she saw going to her destination was almost full. Happy much time won't wasted waiting for passengers, she paid the transport fare and boarded the bus. She sat at the back, where two other large women had practically occupied the whole seat. And there was supposed to be one more passenger seated there. She knew she was going to be in trouble.

Missy brought out her travelling starter pack. Her phone, earpiece, a chilled bottle of coke and a pack of biscuit. The two women seated with her kept talking about their husbands, but she didn't even pay attention to them. She plugged her earpiece to her phone and cranked up the music, drowning out the noise of the park.

The last 2 passengers finally came. One of them was a cute guy, and he tried to seat at the back, but it was a struggle for him. There was no way he could, because the two huge women had occupied everywhere. The driver had to come intervene, and Missy laughed inwardly as one of the women had to leave the seat for someone not as huge to seat there, before the guy could finally manage to sit. Missy looked up and made eye contact with the guy. He smiled at her, a knowing smile which seemed to say "fat people right". Missy smiled in return, and turned back to selecting and playing music on her phone.

The driver finally came after all the passengers fares had been sorted out. He sat on the drivers seat and tried pulling out the seat belt but it wouldn't even budge. After a few many failed attempts, he gave up and started the bus. The short trip was about to begin. Missy said a little prayer and tried to relax, although she felt so squeezed.

About 20 minutes into the journey, with her playlist taking her to other worlds, Missy felt something touching her legs. Great. She thought. Probably someones stuff from the boot of the car. She shifted her legs. It touched her again. She shifted her legs again. Nothing. Feeling better she relaxed her mind again.

5 minutes later something wet and warm touched her legs. Urghhh. She paused her music and looked up suddenly, and noticed the cute guy had been staring at her. He quickly turned away and was pretending to be looking at the trees and they whirled by. Missy smirked at the idea the guy was checking her out. But that wasn't the main concern here. She had to know what that warm and wet thing was that was touching her legs.

There seemed to be movement coming  from the boot of the car. In that squeezed state, Missy turned her head awkwardly to see what was going on in the boot. She didn't notice anything at first, but then, out of the blue, something actually jumped up from the boot and tried to grab her.

Missy had never screamed so loud in her life. It happened all in the flash. The driver, surprised by such a loud and anguished scream almost lost control of the bus. Other passengers shouted, looking very nervous, while some looked like they were ready to jump out of the window. The driver got the bus under control and quickly parked by the side of the road. People in the bus began to shout at her, asking her what the problem was. The other fat woman beside her peeped into the boot and also screamed.

"Driver open the door!"

There was a comical struggle as everyone ran out of the bus. Missy scared to her wits, dropped down from the bus. Other passengers kept asking what is was. The driver came round the open the boot. Everyone anticipated, ready to run.

The driver opened the boot and the monster Missy had seen jumped out. It was a cute puppy. It seemed happy and excited, it's tongue out and tail wagging. Missy stared at it, feeling so embarrassed. The puppy walked towards her and it was almost like it was smiling at her. Suddenly everyone burst out laughing.

"At least he likes you." A voice behind her said. She turned and saw the cute guy smiling. She smiled back at him, embarrassed down to her bones.

"What did you think it was?" He asked her, as the puppy was put back in the boot by one of the passengers who seemed to be the owner of the puppy, after apologising to her.

"I dunno, maybe a monster." She replied, embarrased as they boarded back into the bus. She noticed the cute guy had switched seats with the fat woman so he was sitting beside her.

"That's crazy though." He said. "My name is Jay by the way. Whats yours?"

"Missy." She replied shyly as the bus resumed it's journey, speeding into the distant road ahead.