Transportation

(Read description for prompt)

I am sat waiting for an engineer to come and repair my gas meter. It's somehow broken, again. It may have been around a month between the last time there was an issue with it? It's a frustrating situation and frankly, I'm sick of it. The weather outside is gorgeous and we live opposite a beautiful beach. The trouble is I have an illness, that despite my efforts, has a large ruling over my life. So getting down to the beach isn't too easy. And getting onto the actual sandy beach itself is probably more awkward still. It's been far too long. I imagine there's some other way for me to get there now. An odd vehicle pulls up outside my flat. I don't see it yet but I can hear it, a strange mechanical hum and suddenly a chute appears outside my window. Blue like the ocean itself and I can see it is some sort of slide that seems to extend all the way across the top of the few buildings in the way and straight down to my dream destination. I don't want to go somewhere crazy and exotic and impossible, but just right now a simple trip to the beach.

I walk over to the window, glancing down at the vehicle below and it is truly only something that would exist in the world of Dr Seuss, with his crazy machines for printing on and taking stars off the bellies of Sneeches or to clean up a house that has become chaotic due to the antics of a certain Cat in a hat and Things 1 and 2. It is painted to look exactly like a beautiful beach, blue sky with white puffy clouds, golden sands stretched far and that wondrous looking sea, with rocks and cliffs here and there. I know at once my troubles are solved, not permanently but for right now, which is fine by me. There is some sort of extending arm holding the chute out, but only supporting the top part by my window. Although this sort of structure would naturally have to be supported at different points of the slide and this doesn't, I don't feel alarmed but completely comfortable as if I know that there is no danger. It doesn't make sense but it does. This strange van like contraption is here to make my current wish come true and I should be grateful and seize the moment while I can!

Another chute appears at the other window for my partner Jordan and we both smile and join hands, as they lift me up onto the seat at the top of the slide and then set themselves into position on the other slide. It is a long way down, but oddly I feel not fear, but excitement. I hear a slight mechanical rumble underneath me and the seat tips me downwards slightly so that I am laying down. I try to look over to see Jordan in the other slide but can see only the blue sides, slightly above my head position. Normally I would feel a moment of panic but somehow I know that we are both fine and safe. A strange covering comes down over the top of the slide to make it into a tube, it is completely transparent so I still see the sky above me. I feel ok about this, I am claustrophobic so I would be panicking if it were fully covered in some solid colour so that I could see nothing but darkness above me. But the sky looks good and I can feel the gentle spring breeze and smell the familiar smells of the sea and chips. A number 3 appears on the transparent glass, lit up as if on some kind of screen. It is replaced by the number 2 and I realise it is a countdown. As the number changes to one I feel myself subconsciously holding my breath.

With a soft whooshing noise I am dropped and I let out the air I was holding in, in a scream of delight. I hear the excited yell of Jordan next to me as we both rush down the tunnel, the clouds blurring into the sky above us. A gull lets out a surprised squawk at the sight of us both and we laugh hysterically. I feel the wind rushing past me and it feels so lovely and cool, as if each particle of air is blowing little kisses at my skin. We are starting to slow down now, the beach is rushing up at us and I feel excited but a little disappointed as well, that my ride is nearly over. The slides gently drop us onto the sand, feet first and I relish the feeling of my toes digging into the cool sand.

There's a knock at the door and I rouse myself from my dreamlike state to go and answer it. It is the engineer, he has come to repair my meter. I sigh inwardly, thoughts of the beach clinging to my mind as I enter reality again.