Short Stories

The-Not-So-Merry-Go-Round

The Not-So-Merry-Go-Round

The day started off with a blast. I 'borrowed' dads new Mazda convertible and picked up Cassandra from her dads estate house in the outskirts of Lauderston. As soon as Cassandra sat in the car Alice called her old. I began laughing so hard. Cassandra shot me daggers and Alice kept asking why I was laughing. I just found it ineradicably funny that my little sister was calling my sixteen year old girlfriend old.

Its Alice's birthday so yesterday we decided to take her to the Carnival that was in town this weekend. We wanted her to have a fab time so we made sure that she went on as many rides possible. She went on the dodgems, trampoline, bouncy castle and everything else a seven year old can go on. Cassandra and me decided not to go on with her so instead we waved to her from the sidelines in between making out.

We all decided to go on the merry-go-round together. Well when I say 'decided' what I really mean is that Alice nagged and nagged us till we went on just to get her to shut up. Although it was okay once I got on it I guess.

The whole day was filled with laughter. We kept telling jokes and laughing when Alice said something funny or pulled a face when Cassandra and I done something which she said involved 'cooties', and catching each others disease's. I made sure that both Alice and Cassandra were having a good time. And from their laughter they definitely were. I was secretly glad that Cassandra was happy spending the day with my annoying yet lovable little sister.

We ended up not leaving till the carnival closed. Cassandra became worried at that point that she would be late home for dinner and that her dad would hit the roof because she has spent the day with 'that delinquent' again. So I put my foot down on the gas pedal, once we got on the road, I did not want her late home. And I was silently hoping that if I got her home on time her dad might give her less of a hard time for hanging with me.

Alice was animated in the car telling us everything that had happened that day like we weren't there the whole time. We were halfway home driving adjacent to a farmers filled when she began to run out of things to say. When suddenly out of nowhere a Stag came darting across the road. I swerved too late and hit the Stag head on with the car. I saw the windscreen shattered at the impact and something come flying toward me: Possibly glass? I could not worry about that though; the car was spinning out of control by the second heading towards a tree. I had a moment's realisation that the airbag had not gone off. Alice and Cassandra were screaming bloody Mary hysterics. I had to get control. However the car was hurtling to fast and out of control towards the tree. I needed to make sure the girls were safe, they were my responsibility! And yet the brakes refuse point blank to work.

I took a split second decision and crashed the car driver's side into the tree. This way I would shield them both from the impact of the crash. I felt an explosion in my head as it hit against the door. My last thought being that I successfully saved them from injury. And everything went black.