Car Trouble: A Dramatization

I am getting ready to leave for work, and everyone else had gone. I open the garage and carry my briefcase out to the car. I put my briefcase in the back seat and leave the car door open. I have a few more things to carry out, and after I put them in, I shut the back door.

I get in the car, crank the key and put the car in reverse. I begin backing out of the driveway and I hear a clicking noise. I haven’t turned the music on yet, but I can’t really tell where it is coming from. The noise gets louder and faster. I haven’t left the driveway yet, so the change in sound can’t be related to the speed of the car.

I plug my ipod in and begin searching for a song. I can’t really do anything about the clicking sound this morning, so I just put that in the back of my mind. I pick a song by Dinosaur Jr with loud thrashing guitars. This seems like a good way to wake up, since I haven’t had enough coffee yet. While I am thinking of it, I pick up my travel mug to take a sip of coffee.

All of a sudden the clicking sound has become a screeching sound, barely audible over the music, but there is a flash of gray fur coming at me. Whatever it is, scratches my face, scratches my arm and makes me spill my coffee all over my lap. I scream and slam on the brakes. My legs are burning, my face is bleeding and I have no idea what happened.

I open the door to climb out and twist my ankle. I fall down into the road, leaving the door open. Immediately a squirrel runs out of the car and scampers up a tree. I realize that I never turned my car off and it begins to roll down the street. I try to get up, but I can’t put any weight on my ankle. I watch my car roll into a tree in a neighbor’s yard.

I take out my cell phone, but I forgot to charge it last night so the battery is dead. I set the phone down, close my eyes and wait.

Disclaimer: Do not try this at home. Stunt drivers on closed track. No animals were harmed in the making of this story.