The calamity at the red light

Time is relative. Of course, that’s easier said than understood, especially if one is a kid. Tim was a kid. He is with his mom and they are waiting at a red light. The intersection is filled with waiting cars. As Tim looks around, he can see an endless sea of waiting cars. His mom taps the steering wheel with one finger while she waits. Tim can sense her anxiety, as she stares at the red light.

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Mary is late today. She’s never late. Now she is stuck at a red light. Furthermore, this light has already been excessively long. She absently scans the traffic around her. The intersection feels crowded this morning. The car next to her, is one of the new ones she likes so much. The light is still red. She surveys the cars across the expansive intersection. They all wait. Ready to launch the second the light changes.

The calamity at the red light

Watching the lights of the opposing traffic, she feels like a race car driver. The lights count down to the moment of release. Likewise, Mary is ready to launch her car the moment the light changes. She is so intent on being the first off the line she doesn’t feel the vibrations coming from the road.

Adam is waiting at the busiest intersection in the city. His truck is fully loaded and he is on his way to offload his cargo. The light at this intersection is going through its cycles as he watches the opposing traffic. Additionally, he needs the inside lane. He is looking at the traffic beside him and planning his maneuver when the ground beneath his truck begins to shake.

The truck begins rocking back and forth. It begins with the trailer and Adam sees it, more than feels it. In the view of his side mirror, the large trailer begins to sway. As he scans the rest of the intersection, he sees nothing out of the ordinary. The light still has not changed and the trailer is swaying. And it is much worse now. Though he can’t say why, he feels chills race up his spine. Something isn’t right, he thinks, as he watches the trailer.

The Field

Mary is watching the truck opposite her at the intersection. It has begun to sway back and forth. It started slow, but now the thing is really rocking. Likewise she sees the driver in the cab. He is looking from one of his mirrors, to the other, as the truck sways. He appears to be confused about what is happening.

And what is happening? She can now feel the vibrations in her steering wheel. She turns down her radio quickly. All is silent and eerily still in her outside view, however she can feel the vibrations in her steering wheel, and now she feels them in the floor of her car. In fact, her whole car is beginning to vibrate and shake. She knows it is more than a mechanical failure with her car now. The people in the car beside her, are also looking around with bewildered expressions. She thinks to herself that something isn’t right.

The Calamity

As Tim watches all the other vehicles at the intersection he sees that some of the drivers are looking all around, as though confused. He also notices that his mom has stopped tapping the steering wheel with her finger. Furthermore, she is wearing the same expression as the other drivers. Bewildered confusion. Although Tim feels the car shaking, he watches the truck across the intersection as it sways back and forth. The wheels of the trailer are leaving the ground with each successive pendulum swing.

As Tim watches the other vehicles, he can’t help but feel that something isn’t right, though he cannot say what. Then the red light changes, and all hell breaks loose.

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The Pawn Ticket Redemption

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The calamity at the red light