Once Upon A Time...

I have quite hurriedly entered Ms. Anna Meade's ONCE UPON A TIME writing flash fiction contest. The theme is Unexpected Fairy Tales.

So, without further ado: 

~Courtesy of ~

The car sputtered, groaned pathetically and died. The road was at a slant and I pulled over with the last bit of juice the old jeep had. The sweat poured but I pulled my sleeves all the way to my palms. I didn’t need to see the bruises.

Thus far, my escape had failed miserably. And now the nearest gas station was ten miles – if I went back to Franklin.

A white truck filled my side mirror, a hazy image against the summer sky. I stuffed myself under the dash, praying desperately, tears leaking. A shadow washed across the jeep.

I heard an engine fading and then – silence. I breathed.

Something tapped my window. I screamed into my hands, hoping that for once he would lose his composure and kill me.

“Hey, it’s all right!”

Unfamiliar voice. I hit my head on the dash as the door opened and I tumbled onto stumpy, dry grass.

I looked up. “You’re not… You’re not Solomon.” An angelic, unfamiliar, boyish face looked back, wide eyed.

“No… You okay?” His eyes were deep, chocolate pools and filled with concern.

“No. Yes, I mean, I’m out of gas…”

“Where you going?”

I shrugged. “Anywhere.”

He nodded his toward his truck. “I have room.” His truck was piled high with shabby rugs of all shapes and sizes. Otherwise, it looked rather safe.

 “You’re not going to take me to Solomon?” I couldn’t quite believe I was really being rescued.

He smiled.

“Nope. Just offering you a ride.” He held out his hand and gently pulled me up from the ground. I was still shaking.

“I’m Noah. What’s…” We both heard it. Police sirens. They had found me.

“They found me.” Noah swore and ran toward his truck. I followed, confused.

“But I ran away… What are you doing?!”

Noah was throwing rugs out of his truck. “I only need one.” He turned suddenly. “Do you trust me?”

The first blue siren came up over the hill.

“Yes!”

“Get on.”

He sat down on a dirty rug and winked at me. “You want to see the world?” 

350 words

Let me know what you think!