Closer to Reality

The sunset was burning the brightest reds, pinks, yellows and oranges I had ever seen. It was like a painting. It was beautiful. That whole evening was just beautiful in general, because the weather was perfect and I got to spend time with some of my best friends for the first time in a long time. We were driving down the highway in my friend’s convertible when I asked if we could pull over so I could take a nice picture of the sunset and of everyone together again. They refused, so I attempted to take it anyway, but I couldn’t seem to get it right. With the car always moving and trees always getting in the way I just couldn’t get the photo. I was upset, because that sunset made me happy. My friends made me happy. But they didn’t want to stop for even a minute so I could get that picture. If they asked why I wanted it so badly I wouldn’t have been able to answer. It was just something I felt I needed, and I couldn’t get it because they just wouldn’t stop.

So we continued, traveling down the highway at a speed that would have gotten my friends license taken away if she got pulled over. I gave up on the picture at this point, sat back, and clung to the car for dear life. I told her to slow down but everyone else was encouraging her to go faster. I kept yelling “Slow down, slow down!” and praying that a police officer would come by and pull her over. We were coming around a bend and she tried to turn, but she lost control. Our car went spinning off the road and over the guardrail.

All I could hear was crushing branches and heavy breathing. I think we were too scared to scream, or maybe we did and I just couldn’t hear it.

I woke up at that point, in a cold sweat and crying. It was all just a dream; we were all sleeping quietly in our beds dreaming the night away. I went back to sleep, and as I drifted away I realized, that dream was far closer to reality that I thought.