Chapter Text
That old, red truck rumbles to life as soon as dusk falls. Its driver, bundled up to protect herself from the cool wind, watches the sky fade into deep blues, frigid purples and velvety black and grays. She waits until the Earth is covered in the soft blanket of night before shifting the truck into drive. The driver has no true destination in mind; her only thought is to get away for a while. Pulling out of the driveway, the trek to nowhere in particular begins.
The constellations come alive above the vehicle as it moves down the dirt road. The Great Bear, Ursa Major, and the Little Bear, Ursa Minor, step across the sky with a slow, gentle walk. The Bird of Paradise, Apus, ruffles his feathers in slight annoyance as the rattle of an exhaust problem shakes him from his slumber. Fishes, Pisces, weave together, splashing in the invisible pond. Big Dog, Canis Major, and Little Dog, Canis Minor, keep pace with the truck as it flies past. The Virgin, Virgo, waves her wheat stalks in greeting to the girl. Crab, Cancer, clicks his claws threateningly towards the truck. The Hunter, Orion, grins down as he makes eye contact with the girl. It’s barely a second that blue eyes meet the shimmering gaze from above, but the girl knows she is protected by the hunter in the stars. She draws her eyes back to the road and lets the constellations watch over her.
It isn’t long before she reaches a long strip of road. The road has no curves; only hard, flat asphalt. The driver smirkes and turns the radio up a little louder. The songs of old rock bands fill her ears, drowning out the sounds of the night. She grips the steering wheel a little tighter and pushes the pedal to the floor. With a roar, the truck zips away. The wind whips the girl’s face, blowing her blonde hair everywhere, but all she does is laugh. It’s exhilarating to watch as the world flies at her through her windshield. The engine purrs happily as the driver directs the truck up a hill. Once she reaches the top, the driver slows the truck to a stop. Her breathing calms as the adrenaline wears down. With a huff, she leans against the steering wheel, careful as to not lean and accidentally press on the horn. The girl glances down quickly at the dash of her truck; she turns off the truck’s headlights and rapidly reads the dials.
She grimaces at the sight of her fuel tank dial. The glowing red hand glares at her from its spot nestled against the quarter empty mark. She quickly decided this was the nowhere in particular she’s looking for and, up on top of the hill, she puts the truck in park and turns the key. The driver opens her door and is immediately hit with the calming sounds of the night life. Crickets chirping, creating a gentle melody; the echoing howl from a coyote, hidden somewhere in the foliage; and the hoot of a owl she had mistakenly scared away. Above her the sky stills; it’s alive and moving but it’s just slowed down. She scrambles up on the hood of her truck. The girl hisses slightly as the heat from the engine seeps through the metal and into her hand. She doesn’t move away though, as she’s spent many nights burning her hand this way. She rests her back on the windshield and closes her eyes. The gentle breeze blows over her, dousing her in the gentle smell of the purple coneflowers that grew in the ditch and the scent of the tree sap. She lays there for what seems like hours, letting Mother Nature surround her and pull the girl into her loving embrace.
Her phone sounds its alarm, the soft sounds of a simple jazz tune pulling her from her trance, as the 11 o’clock hour hits. Her curfew alarm. With a sigh, she clamored down from the now cool hood and stood at the front of her truck for a moment longer. She takes a final deep breath and pulls open the driver’s door. That old, red truck rumbles back to life and makes its way home.