Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Hear (07/08/10)
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TITLE: The Moon is Fractured | Previous Challenge Entry
By Debbie Roome
07/15/10 -
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The events of the evening come shuddering back to consciousness as I realise I’m pinned in my car. The moon isn’t really fractured. It’s my windscreen and I’m trapped in the driver’s seat. Panic surges as I relive the sensation of the car leaving the road, bursting through the railings and the crushing impact as it landed in the river bed.
“Help!” I scream. “Help me, I’m down here!” My voice is shrill and carries on the cool night air but no one responds.
Mom’s last words push their way forward, demanding attention. “I’m worried about how much you’re drinking these days, Ellie. Please be careful and whatever you do, don’t drive if you’re drunk. You’ll always come off second best.”
“Uh huh.”
“Listen to me.”
“I hear you, Mom. I know.”
“You hear me but you aren’t really listening.”
If only I had.
The front end of the car is squashed around me and my legs are trapped. They throb as I try and move them, and burn as I scrabble around for my bag and phone.
“Help!” I scream again. “Someone please help!”
It’s then that I hear a voice I’ve ignored for many years.
Be still and know that I am God.
Tears tremble in my eyes as I swallow hard. “Is that You, Lord? Can you help me? I know this is my fault. I’ve made a terrible mess of my life.”
Be still and know that I am God.
I try and relax in my metal prison; try and calm my shaking limbs as I still my soul. It’s then that I notice the night is alive with sound. I hear a beetle scraping his legs together, a frog with a deep croak in the nearby river, water splashing and tumbling over rocks, the tick of the engine as it cools. I hear my heart beating like an erratic drummer, the fluster of wings as an owl sweeps past, the mournful howl of a dog in the distance. And then I hear a soft buzzing - the vibration of my cell phone. The screen flashes and a ghoulish glow lights the mangled door to my left.
“Mom, Mom!”
“Ellie, where are you? Are you alright? It’s way past midnight.”
“I’ve crashed my car, Mom.” Sobs muffle my words. “I was drunk and I drove off a bridge. I’m so sorry.”
While I’m waiting for help, I reach up and push the cobwebbed windscreen to the side. Free of distortion, the moon is no longer fractured but shines brightly, a creamy circle in inky skies. “I’m listening, Lord.” I whisper as a siren wails in the distance. “And this time I’ll be careful to hear what is said.”
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