Story [Issue 62] Crash

[tweezers 1,034]

 

I crashed my car last night.

 

1986 BMW 320i. Blue. Not the most economical, but it did the job.

 

I remember the moment quite clearly. The trees rushing past the wing mirrors, my hands twisting the steering wheel in sync with every nuance of the road. My wife, sitting in the passenger seat beside me, her hair flowing in the wind from the open window. She was smiling to herself, trying to lip sync along to the music streaming from the stereo.

 

I think it was Coldplay’s “The Scientist”.

 

I love her so much. We met about 12 years ago, in the back of a library. It sounds romantic, but we were both just trying to escape a lecture on 18th century literature by some old professor. He was probably a nice guy, but to two 19 year olds, it was just meaningless drivel. I remember sitting on the floor, trying to swat away some flies gathering around me in the stuffy space behind a bookshelf dedicated to shellfish when she came around the corner, a little stooped, looking backwards and almost tripping over my outstretched leg. We both looked at each other for a few seconds, and then I grinned and patted the carpet next to me.

 

She was the most interesting thing in that entire library.

 

We started talking, and found out that we were both starting at the same university in a few weeks, albeit with wildly different subjects. I was majoring in art, she was majoring in economics. We both liked the same music though, and by the time we were finally found by a marauding guard, we were already friends.

 

I asked her out 8 months later .

 

It wasn’t that I’d been knocked head over heels by this girl, but that I’d gradually come to be fond of her, and then finally after weeks of waiting and a few drinks provided by a nice, if rather shady, bartender friend, I plucked up the courage to ask her out, and ‘lo, she said yes. The next time that I asked her a question to which it was so important that she said yes was about 7 years later, when I held up the little velvet box and popped the question. As usual, she made a joke about asking her many other suitors whether it was alright with them, and then said the magic word, her mouth quirked up a little to one side and her eyes crinkled up with laughter.

 

Today was the day after her best friends anniversary. We’d driven up to their place, which took about 3 hours, and then we’d headed back, considerably sunburned and with a bootload of food and photos. We were headed downhill when the rear passenger side tire blew out, making the BMW lurch all over the road, before tearing out the guardrail on the next corner and flipping all the way down a heavy drop. The car was totaled, roof smashed in on the drivers’ side and the engine halfway into the cabin.

 

I consider myself lucky as I stand here watching as the men and women in their white coats, their faces made anonymous by green masks, trying desperately to save my wife’s life. She broke almost everything from her waist down, and her face is completely pale, drained of any color that the blood splashed over the table might have given her. Even as I watch, one of the many monitors in the room displays a straight green line, and the people inside bow their heads. It’s something that we’ve seen a million times on T.V, but it’s harder to watch when it’s right in front of you.

 

I feel a tug at my sleeve, and turn around, a smile already on my face. She’s standing before me, her face once again flushed with color, a sharp contrast to the face that even now is being covered by a white sheet.

 

“You got off easy,”  she says, wearing a slightly hurt look. My smile widens.

 

“Well, you didn’t have to stand here for an hour waiting to see whether or not your one true love was going to join you."

 

“True. But then again, you know you have to wait for the good things in life."

 

“I’m not sure that’s applicable to us anymore," I tease, and take her arm.

 

She smiles, gives me a kiss, and we both walk on, leaving ourselves behind.

 

[Night-Sisters 2,139]

Tweezers, I got chills reading this. Chills.  :blink:

 

how u rite so gud plez teach

[GoldRock 6,165]

^Seconded - loved the twist at the end. Very impressive short-story writing!

[VaudeVille 1,428]

Loved this one.

[tweezers 1,034]

Tweezers, I got chills reading this. Chills.  :blink:

 

how u rite so gud plez teach

 

 

^Seconded - loved the twist at the end. Very impressive short-story writing!

 

 

Loved this one.

:wub:

Edited March 5, 2017 by tweezers

[sre123 595]

Brilliant! You kept me reading till the end. <3 

[TTK_229 1,080]

Feels good man

 

Brilliant! You kept me reading till the end. <3

 

I read it like I usually read stuff-read a few paragraphs at the beginning, read the last few, then actually read the story.

I read the Bible once like that. How confusing

Edited March 5, 2017 by TTK_229

[mydoom.exe 5,154]

Short, yet intriguing, with quite the twist at the end.

 

Yup, this is Tweezers.

[bc200214_777 582]

:blink: Beautifully written

[anti-tanker-GT 7]

That's my man tweezers...GREAT JOB 

[D.A.R.K.N.E.S.S 432]

Lovely story, just one question

 

If she broke everything from her waist down, how is she standing before the protagonist at the end?

[maryam98 1,171]

Lovely story, just one question

 

If she broke everything from her waist down, how is she standing before the protagonist at the end?

I would expect it to be a ghost, and him also.

Yes, he was waiting for her as a ghost, as far as I can work it out.

Edited October 23, 2017 by maryam98

[Crip 4,735]

I think it was Coldplay’s “The Scientist”.

Glad to see I'm appreciated.

 

Great song and a great story.

[Magenta 5,165]

I think it was Coldplay’s “The Scientist”.

I wonder if anybody got the reference...

Please tell me you wrote this after years of hard work, will give me some consolation. Hope.

[Crip 4,735]

I wonder if anybody got the reference...

Please tell me you wrote this after years of hard work, will give me some consolation. Hope.

When Tweez was writing this I joked that he was plagiarising it.

[Magenta 5,165]

When Tweez was writing this I joked that he was plagiarising it.

Your joke was totally justified, this story is better than the stuff the top professionals in my country write.

[Crip 4,735]

Your joke was totally justified, this story is better than the stuff the top professionals in my country write.

Sure it's good, but have you seen the Official Video for "The Scientist"?

 

You can draw some similarities between this story and that video. That's what I thought you meant originally.

[Magenta 5,165]

Sure it's good, but have you seen the Official Video for "The Scientist"?

 

You can draw some similarities between this story and that video. That's what I thought you meant originally.

Yeah I have seen it, and that is what I meant.

[Venerable 2,968]

I really don't know how to describe this piece. I spent the past ten minutes racking my brain - didn't help. Google only confused me further.

This story is weird in that it is masterfully written, conjuring up quite vivid images in the readers' minds, and yet is surprisingly short. I am awed. I truly am.

Now being a short story lover and a twee-fan, I simply had to post a reply to bump this up. So, here's the reply! 

[Dare 12]

Tweez was one of the people who inspired me to take up writing as a hobby, all those years ago.  Great story by a dearly missed friend

[Rooky 414]

ok guys but 1 question, why are you replying to a forum message from 2017? how boring can you guys be? 

but i still love that 2017 number bcs 2017 year was one of the best years of my life and for tanki as well, it had stablities in tanki

and back when forum and game was flash and back when @Spyused to play XP/BP all day

i also remember everyone playing with viking

Edited June 11, 2023 by MegaIoblastic

[Spy 14,692]

On 6/11/2023 at 6:54 PM, MegaIoblastic said:

ok guys but 1 question, why are you replying to a forum message from 2017? how boring can you guys be? 

I don't see what's the issue though? They came across a nice piece, that's all. 

[Venerable 2,968]

On 6/11/2023 at 9:24 PM, MegaIoblastic said:

why are you replying to a forum message from 2017?

Why not? Replying to a Forum topic bumps it up in the list of topics, so any casual forumer can easily spot it.

I really admire this piece of writing, and so I replied to it to bring it near the top of the topic-list. This ended up attracting the attention of two readers who enjoyed the story! And hence I see no problem in replying to old topics.

On 6/11/2023 at 9:24 PM, MegaIoblastic said:

how boring can you guys be? 

Quite boring, actually. More boring (and bored) than one can possibly imagine.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Venerable
Missed an "of"

[Incorp 2,084]

On 7/15/2023 at 1:54 PM, Venerable said:

Quite boring, actually. More boring (and bored) than one can possibly imagine.

Truer words never spoken.

 

anyways, nice one of course. Dunno why but back then a lot of articles seems to be focused on death :p disturbing reporters results in great stories i guess  

Edited July 15, 2023 by Incorp

[DefkwargX 152]

Insane content. Dude probably spent his whole life preparing for this story lol. Well done, fellow tanker.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Assasin-TO