Kaleidoscope

This piece ws inspired by the poem, Poem To Be Read At 3am by Donald Justice

The yellow glows of the street lamps were shooting stars in the corners of his eyes. His knuckles were white as his hands gripped the steering wheel. A memory of his father teaching him to drive at fifteen flashed through his mind-

“Ten and two son, ten and two.”

-but was swished away as quickly as the lights.
His eyes were fixed straight ahead, looking at nothing, besides the occasional glances at the speedometer (which was reaching heights that were both dangerous and illegal.) The clock on the dashboard now read 3:12 a.m.
As he ripped through his childhood neighbourhood, a new image now flashed through his mind.

“Come on David, hurry up!”
An eight year old David was panting through the forest, hearing the echoes of his best friend Charlie through the branches.
“What are you waiting for? You’re going to miss it!”
Charlie was leading him somewhere -he wouldn’t tell him where exactly- where in the morning the sun rose between two clusters of trees, slightly separated, that made the light bend into a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors.
David was just crossing the old abandoned train tracks when he heard Charlie shout,
“We’ve made it David, we’ve made it!”
He pushed through a few more trees.
“David, it’s happening! You’re going to miss it!”
He pumped his sore legs as hard as he could until at last he came to a clearing where he saw the silhouette of Charlie, his back turned, standing at the edge of a cliff, light seeming to be radiating from his body. He was looking at the sky. And the sun. A sun that was already above the tree tops. And the next day, David’s family moved.

David had now hit a new high on the speedometer. A tear slid down his cheek and onto his lips so he could taste the salty shame.
“I’m alone. I’m alone.”
Those words kept replaying in his mind over and over like a broken record.

“Happy birthday David.”
“You’re a man now little brother!”
“Hurry up and open your gift sweetie!”
David looked up into his mother’s radiant face. Her skin as if silk that had just been spun. And her eyes. Those eyes that were constantly the envy of other women. Like two glowing emeralds. Even without her hair, she still looked beautiful.
He smiled and ripped the wrapping paper off his gift, revealing a Beatles record.
“Aw, thanks Ma! How’d you know?” David asked, sarcasm playing at the corners of his lips, for he had been begging for that record for quite a while.
Everyone laughed and his father gave him a friendly slap on the back.

David let one more tear fall, but only one.
As he was getting closer, the only thing on his mind was his goal.
Waves of images flooded his mind. David, in his car, plummeting down, down off of a cliff.
Finally ending it all.
Finally escaping the loneliness.
Finally, finally, not having to wake up in the middle of the night thinking about everything he screwed up on.
Thinking about losing his mother.
Thinking about being the only one at his lunch table.
The only one to sleep in his king size bed.
The only one awake in the night.
The only one…
                                      But then he saw it.
First, it was a faint glistening. David thought he was only imagining it. But it grew larger, and came closer. He tapped the brakes, slowing down, slowing down until he was stopped, and before him was his old house. A light shone from the upstairs window.
His old bedroom.

“Goodnight David. I love you and always will. I will always be with you.”
David’s mother tucked him into bed, gave him a peck on the forehead, and turned out the light.

He stared at the window for a full minute until he suddenly realized,
“I’m not alone.”
Perhaps the person in the window was just up reading a good book.
Perhaps they were sick, or had a baby.
But perhaps they were just like David.
He gave himself one more minute to gaze and then fixed his eyes back on the road and started moving forward, this time at a much slower speed.
He drove past Charlie’s old house.
He drove into the forest.
He drove across the old abandoned train tracks.
He drove into a clearing.
He drove to the edge of the cliff.
      And he stopped.

The clock now read 5:53 a.m.
He sat and sat, looking straight ahead.
And then, it was happening.
He watched as the sun rose between two clusters of trees, slightly separated, and the light bent into a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors.

 

Author's Note

I know, it doesn't have much backround info or much of a structured plot system, but I don't have a problem with that. Besides, this is just a first (although probably only) draft.
And yes, I know there is a book by Ray Bradbury called Kaleidoscope, but the name was just too fitting not to use!

Reviews

[Briley]

Ah, no he was not.
Thank you, now I have something to change.
And thank you for the feedback. :)

[WPChristensen]

It read fast and packed a punch. By the end I think it was almost more of a surprise that he didn't kill himself. But the world can always use more happy endings. The only thing I had trouble with was when he drove through all the locations at the end. Was he still speeding?
You could really expand this and turn it into something pretty cool.