The Traffic Jam.

A family are stuck in a traffic jam.

                                                         The Traffic Jam

We had started off early that morning.  It was so early in fact, that the sun had not yet appeared.  We had a fair way to go on this particular day, and thankfully, bad weather hadn’t been forecast.  

Beside me was my wife of five years, and in the back-seat sat my son and daughter.  Both nine years of age.  My children were not the best for long journeys, and we had just over one hundred miles to travel.  

My sister, who lived in London, had recently separated, and requesting our assistance, this is why we were taking the journey down.  I hadn’t seen my sister in over a year.  The last time was at a family wedding.  When we were younger we always got on, and I loved her very much.

“Are we there yet?” shouted young Jack.

“We’ve been on the road about an hour now.  Give it another hour and we should be there,” said I, knowing my son was growing impatient.

“But dad, I need a wee,” whined Jack.

“There should be a toilet somewhere,” my wife said, her name was Jessica.

“Ok, must be a toilet somewhere,” I answered, knowing it was going to be a nightmare looking for a public loo on a motorway.  But I gave her a confident smile, and she smiled back warmly.

My daughter for some reason had been silent the whole trip.  

“Are you all right, Sara?” 

She didn’t answer.

I gave a concerned look towards Jessica.

Then she said, “I think she’s listening to her MP3 Player.  She seems happy enough.”

“I wish I never got her the bloody Walkman.  She’ll go deaf listening to that thing all of the time,” I replied.

My wife suddenly laughed, before saying, “It’s not a Walkman, Frank.  It’s an MP3 Player.”

I laughed as well, “An MP3 Player.  Got it.”

Ahead were some traffic-lights, and a big sign which said we needed to turn left onto a smaller road for the remainder of the journey.  Which, if the truth be told, filled my heart with joy.

We stopped a moment, and the lights changed.  We turned left, and found ourselves surrounded by fields and the odd farm.  Occasionally a small sign would come into view indicating another village.  

“Why come this way, Frank?” asked Jessica.  “You know it adds thirty minutes onto the journey.”

I was waiting for this, and had the perfect answer.  “This way is more pleasurable for the children.  Also, if Jack needs a wee, he can go anywhere along this road without being seen.”

“That’s a brilliant idea, love.  You were thinking of the children all along,” she replied in a happy manner.

The real reason I had taken this road instead of the motorway, was because I preferred this route.  It was quieter and less cars to contend with.  And my little white lie had worked.  

“Let’s stop over there, then Jack can have his wee,” I said.

“Are you ready, Jack?” asked Jessica, peering in his direction.

“Yes, mum.  I’m absolutely bursting.”

I stopped the car, and Jack opened the door and ran behind the nearest tree.

Within seconds, he had appeared with a more content look on his young face.  He ran back to the car, and closed the door.

“Feeling better, love?” asked my wife.

“Much better,” answered Jack.

In the sunshine the countryside looked beautiful, with wild flowers of all different colours growing along the side of the road.

Five minutes later and we were still driving down the same stretch of road.  The sun had gone in, and storm clouds floated above.  On the front window little spots of rain could be observed, and a few seconds after this torrent rain fell from the sky.

“Oh great, this is all we need,” I moaned.

“Hopefully, it won’t last too long,” Jessica said.

The noise from the rain was all around us.  Driving in such weather was not an easy task.

So I slowed the vehicle down to thirty miles per hour and took it carefully.  

A flash of distant lightening and then a rumbling of thunder.  It was difficult not to drive through some of the puddles as they splashed up either side.

“I’m bored,” complained my daughter all of a sudden.

“Oh, so you’re alive then?” I said, whilst laughing

“Are we nearly there?” asked Sara, while she removed the earphones from her ears.

“Just a little longer, sweetheart,” I replied optimistically.  Through the rain I could make out a car in front, but it was motionless.  “What’s going on here?”

I stopped just behind the other vehicle, and waited uncomplainingly.  And that is when I noticed a long line of cars disappearing into the distance.

What the hell was going on, I thought.

I tapped the steering wheel and hummed a tune.  Thankfully, the storm now seemed to be moving away from us.

Some time after, the rain had stopped completely.  The road from what I could see was still covered in puddles.  But in this latest turn of events, we were not going anywhere.  We were stuck on some country road in the middle of nowhere, and it sucked.

Three cars up, a man of biggish size got out, and was seen peering up the road. 

“Love, I’m going to stretch my legs for a minute.  Also, I will try to find out what is causing this delay.”

“Okay, love,” replied she.

I got out of the motor, and walked to the man in front.  “So, what’s the hold-up?” I asked.

The man looked round, a puzzled look on his face.  “I’m not sure, mate.  But I’m in a hurry you see.  Hopefully, this won’t take too long.”

“Tell me about it,” I answered.

I came to the decision to explore further, so avoiding the many puddles I strolled up the road.

A woman’s voice was heard coming from one of the cars, “Hey, mister.  Do you know what is going on?”

I peered round and an elderly woman had her head stuck out of the window, giving me a look.

“I’m not sure what is going on,” I replied.

“About five minutes ago, I swear I heard police sirens coming from that direction,” she said, pointing her finger towards the queue of vehicles.

“How long have you been stuck here?” I asked.

“About an hour now,” she answered.

“Whatever is causing this hold-up, it must be quite serious,” I said.

From where I stood, all I could see was countless cars, but nothing to answer the reason for this.  I decided to head back and join my family.  

“Hopefully, it won’t take too long now,” I said to the woman.  “I must go.”

“Bye,” she shouted

The faces in the other vehicles all had that lost look, half expecting the traffic to move any minute.

I finally made it back to the car.  Then opened the door and got in.

“So, what is it then?” asked my wife.

I could see in her eyes she wanted answers.

“I don’t know,” I said, taking a deep breath.

“Couldn’t you see anything?” she asked.

“Nothing, just cars, and more cars,” I said, half laughing.

She sighed, and said, “Bloody typical.”

“What can I do, darling?  We’re stuck,” I said.

She gave me a look.  “I know, it’s not your fault.  I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.  You’re my childhood sweetheart, and I’ll always love you,” I said with a wink.

She laughed.  “And you mine.”

“You guys are so embarrassing,” laughed Jack.

“You guys make me feel so ill,” moaned Sara.

Me and my wife laughed.  One day my children would understand what it was like to love another.

“Let’s have some music.  Might make the wait more bearable,” I said.

I turned the radio on.  It made a strange sound.

“What’s with the radio?” Jessica asked.

“I’m not sure, I’ll try another station,” answered I.

An odd screeching sound came from the radio, this was not looking good.  “Must be something to do with this traffic jam?  I’ll give it one last try.”

“That noise is dreadful,” complained Sara, her hands over her ears.

Finally, I turned the radio off.  “Sorry, guys.  Nothing I can do.”

“That’s fine, at least you tried,” replied my wife.  “But whatever is causing this, must be serious, to cause the radio not to work properly.”

“Looks like we’ll just have to wait,” I said, beginning to feel a little agitated.

Seconds turned to minutes, no one said a thing..  

The other cars just sat there.  

I peered to my right, and observed some cows laying on the grass in a nearby field.  When I was younger, I remembered my dad saying to me once, that when cows lay down it means rain is coming. 

As the cows had already predicted, the clouds above us were now darker and more menacing.

A spot appeared on the front window screen.  Followed by another and another.  Then like before, the rain fell from the skies with utter fury.

We just waited patiently, there was nothing we could do.

Finally, I said, “I’ll ring my sister.”

“The signal on your phone might not work,” said my wife.  “If the radio doesn’t work, then maybe the signal will be down as well?”

“Good point.  I’ll give it a try anyway,” I replied.

I removed the mobile from my inside pocket, and pressed the button which would take me to my phone numbers.  Using the arrow key I went down the list until I reached my sister’s number.  I dialled it, and waited patiently.

Silence.

“So, what happened?” she asked.

I gave her a look of disappointment.  “You were right, sweetheart.  The signal must be down.  But what the hell is causing this?”

“I don’t know,” was all she said with a distant look in her eyes.

Thankfully the rain had now stopped for a second time.

I peered in front, and this is when I noticed something which sent alarm bells in my head.

Through the window I saw a man as he made his way down the road, but in his hand he held a gun.  He had a small beard which looked untidy and he wore scruffy clothes.

My heart rate quickened.

Jessica saw this as well, and said in a scared sort of way, “Who’s that?”

“I don’t know, do I,” answered I.

The mysterious man got closer with every second.  Then he saw us, and he came 

towards the car.

I wound down the window, not knowing what else to do.

“How can I help you?” asked I.

I didn’t know what to expect.

Then he said in a very grave sort of way, “I don’t know what else to do.  From my window I saw them, and it filled my heart with a dread I have never felt before.”

I opened the door and got out.

From what I could gather he seemed extremely upset about something.

“What did you see?” I asked.

His eyes widened, and his face was as white as snow.

“I think they are after me.  I’m so scared,” he said.

“Who are after you?” said I, needing an answer.

I neared him and he looked agitated.  

All of a sudden he raised the gun in my direction, and shouted, “Keep away from me.  You know nothing about me.”

I at this point now became very nervous, as my beloved family sat in the car.  And this chap was clearly a nut job.

“Look, I’m trying to help you.  Just tell me what you saw?” asked I.

The man lowered the gun, and said softly, “I must go.  I’m so sorry.”

I watched him while he carried on down the road.  I then saw him enter one of the fields.  This is when I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

A shot was heard.

I rushed to the spot where he’d disappeared, fearing the worst.  A metre from the gate was his body.  His head had been blown clean off.  There was blood everywhere.

I felt sick.  Then puked onto the grass.

Once I had come to my senses, I made my way back to the car.

Jessica stared at me from the open window, and said, “Thank god you’re all right.”

I got back in, and gave her a look, before saying, “Something very bad just happened.  The moment I see a policeman I will have to tell him.”

Then she answered, “But there was nothing you could of done.  He was clearly very distressed about something.”

“And this is why we are stuck in this traffic jam.  He said to me that he saw something which petrified him.  But what was it?” I said angrily.

Jessica placed her hand softly on my shoulder, then said, “There was nothing you could do to save that poor soul.  All we can do now, is wait patiently, and in time answers will come.”

“I hope so,” was all I said.

“What’s going on, daddy,” Jack asked.

I looked in the mirror at my son.  “Nothing’s going on, Jack.  The man I was just talking with has decided to go home, as he has had too much beer.  I told him to sleep it off, and he agreed.”

Jack looked confused before saying, “He seemed upset about something, daddy.  Is he okay now?”

“Yes, as I said before, he has gone home because he didn’t feel too good.  Now can we drop this please,” said I angrily.

Jessica gave me a stern look, and said, “Don’t have a go at the children, Frank.  Jack was only inquiring.”

I hated situations like this.  The journey down was suppose to be easy.  If it wasn’t for this stupid traffic jam we would be at my sister’s by now, having a nice cup of tea.

“Jessica,” I said, “I apologise, okay, for having a go at Jack.”

“I forgive you, Frank,” was all she said.

I checked my watch.  It had stopped.

That‘s odd, I thought to myself.

All of a sudden the ground beneath our feet began to shake, like an earthquake.

Jessica screamed, “What’s going on, Frank?”

“I don’t know, but if we stay calm, hopefully it will stop soon.”

“I’m scared, mum,” said Sara.

I turned my head so I now faced the children.  Both had petrified expressions on their little faces.

“I promise you with all my heart, we will be okay,” I said optimistically, even though deep down I was quite scared.

A huge light was seen in front, while it shone onto the roofs of the cars.  It stayed there for some seconds while we watched with utter astonishment.

Then in a flash, everything was back to normal.

What I had just witnessed seemed to replay in my head time and time again.  I didn’t check to see if my family were all right, instead I just sat there staring into nothing.

Then I heard a distant voice.

“Frank, what just happened?”

Slowly I came to my senses, as it seemed to take a while.  I found it difficult to focus as my vision was blurry.  Gradually it improved.

Finally, I answered, “I really don’t know.”

I peered out and all I could see were people standing on the road with vacant looks on all their faces.

On the other side of the road I observed trucks in green and black as they seemed to be in a hurry, but because my head was all over the place I couldn’t see what direction they were heading in.

I peered over at my wife, and she didn’t look too good.  “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

She looked my way, and replied, “I feel so tired.  Everything’s so blurry, I can’t make out a thing.”

I looked round at my children, and both were asleep.

“Thank god for that,” I said under my breath, at least they were safe.

I don’t know how long it was, but a tap was heard at the window, and looking up a man in an army uniform stood there.

And all he said was, “You can move up the road now.  Sorry for the delay.”

I needed answers, and said, “What’s been going on here.  And what was that strange light in the sky?”

A serious look came across his fifty something face, then he said, “What light?”

I knew I wasn’t going to get any answers out of him.  But I told him about the man I had met, and what he had done.

The officer seemed a bit disturbed by this.  

Then all I said, was, “Thanks.”

“Have a safe journey, sir,” he concluded.

I pushed my foot down and the vehicle moved up the road at a steady speed.

………………………………................................................................................................

Within fifty or so minutes we had made it to my sister’s house.  She was delighted to see us.  

The next morning we made our way back, going the same way, but this time no delays.  

But the strange light I had seen still stayed in my mind.  Even weeks later I would have dreams involving weird looking creatures with big hollow eyes, and very pale skins.  And in these dreams I would be laying on a metal bed, and they would be all around me.  I would be petrified.  And I would wake up covered in sweat.

After a while the nightmares went away, and I was so relieved.

………………………………................................................................................................

“Frank, come and see this,” shouted Jessica from the living room.

I left the spare room and made my way down the hallway.  

At the entrance, I said, “What is it, darling?”

She peered up at me, and said, “Watch this on the TV.  I think this will answer some questions.”

“Questions to what?” said I bemused.

I saw the television was on, and watched while my wife turned the volume up.

The man on the screen had a very serious look on his face, and he said, “Some weeks back something extraordinary occurred.  Please sit down as this news may cause alarm.”

All of a sudden film footage appeared which showed a massive object covered in thousand of lights sitting in a field.  Around the object were many vehicles.

In a flash the man in his suit was back on the screen, and said, “For the first time in our history we have made contact with an alien race.  And I know that everybody who is watching will be relieved to hear, that they come in peace, and mean us no harm.”

Then more film footage came up as the prime minister stood side by side with a short grey being with extremely large eyes.  They shook hands.

“I knew it all along,” was all I said.

I walked to the chair and sat down.  Then a vision came to me.  This is when I realised we didn’t have much time left.  On the face of the alien there wasn’t a smile, if anything, there was a look of disgust.  Then I saw the cities of the world covered in fire.  Empty streets as billions had perished.  

I peered at my wife, and with a forced smile on my face, I said, “I love you, Jessica.”

Later that night I knew what had to be done.  I held the gun and looked at my family while they laid in the bed.  Thankfully they were unaware.  

I kissed their foreheads tenderly and said, “Goodbye.”

                             The End

Reviews

[Marie]

THis was pretty long. But it was interesting. The last could be more effective. I would have written "I kissed their foreheads tenderly and said good by." Ending it there

Sat beside me was my wife of five years, and in the back-seat sat my son and daughter.Leave off the "Sat" at the beginning of this sentence; it isn't needed.

[steve]

Thank you, Marie. I agree, quite a long short story, if that makes sense.

[Marie]

There are "long" short stories and short short stories, flash fiction and even micro fiction. I do send my work out for publication, but avoid those magazines that want"long" short stories; I don't do them well.

[steve]

Yes you do. Your stories are great.

[Enid Blake]

What a harsh ending Steve!
I enjoyed the story, it was long for a short story, but actually I thought there were places where the story would benefit from more description. Particularly when the main character begins to recall events from his own memory, and recollection of the vision could be more detailed for effect :)

[steve]

I couldn't agree more. But because it was quite long, I chose not to make it longer.