#77. Sinking Cars
by
, 06-16-2010 at 07:39 AM (922 Views)
In which Dad's driving lands the family in deep water. I think I saw this on Mythbusters once.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Give me five minutes, Dean - I just got off work."
I head inside and pull off my white t-shirt, and get changed into a black t-shirt and jeans. When I come back outside, Dean (and his dad's truck) are gone.
I call Sam, because Dean never answers his phone. He's laughing at me.
"Did he just ditch you again?"
"Apparently. That bitch."
***
Uncle Roy and his daughter, Natasha (who appears to be about three, here), are running up backwards escalators that are taking them to our family reunion. I join in, jumping over railings and taking the most efficient route.
I'm at the house, looking over the food table for vegetarian stuff. A younger version of myself is standing on the other side of the room. I go over to talk to zir*, but zie's avoiding me. Eventually we have to pose for a picture together, arms thrown across each other's shoulders. Well, the universe didn't explode, so we're doing fine.
I think up elaborate reasons as to why there are two of us, but I don't remember what they were.
***
I'm in the car with my dad and Roy's three daughters. They're all under ten in this dream. We're driving through a city, maybe Halifax, and I'm giving my dad directions from the back seat.
"Okay, now you're in the wrong lane," I tell him. "Turn right here."
The road takes us down to the harbour, and I tell my dad to turn left.
Instead, he decides to do a powerslide down the dock.
Oh god, oh god, we're all going to die.
We've almost made it to 180 degrees, and I decide to trust my dad, because he's a better driver than I am, really. I'm still gripping tight onto the seat, watching the world spin around us.
The momentum throws the car right off the dock. We land with a splash in the deep water, and I have a moment of disbelief. Seriously, my brother just totalled our last car.** Now this?
I'm searching for my bag, knowing that there's something important in there.
Found it. I'm holding a flashlight.
My dad tells me to aim for the window controls next to me, and smash them with the flashlight. Three of us start pounding away at our respective window-ledges with our respective flashlights. I stop for a second and see pedestrians on the boardwalk, watching us dumbly. The car is half full of water by now, and I hope one of them has the sense to dial 911.
I smash through the controls and the important wire. The window disappears. I help the girls out of the car, as the water has almost reached the window. I slide out of the window, and my dad is right behind me. I swim to the dock and pull an unresponsive (but physically unharmed) Natasha from the water.
Later, I talk to someone about the reason I didn't panic. I shrug and tell him that I figured someone would rescue us if we couldn't get out. He's doubtful, but I tell him that it didn't have to be true - it was something I told myself so I'd be able to function.
Sinking Cars. Scare Factor: 4.
*ILU, gender-neutral pronouns.
**No, really.