My day as a courier |
Writing at the Traffic Lights An ultra short short story Written literally in the breaks, between the breaks in the traffic When all stops Except my mind My trusted vessel carries me safely I call her ‘Quicksilver’ She is a one tonne utility We navigate skillfully Delivering one load after another Driving in circles Together we have survived many a scrape. She works hard Often carrying her capacity and sometimes more. Together Quicksilver and I roam the streets and highways of the city of Perth We are never bored Never still for longer than it takes a light to change from red to green An idea pops into my mind And I reach for my notepad Amongst the debris of lunch boxes Coffee cups Paperwork Soon to be delivered parcels. I fumble I find it The lights change A horn behind us sounds… I engage the clutch with pen still between my fingers Pressed against the steering wheel Praying that I might remember the thought at the next stop The monster of time is ever against us We deliver our load Then on again to the next stop Time after time Parcel after parcel Notepad ever on my knee We pull up at another set of lights What was that idea? It returns to me I jot it down illegibly as the elusive ruby turns emerald above us We move out once again Our final load for the day is delivered and we find a place in the freeway queue to edge our way home Tonight I will transcribe the events of the day Our greatest story ever An ultra short Short story Written in the breaks between the breaks in the traffic When all stops except my mind word count: 289 words |