Short Story

“East” the grizzled man spat out.
My car window growled in protest as I pushed the window button to close. I had asked the man nicely where the nearest exit was and still everyone in town growled, snorted, and generally were unwashed or irritated that someone would interrupt their day. I had made the mistake of turning off the highway an hour ago in search of a gas station that could refuel my Cadillac. A half hour of driving through four streets and ten avenues resulted in one gas station and 2 closed stores and none of them willing to even let me buy gas never mind direct me out of this dingy town.

“Excuse me Madam, Could you direct me to the exit I really need to get back out on the highway again”I pleaded this time to the lady with the red satin shoes in a blue fluffy skirt and a hair-do that looked like something straight out of the 20's. Everyone appeared as out of place as I did.
“East you'll find the exit to the 10, just past the sign that says We come to Par , even only 10 east.
Again with the same blurb, what is Par; and highway 10 east isn't even in the area. Maybe this is some kind of golfing town, yet with all the water around I find that kind of unlikely. I'm in the north east area of town again, I can see the barber shop with the strange looking fellow inside, he's been there since I arrived. Blond hair cut short, his eyes even threw the window were incredibly blue, unnaturally blue. The sign Hair cuts 2 bits, shave 20 cents and a bath 4 bits made me laugh again. The owner must have picked up a nostalgia sign or something. Next to the barbershop a square two story building with a terrace on top and the appearance of something from a bad cowboy movie. Its sign reads “Champlin and Carter Saloon and Bedding”. Each word blending into the next with almost a hand-written texture and a friendly feel. I'd have to remember that one.
I turn south certain I will find the sign everyone refers to, and hope to hell I can get out of this circle of endless nothing. Small houses line the street as I idle south , first road I pass is Angle Doar, man they have some strange names for their streets. At the next corner I pass Savehna Gate there is a large sign to the left and an arrow pointed out east of there,yet there is no road that continues. Its the only thing I can see that might be what they have been talking about but there is a terrible accident just to the east of the intersection. It looks like a big truck has run over a car, definitely not looking good for the person in the car its completely under the truck. As I stare harder at the accident, I notice that the car is a Cadillac the same color as mine.
I pull my car over and stop just to the south of the intersection, I can't help but wonder what happened to the person in the car. There's no police no sounds its almost like a picture pasted there. Several people come out of the houses on the corner some look at me with this strange sad look, a couple laugh, and start pointing at the sign. Till then I really didn't read the sign and sure enough the closer I get to the sign above the last house on the east side it reads “We come to Par , e ven only 10 east. The letters on the sign were missing or had fallen down in the wire mesh. I kept walking, juggling this in my mind. I approached the accident. It's form was two dimensional, it was a picture not real at all. Behind me the people from the town now cheered me on as if I was doing something great. I could see in the picture now it was a Cadillac, it was just like mine, it was on the highway I was on earlier. It was ME!. The picture showed my body wracked in an unnatural form distorted by the sheer voracity of the two metal objects meeting at high speed. Again behind me the cheering jolted me to turn around. This time the sign was clear, in sight and brightly lit. “Welcome to paradise, Heaven only 10 min east.” The people of the town so dull and lifeless 10 min earlier now shone with a brilliance only an angel can. I stumbled back, felt my soul tear free from the picture of my life. On the back of the picture, Processed by GOD, For the best of your life.