It was a hot afternoon. The sun shone down with great ferocity, forcing people to limit their movements. Vehicles sped to and fro along the highway. Youths could be seen dashing about, hurling their wares for sale.
Suddenly, a petrol tanker swerved into view. It was going fast. Too fast for a vehicle of that size.
"Failed brakes!" Someone screamed in terror as the tanker barreled on.
Ben, the driver was terrified. He kept pumping the brakes but they were dead. Breathing hard, he took hold of the emergency brake. He knew that at this speed and with the topography of the road, it could be suicide. But he could see no other choice.
Other small vehicles veered off course as they tried to escape the incoming bull. A sedan was unfortunate enough to brush against the tanker. Just a brush. And the car ended up in the gutter, windows shattered.
The tanker was rushing towards the roundabout and the place was currently filled with cars obeying the red traffic light. And Ben knew it would be catastrophic if the tanker got there before the light changed to green.
"Come on!!" He screamed, his heart thumping furiously as he jerked the emergency brakes.
There was a loud whistle as the entire body of the tanker felt the constraint. The vehicle trembled all over, still barreling on as the brakes began to take effect.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang as one of the tires exploded.
"No!" Ben screamed. And to make matters worse, another bang followed. On the same side of the vehicle.
This unbalanced the vehicle, causing it to tip to one side. But at the speed it was going, even that was dangerous. The big vehicle upended and rolled over on it's side, sliding across the asphalt and sending off sparks until it stopped. Effectively obstructing the road, it's tires rolling idly in the air.
People scattered about at once and began to run. Some abandoned their cars and fled on foot. Anything to get as far away as possible from the petrol tanker. It could explode.
The door was kicked open and Ben climbed out, bleeding from the head. He too joined in fleeing. But once he got to a safe distance, he stopped and placed a call to the authorities.
In minutes, the highway was flooded with fire fighters who cordoned off the site of the crash and directed traffic to the other road. They doused the fallen tanker in water to kill off any residual sparks and checked meticulously for leaks.
Miraculously, there were none.
Just as no life had been lost, miraculously.
Soon, the vehicle was taken off the road, traffic was directed back to the highway. And people returned to their businesses. By evening, it was almost as if nothing had happened.
Life moved on.
The End.
Thank you for reading
Feel free to contact me via my Discord handle below:
bruno-kema#1355
It's amazing how the incident didn't take someone else life. Even though distractions happen, we're still thankful that no life was wasted. Just an ordinary day that might happen.
Yes...
A lot can happen on an ordinary day.
Thank you very much friend, i'm glad you enjoyed the story.
Excellent work, @bruno-kema. You set the stage for disaster very well, and give us a scenario, a character whose plight we care about, a frightening conflict and a great resolution — all the elements of a great story.
As always, we ask that our community members read and comment on at least two other writers' stories each week. Thank you!
I try my best to always deliver.
Thank you very much for your support.
I really enjoyed this story, @bruno-kema. It not only captures the enormous drama of a terrible accident in progress, but it shares such an intriguing insight — that these huge events occur sometimes, and then later it is as if nothing happened at all. A person coming upon the traffic circle the next day may not be aware that it was the scene of a near-death experience for all the people who were there at the wrong place at the wrong time the day before. It's an interesting idea to contemplate!
There's this feeling i get when readers get the message i hope to deliver with my stories. It's a happy feeling. And i'm feeling it now.
Thank you very much for reading, i'm very glad you enjoyed the story😁
You know that this really could be something out of life! How often do these happen when we are completely unaware? We only hear about the things that actually become massive accidents! But there are probably so many times when miracles happen and we miss them. It's a shame because the miracles should be shared even more than the accidents, and yet the opposite is true. It feels almost like the story builds and builds and then misses the climax - but that is the beauty of it. The climax is missing! Just like it's missing in our lives, day by day when these things happen and life goes on. I loved this! Brilliant
Thank you very much. It's a lesson in life indeed. If only the miracles were as publicized as the accidents...
It's good to hear from you again @stormcharmer how have you been all these while?
Hope you are back for good?
I always hope to be here for good. Life throws curveballs, at times. 😅
But I had to come visit my friend, @bruno-kema!