Traffic Lights

Traffic Lights

Suggested by: Lizzie Bourne

You turn out of your driveway, readying to go on your first adventure. You are too new to this and don't necessarily know where you are going, yet you start down the road anyway. These early days will become a lost memory as time goes by, so, for now, you just enjoy your time on the road. After a while, you reach the first main intersection.

Green Light.

You continue your journey, innocently enough, eager to keep the trip alive.The traffic starts to thicken as you travel further, some cars passing by in a flash of color, blaring their horns, as if saying "Look at me go!" There's no love for the other drivers, just their own interests being put forth for everyone to take notice. Some cars pass by gently, kindly, always with a blinker when changing lanes, just so everyone knows where they are heading. A small wave, they almost become your friend as you travel down the road, staying with you for a spell before inevitably turning down some side road, off to their homes and the next leg of the adventure.

Time wears on, your eyes are get a little heavy as you journey forth. Drivers, especially those travelling blindly, start to annoy you as you ask kindly for them to move off to the side so that you may make a quicker getaway. Some oblige, but others often stick to their guns and stay in your way. You throw on your blinker, and they follow you. You swerve to avoid the crash, back into your original lane, and slam the gas to get around them. Still angry and approaching the next intersection, the light changes.

Yellow Light.

You step harder down on the gas, wanting to not waste any more time than you feel you already have, as you fly through the intersection. You start to think to yourself that travelling a bit faster than what is posted, what you thought of as "right" is great. It's a wonderful feeling, this rush of adrenaline, so you continue to mash the gas. You fly by the other travelers on the road, honking for them to get out of the way. The blinker is all but abandoned now; your word of warning thrown out the window, just a speck in your rear view mirror.

You swerve and slide, in and out of traffic, trying to avoid the others, to get head of them to "win the race." Once or twice you tap the brakes, enough to avoid the speed traps and keep your nose clean, but as soon as the coast is clear, you slam down the gas again, and off you go.

Your driving becomes more and more erratic, tires squealing, horns blaring, hi-lights, flashing. Up ahead the next intersection.

Green light with green arrow, left.

Still unsure of where you are actually going, now you have a choice; turn here for a different path and start a new adventure, or speed through and continue down the road you are on now? Ultimately, you find comfort in the path straight ahead, and continue down the road you are on.

It starts to rain. Your view of the road becomes clouded and obscured as the driving rain pelts your windshield. Your wipers can almost keep up with clearing the rain away, but not completely. Other drivers slow and pull off to the side completely, flashing their lights to warn you, to tell you how insane you are and that you should slow down with them. 'There's no need for this foolishness,' you think to yourself. Stubborn, you ignore them, and speed away. You can see the next intersection ahead anyway.

Green light.    You continue at your pace.

Yellow light.   You think you can make it.

Red light.        Your foot is still on the gas.

Lights out.