“Isn’t this just incredible?”
Mel’s voice, tinged with excitement, shouted over the engine’s roar.
Mike grinned beside her. “Yeah! We’re riding an asphalt wave, leaving our worries in the dust!”
The road stretched out endlessly before them, disappearing into the horizon. Golden fields of wheat swayed in the breeze, captivating their senses. The sun painted the world in warm hues, casting long shadows that danced alongside the car as they raced forward.
“Let’s do this more often.” Mike’s eyes gleamed with a newfound spark. “These moments are pure magic.”
Mel nodded in agreement as a sense of euphoria coursed through her veins. The car hugged the curves of the road with precision, each turn revealing a new vista of breathtaking beauty. Mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks engraved against the vivid canvas of the sky.
They pulled over, as the sun set, twilight giving way to night, and climbed onto the car’s roof. As they lay side by side, they admired the night sky. Starlink, a constellation of internet satellites, moved across the sky from northwest to north, the over five thousand satellites lined up in perfect formation, disappearing in mere minutes. Stars scattered across the heavens like diamond dust, each one a shimmering promise of the unknown.
“Do you ever wonder what’s out there?” Mel mused.
Mike’s hand stroked the car. “Of course I do. All the time., There’s an entire universe and we’ve only seen parts of it through long-range telescopes and NASA probes. I think...”
Mike stopped speaking as a shooting star streaked across the sky, its tail blazing with fiery brilliance. They both closed their eyes, making silent wishes upon its cosmic trail.
As they opened their eyes, a sudden silence enveloped them, an eerie stillness. Their brows creased in confusion as they realized they were in… a spaceship, looking out the window at the stars and a big blue marble of a planet. Earth.
“What... What just happened?” Mel felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart pound in her chest.
Mike’s face mirrored her disbelief. “I... I think we’re no longer on terra firma. We’re looking at Earth? What the…?”
At that moment, the spacecraft vibrated beneath them. As they gazed out a window, Earth grew smaller and smaller, until it was merely a speck of blue amidst the inky abyss.
“You hear about people being abducted, then returned. Is that what this is? I hope we remember it all. It will be the greatest adventure. EVER!”
Mike’s voice filled with equal parts excitement and trepidation while Mel silently shook her head, her eyes wide and mouth agape.
Who knows what lies beyond the stars?
The Beginning | Escape | The Final Frontier | Cabin in the Woods
Author’s Note
This is the second of three endings I wrote for Blue Chevy Malibu.
Upcoming…
The milk of human kindness:
Giving Thanks, 22 November 2023
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Really liked this ending, Caro, and how it’s so full of wonder and joy 😃👍🏼