z :: fantasy

The lights glide up and over the curves and valleys, fly across crevices and flow over the slick orange paint before finally sailing up and over the windshield. Each one reaches down from the lamps overhead, caresses Yvonne's bonnet, then disappears behind us, like strangers passing by on the street, quickly seen and quickly forgotten. Underneath this current of light, the robust ford 302 powerplant hums along lazily, sipping on the cool summer air and awaiting the order to launch the car and the driver towards the horizon. With my left arm resting on the open window sill, I can feel the car's heartbeat through my arm, assuring me. Cradling me.

The black tarmac stretches out in front of us, straight and flat as an airport conveyor, whisking us away from the diner and towards soft sheets, covered and secure parking, and if the time is right (and it's always right), a couple more drinks to polish off the evening.

This particular night, the 302, Yvonne, and I are joined by one more. I glance over to the right. Her head is turned out the window, and from my seat I can see her eyes tracing the buildings and signs as they go by. Even in the dark I can see her slender and beautiful neck line, interrupted only by the thin, silk scarf fluttering gently in the breeze. As the FM radio fades out of its serenade and into a more lively track, I watch gravity lose its grip on the corner of her mouth ever so slightly. Grinning, I wake up the engine a bit with my right foot and it roars to life, adding inertia to the list of physical laws to falter. With a twinkle in her blessed eyes, she looks over at me and parts her beautiful red lips to grace me with her words.

"Stop showing off."

"You heard the woman," I said towards the steering wheel, allowing a bit of mischief to creep into my smile.

Of course, Yvonne would have none of it. With a downshift and a quick flick of the wheel, we were nosed into a narrow two-lane road. The street lamps quickly give way to dark leafy trees and with a healthy dose of throttle, we launched headlong into their embrace. Massaging the suspension, I traced the edge of the road with my peripheral vision and peering ahead into the darkness to anticipate the next set of corners. My arms and legs reached out to touch and move in rhythm with Yvonne's controls, the two of us locked in a serene dance up the side of the mountain.

Rev upon rev, corner upon corner, the needle of the tachometer continued to sprint up towards the red, only to fall back down for another pass, over and over again. The tree cover began to thin out, and like a benevolent goddess inspecting her handiwork, the moon revealed peered through the branches, wondering if the little orange flame licking at the night sky was any child of hers. Down below, the mountain god had already passed judgement. The road began to turn narrow and rough, and the edges of the road became more and more precipitous. Smooth, clean pavement gave way to spidery cracks and strewn gravel, tempting the four of us to explore the guardrails. Following his lead, the moon joined in the fray, ducking behind the mountain and shrouding the night with darkness.

Tonight though, this orange flame had the Devil's own resolve. We pushed ever harder, exploring the front end traction a little and the rear end traction a lot. Tires squealed and double clutch downshifts rocked the night in proud rebellion. The white hot headlamps sliced through the darkness like a soldier's lance, guiding our ascent up the Tower of Babylon.

Suddenly, as we rounded a blind corner, the mountain revealed his last card. The road ended abruptly, and in an instant, all that was separating us and the valley below was a gravel summit clearing. Eyes widened as I went hard on the brakes, but in the slippery gravel the rear wheels began to outrun the front. Left, right, left, right, left, I yoked the wheel back and forth, trying to keep the car pointed forward, begging Yvonne to communicated the proper braking pressure to me. Our dance gave way to a deathly embrace. The crunching sound of the gravel screamed in my ears as we slid towards the edge of the cliff. Joining the menacing mountain below, the moon beamed victoriously. There Yvonne said. Right there. Trusting her, I released some of the pressure under my right foot . The chasis relaxed, the tires dug into the ground, and the roar of gravel gave way to the whirr of brake disks. We came to a stop mere feet from the edge.

Immediately, I jumped out of the car, ran two steps and hopped up onto one of the rocks on the edge. I stood up tall and looked down at the mountain. The mountain lay silent.

I turned to look at the moon, and the moon looked up at me.