Johnny pulled up at the kerb and waved at Tom. A grateful Tom jumped in. “Thanks” he murmured and shut the door. Tom asked if he could get a lift home and the car pulled out onto the main road through town. There was certainly a lot of traffic this weekend and Johnny knew he should take extra care.
Johnny seemed to be driving a little fast on this trip, and when they cleared the main street he really put his foot down.
“You’re not going too fast are you?” asked Tom.
“Nah!” Johnny replied. “D’you want to see just how fast this baby will go?”
“OK” said Tom, shrinking down lower into his seat.
The car accelerated with a roar, soon reaching top speed. Within minutes they were tearing along the country road between the two towns.
Johnny’s knuckles were stretched white on the steering wheel, when the dog ran out onto the road and stopped, staring at the approaching car.
Tom screamed “Look out Johnny!”
The car swerved violently and skidded across the road. The car mounted a high verge, tipping onto its side. Then it slid down a steep embankment on the other side, tumbling over a couple of times until it righted itself back onto its wheels. But now it picked up even more speed. Johnny was out of the driver’s seat, desperately trying to reach the brake pedal. He could see the wooded area looming at the bottom, where the slope levelled out.
“Look out! Hold on!” Johnny screamed, as the car ploughed into the trunk of the tree. The sounds of metal crumpling, a tyre exploding and glass tinkling all combined to make a defining roar on impact.
The tree they had hit was just visible through the shattered windscreen. The driver and passenger sat half comatose in the car, with a strong smell of petrol seeping into the cab.
All of a sudden, there was a loud wrapping on the side window. They both turned their heads to see Johnny’s mother, looking angry. Johnny reluctantly wound down the window.
“How many times do I have to tell you kids? No playing in the car!”