~Taffic~

Written By Laura V.C

She stood there on the street corner. A winter wind swirled around her, lifting her tired hair off her face. How long had she stood there waiting, wishing, wanting? She looked forward, but the blizzard of Winnipeg, made it near impossible to see where she could go next. Why couldn’t she take that step forward? Was she worried that a car would skid down the icy road and smash into her? Was she scared that the blizzard could only get worse until she froze into a block of ice? She continued to stare onward as her eyes would move her. She would move one day and nothing would stop her, she thought and tugged her jacket closer to her, trying to bury into it’s warmth. She would move and nothing would be in her way, not the snow blowing fiercely against her face, not the cars whizzing past as if in a race, not even cold. Nothing.

The cars continued to race by. They looked threatening; so big, so much bigger than her. And she was so very alone as she stood there, so small and so very alone with only her jacket to keep her warm.

She threw her foot forward, but just the sound of a speeding car coming her way caused her to jump back avoiding the collision of human and machine. It was only obvious who would win. Too dangerous, she thought through numb lips. I could’ve died.

Maybe it was the traffic, maybe it was the blizzard suddenly becoming a danger, but whatever it was, it stopped her from crossing that street. She would cross it one day, but that day couldn’t be today. She shook her head and watched as the cars sped by like demons awaiting her decision. They would never know what she planned to do only she knew. Deep down inside she had wanted to take that risk, but there was so much stopping her. How long could she avoid the traffic in her life and when would one day become today? When would the risk be worth taking? Not today, she thought, not today…