–The car stopped; my heart pounded. I relaxed my body slightly but kept my hand on the inside door handle.

I was now going somewhere; out of there, for sure.I must have forgotten that gravity is a thing.

Why not? I thought.The word experienced frightened me, but I trashed these fears.

Did you get one?I quickly put the bead on the target and pulled the trigger.

All clear! Time for math. We scrunch into balls like armadillos with our fingers clasped over the back of our necks.

The siren song of the unknown called. On the seventh of March 1833 I left my native town with a heart rejoicing.

I know what is coming. The dying process is a crucible of tension.

Forty miles to spareWe followed our well-worn route, enjoying the new car smell, feeling like The Jetsons.

You durn foolWaves of hot lava washed down my throat, past my lungs, and hit my stomach like an acid avalanche.

I had to continue this risky addiction to their conversations.Ignorance would have been more intolerable than knowing.