The Oak Tree - Part 2 and the end ;o( (399 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 0.85 on 18 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Cool Beans (View user info) at 2008-02-29 04:55:35 EST
Part one can be found Here --> http://www.ubersite.com/m/115218
The tree was now in sight; no more than a mile away. It was still only a speck in the horizon, but the first speck Samantha had seen in at last fifteen minutes. Her foot pressed a little harder on the gas, and the gravel danced more energetically as her tires pressed down.
The car jerked suddenly, and Samantha veered to the right. She had run over a fairly large stone; nothing unordinary, but she had been particularly tired this afternoon, and hadn't been paying attention. Her briefcase and papers flung themselves to the ground, along with her cell phone, hitting the car door and expelling the battery along the way.
"Perfect," she mumbled sarcastically as she eyed the oak tree, now clearly visible and still approaching. She stretched her arm towards the passenger seat, and then channeled it down to the floor, using her fingers as guides as she blindly searched for her papers. She had spent hours filing for her boss that day, and desperately wanted to retrieve them before their order was completely ruined.
She grunted, then flung both hands to the floor and gathered her papers in one swift motion, throwing them back on the seat. When her eyes met the road again, the panorama had drastically changed.
A cow had strayed from the others and into the road, only feet in front of the racing car. Samantha swerved by instinct, although it proved ineffective. The left side of the car hit the front of the animal, leaving a stain of blood that would later be discovered on the bumper and this particular part of the road. The oak tree was much closer now; within feet of the car, which was now spinning out of control, leaving circles in the dirt and a marvelous display of flying dust, which could be seen for miles.
She came to a sudden stop when the front of her vehicle slammed into the robust trunk of the tree. The airbags erupted suddenly, but not before Samantha's head hit the steering wheel with a crack. The music stopped, as did the breeze coming from the still-open windows. The picture swayed peacefully from the single key, still enclosed by the metal walls of the ignition.
***
Samantha awoke to an obnoxious screaming, although she had no idea where it was coming from. She jumped when she felt the warmth of another body on top of hers, but felt too wary to show any sort of alarm. The body was tugged away, and the room was again dominated with silence, finally.
She began to nod off, and various images filled her thoughts. She dreamt of winding roads and beautiful, lush grass, the colour of unripe fruit. She dreamt of a giant oak tree with various sketches on its bark; the prettiest one she had ever seen. She dreamt of a mysterious little girl with pigtails and large, jade-coloured eyes. A girl who had yet to lose all of her baby teeth, but, to Samantha, seemed to be grown up. There was something familiar about her, but she knew it was only a delusion. She couldn't make out a specific face, but only a blurred outline and a few distinct details. It was the most perfect reverie. She carried this memory with her every minute of every day, and every dream she had at night; she never forgot it.
***
The uneven ground made the long drive home a jerky one; the car was only smooth for a few seconds at a time before the travelers were shaken out of their half-sleep by some sort of pothole: a rock, perhaps, or a cluster of misplaced soil.
Samantha Anderson looked out the window, this time as a passenger, and tried desperately to find something to spark her memory. She remembered the never-ending grass fields and the sparsely scattered animals from her dreams, but nothing really stuck out to her. It seemed as though it was a lost cause.
The car, this time a rusty, green pick-up with tools sliding around in the back seat, pulled into a narrow dirt driveway, being careful to avoid the wooden mailbox and the Golden Retriever sleeping next to it. They had passed the old oak tree on their way home from the hospital, but it didn't have the same cheerful vibe they once knew. It seemed to loom ominously as they approached, serving more as a caution sign than a neighborhood welcome.
The passenger door slammed shut, and a woman in a hospital gown looked towards the two-story house she had once recognized. It was paint-chipped and worn down, but felt like home all the same.
She entered the house with pursed lips and held breath, quietly soaking in all of her surroundings. There were pictures all over the place, and a partially familiar smell of animal hair and vanilla-cinnamon candles, her favorite scent. Her husband walked behind her, silently watching the back of her head, waiting in high hopes for her to turn around and tell him she remembered.
The truth was, she didn't. It all seemed so familiar, but not quite memorable. She continued to walk through the house, ignoring the creaking of the wooden floors beneath her, determinedly scanning everything in sight.
She opened the last door in the house; it was all the way at the end of the hallway. It was decorated with several sheets of paper with different drawings on them, all done in crayon. A young girl sat on her bed, flipping through the pages of a colouring book. Almost by instinct, her head snapped forward when she heard the screech of the rusty hinges.
She leapt from her bed, almost tripping on the numerous toys and clothes scattered on her floor. She only had one destination in mind. When Samantha felt the pressure from the girl squeezing her tightly, she was immediately reminded of the warm, hyperventilating body she had felt on top of her when she woke up in the hospital several nights before.
Abigail looked into her mothers cobalt-blue eyes. They were the most beautiful colour; a colour she hadn't seen in weeks. Her smile seemed far too big for her tiny, delicate face, and her cheeks felt tight and strained. There were only two words that seemed appropriate for the time being, and since the oak tree had failed to offer them on her mother's drive home, Abigail was more than willing to say them now. The long silence was broken when she finally opened her mouth, and the room was filled with the soft, yet sincere voice of an eight-year-old.
"Welcome home."
User Reviews
Submitted by Mr_T (user info) at 2008-07-23 20:16:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I don't hate you...
But I pity the foo'!
Submitted by maf54 (user info) at 2008-05-14 16:15:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Director (user info) at 2008-05-12 13:37:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Ummmm.
Yeah.
No.
-2 Die.
Dickface.
Submitted by GangsterSquid (user info) at 2008-04-09 09:54:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I thought this was excellent.
Submitted by iambetteratit (user info) at 2008-04-04 10:32:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by iambetteratit (user info) at 2008-04-04 10:32:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
yes I am going there
Submitted by iambetteratit (user info) at 2008-04-04 10:31:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
cunt
Submitted by Beano312003 (user info) at 2008-03-03 16:13:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2008-02-29 11:05:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Ltap (user info) at 2008-02-29 14:30:31 GMT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wasn't that great but I'll give you a +2 because you sound like you have potential.
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Surely the comment you have been waiting for after THREE YEARS on Uber :)
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I can retire a happy man!
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-02-29 11:17:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Didn't read it. Nice picture though.
Submitted by DrogoRoch (user info) at 2008-02-29 11:15:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I was told I had potential once.
I liked this
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2008-02-29 11:05:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by Ltap (user info) at 2008-02-29 14:30:31 GMT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wasn't that great but I'll give you a +2 because you sound like you have potential.
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Surely the comment you have been waiting for after THREE YEARS on Uber :)
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2008-02-29 10:48:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by lungfish (user info) at 2008-02-29 09:37:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Ltap (user info) at 2008-02-29 09:30:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Wasn't that great but I'll give you a +2 because you sound like you have potential.
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2008-02-29 09:29:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by LittleMonster (user info) at 2008-02-29 09:11:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Beautiful beans! I genuinely enjoyed this.
Submitted by orph (user info) at 2008-02-29 07:19:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
this was good
Submitted by hour_man (user info) at 2008-02-29 04:58:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
well didn;t you do well. The story was really simple, but that's what made it so good. I didn't really enjoy the first few lines, but after that you really picked up. Good job mate, do this more often.