Road to life

I'm sort of cheating with this one and bring back one of my favorites from the past.  Tell me what you think, since it's more of a short story than a blog post.

Eric.

The soft hum of the tires reminded him of other numerous road trips.  This one was no different. He left home nearly 12 hours ago and had been on the road non-stop, save for the occasional bathroom and coffee break.

The weather was perfect; no clouds, plenty of stars and a light breeze that hinted to the coming fall weather. He turned on the radio and listened to Ella Fitzgerald sing "Blue Skies" as he veered his car to the exit ramp. Now came the interesting part of the trip, but he'd have to hurry if he were to make it in time.

As he came to the light at the end of the exit ramp, he winced slightly as his bladder reminded him that it was several hours since the last stop. No time for that just now. It would have to wait. An emerald glow lit up the car interior as the light changed to green. He turned right and pushed the car as fast as he could on this rural back road.

The engine roared to life and answered his call for more speed. As the car accelerated, he could feel the cool early morning breeze rushing into the window and he could smell the sweet Jasmine from the darkness beyond the road. Memories came flooding back of his childhood catching fire flies and smelling the evening dew mixed with the fresh cut grass of their lawn. It has been too long, he thought. Far too long.

The road began to wind back and forth like a snake, the curves becoming more and more pronounced as he climbed higher into the cool air of the mountains. Dawn was just starting to break on the horizon and with a sinking feeling in his heart, he realized he may have cut this trip a little too close. He pressed as hard as he dared on the gas. The roads were not safe at this speed, but he just had to make it. He had never broke tradition and he wasn't about to start this year.

The radio was crackling with static as he climbed higher up the mountain. He always thought that it was strange that the radio reception got worse instead of better. By his way of thinking, the radio signal should get better as you got clear of the hustle and bustle of the city, but that never was the case. Still, static or not, he cranked the volume a couple notches louder as Bobby Darin stared to croon out "Mack the Knife". How he missed this old town and the local jazz radio that never seemed to grow old.

As he rounded the next switchback, the sun started to peak over the farthest hill to his left. He still had  five minutes to reach his destination and was starting to feel certain that he'd miss it.  After all these years, he was going to miss the one thing that kept him going each year. The one simple thing that reminded him of how little some of the crap we deal with each day just doesn't matter.

Just as he was about to lose hope, the little hidden turn off that would take him to his destination came into view. The grass was overgrown and the small dirt road was almost hidden beneath brush and vines, but it was still there and waiting eagerly for his arrival.

"Hello old friend", he whispered to himself.

Almost as if by magic, the car started down the old road at a snails pace. He reached then end of the drive and sat there catching his breath. He hadn't realized that he was holding it since he pulled on to the drive.  He turned off the engine and slowly moved out of the car. Gently he closed the door and walked to the front of the car. He could hear the engine still popping from the heat of some hidden metal as he moved passed the car and toward his goal.

He walked as close to the edge as he dared and sat down on the damp grass and waited. It had been a race to beat the sun. Every year he cut it pretty close, but this was the closest by far. It was seconds before the sun crested the highest mountain and shone down into the valley below. This year, like so many before it, took his breath away.

What lay in the valley below was a fire, rippling across the valley floor, engulfing the very trees around him. No heat, no ash, just the searing red, gold and orange of Autumn's best show. Nothing could compare to the sun's light as it hit these trees for the first time in the morning, with dew still fresh on the limbs. The reflection of the sun's light through the leaves and dew drops made the trees sparkle and dance like the licking flames of a raging wildfire.

This is what he traveled 800 miles to see, what he looked forward to every year. This one moment in time reminded him how very beautiful the world could be and was enough to last him throughout the year. His grandfather had shown him this place when he was just 6 years old. They made the trip every year until his grandfather passed 10 years later. He promised his grandfather that he'd never lose sight of the fire and had made the pilgrimage to the mountain every year since. Now, he sat and watched again as nature worked her miracle.

Peacefully, he gathered himself up and made his way back to the car. He gave one last fleeting glance at the valley below and climbed back in the driver seat. The car made the slow return to civilization below as Frank sang "Fly me to the Moon" through the static of the radio. Life was peaceful once again...