The Threshing Floor

Just then, the weather took a sudden turn for the worse. The turbulent wind grabbed at the car and lifted it while an intense rain pounded the hood. Above the din, he could hear the swishing of the wipers against the inundated glass. As he approached the crash site, he dutifully slowed down in an attempt to get a glimpse of something, anything. Simon strained to see through the kaleidoscope of rain on his driver’s side window. To his dismay, all he could make out were state troopers dashing about holding onto the tops of their cellophane covered hats while the storm whipped about their bright orange rain slickers. Simon’s eyes rapidly darted about in an effort to penetrate the sheet of rain and the cover of smoke emitted from the safety flares that outlined the crash site. But no such luck, they revealed nothing sensational.

When Simon looked back, the mini-van in front of him had already pulled away by nearly a hundred feet. “YES!!” he exclaimed as he sat up in his seat and applied the gas. The powerful V-6 roared and water rushed through the wheel-well as he surged past a convoy of lumbering freighters, obstructing Simon’s view of the next set of construction signs. Despite the portentous weather, Simon, high-jacked by his own road-rage, threw caution to the wind. Basking in his newfound liberation, he fumbled for his CD case with one hand while the other captained the old Impala.

Just as the rusted-out Chevy reached 75 mph, the wind ripped and howled through the decaying seals around the windows. Hail crinkled like tinfoil and then rattled like a tight snare drum. A flash of lightening was immediately followed by a sizzling, peel of thunder that resounded in his chest. Simon heedlessly pressed on, defiantly smashing his foot into the pedal, and white-knuckling the steering wheel. Through squinted eyes and pursed lips, he peered into the abyss trying desperately to discern the way. A split second after the cautionary hum of the tires reverberated through him, a pool of standing water grabbed at the car and yanked it toward the guardrail. In a flash, a streak of lightening revealed the danger that lay in his path.

“God…!” he called out, while cursing profanely between gritted teeth as sparks flew. The sound of metal on metal screeched like a legion of demons.

Impulsively, Simon jerked the wheel hard to the left, severely overcompensating. The steel leviathan launched from the guardrail into the far left lane towards an unsuspecting SUV. Catching a glimpse of the blurred object in his periphery, Simon grimaced and contorted his body while pulling down on the wheel hard to the right. In so doing, the almost certain collision was narrowly averted, but now he was out of control as the car wildly fishtailed down the road. Simon dug his shoulders into his ears, locked his arms straight out, and deliberately wrenched the wheel back and forth in a desperate attempt to regain control of the car. Suddenly, a black and yellow striped concrete barricade appeared in his path. His heart sank and his blood ran cold. Everything went into slow motion, and he turned his head and dug his chin into his shoulder.

“God, oh, God,” he muttered, as he grimaced and braced himself for the impact.

In another heartbeat, the tires inexplicably gripped the pavement, and the car shot back into the middle of the road. When he opened his eyes, the sparkling twinkle of a chrome fish rapidly swam towards him. Simon punched the brakes and the sparkling fish darted away into the curtain of rain. Then the two taillights, a license plate, and the rest of the back of the vehicle came into focus.

Simon let out a gush of air and sank back in his seat. For the first time he noticed his heart pounding in his chest and sweat on the palms of his clammy hands. He first glanced in his rearview mirror. Then he looked into each of his side mirrors in utter disbelief that he had survived unscathed. Every fiber of his being was stiff and tingled with great fear and trembling. When the realization that he had somehow been spared finally sank-in, he was overwhelmed by a deep sense of gratitude and relief.