Post by Arwen on Nov 29, 2011 0:49:31 GMT -5
This was a short (ahem 1000 words is short according to my English teacher lol) story I had to do for class, but it actually turned out to my liking and figured I would share it with you all since it is a interesting true story. xD My life is never dull lol.
Fear and panic tore at our minds as the first thick curls of smoke seeped into the crowded car, limiting our oxygen supply despite the gaping windows. One thought lingered clearly, 'Were we all going to get out of this alive?' It had been a typical summer evening in Colbert Washington, sunny and warm. My own family of four, consisting of mother, father, sister and myself were lounging about at home enjoying the beautiful weather. Of course nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Upon a call to the local department store my father decided that we would head into town to pick up a recent purchase of his. It was a genuine leather punching bag, the last in stock. Eagerly we all piled into my mothers recently acquired car.
We all admired the sleek, silvery hue of our Toyota Camry L.E, which stands for luxury edition. The inside of the car was almost as stunning as its metal hull, with plush seats and modernized features such as GPS. The soft purr of the engine was hardly to be heard over the soothing tunes played out over the built in stereo system. My parents had purchased the Camry about a week before at a steal of a price. Too good, we soon came to find out. The journey was the same as it had ever been, the familiar sights and landmarks passing our tinted windows. We were approximately thirty minutes into the drive when a peculiar ticking noise assaulted our ears. The 'ticking' gradually got louder and more pronounced, until finally we could stand it no longer. Taking a left turn at the well known Mead School District we came upon a small run down store by the name of 'Glens Foods'.
The store was in dire need of a new paint job, and compared to the gleaming buildings of prosperity that littered the neighborhood one would gather it wasn't a popular establishment. The parking lot was riddled with the cracks of time. With a strict order to remain in the car our parents went into the small store to ask for water for the car. Despite its looks the store clerk was surprisingly friendly and helpful. Recklessly, my father heaved open the hood of the car....With a agonized yell whatever facial hair he may have possessed was gone in the searing hot cloud of steam that rocketed from the engine. After the pain had subsided, and with a little help from mom they managed to fill the overheated car with water. It took almost twenty minutes for the car to be at a reasonably safe temperature. It was obvious the leather punching bag would have to wait for another day.
Again we set off, this time towards home sweet home with the ticking noise ever growing louder. The scenery along the back roads of Colbert were dry and littered with crispy vegetation. It was fire season, just one spark and the whole place could become our final resting place. Suddenly the Camry let out a spluttering buck, and we all urged it over the busy rail road crossing silently. It was now beginning to be a fight, machine against mans willpower. The idea of all four of us being stranded on a back road with no cell reception on such a warm day was thoroughly unpleasant.
The journey was tense, the car ever jolting and threatening to die on the spot. With quite the startling display and noise the pistons broke loose of their imprisonments in the engine, leaving a trail of destruction and debris behind them. Our nerves were frayed, each little bump caused us a glance about to ensure our minds we were still in one piece. The small Colbert Store was so close, and yet so far away. If we could just make it there we could call upon my grandparents for help, whom lived just a short ten minutes from the establishment. Panic officially set in as we could now visibly see toxic black smoke escaping through the cracks around the hood in columns.
Our choices were limited. Stop along side of the road and risk setting the countryside on fire, or try to make it to the Colbert Store. My father was determined to push the car to the store if he had to, but we all dreaded the worst. Oh what a spectacle the sleek silver car had become, with gaping wounds the size of pistons, smoking, as it feebly attempted to creep along at a snails pace to its destination.By now it was clearly obvious the seller of the car had been completely dishonest with us about its condition. If it made it through this, it would still be destined for the junk yard....or would it? Joyous relief hedged into our minds as the store began to loom in the near distance. Local inhabitants rushed out of their homes to observe the car. Soon, the first greedy hands of fire reached out from beneath the hood, gasping for air.
As we all gathered our belongs and prepared to leap from the smoldering hunk of metal once it rolled to a stop, it was hard not to notice the few brave men who now wielded fire extinguishers running to the scene. Likely from the local mechanic shop. The moment we had all anticipated, the Camry rolled to a stop, its final voyage complete. The four of us launched out of the car and ran to a safe distance away as the men quickly set about bombarding the car with fire extinguishers. The store owner called the local fire department and soon they too were on the scene helping to prevent the fire from getting out of hand as the rest of us looked on with a sort of bewildered defeat.
Our new car, was completely ruined. But we were all safe and that was what really mattered in the end. Soon my grandparents came to take my sister and I to their home to calm down while the adults cleaned up the wreckage left behind. It had been almost two hours by the time our parents arrived. We were all tired and worn down from the whole ordeal, and now we were also without any transportation. Therefore we were all beyond surprised when the shop owners, whom had indeed put out the fire came knocking at the door. They offered us five hundred dollars for the now smoking wreckage of a once beautiful luxury sedan. We couldn't do anything with it, so obviously we graciously accepted their offer.
The Combustible Camry
Fear and panic tore at our minds as the first thick curls of smoke seeped into the crowded car, limiting our oxygen supply despite the gaping windows. One thought lingered clearly, 'Were we all going to get out of this alive?' It had been a typical summer evening in Colbert Washington, sunny and warm. My own family of four, consisting of mother, father, sister and myself were lounging about at home enjoying the beautiful weather. Of course nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Upon a call to the local department store my father decided that we would head into town to pick up a recent purchase of his. It was a genuine leather punching bag, the last in stock. Eagerly we all piled into my mothers recently acquired car.
We all admired the sleek, silvery hue of our Toyota Camry L.E, which stands for luxury edition. The inside of the car was almost as stunning as its metal hull, with plush seats and modernized features such as GPS. The soft purr of the engine was hardly to be heard over the soothing tunes played out over the built in stereo system. My parents had purchased the Camry about a week before at a steal of a price. Too good, we soon came to find out. The journey was the same as it had ever been, the familiar sights and landmarks passing our tinted windows. We were approximately thirty minutes into the drive when a peculiar ticking noise assaulted our ears. The 'ticking' gradually got louder and more pronounced, until finally we could stand it no longer. Taking a left turn at the well known Mead School District we came upon a small run down store by the name of 'Glens Foods'.
The store was in dire need of a new paint job, and compared to the gleaming buildings of prosperity that littered the neighborhood one would gather it wasn't a popular establishment. The parking lot was riddled with the cracks of time. With a strict order to remain in the car our parents went into the small store to ask for water for the car. Despite its looks the store clerk was surprisingly friendly and helpful. Recklessly, my father heaved open the hood of the car....With a agonized yell whatever facial hair he may have possessed was gone in the searing hot cloud of steam that rocketed from the engine. After the pain had subsided, and with a little help from mom they managed to fill the overheated car with water. It took almost twenty minutes for the car to be at a reasonably safe temperature. It was obvious the leather punching bag would have to wait for another day.
Again we set off, this time towards home sweet home with the ticking noise ever growing louder. The scenery along the back roads of Colbert were dry and littered with crispy vegetation. It was fire season, just one spark and the whole place could become our final resting place. Suddenly the Camry let out a spluttering buck, and we all urged it over the busy rail road crossing silently. It was now beginning to be a fight, machine against mans willpower. The idea of all four of us being stranded on a back road with no cell reception on such a warm day was thoroughly unpleasant.
The journey was tense, the car ever jolting and threatening to die on the spot. With quite the startling display and noise the pistons broke loose of their imprisonments in the engine, leaving a trail of destruction and debris behind them. Our nerves were frayed, each little bump caused us a glance about to ensure our minds we were still in one piece. The small Colbert Store was so close, and yet so far away. If we could just make it there we could call upon my grandparents for help, whom lived just a short ten minutes from the establishment. Panic officially set in as we could now visibly see toxic black smoke escaping through the cracks around the hood in columns.
Our choices were limited. Stop along side of the road and risk setting the countryside on fire, or try to make it to the Colbert Store. My father was determined to push the car to the store if he had to, but we all dreaded the worst. Oh what a spectacle the sleek silver car had become, with gaping wounds the size of pistons, smoking, as it feebly attempted to creep along at a snails pace to its destination.By now it was clearly obvious the seller of the car had been completely dishonest with us about its condition. If it made it through this, it would still be destined for the junk yard....or would it? Joyous relief hedged into our minds as the store began to loom in the near distance. Local inhabitants rushed out of their homes to observe the car. Soon, the first greedy hands of fire reached out from beneath the hood, gasping for air.
As we all gathered our belongs and prepared to leap from the smoldering hunk of metal once it rolled to a stop, it was hard not to notice the few brave men who now wielded fire extinguishers running to the scene. Likely from the local mechanic shop. The moment we had all anticipated, the Camry rolled to a stop, its final voyage complete. The four of us launched out of the car and ran to a safe distance away as the men quickly set about bombarding the car with fire extinguishers. The store owner called the local fire department and soon they too were on the scene helping to prevent the fire from getting out of hand as the rest of us looked on with a sort of bewildered defeat.
Our new car, was completely ruined. But we were all safe and that was what really mattered in the end. Soon my grandparents came to take my sister and I to their home to calm down while the adults cleaned up the wreckage left behind. It had been almost two hours by the time our parents arrived. We were all tired and worn down from the whole ordeal, and now we were also without any transportation. Therefore we were all beyond surprised when the shop owners, whom had indeed put out the fire came knocking at the door. They offered us five hundred dollars for the now smoking wreckage of a once beautiful luxury sedan. We couldn't do anything with it, so obviously we graciously accepted their offer.
