SWERVE

By

Harry Gamboa Jr.

 

Man:
We’ve been stuck in traffic for the last three hours. Countless cars in front of our SUV preventing us from moving forward and so many behind us that it would take a year to go back.

Woman:
It wouldn’t be so bad if you knew where you were going.

Man:
The new GPS software hasn’t caught up to the reconfigured axis of the earth. That last quake that was followed by the massive meteor strike sure made a mess of things.

Woman:
Don’t dwell on the catastrophic. Smile, we still have morning, noon, and night. It rains more than it should but it all drains into the big sinkhole that used to be a continent. Be content. You are employed and so am I.

Man:
I have some trust in our scientific leaders. I just don’t know where they are ever going to find such an enormous cork or how they would ever be able to put it into place.

Woman:
I read that they’ll be using a thermonuclear device to heat-seal the earth and that there are more than ten million international workers ready and willing to repave the planet.

Man:
Must be the same ones that rerouted the 405 Freeway in order to make it take more time to get to nowhere.

Woman:
There is so much smoke in the air.

Man:
Mass cremations are getting out of hand.

Woman:
It’s all due to social dissolution, prescription drugs, and 3D-printed weapons. It is too easy to check out.

Man:
Maybe you should call to let them know that we’ll be arriving late.

Woman:
No phone service during blackout days. The stratosphere is thinning out, haven’t you noticed how bright the stars are during the daytime?

Man:
I wouldn’t know. I never look upwards.

Woman:
You used to be so optimistic when you were young but now everything is so negative in your opinion. Pessimism is never pretty.

Man:
I miss the Pacific Ocean. We used to be able to see it from here.

Woman:
You should be happy to have a new and wonderful desert to explore.

Man:
Hey, we’re moving. Something about breaking through a bottleneck, that makes it all worth the trouble.

Woman:
Oh no, another sinkhole. This one is deeper than the Grand Canyon. No wonder everyone moved out of the way.

Man:
It is an optical illusion via laser projection coming from one of those hilltop mansions. There isn’t any hole, only a convincing visual suggestion. I’ll just drive faster and faster until we arrive at our destination.

Woman:
I don’t want to go there. I’d rather pull over to the emergency lane and imagine a better place.

Man:
It is illegal to imagine a better place. Anti-Thought drones. Don’t let them catch you thinking.

Woman:
It is all a lie.

Man:
No, it is very true. Violate the law and they’ll wipe you off the face of the earth.

Woman:
A scarred and brutalized face wouldn’t mind having a blemish removed by remote control.

Man:
Looks like we’ll arrive in time for our appointment.

Woman:
It is all a blur. Move quickly and relativity comes into play. Remain stagnant and all the old rules about power and subjugation fall into line automatically.

Man:
A straight line is a sign of successful misgivings.

Woman:
And a curve is a curve is a curve.

Man:
We’ll eventually return home without any trouble at all.

Woman:
And you are the loopiest.

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Swerve
©2014, Harry Gamboa Jr.