The Crossing of the Road

The village couldn't seem more far from any form of civilization than this one. But it looked like a big city compared to the patch of houses resting across the tobacco fields, the enormous forest and the constantly running river.

For young boys, it was Paradise on Earth; There were many fields of high grass in which to hide, ditches were made of white sands, were deep and large with a little flow of clean water coming from the tobacco fields, the perfect terrain to play with action figures, also having roots coming out of the sand on the higher points of the ditches.
Animal life abounded, and, thank the Lord, there were many natural patches of wild strawberries and raspberries lying everywhere on which to feast!

So on an ordinary chilly sunny day, two young boys decided to spend the morning throwing rocks in the river, hoping to catch the baddest frog that ever lived if they could be so lucky.

Going to the river, the two boys had to cross a road. On the other side was a small field of grass and then, the roaring river.

As they were about to go across, they noticed a dark Chevy Van coming from their right. It was far, but they decided to wait for it to pass before going to the river.
But then, one of the boy decided to cross before the van arrived and was on the other side in no time. The van still being pretty far, the other boy's mind started to compute gibberish thought, leading him to cross just as the van was about to pass him.
Before the boy could have any real thought formed in his mind, his legs began racing to join his friend on the other side. What followed was strange...

The young boy, running fast, saw the van's bumper very close to his right side. He wasn't hearing the brakes of the van screeching on the road in a desperate attempt to stop before it would be too late. For the first time since the last thirty seconds began, the young boy had a a wonderful idea that could save his life...
He turned left so quickly that he must have defied the laws of physics. But there he was, hoping to be hit in the back, and be thrown in the same direction he was going, instead of being hit at a deadly, unforgivable angle.

And hit he was. How hard, the young boy couldn't tell, too absorbed in his beginning flight.
Of all the things the young boy could have expected to happen, when being hit by a vehicle, he sure didn't expect to be thinking about Bugs Bunny, but that's what was going on.
A micro second after he began flying in the air, he instinctively, or miraculously, rolled on himself, and the speed of his rotation gave him a vision. The one making him think of Bugs Bunny.

You see, as he was spinning for his life, all he could see was the Earth, the Moon at its side, with a little Jupiter like planet in the corner of this image with white five pointed stars dispersed across the dark blue sky, just like in Bugs Bunny cartoons. It surprised him to the point of forgetting the situation he was in. How many times was it given to discover such a shocking truth in a lifetime? The stars and circling birds in the cartoons above characters being hit on the head was true!
So he new instantly that whoever first made a cartoon with this HAD to have lived it in order to tell it. What would his dad, or brother think of this? ( His mother didn't like cartoons, so he didn't stop to bother about what she would think... ) Surely, they would be jealous and think it incredible!
Then, the young boy noticed he couldn't hear any birds signing. He was hearing birds, but only making an unending like scream that was annoying, to say the least.
He was now wondering how long he had been there, in space, contemplating Earth, like he did. He had the impression it would end violently, maybe him hitting his skull on the pavement, sending it back in space in pieces, or if he would be crush and destroyed as if riding in a blender.

He was hoping very hard it wouldn't hurt. He wasn't scared of dying, you see. Only if it would be painful, or worst, looong and painful...

The unexpected came abruptly and unexpectedly as his vision was instantly replaced with a light red color, filling all his eyes, with a loud but distant "poof!" sound in his ears. There was a "huh!" too, but didn't like making this one.

The young boy, lying flat on his stomach, opened his eyes to see he was in the shadow of something big, floating above him. He raised his head and saw his friend falling on his knees, crying like a baby, he thought. Before he could say anything, his friend was back up on his feet and was running in his mommy's lap. To cry like a baby, it seemed, the boy thought again.
It angered him a bit to see his friend wasn't helping him. But maybe he would cry like a baby, too, if his friend had been hit by a van. He also felt compassion for his friend.

Not feeling any pain, he twisted to see he was almost all under the van, and that one of his rubber boots was a good 5 feet behind it. It surprised the young boy. Another thing he would not have expected from being hit by a vehicle. There was something to learn everyday, he noticed!

The voice of a worried grown up was heard. It was the driver of the van, his face pale as clouds, coming to see what was left of the poor boy. The man was surprised to see the young boy getting up as if nothing had happened. The driver was nice and inquired about the boy's state of being. The man brought the boy back to his home which was on the street facing the accident, but wanted to go to the hospital.

Probably in a state of shock, all the young boy could think about was his torn leather jacket. It was an old coat and his parents had just spent a little fortune to have it cleaned and repaired for him. Now, it was scraped everywhere in front, making the little boy think he would get a good spanking when his dad would get home.

Until that moment came, the rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. The mother of the boy wanting to keep an eye on him in case he would feel ill, he had to watch TV and play in the house for the remaining of the day.

When his dad's car was heard in the drive-way, the young boy went in his room, the last refuge before a spanking... But, again, he faced the unexpected on this strange day as his father came in his room, eyes filled with tears, hands shaking.

To the boy's surprise, he was more important than the jacket, he realized, as his father took him in his arms!

Then it was supper time and business as usual.

Since that day, the image of the Earth rotating in a Bugs Bunny fashion has always remained clear in my mind as I wonder by what trick my brain allowed me to live this brief moment of eternity. Sometimes, I feel like part of me is still hanging there, reliving every micro-seconds as if each was a life time in itself.

The moral of this story? I guess you could say you have to teach your legs not to think for themselves... Or wait for the van to pass, before crossing the road. Mostly, it made me realize how fragile and strong we are. How easily we can be erased from life. How we can get stupid without realizing it.

I could have died, and probably should have. But I'm still here, and I never fail to thank Him!

How many people you know of, and that went through a similar ordeal, can say this was a great life experience?

Because, in a weird way, it was. It made me cross one of those unexpected road of life that allows you to have a different view on the world and life.

Thanks for a very nice story! It has touched me
in a time when needed.

Very well written, that's a great short story you've got there - good to see you've drawn the positives out of the experience! Never had any real near-death experiences myself, thankfully. I can imagine it would shift your perspectives a lot, but near death is too close for my liking!

reply to post by arollingstone


Thank you very much!

I'm usually perceived as calm since I don't fuss over trivial issues, or not too long. I find it hard to stay in company of complaining people, when there is no good reasons to.

Or what I feel is so, which can become tricky for relations. Like one day, I was waiting for surgery for a broken arm with displacement. Another man was waiting too for a similar reason. He never stopped crying and moaning while I was having fun escaping my room to go have a cup of coffee and a cigarette. Nurses hated it, but not as much as me hearing him complain.
I know this may sound cold hearted, but I wouldn't like to be anything else than what I am. And I care for people in a way probably deeper than most for having seen Death from such proximity. I know how quick everything can end.

I never leave nor let my family members go somewhere, even to sleep, without kissing and telling how much I love them. It is inconceivable for me.