The Vacation Trip, by C. Meton

C. Meton

The Vacation Trip

This is just a first draft, but...

Once upon a time, a family decided to take a vacation trip. "We will have such fun," they exclaimed. "We will go to the great amusement park and ride on the rides and eat the fun food and have a very, very happy time!" The person responsible for driving the car said, "It is a long trip, and it will probably take us four or five hours to get to the amusement park."

They packed their belongings in their car and set off on their trip. After five minutes, someone asked, "Are we there yet? Why aren't we there yet?" The driver could not safely concentrate on the heavy traffic and turn to discuss the subject with the passenger, so they stopped beside the road and everyone got out of the car. They found a nice spot where they could set up their portable picnic table and chairs, set them up, and then they all sat down to discuss their progress. "Well, we've made a good start, one said, but I'm afraid we may not make it there in time to have our fun."

"Why aren't we there yet?" another asked. "When will we be there?"

"We have only been travelling about five minutes, the driver explained. The trip takes about four or five hours. We still have a long way to go." After all had discussed their progress and argued over whether they were taking the correct route, they took down their portable table and chairs, packed them back in the car, and everyone got back in the car. Then they started to drive again.

A few minutes later, someone asked, "are we there yet? Why aren't we there yet?" Others chimed in, "maybe we should have taken a train instead of this slow car." Then all started asking the driver why they were not yet at the amusement park. Everyone was shouting at the driver and distracting such that they narrowly avoided an obstacle in the road and then nearly missed an important turn. They demanded that the driver stop and discuss the trip's progress.

The driver stopped the car again. All the passengers exited the vehicle. They set up their table and chairs. Once again they had the same discussion. Once again, the driver had to explain that the trip would take four or five hours and they had been travelling only about ten minutes, not counting the half hour or so that they had spent in discussions.

"Maybe we should abandon this trip," one said. "It appears that we won't make it to the amusement park in time to have any fun before we have to return home." Another agreed. Eventually, the driver assured them that they would make better time if they were actually in the car, driving, rather than sitting beside the road at a park table. One argued, "No, we need to have a clear understanding of this process and what is involved with this trip so we can make proper decisions." Eventually, it was decided that they should continue the trip, so everyone got back in the car again. Again, they started off.

About three minutes later, one of the passengers started tapping the driver on the shoulder. "How much more time will it take before we arrive?" Then another started tugging on the driver's sleeve. "Why is this trip taking so long?"

After several more stops, the driver stopped the car by a bus depot. This time, the driver did not join the passengers at their table. Instead, the driver bought a bus ticket. As the bus drove away, the driver looked out the window and observed the others still sitting at their picnic table.

home
clmeton@yahoo.com
c@cmeton.com