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Hasham Croyden closed his office early to go home to his wife, Stella.
Stella doesn’t like storms. The approaching storm promised to be wild,
windy, and wet. Accompanied by a striking lightning show with booming
thunder. The rain pelted down on Hasham soaking his clothes on his race to
his car. He wanted to reach home before the full force of the storm reached
their home. Hasham didn’t want Stella fear of storms to bring on an early
labor.
The power of the storm built every minute Hasham sat stuck in traffic.
He tried to take different streets to escape the gridlock. No matter how many
turns he took movement crawled at a snail’s pace. Facing a few close shaves.
Many blaring car horns at his reckless he took. Hasham fought his way to
the city limits where the traffic thinned out. Though the traffic had thinned
the rain pelted down clouding his vision of the road ahead. The curving
mountain road which has many sharp bends. Sheer sides down to the valley
Below. Trees, and boulders, littered the progress of the car if you were lucky.
Or the car didn’t explode on impact.
Trying to avoid not seeing the edge of the road, Hasham kept to the
middle of the sealed section. Half way up the mountain, on a sharp bend, a
car with high beam lights, came out of the darkness straight for him. The
driver of the car drove at speed unsuitable for the weather conditions.
Hasham pulled hard to the left on the steering wheel to avoid a collision.
Slammed his foot on to the brake. Too late. The wheels had no traction. His
car had become airborne. The bump from the other car sent his car over the
edge to crash down through the trees. And over boulders.
The driver of the other car swerved to miss Hasham’s car. Skidding om
the wet road. The back end clipped Hasham’s car bumping it over the side of
the mountain. He tried to correct the slide of the car. Over correction had the
car colliding into the side of the steep cutting flipping the car to roll over a
few times before finally coming to rest in the middle of the road.
Thunder rolled. Lightning flashed over the deadly scene.
A truck crawling up the incline had a chance to brake before he smashed
into the upturned car in the dark. Only for the flash of lightning, the truck
driver wouldn’t have seen the car. Quickly, applying the trucks caution
lights.
He sent out a call over the radio warning of the accident. Stepping down
from the cab, after retrieving his flashlight, the driver rushed to the up turned
car to search for the driver. Hearing moaning from the car, the trucker faced
the torch to shine through the broken windscreen. The car driver hung in his
seat-belt.
“Are you, okay, mate,” asked the truck driver of the man struggling to
release his seat-belt.
“Let me out of here,” came the slurred voice of the man. “I don’t want to
die.”
“Were there any other cars involved in the accident?”
“I’m not sure. Two flashes. Lightning. Blinded.”
The truck driver backed away from the car. “Don’t leave me here.”
Keeping on walking, he shone the flashlight around. Making his way across
to the edge of the road, he found where Hasham’s car went crashing down
the side of the mountain. Focusing through the rain into the darkness, he
Finally found what looked like a headlight of a car.
Sirens were approaching. Eerily flashing lights slowly made their way up
the mountain. The thunder. And lightning moved further to the west leaving
behind a misty rain. Emergency vehicles made their way around the truck,
and car, to reach the curve. They needed to block the road to stop other
traffic bursting on to the accident scene.
“Only one car,” asked the leader of the emergency services.
“No. There’s another car over the side.” He showed where the car went
over the side.
Portable lights were set up to light the accident scene. Paramedics worked
to free the driver of the first car. Besides a few cuts from flying glass, and
bruising. He didn’t have any life threatening injuries. But. Alcohol. How
much had he consumed before getting behind the wheel of his car?
Rescuers slowly abseiled down to where Hasham’s car had come to rest.
The first person on scene checked Hasham over. Didn’t find a pulse. On
being retrieved. The paramedics didn’t find any sign of life. Declared dead.
His body placed in a bag to be delivered to the morgue.
The police went to the home of Hasham to notify Stella her husband had
died in the accident. Shock from the news. And the terror she had been
through with the fear of storms. She went into immediate labor. Crumpling
to the floor. Unconscious.
A call was made for an ambulance to be sent to the home of Hasham
Croyden. Unconscious woman possibly in labor.
By the time the paramedics arrived the head of the baby had crowned. A
baby girl born a few minutes later. The mother opened her eyes to find her
entrance hall packed with people.
“What happened?” Stella turned her head to the right at the wail of her
baby. Her hands automatically went to her stomach.
“You have a beautiful daughter,” one paramedic told her.
“Why, now? She should have been a son. A son who looked like my-”
she sniffed. “He’s dead. Isn’t he? I remember being told.”
“Yes,” said the policewoman who’d been standing near the doorway.
“We need someone to identify the body. Do you have a relative willing to do
this for you?”
“I’ll do it. Where did they take him?”
“Once you’ve been settled...”
“No. I want to see him on the way to the hospital to show him his
daughter. Or I won’t budge.”
Stella and her baby, were loaded into the ambulance for the journey to
the hospital. The police led the way down the mountain past the area where
the accident had happened. People still worked to clear the area.
Arriving in town, the police, and paramedics went with her to the morgue.
She had to ride there in a wheelchair. One of the paramedics carried the
baby. They were all led into the room where the body bag waited to be
opened. The zip was slide down enough to open for her to see Hasham.
The baby wailed.
A deep suction of air echoed around the quiet room.
Hasham opened his eyes. Sat up. “Where am I?”
Stella screamed. Her head flopped back against the chair. Now out for
the count. again.
One paramedic rushed over to Hasham. He checked his pulse.
“What’s going on here?” Hasham looked at all the shocked faces.
“Are you Hasham Croyden,” asked the policewoman. Hasham nodded.
“You were in a car accident. You were declared dead at the scene. You were
brought to the morgue.”
Confused. Hasham shook his head. “Who thought up this joke?”
“No joke, sir. You can read all about this in tomorrows newspaper. The
driver who hit you will be pleased you are alive. He won’t be facing a
manslaughter charge.” The baby wailed once again. “While you have been
out of circulation. Your wife gave birth to a baby girl. Congratulations.”
“Time to deliver this family upstairs to a warm, comfortable bed,” said
the paramedic with the baby. Another wheelchair arrived to take them all to
emergency to be checked over.
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I received an e-mail from someone suggesting the topic of a person declared dead at the scene but later returned to life. This is the way I set up the story.
If you want to follow my stories on ABC just use the link.
This is a 500 word story I did on the fear of heights. There are a few other stories on different topics. New ones are put up each month. Have to do my one for March. Yet.
