She had been driving away from her family of the anti-life society, for as long as her conscience would allow. The plain of no-tree was an endless ocean of sky dust. She wondered if she'd make it to the windy western state.
There had been the story of the driver - fallen asleep at the wheel - spinning haphazzardly into no-tree. Then driving back hundreds of kilometres, in the opposite direction, from where he had come. She checked her petrol gage. There was no other indication of time or place in the everlasting presence of the sun.
Almost giving into fear on this one road and turning back, she has a vision. She sees a figure in the distance, squatting under the only tree, the one sun. As she blinks sweat from her eyes, its position changes. She must keep her eyes on the road. But he might be in trouble.
She finds herself no longer in control of the wheel. She is unable to avoid driving off the one road entirely. She has only enough time to imagine falling forever into a limestone cavern - before spinning her car into the powdery dust. Time is expanding out from her in every direction. It is the last thing she thinks of.
More than an hour passed before she could blink. Peering over the dashboard into the near distant dust; a figure stood waiting for her to come out of shock. She noticed the figure approaching and the doors weren't locked. She remained within the car, trapped and bruised by the seatbelt.
The figure approaches in a swagger, sand and sweat hanging in the eyes which are in shadow. A river of salt flashed across the tired cracks of his face. He thought perhaps they'd sent someone to collect him, from the eighty eighth floor, of the government departmental building. He leant onto the rusted bonnet of the car.
Her grip on the car wheel of fortune became loose and she almost began to cry to herself. She didn't need a crazy man with no-one else around. A crazy man finding his way back. Or perhaps falling forwards across her lap. A wind in the distance hissed and spat.
Rohan non-person collapsed suddenly into the car of her being. Through the thin protective layer of her personal space, tearing at her heart with his hands. She began to scream for help. Then he collapsed between earthline and skyline and into her heart from his wasted world.
She unlocked her seatbelt as time began turning. The seat was burning her legs. Her face was parched, angry red mud sticking like paste to her lips. She slobbered and whimpered into his lap.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM OR HOW TO GET BACK. OR WHERE I'M GOING OR IF I'M ME. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ANYMORE.
It sounded perfectly reasonable to her, in her present state of mind. She was barely existing. He might die in the car, his wasted body preserved by the stillness. He was almost dead but interesting enough. Still she wondered if she should have picked him up.
One sun was past inside her head. Once more she found direction in her mind of where she should be heading. Perhaps straight up and into the fire. Some part of her evaporated as steam from the body rising higher. One sun was winding through the wilderness. Rohan was dribbling from her dress.
Skeletons embraced in their Sunday best and no-one would ever find them. No - she thought and with her remaining strength, pushed Rohan back out of her personal space. He didn't resist and collapsed into desert flat on his face.
Horizon was swimming with his dribbling and weakness. The plan of no-tree was sucking her in. She began to swim. She switched on the ignition and prayed for her sanity. She almost drove away from him.
