A Long Trip

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 25

** NOTE: The italicized font is creative non-fiction. Based upon the stories of my mother and uncle it is my creative writing of their memories. **

Mason’s hair flipped in the wind as she tilted her head to look at the road out in front. The sun shone bright on Wells and Mason as they sat in the rumble seat of the Buick on their way to Connecticut and a visit with mommy’s family. They had left first thing in the morning; mommy, daddy, the two kids and another man daddy had asked to come to help him with the long drive.  Leaving the ocean behind, the kids waved at the Crane’s house on the corner of Rte 189 as they turned on to Rte 1 toward Ellsworth. A short ways down the road Mason looked to her right at the sparkling water of Gardner Lake and thought of the children that had died in a boating accident there, while at a school picnic a few years before in 1936. A shiver went through her as she remembered going to a wake of one of the children. She also remembered the sound of one of mommy’s sisters in Connecticut who had called, frantic because she had heard of the accident on the news. Fearing that Mason and Wells were some of the children lost, mommy’s sisters had tried for hours to make contact. The news had said it was a school in South Lubec, but the report in Connecticut had been wrong. 

The air had warmed up, now that they weren't directly on the ocean. Onward they went through Machias, and Columbia Falls. Mason spied a big mural painted on the side of building in Cherryfield. She carefully turned in her seat to look better at the painting of a bear crossing a river on a felled tree with a salmon in its mouth, what a beautiful picture she thought.  Onward the car went, past Unionville, Milbridge and Steuben; out of Washington County. Mason shifted trying to get a bit more comfortable in the rumble seat, being careful though to keep the two kittens, Passie-May and Quoddy, safe and out of trouble.  They were bringing the kittens to Connecticut to give to their aunts.

As they came to a stop in Ellsworth, Wells turned and saw a Limousine with a uniformed driver behind them. The car was big and sleek and the driver looked so official, Wells turned around fully in his seat. Soon he was kneeling and gawking (his eyes as big around as saucers) at the scene behind him; never had he seen such a sight.  The driver realizing Wells was staring smiled a big wide grin at him as the cars pulled away from each other.  Wells turned back around thinking how much nicer it would be to ride in that car, rather than this rumble seat with his sister and two cats, it was going to be a long trip!