Hundredth Mile

It's a starry bright sky with the sun shining brightly. A silent wave of mild temperatured wind is blowing and the alarm is ringing on Alice's phone. "The day for traveling has arrived."Alice shouts in a clear loud voice.

Mr. and Mrs. John are in the kitchen waiting for the kids to wake up in order to start the journey. Mr.John, "The kids of this generation are way too lazier than us." He adds, "When I was of their age, I was such a zestful child of my parents and they never had found the need to wake me up. Even these alarms weren't used by me." Mrs.John, "I think that time is gone and in this new time, kids have a lot of commitments with their work. They wake till the late hours of the midnight and in the morning they sleep a bit more." Mr.John, "You never would agree with me in any way."

Meanwhile, upstairs, Alice is busy in taking a bath, Tom and Ed are up and are fighting as Ed has broken Tom's watch and Sam is still asleep.

Alice comes out of her room to see her siblings and enters her brothers room. Alice," What the heck are you both doing? Fighting for something already gone....." Ed," I didn't do it on purpose Alice. He is grabbing me so tightly that I can barely move. Please help me out." Alice to Tom, " Leave him. I'll buy you a new watch." Tom, "It was my favourite one. He should know what a mess he has created." Alice in a bit louder pitch, "It was just a watch bro! I have said that I'll buy you a new one." Tom leaves Ed and rushes towards the washroom to take a bath while Ed is busy in relaxing his arms because they are hurting. Ed to Alice, " Woah! You've got ready so quickly. " Alice,"Yes I did. Now get yourself in a good condition too. I am going to wake Sam up." Ed,"Alright. "

Alice leaves the room and enters Sam's room which is next to the boy's room. The room seems like a garbage area because piles of clothes are on the floor and chocolates are scattered near Sam on the bed. Alice while pulling the arm of Sam, "Wake up! You've been sleeping for almost 12 hours now. It's more than enough. We have to travel today." Sam in a sleepy voice, "Okay! I am up." Alice while trying to clean a bit of mess in the room, "And now please get ready as soon as possible. Mum would be waiting downstairs." Sam,"Okay!!" Alice," And also clean this mess up. You are such a nasty person. Can't you smell the stink of the chocolaty wrappers? How can you live in such a room?" Sam, " I can. Now get out. I would like to get ready for your tour now."

Alice goes downstairs and joins her parents. They are busy in taking the breakfast. Tom and Ed also have gone downstairs while Sam is still busy in taking the bath.

Mr.John in a lot Louder voice, "Its now 8 in the morning. I think we should leave Sam in the house as a caretaker of the house. She won't come out sooner." Sam from the restroom," Dad! I am just coming." After 5 minutes, Sam is downstairs. She takes the breakfast and Mrs.John locks the house. Mr.John is sitting on the driver's seat. Mrs.John is sitting next to him and the kids are behind. Chevrolet Suburban is ready to go.

The road is loaded with the traffic because it is a rushy hour. Ed from behind, "Dad! We won't get stuck in traffic near the woods." Mr.John, "Yes."

Mrs.John is busy in putting on her favorite lipstick. Alice is reading a book. Tom is playing a game on his cell phone. Ed is watching the cars outside and Sam is blinking her eyes with tiredness.

After a few minutes, the traffic gets lower and the road is clear. Mr.John drives the car and says, "We've made the first 10 miles from our home." The kids in joy , "Hurray!"

As the miles are increasing, the roads are getting vacant and the number of trees are rising. The sky is still blue with a shiny sun on the surface and the melodious sound of the birds chirping is filling the ears of all.

Alice, "Dad! it's already so beautiful outside. I wonder how amazing the woods would be." Ed interrupts, "My friend Ross said its a beautiful site to visit. You would love it Alice." Mr.John, "I am guessing that the woods are even more prettier than this." Tom, "I hope so." Mrs.John, "They should be. If I won't like the place, I won't stay there longer." Sam, "Will you all be silent? I am here trying to sleep." Tom, "Excuse me! you have been sleeping for 12 straight hours." Sam, "Then what? I still feel that I need more sleep. Now please don't talk." Ed in a whispering voice to Alice, "You will love the place as much as you love your books and all the studious items you posess." Alice, "Yeah I would. I believe that you've chosen a great place for us to visit." Ed, "Thanks!"

Mr.John, "We've crossed over 80 miles now." Alice, "Wow! 80 miles away from home."

After a few minutes of traveling, Mr.John all at once stops the car. Mrs.John, "Why have you stopped the car?" Mr.John, "Don't you remember? It's the place where Alice got lost when she was 3." Alice is astounded and says, "What? I was lost?" Mrs.John," Yeah you've got lost here. We haven't had knew the place's name so when your dad called the police to find you, we said that we've lost our child in the thick bushes. It's an area about 100 miles away from Steve's Land." Mr.John adds, "We remained here for almost 2 days and were searching for you. The policemen also couldn't find you. So I tried myself. I went a bit further and you were there lying on the floor under a canopy. You were senseless so I had to carry you in my arms and took you out." Alice, "But how did I go there?" Mrs.John, "Your dad and I were standing here waiting for someone to fix our car, as one tyre of the car was severely punctured. It was hot so I was busy in removing the sweat off my face. All of a sudden, you ran on the back side. " Mr.John, " We ran behind you but you were so tiny at that time that we couldn't see where you were." Alice, " Glad to be with you guys at the moment. It would have had been a hell for me without you both." Mrs.John and Mr.John, "Awwwww! blessed to have you." Ed and Tom also are busy in listening Alice's story while Sam is still sleeping.

Mr.John stops the car, Mrs.John," Now what? We are already getting late." Mr.John to Alice, "Girl come out. I want to make you feel this place. I don't want my girl to have some fear inside. It would be great if she would remove all today." Alice, "Dad! but I even don't know about this story. It seems like I've visited this place for the first time." Tom from behind in a lower voice whispers in his mother's ears, "Has dad gone mad? Why is he creating a sense of horror around Alice?" Mrs.John, " He is always unpredictable. My girl is going to suffer." Mr.John gets out of the car and opens the back door of the car from Alice's side, " My dear! come out now. I will be going with you. It would be a little stroll. We will come back rapidly." Alice is now getting afraid of her father's sudden changing behavior. Alice in a little frightened voice, " Dad! we are getting late. Let's head towards the woods." Mr.John, " No girl. We have a handful of time left. Come out." Mrs.John, " You are completely insane. She won't come out. You should come back and drive." Mr.John pick a stone from the place and is about to throw it towards Mrs.John, Tom rushes out of the car and pushes his father towards the bushes. He fells down and a stone hits his head. Mr.John, " Where have I came? Son pick me up. We are getting late. Let's just get inside the car." Tom in shock picks his father up and then he again starts driving. Alice gets afraid of the spectacle and Ed from behind gives her the courage to forget everything. Ed in a whispering voice, " Alice you are stronger than anything. This cannot stop you from being yourself. Relax and try to forget this." Tom in an annoyed tone, " Dad! what just have had happened to you? Were you in your senses?" Mr.John, " What are you talking about? I don't know what happened. I just found myself on the floor near the bushes." Alice in a frightened voice, " Nothing happened. Keep on driving till we reach the woods." Sam wakes up, " Haven't we reached yet?" Ed, " No, we have just crossed 100 miles." Sam, " We have been traveling since 2 hours now, how on the Earth we have just traveled 100 miles?" Ed, " I think you should go back to sleep." Sam, " Yeah, good for me."

Alice is watching the hallway of bushes around the road and in her mind she is still wondering about the instance that took place at the hundredth mile.