Passenger Story

I rolled along, captain of the jogging-stroller. My brother and second in command, Thomas, was already sleeping on the job. I could hear my father’s breathing whirring in the background as he pushed us along the street lit sidewalk. I heard my father instructing my sisters to keep up with him, followed by a fervent rattling of bike chains. 

We went on these nocturnal treks often, never for very long or far, but enough that we’re all tired by the end. By now, my two sisters have arrived, peddling along side the stroller. On my left, Leah, stoic as usual, seemed determined to get a proper exercise. On my right, Gemma, the more easily going of the two, simply wanted to enjoy the time.

We continued down the path, content with the weather, nearing a street. I see headlights approaching the intersection. Slowing down, dad paternally stops in the middle of the crosswalk. Leah rolls through in front of us. Gemma rolls forward only to be miraculously illuminated by a speeding light. My eyes refocus, revealing that my sister had magically transformed into a full four-wheeled vehicle. 

Amazed, I look over to Thomas to see if he’d witnessed the same astounding feat. He’s opening his sleepy eyes, probably because of all the shouts coming from dad, Leah, and the magician lady stepping from her mystical sister-disappearing car. Dad ruins the trick. He’s going over to Gemma, who turns out to have been under the wheel the whole time. The magician’s now getting the car off Gemma, who doesn’t seem happy to have been part of the trick. 

The magician lady now picks me and Thomas for the next trick and makes us disappear under the flipped over stroller. It’s really dark being turned into a car. It looks a lot like the ground, but I still feel my stroller buckle across my chest. Dad ruins that trick too and flips the stroller right side up. I hear a lot of sirens and see a row of fireworks coming down the street. Thomas is already back asleep and I decide to do the same.