Photo by Philip Oroni on Unsplash
by Anne Anthony
The woman wiggles her finger, reaching for a fry nestled inside her colorful croc on the passenger seat beside her, but she could only brush the edge of her shoe.
She unbuckles her seat belt and leans to the right while her other hand wrongly turns the steering wheel, and her foot presses down on the gas pedal.
The One Lane Bridge sign blurs past her window as her camper flips off the bank, rolling twice before landing roof-side down.
Her eyes open to twilight, ragged edges of sky against a canopy of pine trees; she blinks back the searing pain knowing not to move but cold, so cold she wishes for the crocheted comforter lying inside her camper and so hungry for the fries she’d tried to reach, wishing for the crunchy salty pop of flavor.
She recalls a mouthwatering memory of her first sleepover when her best friend’s parents surprised them with burgers and fries, and though she was ten, she’d never tasted a single fry, a fat-laden food forbidden by her parents.
That first one taken straight from the fryer left bubbled skin on the roof of her mouth, and all night while she listened to the snore of her friend’s dad down the hall and the soft wheezy inhaling and exhaling of her friend, she brushed her tongue against that bubble not sorry in the least she’d tasted the forbidden.
Anne Anthony credits her steady diet of comic books for her ardent belief in superpowers and scouts for glimmers of hope in everyday interactions. She is a senior editor and art director for Does It Have Pockets. More here: https://linktr.ee/anchalastudio.
