Ben - Chapter Three

As the car struggled around the slippery bend, the engine gave out a sigh as the gears were carelessly shifted down, grinding and cranking. A long suffering journey for a long suffering car. All parts in unison waiting for the final day of rest, or at least a spanner, some oil and a few more years.

The journey would be long, as the road snaked through the valley, past empty villages, closed picture houses and boarded coffee shops.

The wheels of the vehicle would pop up and down as elderly dance partners over the neglected and forgotten potholes, like a madman playing outlawed tunes on an outlawed accordion. This was the closest one could get to music at this point, which had long since vanished into the mist of smoke and whiskey - a past gradually and slowly forgotten.

There came the stop. The transformation. The sudden twist. This was different. This was not routine. This bucked the trend set twenty years ago when the last glass of scotch was thrown from the balcony, along with the careless butt of a straight cigarette, still lit and smoking at its ends.