Slipping into the driver's seat, I felt a rush of riding my ecocar. The morning sun poured a warm light into my capsule-like cockpit, built from recycled materials and faux leather. Windshield large and clear, surrounded by a simple yet sleek design that focuses on what the driver needs. From here, I could see the bold orange upcycled short styled hood of my car, its sides slightly raised hugging the wheels for a grounded feel. My hands clenched both the steering yokes, ready to command this powerful machine. Behind me, I could hear the soft hum of the powertrain as it pulled energy from its hydrogen fuel tank. Here I was on my own little slice of freedom and adventure.

I unlatched the top hatch, welcoming the cool wind on my neck. Since forced to stepping away from the racing circuits, my travels beyond my ecocity have dwindled — no more arid deserts, dense forests, or towering mountains.  A ripple of thrill fluttered through me as I play with about the places I might cross on my way to our encounter. Foot on the gas, I headed for the trees.

As I zoomed down the cart road. Feathered scoundrels soared through the canopy, tearing across the sky. A majestic parade of deer trotted through the brush and wild boar snorted in unison. To top it off, a fleet of rabbits hopped down the track, as if they competed with me. 

My tires swerved through a torrent of dirt and leaves, and at the back of my vehicle reads my name, Mari. I was late to meet my caregivers. We had planned a fun day today. 

Enough of this cart road, and shot through a shortcut in a denser part of the forest where the trees were taller, and the ground was wetter, making driving more challenging. The road narrowed between the immense trunks, leaving little space. I shred small branches under pressure and they fly off in all directions, snapped under my wheels and twigs caught on the windscreen. A blur of lush green and brown zipped past and the early slant of the sun turned the palms a green-gold colour. The vehicle skidded sideways, tires spinning losing grip, the heavier power train on the back held back wheels in contact.

The path got rough. I made a quick turn onto a dirt road. Ahead, a large transport vehicle caught my eye. The noise of its cargo could be heard from far away, like the deep sound of a huge horn. It was loaded with food crates, likely fruits and vegetables, with brightly coloured paint on its sides. Its tires were big and wide to handle the uneven terrain. It moved at a slow but steady pace. The overfilled crates looked like they might break free; they occasionally bumped and clanged together, making quite a racket—wow!

I pushed the gas pedal and received the lurch forward. Dirt flew up from the back of the drive ball as I sped away. 

A crate topples from the transport, thudding against my cockpit obscuring my hatch confirmed I got the falling crate in time. The shipper slowed down, and I drew a bootleg round and sped up in reverse to present myself in front of the shipper.

With a precise adjustment of the air-pressurized suspension, I fling the crate back onto the transport. The shipper-vehicle’s semblance awards me with an overjoyed reaction at the emoji panel. This is often used to easy communicate between unknown pilots. 

The satisfaction of the moment fuels me, and I gun the engine, carving a J-turn back onto the road. The vehicle skids, gravel spraying under the intense pressure of the tires. The car skidded on the soft dirt and pebbles, making a strong noise under the fender flare off the wheels with the strong swing. I gained speed, and inexplicably silence, I felt lack of gravity. I swear, time dragged on as I lost control spinning. I desperately needed to regain traction, but it was too late. My car slip off the edge of the cliff.

“Listen AI, pullout the winch anchor!” I chirped. “I know! I know, damper alarm, can you just stop?” 

We stomped zip-lined, attached ourselves back on track—well, quite vertical track. Hooray! 

Let’s juice it up. Slippery gravel splattered beneath the wheels. I felt my arm hair stand up. A little more gas, take it up a notch. 

“Okay, toward what are we heading now?” 

Is that an organic farm down there? Yeah, a respectable plantation plough. Charging at 230 mph towards that is going to screw-up someone’s sweat craft. I need to land in a proper way.

“Think fast, fast! What?” The interior colour changed to red, and the mixed reality HUD at my windscreen shows—“That’s an inviting cluster of boulders forming a ramp. Perfect AI!” 

A front-left side impact with it ramps me into the air; off ground, off the steep cliff wall—this morning is delivering better than an amusement park! 

If time could slow down, it did. My eyes widened as the world came to its sides. I held my breath, trying to remember everything I had read in those extreme driving lessons. My stomach lurched, but it felt exhilarating! 

Skidding on my vehicle sides and dividing the soil with appreciable contact I pulled to a stop, not trashing, entirely the poor farmer’s ploughing. The sound made him hurry outside his home. At first with his hands on his head, but then relief took over his face when my ecocar flipped back to its four wheels. 

Well, he now had a different plough for his seeds. I smiled and waved before pulling back onto the empty road. For a moment, I thought of how this happy accident would give him hope for better days ahead.

I stepped on the gas and vanished behind the farm, racing across open meadows as the wind blew through the hatch. It whipped my hair and filled my senses with delight, causing me to smile. 

These cattle scattered into my view, running away from my roaring engine. I had to keep focused, watching the landscape for any obstacles that might appear out of nowhere. 

I continued driving, the brilliant morning sun reflecting off the hood of my vehicle, adding an extra sparkle of energy to my already excited state. 

Suddenly, I saw a herd of cows in the distance ahead. I quickly realised they were heading in a different direction and were completely unguided. “Rerouting”, my onboard AI presented me with the correct directions, with the time lost, I needed to follow them carefully, no more collisions, and with a trailblazer. Close back to the track without incident—phew! 

“What was that?” I passed a unique van in its appearance, with a sloped front end reminiscent of a shepherd’s crook. The vehicle consists of a strange combination of scrap metal and bits of wooden panelling, which someone crudely welded together. The painters used olive greens and browns that blended into the countryside to paint it. Its windows were small and fogged with grime. It looked like something out of a fairy-tale, an oddity but beautiful in its own right. 

I held one more glance at the rear mirror, and for my unforeseen, I dragged out those cattle to him, yanking them on my air surge. 

“Put that on my tab, too.” I thought. 

I cursed my foolishness for I took the shortcut that set me behind. I needed to make up for lost time, so I pushed onward, feeling the pressure of the ticking clock on my back.