Honk! Honk! “Let me out! Open for the life of everything!” The door remains in place, and my eyes point upwards towards the bus outside, which is already starting its engine again.

Bang! Bang! Bang! My foot rammed into the door frame repeatedly, sending a slight feeling of pain into my foot, but also giving me a sense of relief. From the door opening up, my arms scoop up my backpack onto my arms while I make a run for it. The bus wheels were already in motion, leaving a trail of smoke behind its tracks. “Wait! Stop the bus! I’m right here! Slow down!” My shouting to the driver was like a flightless bird trying to reach its nest in a tree. But I wasn’t going to miss the bus, not on my first day.

As the bus driver kept driving, I started running. My mother always said that if ever I wanted to accomplish something, I would have to chase after it. Sometimes I wonder if she meant that literally.

I knew it was the law for school buses to drive slowly and check for any traffic on the open road, but for some reason, the bus was moving erratically, as if it were on an open field. While dodging out of the way of the upcoming cars and noting the reckless driving patterns of the large yellow motor vehicle, I also noticed that I hadn’t made much headway in closing the distance. I was falling behind on the streets.

A real shocker, right? I felt my breath shortening and my legs wanting to take a plea deal to accept defeat.  

The bus gained more distance with each step I took, leaving me tired and a bit hopeless. The bus looked more like a blur by the time I took a break on the street sidewalk. Groups of people going on with their morning passed by me while mine was falling apart. “If I had my own car, this wouldn’t even be a problem.” I sighed and sat down. People’s lives filled the streets with laughter and hardship, as at least someone was occupied with doing something in the town.

But what stuck out to me was a man yelling next to an alleyway. He was wearing a brown, torn-up jacket, along with the rest of his run-down clothing, and his eyes were bloodshot red. “Come get a brand-new hotrod. I repeat, it’s brand new, and it only costs around five bucks.” As he spoke to the people passing by him, I could only think of his voice sounding like a rusted car, the kind you find in a junkyard that still works somehow.

Two things can come out of this: the universe is setting me up for success for once, or setting me up for failure again. There wasn’t much I could do, and standing around wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

I approached the man and coughed, either from the scent of his horrible perfume or a toxic gas emanating from his jacket. I waved my hands in the air trying to clear the air, but soon I realized that it was pointless to get away from his clouds of poison.

“Sir, you said you’re selling a car for five dollars? Like an actual vehicle to use on the road?” I carefully asked, and a crooked smile appeared on his face, with some of his missing teeth showing.

“That’s right, kid. You must be new around here, huh? It’s rare to see a new face in this town that is interested in my business, and I see all kinds of people. The cruel, the shady, and especially the freaky. He-e-he-e-e-e-he-e-e.”

He coughed between his unusual laughter while talking to me, and before I knew it, he walked into the shadows of the alleyway.

“By the way, my name is Dave, or you can call me by my street name, ‘Wizard Dave’. Let me go to the shop and bring it out for ya.”

What went wrong? I wonder what I did to end up in this placement, where I am talking to a local con man. Oh, that’s right: that black-colored demon wouldn’t let me get dressed this morning.

I sighed and listened to the people passing by from behind, as well as the sound of tapping noises below me, feeling as though I was turning to dust at that very moment. My eyes were drawn back towards the dark side of the alleyway by the sound of metal grinding against the concrete ground, which came unexpectedly. My eyes widened at what vehicle Dave had managed to put together.

“What. Is. that?”

“This is your new ride, my friend. Hop in, and you should be satisfied with your purchase.”

This thing was not a vehicle. I would not call it an automobile, but rather a craft that a thirteen-year-old would make. All I could see was a dumpster with a door on one side, attached to a piece of rope, and a few large holes on the front, which had to be its windows.

I looked down at where life was probably heading and looked back up to see Dave, who seemed to have a smirk on his face. He leaned down towards me and held out his hand. I should have known to pay first.

“Fine. I’ll take it. But how do I even drive this?”

“Well, there is a steering wheel inside of it, but there is no way to make it move. You would have to pay an extra thousand for the automotive power for it.”

As I saw Dave hold the devil lettuce in his hand before sending it into his dark realm in his jacket, I, too, was going to be sent into a realm filled with not darkness, but rage. I gave this man five dollars, and all I got in return was literal garbage. Oh, brother. I tried to calm down and think deeply. 

Oh boy, walking would take a whole hour, so that wasn’t even an option from the start. Wait, one second! All I need is something strong enough to push or pull me into this thing. Better yet, I need someone, like an animal, and I know the perfect animal for this. If you don’t have horsepower, use snake power. This idea might be good enough to pull off.

“Well, Dave, I think you might be right,” I said with a tone of gratitude and feeling more assured in my plan, and entered the dumpster. “This is just the hotrod for me.”

Dave looked confused for a moment and shrugged his shoulders as he headed back into the alleyway.

“Fine by me. You’re just lucky I kept this one clean, and remember this. As I always say: If you find my products aren’t funny, then they are worth your money.”

With Dave gone, now I could really start cooking. I looked around the inside of the dumpster and saw a dirty pillow on the floor; around it were two pieces of rope, as if they had been attached with glue or some other substance. I made sure my seatbelt was tied around me in a knot and peeked around my back to check on the engine.

“Wakey-wakey, little man,” I whispered, and I saw the snake resting in a curled-up position underneath my shirt. It kept sleeping through the calls of my voice and wasn’t even taking notice of me. Just when I needed it for something other than ruining my life, it was to leave me alone. Great. But I am not taking “no” for an answer.

“I said– WAKE UP!” I screamed with fury in my lungs and shoved my fist right into its head with heavy force. Hissssss! Oh boy, I felt that bruise from that, but at least he is up now.  

Its whole body pops out with a spiral spin towards the lid, almost taking the form of a metal spring and starting to grow rapidly in size. It was the standard size, and it would rarely be any longer than I saw it back home earlier. But that is just the right amount of width and length I need. I just had to trigger it with the right word, and it would have the strength of ten horses combined. My mother always told me not to misuse it for any self-gain, but this is an emergency, so I technically get a pass here.

“I know you’re mad that I disturb your beauty sleep or whatever, but I have a good reason for that.” I rolled my eyes at its predatory gaze and felt a bit nervous from feeling its slithering body wrap around my neck. I hold out my hands in the air, hoping its nut-sized brain can understand I am not here for any fighting.  

“Just let me speak for a moment. So I was hoping you could go over to that hole and start pulling us to the school in this thing. Now you might be considering not doing that, but think of all the delicious food you could swallow: the burgers, pizzas, chickens, hot dogs, waffles, pancakes, and even some insects already on a dinner table waiting for you.”  

I pointed to the rectangle-shaped hole and began using the art of negotiation. My words were music to its inner ears, and I could see a hungry look take form in its eyes. The scaly body begins to rattle and shake like an erupting volcano, and cracks appear on its surface. The scales along it slowly started to break down fully towards my waist. Emerging from the scaly cocoon it was in, its size almost took hold of the dumpster space, fitting in the corners like puzzle pieces and having me in the middle of its reptile mass.

Today may be the day it starts, following my lead for once, and not trying to mess everything up. If this works out, all of my problems will be resolved for the day.