The Road We Travel
Title- The Road We Travel
Fandom- Original
Rating- G
Prompt- 396- dirigible- tamingthemuse
Pairing- None
Warning- None
Wordcount- 550
Claire jumped into her car and let her worries fade away.
With every passing kilometre, her worries vanished in a cloud of exhaust smoke. She pressed her foot down on the accelerator and sped down the highway, watching the countryside blur in the corner of her eyes. Claire was sick of the slow pace of her life, of the constant worrying and stress that was all a part of day to day life. She was running away.
Well, not really running away, as much as spontaneously jumping into her car and driving until something caught her interest. When planned, this would probably constitute a road trip. For Claire, this was a form of middle-class escapism. Today was Friday and she had work on Monday. No matter how irresponsible she was currently feeling, she knew that she would still be there in the office bright and early Monday morning, handing her boss his coffee with that same stupid smile frozen on her face. But for now, Claire was free.
Australia is a huge country but, like with people everywhere; you never explore what you know. As a Melbournian, Claire had been as far as Sydney, and even then that was when she was a child. It wasn’t even the fear of distance that kept Claire close to home; it was simply excuses created so she could spend yet another weekend twisted up on the couch with the television on low and her worries on high. Life in the city was fast paced and anxious. In a car, you are your own master. And Claire was sick of being told what to do.
Two hundred kilometres into her trip and Claire finally decided where she wanted to go. All the signs pointed to Lorne and it was close enough to Melbourne that it was embarrassing that she had not yet visited the town. She called ahead and booked a room at a motel while chewing down on a service station sandwich and felt the weight of responsibility lift off her shoulders. All the stress was melting off her and she smiled for the first time in what felt like months. This was a fantastic idea.
By the time she arrived and checked into her motel, the sun was setting on the horizon and the air had grown cool. She ran to the shops before they closed and bought a bottle of wine and a swimsuit and then jumped into the motel pool. She sipped her wine straight from the bottle like she used to in her student days, sitting on a step in the deep end of the salt water pool. It was starting to get cold but her spirit felt warm for the first time in months. Her soul craved spontaneity, which was difficult in a structured job, in a structured life. Tonight she would turn her phone off and sleep well. Then tomorrow she would do absolutely whatever she wanted, because she was like a dirigible and was free to do what she pleased. Although, she was probably going to spend all day at the beach. She would come tanned, an ever-present reminder of her little adventure. And when the tan faded, Claire decided that she would travel again. Because life was too short to stand still.
Fandom- Original
Rating- G
Prompt- 396- dirigible- tamingthemuse
Pairing- None
Warning- None
Wordcount- 550
Claire jumped into her car and let her worries fade away.
With every passing kilometre, her worries vanished in a cloud of exhaust smoke. She pressed her foot down on the accelerator and sped down the highway, watching the countryside blur in the corner of her eyes. Claire was sick of the slow pace of her life, of the constant worrying and stress that was all a part of day to day life. She was running away.
Well, not really running away, as much as spontaneously jumping into her car and driving until something caught her interest. When planned, this would probably constitute a road trip. For Claire, this was a form of middle-class escapism. Today was Friday and she had work on Monday. No matter how irresponsible she was currently feeling, she knew that she would still be there in the office bright and early Monday morning, handing her boss his coffee with that same stupid smile frozen on her face. But for now, Claire was free.
Australia is a huge country but, like with people everywhere; you never explore what you know. As a Melbournian, Claire had been as far as Sydney, and even then that was when she was a child. It wasn’t even the fear of distance that kept Claire close to home; it was simply excuses created so she could spend yet another weekend twisted up on the couch with the television on low and her worries on high. Life in the city was fast paced and anxious. In a car, you are your own master. And Claire was sick of being told what to do.
Two hundred kilometres into her trip and Claire finally decided where she wanted to go. All the signs pointed to Lorne and it was close enough to Melbourne that it was embarrassing that she had not yet visited the town. She called ahead and booked a room at a motel while chewing down on a service station sandwich and felt the weight of responsibility lift off her shoulders. All the stress was melting off her and she smiled for the first time in what felt like months. This was a fantastic idea.
By the time she arrived and checked into her motel, the sun was setting on the horizon and the air had grown cool. She ran to the shops before they closed and bought a bottle of wine and a swimsuit and then jumped into the motel pool. She sipped her wine straight from the bottle like she used to in her student days, sitting on a step in the deep end of the salt water pool. It was starting to get cold but her spirit felt warm for the first time in months. Her soul craved spontaneity, which was difficult in a structured job, in a structured life. Tonight she would turn her phone off and sleep well. Then tomorrow she would do absolutely whatever she wanted, because she was like a dirigible and was free to do what she pleased. Although, she was probably going to spend all day at the beach. She would come tanned, an ever-present reminder of her little adventure. And when the tan faded, Claire decided that she would travel again. Because life was too short to stand still.