7.31am
A boy is reluctantly eating his breakfast. He wears his school uniform and a look of annoyance. He will cycle to school today, as usual.
A truck driver is drinking his morning tea. Usually he wouldn’t have to drive down during the day, but today was an exception.
7.42am
The boy has finished his breakfast. He is ready for school. His bag and his lunch box flail around him as he runs to kiss his mother goodbye.
The driver is finished with his tea. He pays what he owes, breathes in some fresh morning air and makes his way to the truck.
7.45am
It is the 21st of April. In his school, they allow kids to wear casuals on their birthdays. This kid didn’t believe in all that. He wears the uniform. His bag is heavier than usual with the toffees stacked above his books. He mounts his bicycle.
It is his son’s birthday today. He has to start early if he is to make it for the party this evening. He sits in the driver’s seat, adjusts his mirror and makes himself comfortable. He places the toy truck on the passenger seat. A gift for his son. It’s a long drive ahead. He starts the engine.
7.50am
The boy cycles down the road to school. He lives on top of a hill so it’s a delightful ride down. He rolls down fast. It is a narrow road.
The truck driver is on an uphill climb. When you’re climbing a hill, you can’t see what’s coming at you. His palm pushes against the steering wheel and the sound of the horn resonates.
7.52am
The boy sees the truck before he hears the sound from the horn. He leans in to the left and stops his bike to the side of the road.
The truck driver sighs. Smart boy.
6.00pm
The boy is home. He runs to his mother and kisses her cheek. She hands him his gift and a mug of hot chocolate. He opens it to find a toy truck.
The tired man reaches home. The entire family has arrived for the party. He walks inside the house with the gift for his son in hand to find his wife crying in a corner. The rest of them are huddled around his son’s shrouded corpse.
“He saw a truck coming, thought it was you and ran onto the road,” they tell him.
Atomic Oblivion 