It was a bitter, cold winter morning and Traci was heading for the bus stop. The sun had not risen yet and the dark sky was slowly losing its stars. As Traci walked she could see her breath one step before her. It was so cold that she had on her biggest winter coat and was still freezing.

She had a little time before she had to be at her bus stop, so she slowed down and took in the scenery. She looked from the woods across the street to the apartments on her left to the long street laid out in front of her.  The only lights on at this hour were the streetlights, which led Traci from spot to spot. She closed her eyes and listened to the clack of her shoes. The only other sounds she could hear were some birds chirping in the woods. Traci had grown to love these walks to the bus stop despite the cold. Everything felt so peaceful this early in the morning.

Suddenly a loud grumble interrupted her peace. She slowly opened her eyes only to see the far shine of headlights in the street. It could not be! Her bus was not due for another ten minutes. By the look of it she had approximately one minute to get all the way down the street to her bus stop. It would be impossible with her bag and all of her books!

Without another thought she suddenly burst into a full out run. The cold air was burning her lungs as she ran. The bus’s headlights were growing larger and larger as it came closer. She would never make it. As if the weight of her books didn’t slow her down enough, her winter boots were not meant to run in. Her feet began to ache quickly. She was only halfway down the street when she began to see the tip of the bus. She tried to run faster, but her winter coat restricted her, enabling her hardly any room to move.

Traci’s heart was pounding with fear and exhaustion, when out of nowhere, she tripped over a rock. It seemed the world did not want Traci to catch her bus. She landed hard on her stomach, but thankfully had covered her face as she fell. On the ground she was sweating, while trying to catch her breath. There was no way she would ever get to the bus stop in time. Admitting defeat, she lifted her head expecting to watch her bus turn away from her and drive off into the distance, leaving her behind. Instead though, the bus turned toward her.

She thankfully leaped up and started to quickly walk to meet the bus halfway. Traci had never felt more relieved. At the halfway mark she came to a stop, but her bus did not. She stood, not believing her eyes. She was not shocked by the bus passing her by. No, the thing that shocked her was that the bus was not her bus at all.