Eyes at half mast

We sail along the blacktop sea

Time is told only by landmarks -

The flamingo pink house ostentatiously decorated with lawn ornaments

and lights as if it were a tourist attraction

Five hours left

Peering out the observation glass

I watch as shapeless blobs evolve into living creatures each with their own story

racing through the wide open sky

Stampedes of elephants with tusks as long as the tractor trailer rumbling on

beside my car

The sky could be an aquarium of whales, dolphins and turtles

It could be anything I wanted it to be

The incessant clapping of the rooftop carrier as it straps all our belongings to

the back of my time machine becomes less noticeable

As our final destination gets closer the memories of the past get clearer,

Sunburn shoulders

Minuscule slivers that felt like tree trunks

The wind whipping my pigtails as I sit on my father's lap as he navigates the

boat at record-breaking speeds

It is all so clear

As the sun begins to swell like a black eye and disappears behind the tops of the

mountain tops, the colors are infinite

Remembrance of the cool nights shared huddled around the communal fire are

my aphrodisiac

Life or death games of zero tolerance light tag waged between the trees and

bushes

The thrill of the chase for lightning bugs

The perfect marshmallow stick

Warm and sticky s'mores - heavy on the mallow

I can almost smell the sweet scent of bug spray and the stinging of the campfire

on my nose

The daydreams drift into oblivion

Exit 51, We are almost there

Suddenly I feel like a game of hide and seek