A Tush for Trifecta

The car door opened and a whoosh - more felt than heard - signaled the release of the warmed cabin air. The man had procrastinated this moment. With feigned interest in a dull radio conversation and extended deliberation on the best place to hide his wallet, he had remained, numbed tush molded into bucket seat. But with the invasion of cold into the car, the plastic foam seats and thin upholstery would soon give up their collected heat, and there was little reason to stay inside. Now, warmth would depend on effort.

The dog, with impatient groans and pleading whimpers, was indifferent to such trivial comforts in these moments and applauded the man’s decision to begin their walk with her wild tail.

Opening the rear door, he quickly fastened the leash onto the harness loop between the dog’s shoulder blades as it scrambled out. The slam of the door officially ended the drone of the tires, the anonymous chatter of radio, the roar of the heater fan; all this would now be replaced by whatever sounds a walk in the woods on a late November morning could offer.

The dog pulled the man across the gravel lot toward the familiar trail head. A solid wall of young trees and invasive shrubs broke open, revealing a pathway plush with shed leaves, already browned and softened by a hard frost and subsequent rains. With a final crunch of gravel they sunk into this other place.

The above is offered as my opening submission to the Trifecta challenge. For more info visit http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/