Agaily painted dump truck, covered in yellow and red swirls, drove too fast through the pounding rain. The driver held a cup of chai in his right hand along with the wheel and reached to the passenger seat to grab a pastry. He sped toward a narrow bridge over a deep gulf.
In the backseat of the family car, nine-year-old Ravi held his favorite toy, Silly Putty®, contained in a red plastic egg. Next to him was the suitcase his mother had filled with his clothes, toys, homework, and snacks. A large, leather-bound astronomy book was opened to the chapter on the Horsehead Nebula. As the rain intensified, his father kicked the wipers to high.
“Are we there yet?” asked Ravi.
His father chuckled.
“No,” replied his mother. “We’ve been driving for 15 minutes; the drive is 15 hours.”
“I don’t even remember my uncle.”
“That’s OK. The last time you saw him you were only four. You will remember this trip. Your cousin Gitika is getting married.”
At that moment, Ravi dropped the egg, and it rolled under his mother’s seat. On his hands and knees, he reached for it.
“What is my uncle’s name? Where does he live?”
“He’s your father’s brother. He is also a doctor like your father—”
As the dump truck barreled across the small bridge, the cup slipped from the driver’s hand and the hot chai scalded his lap. He screamed in pain. The truck swerved into the other lane.
To avoid a head-on collision, Ravi’s father turned a hard left just before entering the bridge, and the car became airborne. It smashed on the rocks of the riverbank 40 feet below, where it was obscured from view. It hit nose first and settled right side up. The truck’s driver sped down the road unaware.