The river didn’t look like diamonds on that day in November. The stone-grey sky hung above the tips of the white caps, a velvet curtain with lacy trim brushing against the stage. The water churned. Where it was dark it was almost black. And where it was light on the crests of the waves it was a foamy pale grey. Fronds of mossy weed surfaced here and there. Tentacles breaking the surface.
Of course he had offered to drive, but as usual she wouldn’t let him. Maybe she didn’t believe that he would do it. Maybe she thought he didn’t have it in him. But he did. He would. He wasn’t afraid. So he would go with her. They were in it together.
She started the car and it rumbled and trembled and sputtered. From the bottom of the ramp, they could only see sky past the end. The clouds rolled like smoke, like spirits. The air was heavy and damp and cold. The asphalt blackened in the shadows.
She pushed the accelerator down to the floor and it roared like thunder. Roared like a lion. King of the jungle. She looked over at Fenton and grinned. They didn’t wear helmets. They wanted to see everything.
Fenton had a cigarette dangling from his bottom lip. It almost fell into his lap when she stepped on the gas and hit the rocket booster button. One, two. No messing around. His head hit the headrest and his back was pushed into the seat. He could barely breathe. She was laughing. He was laughing. They held hands as the Lincoln sped up the ramp and the world dropped away. Up, up. The car tilted slightly starboard and the hood kept rising, butter yellow filling their vision.
And then the whole car seemed to tip backward. Suddenly they were hanging from their seat belts, but still rising. Were they upside down now?
Everything outside the car was just grey. Water? Sky? Which way was down?
Orange flames filled the windshield. And then something inky black spread across the glass from the bottom up.
The water hit the roof first, making a hollow sound, then it filled the frames of the windows, black and grey and mossy-green.
It was quiet and muffled.
They could hear each other breathing.
And then they couldn’t hear anything at all.