Moment in a Truck (Otherwise Untitled)
#68 of Short Stories
A phoenix is woken up from having been asleep on the bench seat of her old pickup truck.
~ The phoenix found herself abruptly awake by the sound of the teargas canister bouncing off of the truck's windshield. From the same pool of self control that prevented her from igniting the bench seat's upholstery, she merely rolled onto her back to regard the bare metal ceiling of the truck and take stock of the situation. She almost silently whispered thanks to her father for not having cheaped out when replacing the windshield so many years before, the cracks arcing along its length as they remained stoicaly resolute amongst the chaotic dance of dim morning sunlight and violent cacophony of red and blue flashing.