5C

"Evelyn?'' I whimper.


"Yes," she answers.


"Are you sure this ummm... car is, you know, safe?"


"This isn't a car. It's a golf cart, silly."


"I don't think we should be riding on the road with this Evelyn. It's not safe. You don't even have your license."


"This is no normal road. You're in my world now, so hold on tight." The cart wheels screech as we spin onto another road. "Are there any normal road builders in your world? I think roads are supposed to be either parallel or perpendicular, not at forty-five degree angles! This is insane!" I holler.


"Don't be such a baby. A little joy ride isn't gonna hurt'cha, and maybe someone just got tired of straight lines and right angles."


"Not me. Maybe we should just head back to your house. You do know how to get back to your house, right?"


"Of course I know the way back to my house."


"How can you tell when they all look the same?"


"My house is the one with the lawn gnome in the baby blue hat."


"Don't you know your street name?"


"Relax. We'll get home just fine." We veer one hundred thirty-five degrees to our left and begin to pick up speed once more. Evelyn's long red hair whips me in the face as we swerve and spin onto new roads. "Maybe we should just call a cab," I suggest. "These street names aren't even normal. " I glance at the green metal signs on the corner. These roads, if you can call them that, have such strange names. "Why must every street be a "way" or "court" or "terrace?" Once you get off Route 9W, nothing is normal! I can't even tell the difference from your house and any of the ones we've passed in the last hour. There's row after row of the exact same buildings!"

"Haven't you noticed everyone puts out different lawn decorations? Just look for the one with the lawn gnome in the baby blue hat, the mahogany wind chimes, and the stone bird bath," Evelyn calmly states. Out of the corner of my eye I spot a splash of blue amongst the green grass. I look to the house on our left. "Evelyn! Stop! Stop now! I see it! The lawn gnome! The wind chimes! The bird bath! I found it!" We pull over to her house, and I happily leap out of the white golf cart. "Evelyn?" I ask. She sets her deep green eyes on me. "I am never again traveling past route 9W.'' She smiles.