Oh No Here We Go

• Alex Conroy, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2016

“Oh no, here we go, another car trip!” seven seats, four people and a dog, still not enough room!
Mum buckles up Pippa’s seatbelt and still more laughing, I sigh and roll my eyes, Dad sits in the driver’s seat and whistles thinking he is amazing at whistling. Mum finishes doing Pippa’s seatbelt and then sits in the passenger’s seat next to Dad. Dad starts the car and off they go.
I settle in too my seat and look out the window wishing our car was a spaceship and we got to our destination at light speed. Closing my eyes because the sun is so bright. I hear a familiar noise coming from Pippa, she has started crying! It will not stop and I can feel anger building up inside me. I can also see Dad’s anger is rising as well.
Pippa keeps on crying so Dad parks the car outside a fancy cafe and we all get yummy milkshakes! Finally Pippa has stopped crying and the drive might actually be fun. For once!
Dad tells us not to take the lids off our milkshakes, which of course is the opposite of what Pippa does. We drive toward a speed hump as Pippa drinks her milkshake and ‘SPLASH’ the milkshake goes everywhere! Dripping off the windows and puddles of milkshake are in both Pippa and my laps. Great, now I am stuck in this car soaked with smelly milk.
Soon it starts to rain and the clouds are becoming as grey as Dad’s eyes. I look over to Pippa and she is snoring in her booster seat. Stella wakes up after being asleep in the back of the car and does her signature disgusting farts.
Stella farts again continuously and Dad, being the grumpy man he is, makes us stop in the park.
We play on the swing, seesaws and slides while Dad airs the car out. Once the car smells to Dad’s standard, he calls over for us and we climb down from the equipment and we go back into the car. Soon we drive for a couple more hours, Pippa cries more, Stella farts on and off whenever dad growls at the noise from the back seat. I am seriously wondering why Mum says, “It will be fun Alex.” I am dying to ask when the fun starts, but I will get the look from Mum that means ‘not now Alex Dad will get angry’. We turn down a street then everything goes white.
“Alex, we’re here,” Mum says and wakes me up from my dream. We have finally arrived at the beach and it is sunny with a chance of adventure! Let’s hope the fun begins now!