Today's #flashfiction Little Ryan's Joyride

“He's got the mouth of a sailor.”

Olive Oyl* #quote

CJ's coming over today so that'll be fun. Anyway onto the flash fiction!

Little Ryan's Joyride

        Toddler Ryan wanted to take the car out for a drive. If both his mommy and daddy could drive the car why couldn't he? So one morning when both the parents lie sleeping he snuck out of bed, his brown hair still ruffled and uncombed and set off to the car. He turned on the lights in the garage to see the SUV, his goal, and the various items that his mother stored in the garage along with it. They'd find a place for that old couch eventually.

        Ryan reached up to the handles of the car doors but could barely not reach them. Again he tried. He remembered that usually one of his parents, or his older sister, opened the door for him to get in. He realized he needed something to stand on. He looked at the old couch and decided that was the best option, even though several other things in the room would work better, his mind focused on the largest, most obvious thing. He threw a stepladder out of the way during the next hour that he slowly pushed the couch to the side of the car. His young, healthy light pink skin turned harsh, red and sweaty after all the labor. He reached up and pulled the car's door handle it was locked.

       He leaped down from the couch and sneaked into his parent's bedroom. He felt more nervous than he'd ever felt with anything before, but after all the work so far, he had to. He noticed his parents were still sound asleep. He swiped the keys from the nightstand and slipped away.

Ryan opened the car door with happiness, but the door barely opened since the couch that he used to get to it blocked it. However Ryan did see enough of an opening. He put his body sideways and shoved, slammed, and squeezed himself into the crack left by the door.

       Little Ryan put the key in the car and started it, he put his foot down and realized he couldn't reach the gas or break with his little legs. He went down to the floor, but then couldn't see outside. He needed a plan! He remembered how mirrors let drivers see, so he decided to get himself one. He opened the door and slithered his way out the crack again. He found a mirror among the stuff in the garage again. He held it in his right hand to help him see outside, then would use the wheel with his left then use his legs on the pedal. A quick glance around while getting used the vision of the mirror reminded him of the big stick in the middle of the car. The thing the parents grabbed and moved to make the car go backward. How would he reach that?

      He opened the door again and pushed himself again out the crevice of the door and looked among the piles of things in the garage. He found an umbrella with a large hook handle. He decided to grab that from the top with his right hand and use the hook handle to grab the stick that controlled the car. This forced his mirror into left hand making it much more difficult to see outside. He wished he was left-handed like his sister. He planned to use his elbows to steer.

      He felt the rumbling of the patient car. He turned it on when he first got in, and it waited for him. Ryan moved the stick and the car switched to reverse. He'd seen his parents do it many times before. He then pushed gently on the gas. He didn't know how much would make it go how far. The car inched backwards. He started getting faster.

       “What the hell are you doing? Stop the car!” His father burst into the garage. Ryan slammed on the breaks. Daddy never cursed at him before, only at his sister. Or did he think he was sister?

       The father leaped over the couch. Ryan opened the door. It was a fortunate thing he listened to father and opened and accepted getting in trouble instead of trying to speed off. Or the fact his father arrived at all. Ryan didn't realize he hadn't even opened the garage door.