In Good Time"

Scene: The night is cold and snowy, with fog swirling around a deserted bus stop. A lone figure stands there, rubbing his hands together to keep warm. The streetlights cast a soft glow, illuminating the snowfall as it drifts down.

Taran: (thinking aloud)

"Hey everyone, you’re probably wondering who this guy is and what he's doing out here in the middle of a freezing night. Well… yeah, it’s me, Taran. And what am I doing? Waiting… waiting for my friend to pick me up. He was supposed to be here over an hour ago!"

(Taran sighs and shivers, pulling his coat tighter.)

Taran: (smiling to himself)

"See, tomorrow’s Christmas, and we’ve got this dinner party at my friend Loki’s house. But here I am, freezing, with no sign of my ride. And, oh, let me tell you about the guy I'm waiting for…"

(Taran chuckles, as if recalling a funny memory)

Taran:

"His name is Luke. Yeah, that guy… always late. You think this is bad? Well, on his graduation day, he actually overslept and showed up to the ceremony an hour late! Can you imagine the chaos?"

(Taran laughs, shaking his head, clearly amused at his friend's quirks. He stamps his feet to keep warm, glancing down the empty street.)

Taran: (sighing)

"Guess I should’ve known better than to expect him to be on time… especially on a snowy night like this."

Taran: (to the audience, with a shivering laugh)

"Still here! Yep, still waiting. You’d think my friend Luke might be a little more… timely. But I guess I should’ve known better, right?"

(Taran breathes into his hands and rubs them together for warmth, glancing impatiently around.)

Taran:

"Guess he’s keeping his streak going. I mean, it’s almost impressive at this point, right? Still, a bit of a heads-up wouldn’t hurt… or maybe I should just invest in a good pair of thermal socks for next time."

(Taran shifts his weight and looks up at the snowfall, letting out a deep breath.)

Taran:

"You know, even though Luke’s late for pretty much everything, he’s the kind of friend who’d drop everything for you. Like, once, I got stuck with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, and he showed up faster than I could say, ‘I should’ve bought a spare.’ Reliable in his own way, I guess. Just… not on time!"

(Taran laughs, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he waits, still scanning the road.)

Taran:

"So here I am. Waiting. In the snow. Freezing. But hey… that’s what friends are for, right?"

(He smiles, glancing once more into the distance as if expecting Luke’s headlights to appear at any moment.)

Taran:

"Check this out. Yep, it’s pink… bright, bubblegum pink. It’s actually a gift from my niece, Emily. She’s five, and she’s the cutest thing. She insisted I wear it, so… here we are."

(He smiles softly, looking at the watch fondly before returning his gaze to the empty road.)

Taran:

"Emily gave it to me last week, and of course, I couldn't say no. She even told me it has ‘magic powers’ to make me think of her whenever I check the time. So I guess in a way… it’s working."

(Taran laughs to himself, tapping the watch face and glancing at the time again.)

Taran:

"Now if only it had ‘magic powers’ to get Luke here faster. It’s already… what? Nearly midnight! He’s so late he’s almost early!"

(Taran shivers, looking down the road again. No sign of Luke’s car. He sighs, glancing at his pink watch one last time.)

Taran:

"Well, I guess we’ll keep waiting, me and this ‘magic watch.’ Thanks, Emily. Here’s hoping it works sooner or later… preferably sooner."

(He chuckles, rubbing his hands together again as he waits, watching the snow fall and keeping an eye out for any sign of headlights in the distance.)

Scene: Taran’s phone suddenly rings. He looks down, hoping it’s Luke.

Taran: (thinking to himself)

"Please let this be Luke…"

(He pulls out his phone and sees “Luke Calling” on the screen. He holds it up to show the audience with a tired smile.)

Taran: (answers the call, frustrated)

"Where are you, Luke? I’m still here at the bus stop, freezing, waiting for you."

Luke: (on the other end, sounding apologetic)

"Sorry, man, my bad! I’m on my way, I swear. There’s so much snow, and the roads are super slippery… I’ve had to go slow."

Taran: (exasperated)

"Slow? Dude, you’re an hour late! Alright, just hurry up—it’s almost midnight already."

Luke:

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey, can you let Loki know I’ll be late? Just until I get there?"

Taran:

"Oh no, no way. You’re calling him yourself. I’m not doing your dirty work."

Luke: (laughing)

"Come on, buddy… you know it’s this snow making me late."

Taran: (sighing)

"Fine, fine. Just… keep your eyes on the road, alright? See you in ten."

Luke:

"Ten minutes, I promise!"

(Taran ends the call, shaking his head with a smile and tucking his phone back into his pocket.)

Taran: (to the audience)

"Typical Luke. Always an adventure with that guy."

(Taran glances down the road, waiting with a mix of annoyance and amusement as he braces himself for Luke’s arrival.)

Scene: Taran sighs as he realizes he’ll have to call Loki to let him know they’re running late. He dials Loki’s number and waits for him to pick up.

Loki: (answering with enthusiasm)

"Hey, Taran, my brother! How’s it going?"

Taran:

"I’m good, Loki. How about you?"

Loki:

"I’m doing great! So, you’re on your way, right?"

Taran:

"Yeah, yeah, we’re coming. I just… got free from work a little late."

Loki: (suspicious)

"Wait a second… so you’re going to be late?"

Taran: (sheepishly)

"Yup. Sorry about that. The snow slowed us down, then I had to get home, freshen up, all that. But we’ll be there in about an hour. Is everyone there already?"

Loki:

"It’s all good, brother. Only Andrew and Kevin are here so far; everyone else is still on their way too. Don’t rush—drive safe in this weather. We’ll see you when you get here."

Taran:

"Thanks, Loki. Alright, see you soon."

(Taran ends the call, relieved. Just then, he sees a familiar car pulling up through the snowy night. It’s Luke, finally arriving with a big grin.)

Taran: (with a smile)

"Finally, the man of the hour arrives!"

(Taran approaches the car as Luke lowers the window with an apologetic smile.)

Taran:

"Took you long enough, man. You know we’re super late, right?"

Luke: (grinning)

"Sorry, sorry! Get in, we gotta make up for lost time."

Taran: (teasing)

"Oh, we’re late, huh? And whose fault is that exactly?"

Luke: (playfully rolling his eyes)

"Alright, alright, hop in! Let’s get moving before Loki calls us both out."

(Taran laughs and hops into the car, shaking his head as they finally head off together, ready to make it to the party despite the late

Taran, relieved, reaches for the door handle. Just as his fingers graze the cold metal, a sudden screeching sound slices through the night—a car swerving wildly in the distance. The screeching tires grow louder, then suddenly crash. The sound of metal grinding against metal fills the air, followed by a loud thud as something heavy collides with a nearby tree.

Taran: (eyes wide) "What the hell was that?!"

Luke: (voice tense) "Shit, that didn’t sound good…"

Both of them turn toward the source of the noise, hearts pounding in their chests. The fog is thick, but through the haze, they can barely make out the silhouette of a car, half-crashed into a snowbank, its lights flickering erratically.

Taran: "Is that... is someone in there?!"

Before Luke can answer, the sound of another vehicle speeding through the snow echoes in the distance, and then—silence. For a split second, it feels like everything has stopped.

Luke: (gripping the steering wheel) "We need to check this out. Someone could be hurt

But Taran hesitates, suddenly feeling a cold shiver run down his spine. The last thing he wants is to get involved in something dangerous, but the urgency in Luke's voice is undeniable.

Before Luke can respond, the screech of tires fills the air again, and another car speeds past them, skidding to a stop. A couple of figures rush out, running toward the wreckage. Taran feels his chest tighten as the sudden chaos unfolds.

Luke: "We should call 911—"

Before he finishes, one of the figures at the crash site pulls out their phone and dials quickly, speaking urgently into the receiver. "Yes, there's been an accident! It's bad—please hurry! We need help here!"

Taran: (under his breath) "I didn’t think tonight would end like this..."

The sound of sirens in the distance begins to grow louder, but the snowstorm makes it difficult to tell how far away they are. The figures near the wreck are now frantically trying to pull something—or someone—out of the car, their movements hurried and panicked.

Suddenly, Taran spots something strange—someone is moving in the shadows, just outside the glow of the headlights, hidden by the thick fog.

Taran: (whispering) "Luke… did you see that?"

Luke: (eyes narrowing) "What? Where?"

As Luke pulls the car to a halt beside the wreck, both of them leap out and run toward the crash site. The snow is falling heavily, blanketing the scene in a ghostly white. The headlights from the two vehicles illuminate the mangled mess of metal and glass. Luke reaches the car first, looking through the shattered window. His face pales as he sees the bloodied body of an unconscious man slumped over the wheel.

Luke: (voice shaking, but trying to stay calm) "Taran, get over here, quick!"

Taran rushes to his side, kneeling beside the car, his heart pounding in his chest. Through the cracked window, he can see the man’s chest barely rising, blood trickling from a deep gash on his forehead. His instincts scream that the man might not make it if they don’t act fast.

Taran: "Is he breathing?!"

Luke: (checking for a pulse) "Barely… but yeah, he’s still alive. We need to get him out."

But as Luke starts to reach for the door handle, he stops. His eyes widen, and Taran follows his gaze to the back seat. Two small children, both unconscious, are slumped in their car seats. One of them is crying softly, but there's no movement.

Luke: (urgently) "Taran, the kids... we need to get them out first!"

Taran: (nodding, panic creeping into his voice) "Right... right."

They quickly assess the situation. The door on the passenger side is jammed shut, but the back door is slightly ajar. Taran reaches in, unbuckling the child closest to him, while Luke checks on the other one.

Luke: "Come on, buddy, wake up... we gotta move fast!"

Taran carefully moves the child out of the car, trying to avoid any sharp pieces of broken glass. Just as they manage to get the kids safely out of the wreckage, Taran’s phone rings. It’s 911.

Taran: (picking up) "911, we’ve got a bad crash. There's a man and two kids, they're all injured. The car’s wrecked, we need help, fast!"

911 Operator: (calm but urgent) "Sir, please stay on the line and help the paramedics understand the situation. Is there any immediate danger, such as fire or an explosion risk?"

Taran: (looking back at the wreck, noticing smoke rising from the engine) "Yes, there’s smoke coming from the front. The engine might catch fire! We got the kids out, but the man... he’s still inside. He’s hurt bad, and the windows are shattered, we can’t open the doors safely."

911 Operator: (calm but firm) "Understood. You did the right thing moving the kids first. Can you and your friend work together to get the man out, carefully? When the paramedics arrive, they’ll take over. Do not attempt to remove him from the vehicle if it’s unsafe. Help will be there shortly. Stay with the victims and maintain a safe distance from the car."

Taran: "Okay... we’ll do that. We’re waiting.

Just as they manage to get the man clear, the car shudders, and a loud pop echoes from under the hood. Flames flicker from the engine.

Taran: "Oh shit—get him away from the car, now!"

The two of them drag the man a few feet away, just as the fire finally ignites, flames licking at the wrecked vehicle. The heat intensifies, and the car becomes engulfed in flames.

Luke: (breathing heavily) "That was too close…"

Suddenly, the blare of sirens cuts through the night air, and within moments, a fire truck screeches to a halt beside them, followed by paramedics rushing to the scene. The firefighters immediately begin to douse the burning car, while paramedics tend to the injured man and the kids.

The crash site has become a chaotic blur of flashing lights, emergency workers, and frantic activity, but Taran and Luke stand frozen for a moment, just watching.

The man’s fate is uncertain, and the kids are still unconscious. But as the paramedics take control of the situation, Taran can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right about this accident. Was it really just an accident?