Tilting the Tracks

The Train That Never Stops

Ava Carter stared out the window at the magical landscape that twisted and turned beneath her like a living dream. From her vantage point in the backseat of a car, it looked like a river of green and brown with trees boldly standing sentry over their kingdom. She remembered this road from her childhood, a place where the world felt so much bigger, so much brighter than it felt now.

The car sharply veered to the right and Ava was jolted out of her reverie. The details around her crystallized in crisp clarity. Her ribs tightened and her hands twisted backwards in her lap. This was the last trip she would make with her parents to visit her aunt, Ailsa Carter, a woman her mother had been distant companions with since high school. The thought of ever living with her aunt made Ava feel a little sick inside, but her parents had insisted it would be the best decision for all of them and an opportunity to get back on track academically.

With a deep inhale, Ava gathered her last specks of courage and made a decision. Would she give in to her parents’ pleading and reluctantly accept the guardianship of her aunt, or would she stay strong in her own convictions and stand up for herself?

Accept her parents’ choice, even though she was scared.