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This week’s prompt: Road. Think about Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken and write a story about two characters who stand at a crossroads and choose opposite roads/directions/options.

The Third Path

The old dusty lane wandered idly along the hillside and disappeared over the way.

An old yellow double dotted line in sore need of repainting dallied loyally along, splitting the road down the center. It showed which cars, cranking exhaust, would discover what lay on the other side of those hills, and which cars had seen it all and had come back to tell the tale — perhaps they had retreated in fear.

There could have been water springs spurting joyous burbles of life, nymphs skipping in the lush grass, and daffodils nodding happily along the roadside. Or, over the hill, it could be just as dusty as the other side.

Perhaps there was nothing but soda bottles tossed from windows, or memories of shadows of wild beasts scampering over the road just before a car came roaring past. Alongside the old dusty lane an old, dry creek croaked over the stones and parted to follow where the hills dipped in a deep valley.

Who knew what dwelled down there in the darkness? Who would want to follow the stream? Perhaps the darkness was misleading, and led to a paradise, while the cheerful old road led over the hills to nowhere.

Where the road and the stream parted in different directions they formed something very striking; they formed two sides of an enormous triangle.

And, perhaps, their single paths meant nothing at all — but the other path, the third side of the triangle, meant everything. One thing was certain — the third path over the hills and through the valley would not be dusty or dry at all.

The Sunny Side of the Street

Your car may be electric while mine uses gas.

You may or may not use a blinker to pass.

But every car drives the same interstate.

Everyone is just trying to reach the same fate.

You may drive fast while I prefer slow.

You may not yield when it’s my turn to go.

But we are all making the same exact drive.

Every person out there, is trying to stay alive.

You may rap while I’ll sing my pop.

You may or may not choose to make a full stop.

But we are brought together out along the road,

Everyone trying to handle the same tough load.

In the end, we’re all going to different places,

And out on the road we’ll see different faces.

But, the concrete slabs bring friendships together.

They gather people, no matter the weather.

We become one while out on the street.

You are common with people you may never meet.

We are unified as drivers and we are strong,

A group all together on the road where we belong.