this is it

we were driving down the freeway in my parent's van. my father was driving. my brother mason, his buddy, my mother, and i were in the van as well.

we came up to stretch of the freeway that was under construction. we were on an overpass and there was another freeway zig-zagging over top of us. everyone was driving really fast. in the confusion of the freeway construction, my father entered a lane that was not completed. we ended up on the edge of the overpass and on the outside of the barrier columns. basically, the concrete was only as wide as the wheels on the driver's side of the car. the rest of the car was hanging above traffic far down below. there were also columns to the left of us that prevented us from swerving back into a full lane. we were on a ledge.

this all happened very quickly and as soon as all of us became aware of the impossibility of the situation, we became very quiet and held our breath. my father continued to try to balance the van on the small strip of concrete, though we all knew that it wouldn't work for long. i began to take stock of the situation. i told myself that this is it. our lives were going to end. i was thankful that i was dying with family. i felt bad for my brother's buddy and his family who would be left behind to mourn him. i wondered about my brother mark who was not in the van and was thankful that he had a family of his own to carry on with. i told myself that everything was ok. everyone dies. i remembered wishing i didn't have to go now. but i also knew there was nothing i could do about it.

and then there was a break in the columns and my father was able to swerve us back into safety.

woke up.

intense.