As the sun stretched its golden rays across the horizon and the light beamed through the white clouds, my friends and I embarked on a car ride through the serene fields and remote dunes to reach a specific beautiful spot we had in our mind. With the steering in my hand and music flowing from the radio, we began a fun-filled adventure, but little did we know that our gleeful trip would turn into a tragic disaster due to my reckless behaviour, leaving us strangled in the middle of dust and debris.

The sun cast its long shadows across the stretch of the highway that seemed to extend to infinity. We cheered and laughed as we stepped away from reality. With a source of youthful adventure, we craved solitude, on the long, never-ending open road. As I drove deeper into the arid terrain, I was overcome by liberation, daring me to push the limit of my vehicle. I pushed down on the accelerator and zoomed through the desolate, devoid-of-life road until I lost complete control and struck a tree.

Within moments, our car was filled with steam and the airbags opened. I quickly managed to unfasten my seatbelt, leaned out of the car through my shattered window, and gasped desperately for air, realising the gravity of my mistake. Two of my friends and I managed to set ourselves free, but we suddenly realised that one of us was missing. My friend, Ella, who sat next to me, was unconscious, with blood dripping down her head like drops of sweat, and her legs jammed between the seat and deformed airbag.

In the midst of my adrenaline reverie, I failed to foresee the danger lurking ahead. My heart pounded and my mind raced, and in that moment a sudden epiphany struck me that empty space did not equate to empty consequences. My reckless over-speeding had led us to this harrowing moment of self-inflicted chaos, and, most importantly, Ella’s life was at stake and something had to be done. The realisation that there was no signal at all, which meant that no means of calling for help, hit me like a sledgehammer. The consequences of my action were painfully clear.

Tears began to roll down my cheeks for never had I ever felt so helpless. Fortuitously, a passing motorist stopped to lend a hand. He owned a satellite phone that allowed us to summon medical assistance. Thankfully, no life was lost, we escaped with injuries that served as a reminder that empty places are not exempted from the law of the consequences of reckless choices.

The haunting consequences of my carefree attitude filled me with a sen­se of awareness and responsibility that I would carry alongside me forever.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 27th, 2024