My story: “Welcome to the Bend!” Proclaimed a dusty street sign that was way too heavy for its own good. The giant sign was covered in hundreds of sparkling lights and decoration, while the straining pole holding it up seemed to have a lot less faith in itself than the sign did. Moth mouthed the words and rolled his eyes. The road they had been driving on was so flat and straight that the single bend in the road was considered a major tourist attraction. “What's so special about the bend?” Moth asked the man next to her, the great and glorious Yylo, (or so he said, he was a retired magician). Yylo was her uncle, and he had a tedious trick involving paperclips and a 5 dollar bill, a reputation as a madman almost anywhere you went, and not much else. Nevertheless, she had been “fortunate” enough to “travel the world in his company”, meaning cheapskate road trip in a beat up second hand van. And no hotels, because Yylo “didn’t trust receptionists”. “Well, there's a story there you know…” he winked and grinned. “You see, when they were building the old road back in the 1700s, and the road workers had built half the way into the desert, when they stopped.” Moth groaned. “Why’d they stop?” “Because, the poor pavement placers had arrived at the scene of a big, bad and bloody battle. Their road came right up to the very spot where the two sides had picked to clash, and they didn’t look as though they’d be finishing up any time soon, least not until their deadline. And most builders in this situation would have given up right there and then, but these road workers, led by Martin Dove, built in the only way they could…” “You're kidding me.” Moth groaned again. “No, I kid you not, they built right around the battlefield and kept going, and now there's a museum at the loop where it happened and there's a statue of old Martin Dove at the nearest town from here.” Yylo grinned. “And thus, the Bend is born! Would you like to stop and have a look?” Moth groaned for the third time, then realised that if she didn’t get out she would go as crazy as Yylo and the Bend was the last rest area for the rest of the long road. So she nodded, and Yylo nodded back, and they pulled up at the Bend Cafe. “It’ll be fun! They know me here you know!” said Yylo when he saw Moth’s expression. They were greeted by a lady dressed as what Moth assumed a road worker would have looked like in the 1700s. “Welcome to the Bend! First time?” she asked. “No, actually, I’ve been here, what, 6 times now? Replied Yylo grandly. “I always make sure to stop here whenever I drive down old Hector’s Highway, your pies are like magic! And I should know, I’m a magician!” “A magician who retired after only 6 performances” muttered Moth, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear. The lady looked surprised that anyone would come here more than once, but she thanked Yylo and handed him a map of the small town. “No need!” boomed Yylo, to the embarrassment of Moth. “I know this place like it grew on the back of my hand!” Moth made him take the map then dragged him into the cafe. Yylo ordered a pie and asked if Moth wanted an icecream, even though it was freezing. After their meal, they walked out together and Yylo pointed out the statue of Martin Dove, with considerable smugness. Moth guessed he didn’t get to be right very much. “Do you want to get back in the car soon?” asked Yylo. Moth scanned the area for anything to delay the trip for any longer. She didn’t think she could stand another hour sweating in Yylo’s smelly van. “Can I go there first?” she pointed at a tiny department store. “Perhaps.” Yylo grinned in his annoying way. “I’ll go to the real shop, (he pointed to a supermarket by the petrol station) and we’ll buy each other something”. They each walked over to their choice store. Moth realised she was heading to the only building in the area that wasn’t crammed with tourists. The Bend Convenience Store was a rickety wooden mess just one plaque short of a historic attraction. A notice on the shop told anyone who cared that it had been established over 300 years ago, and a newer sign (but just as dirty) advertised a Christmas sale that probably ended in the 1950s.
it's short, but it's an excerpt from a full story I'm working on :)
