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Description

Trip to the Beach.

Part One – The Old Path.

By Foxcarrots

         The dark blue minivan moved through the dirt roads, surrounded by trees and brush on either side. It was the kind of road that few used and no one for some time had tread upon.

    “Were lost mom.” Jenny said from the back seat. She was a slim twenty-year-old woman with short brown hair tied into a tight ponytail. She wore a tight black one-piece swimsuit and a pair of grey shorts. She leaned forward to where her mother Nancy was driving. Nancy was an older woman but looked much younger than her age. She had curly dirty blonde hair to her shoulders, wore a violet t shirt and simple black khakis. She looked around nervously at the terrain. I know that this road links back up to the main road. We used to pick blackberries around here when we were kids.

    “Yeah but you haven’t driven it in years mom.” Emily said from the passenger side. She was a lanky girl in her mid twenties with auburn red hair that framed her face. She wore a simple pink tank top and a flower embroiled summer skirt. “There’s probably a hundred such paths through here, how can you be sure you got the right one.”

    “I’m just happy to be out here.” Another girl said from the back seat next to Jenny. Her name was Erica. She was a round faced girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a turquoise t shirt and white shorts. “After how much stress Jenny and I have been through in college this is a nice escape.”

    “How would you call a day like today nice?” Emily asked. “We drive out to a beach that is supposed to be this perfect place and we get there to find it crowded with tourists and stinking of dead fish. We didn’t even get to go into the water and some creepy person stole our shoes and socks.”

    “I don’t mind going barefoot.” Jenny commented. “It was a fun adventure either way.”

    “You never worry about anything do you?” Emily snapped. “That is your problem.”

    “Well you worry entirely too much!” Jenny returned. “Maybe that is why you are so stressed out all of the time!’

    “Girls!” Nancy snapped. “No one is annoyed with how things are going here than me. I’m tired and I’m hungry and must have stepped in something sticky. It feels like there’s bubble gum on the pedals. However, even with all that I am just happy to have my girl’s home…and Erica.”

    “Thanks Mrs. G.” Erica commented.

    “This place used to be such a wonderful place to visit.” Nancy continued. “But now there’s so many people at the lake its so hard to even get in and out. These old car paths used to be well maintained but I don’t think anyone uses them much anymore.”

    “Are we even sure this is a car path?” Emily asked as she crossed her arms.

    “I am sure.” Nancy retorted. “At least relatively so.”

    As if to beg to the contrary the car slid in the dirt, causing the car to slide to a stop in the middle of a small clearing. Nancy gave the car more gas but the wheels just started to spin. All of the passengers began to shout advice, faster, slower, turn the wheel but it all ended up in the wheels spinning more and more and sinking into the loose mud and sand under it.

    Nancy stopped the van and sighed, the days stress clearly getting to her.

    “We’ll take a look!” Jenny said as she and Erica hopped out of the van. As they walked around the front Emily joined them, her arms still tightly crossed.

    “Turn the wheels to the right and give it some gas.” Erica called out to Nancy, who complied but only managed to dig the front wheels in more and separated mud around.

    “Yeah, were pretty stuck.” Jenny said as she crouched down. “You better come out and take a look.” Nancy shut down the engine but didn’t come to join the others at the front of the van.

    “Mom?” Emily said as she walked to the front with Jenny. “You coming out?”

    “Ummmm.” Nancy said, her voice confused. “I can’t.”

    “Are you ok Mrs. G?” Erica asked as she walked over to the driver’s side door. “Did you hurt yourself?”

    “No, it’s not that.” Nancy answered in an embarrassed tone. “I’m just stuck.”

    “Did she just say she was stuck?” Emily asked.

    “What are you stuck with?” Erica said as she opened the door. Nancy was still in the seat, seatbelt off with her arms at her sides. Jenny examined her, trying to find what was trapping her. “I don’t see anything.”

    Nancy hung her head in embarrassment and shame. “My feet are stuck to the pedals. I can’t get out of the car.”

    “Well, its probably just gum like you said.” Jenny commented. “Let’s get you free.”

    “How did she manage to step in gum with both feet?” Emily asked in a sarcastic tone.

    “Sounds like some really sticky gum!” Jenny added.

    Erica opened the door as wide as it would go and leaned in, she took hold of Nancy’s foot with one hand on her ankle and the other on her heel. She pulled and though the foot came a bit away from the pedal a substance asserted itself after a few inches. It was orangey yellow, thick, and trailed tightly from the pedal to the bottom of the balls of Nancy’s feet and pads of her toes. With Nancy and Erica’s combined strength the glue locked the stretch at two inches and would not give anymore. No strands broke and it soon snapped the foot tightly back to the pedal.

    “It’s not gum.” Erica sad as she looked back to the others. “It’s glue!”

    “How did you step in glue mom?” Emily asked. “Was there like construction or something?”

    “And why didn’t the sand like cover it up?” Jenny asked.

    “I don’t think she stepped in it.” Erica said as she traced two fingers from Nancy’s heel down the sole of her foot. “There’s absolutely no glue on her heel and arch. It’s only got the balls of her feet and her toes. This glue was on the pedals when she put her feet on them.”

    “How did you not realise there was glue on the pedals when you put your feet on them?” Emily asked.

    “With all I’ve stepped on today I didn’t feel anything.” Nancy commented. “It didn’t feel like there was anything on them and if there was it, I guess I assumed that’s what the pedal feels like. I’ve never driven barefoot before.”

    “Did it stick when you started driving?” Erica asked as she carefully examined Nancy’s other foot to find it similarly stuck to the next pedal.

    “It didn’t.” Nancy explained. “For the first like ten minutes it just felt like rubbery pedal. However, it started to get a little sticky as we went. It was annoying at first, but I could pull my feet free but the last few minutes before we stopped it was getting really sticky.”

    Erica picked up a stick from the ground and prodded at the glue. The stick did not adhere but proved unable to penetrate or harm the glue in any way. Erica stood up and looked to the others. “So, this is definitely glue and someone painted it onto the pedals. The stuff likely starts out wet like paint and has a small phase where it is like rubber before it sets. When Mrs. G put her feet on it the heat and friction reactivated the glue to make it sticky again and not its set and locked to her skin and the pedal.”

    “Who did this?” Emily demanded. “Some sort of sick prank?”

    “Maybe it was the same person who stole out shoes and socks?” Jenny added.”

    “I don’t think this is some conspiracy.” Nancy interjected. “Probably just a kid doing a prank. So how do I get it unstuck?”

    “Well, that is the challenge, isn’t it?” Erica commented. “We don’t really have much.”

    “Ok, lets work together.” Jenny suggested. “Emily, search the car and see if you can find anything that might be of help.”

    “Be careful!” Nancy added. “There might be more glue in the car. Don’t get stuck!”

    Emily made a grossed-out face before retreating to the back of the van to begin her search. Jenny went in the passenger side and climbed over Nancy as Erica readied herself from the driver’s door. Both grabbed a hold of one of Nancy’s ankles and the three women combined their strength. They pulled as hard as the could for close to an hour, changing position, looking for leverage and anything that might add to the pull. However, the glue always locked at two inches and would not allow either feet to get loose.”

    “We can’t break this stuff, not even close.” Nancy said, her face in obvious discomfort. “My skin ripping off would be better than the strain of constant pulling and snapping back.”

    “The glue being loose and rubbery means we cant rip skin or peel it off.” Erica commented. “Even if we were strong enough the car is making it really awkward to pull on her legs.”

    “I got some goo gone!” Emily said as she walked back to the front. The others perked up and eagerly took it and applied it to the glue at Nancy’s feet. However, as much as they scrubbed and applied the goo holding Nancy’s feet to the pedals would not go anywhere.

    “This stuff is having absolutely no effect on the glue.” Erica said with a sigh. “What else did you find?

    Emily leaned back to the back again. “Ummm, not too much. Bottled water, anti freeze, tool kit and a pocket knife.”

    “Ok!” Jenny said as she took a small spade from the tool kit. I am going to see if I can dig the wheel out. Erica, use the knife and start sawing at the glue to see if we can cut her loose. Emily, see if you can use the tools to remove the pedals from the car.”

    All three girls went to work, slaving in the hot sun. Jenny dug and dug at the sandy mud holding the car, it was like clay and seemed to reform around the wheel no matter what she did. Emily examined the car by her mothers’ feet and found that anything that might release the pedals was inside the car and without proper automotive tools there was no way to do anything about the pedals. Erica worked feverishly, sawing at the glue with the pocketknife. But though the knife was quite sharp the glue would simply not cut, nor would it even damage. She switched to other tools in the box, a pair of sheers couldn’t make a dent in the glue, even a small hand jigsaw failed to free Nancy’s feet from the glue.

    “I can barely move in here.” Erica sighed as she got up. “This stuff seriously wont come off.”

    “Those pedals might as well be shackles.” Emily added. “I cant budge them.”

    “I dug up as much as I could.” Jenny aid as she joined the others. “I think its as good as its going to get.”

    “It seems my only hope is to drive out of here while still glued.” Nancy admitted. “Let’s give it a try.”

    For the next hour Nancy fought with the wheel and the pedals, struggling to get the van to move from its muddy prison. The other three were at the back, pushing the car with all they had. They rocked it, pushed, tried every angle possible but the van didn’t budge, the front wheels sinking deeper into the mud, so the undercarriage rested in the mud. Eventually Nancy was forced to shut off the car.

    “Listen.” Nancy began with a sigh. “I’m stuck. You need to get to the road.”

    “We cant just leave you here mom.” Jenny pleaded.

    “You can and you will.” Nancy retorted. “Just bring me the water up to the front and go. It will start to get dark soon and I want you to find the road before the sun goes down.”

    “Shouldn’t one of us stay here with you?” Emily asked.

    “I would feel safer if you three stayed together.” Nancy replied. “Go to the road, flag someone down and get into phone service range to get me some help. You should be able to use your phones once you get past the hills at the very least.”

    “But what about you mom?” Jenny pleaded. “You will be here alone and defenceless?”

    “I can lock the doors.” Nancy commented. “Besides, if a kidnapper comes to get me I literally can’t be kidnapped.”

    “That’s not funny.” Emily commented.

    “Please.” Nancy pleaded. “The sooner you leave the sooner you can find help.”

    Despite not liking it one but the trip knew they had to get help. The car was not going anywhere anytime soon and Nancy was inescapably stuck in it. They brought the water to the front as well as some tools she could use to defend herself. They headed off along the path together, barefoot and alone with only each other for support.

    Nancy sat in the car and began to cry before the futile struggle to free her feet began once again.

-

Description

Trip to the Beach.

Part One – The Old Path.

By Foxcarrots

         The dark blue minivan moved through the dirt roads, surrounded by trees and brush on either side. It was the kind of road that few used and no one for some time had tread upon.

    “Were lost mom.” Jenny said from the back seat. She was a slim twenty-year-old woman with short brown hair tied into a tight ponytail. She wore a tight black one-piece swimsuit and a pair of grey shorts. She leaned forward to where her mother Nancy was driving. Nancy was an older woman but looked much younger than her age. She had curly dirty blonde hair to her shoulders, wore a violet t shirt and simple black khakis. She looked around nervously at the terrain. I know that this road links back up to the main road. We used to pick blackberries around here when we were kids.

    “Yeah but you haven’t driven it in years mom.” Emily said from the passenger side. She was a lanky girl in her mid twenties with auburn red hair that framed her face. She wore a simple pink tank top and a flower embroiled summer skirt. “There’s probably a hundred such paths through here, how can you be sure you got the right one.”

    “I’m just happy to be out here.” Another girl said from the back seat next to Jenny. Her name was Erica. She was a round faced girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a turquoise t shirt and white shorts. “After how much stress Jenny and I have been through in college this is a nice escape.”

    “How would you call a day like today nice?” Emily asked. “We drive out to a beach that is supposed to be this perfect place and we get there to find it crowded with tourists and stinking of dead fish. We didn’t even get to go into the water and some creepy person stole our shoes and socks.”

    “I don’t mind going barefoot.” Jenny commented. “It was a fun adventure either way.”

    “You never worry about anything do you?” Emily snapped. “That is your problem.”

    “Well you worry entirely too much!” Jenny returned. “Maybe that is why you are so stressed out all of the time!’

    “Girls!” Nancy snapped. “No one is annoyed with how things are going here than me. I’m tired and I’m hungry and must have stepped in something sticky. It feels like there’s bubble gum on the pedals. However, even with all that I am just happy to have my girl’s home…and Erica.”

    “Thanks Mrs. G.” Erica commented.

    “This place used to be such a wonderful place to visit.” Nancy continued. “But now there’s so many people at the lake its so hard to even get in and out. These old car paths used to be well maintained but I don’t think anyone uses them much anymore.”

    “Are we even sure this is a car path?” Emily asked as she crossed her arms.

    “I am sure.” Nancy retorted. “At least relatively so.”

    As if to beg to the contrary the car slid in the dirt, causing the car to slide to a stop in the middle of a small clearing. Nancy gave the car more gas but the wheels just started to spin. All of the passengers began to shout advice, faster, slower, turn the wheel but it all ended up in the wheels spinning more and more and sinking into the loose mud and sand under it.

    Nancy stopped the van and sighed, the days stress clearly getting to her.

    “We’ll take a look!” Jenny said as she and Erica hopped out of the van. As they walked around the front Emily joined them, her arms still tightly crossed.

    “Turn the wheels to the right and give it some gas.” Erica called out to Nancy, who complied but only managed to dig the front wheels in more and separated mud around.

    “Yeah, were pretty stuck.” Jenny said as she crouched down. “You better come out and take a look.” Nancy shut down the engine but didn’t come to join the others at the front of the van.

    “Mom?” Emily said as she walked to the front with Jenny. “You coming out?”

    “Ummmm.” Nancy said, her voice confused. “I can’t.”

    “Are you ok Mrs. G?” Erica asked as she walked over to the driver’s side door. “Did you hurt yourself?”

    “No, it’s not that.” Nancy answered in an embarrassed tone. “I’m just stuck.”

    “Did she just say she was stuck?” Emily asked.

    “What are you stuck with?” Erica said as she opened the door. Nancy was still in the seat, seatbelt off with her arms at her sides. Jenny examined her, trying to find what was trapping her. “I don’t see anything.”

    Nancy hung her head in embarrassment and shame. “My feet are stuck to the pedals. I can’t get out of the car.”

    “Well, its probably just gum like you said.” Jenny commented. “Let’s get you free.”

    “How did she manage to step in gum with both feet?” Emily asked in a sarcastic tone.

    “Sounds like some really sticky gum!” Jenny added.

    Erica opened the door as wide as it would go and leaned in, she took hold of Nancy’s foot with one hand on her ankle and the other on her heel. She pulled and though the foot came a bit away from the pedal a substance asserted itself after a few inches. It was orangey yellow, thick, and trailed tightly from the pedal to the bottom of the balls of Nancy’s feet and pads of her toes. With Nancy and Erica’s combined strength the glue locked the stretch at two inches and would not give anymore. No strands broke and it soon snapped the foot tightly back to the pedal.

    “It’s not gum.” Erica sad as she looked back to the others. “It’s glue!”

    “How did you step in glue mom?” Emily asked. “Was there like construction or something?”

    “And why didn’t the sand like cover it up?” Jenny asked.

    “I don’t think she stepped in it.” Erica said as she traced two fingers from Nancy’s heel down the sole of her foot. “There’s absolutely no glue on her heel and arch. It’s only got the balls of her feet and her toes. This glue was on the pedals when she put her feet on them.”

    “How did you not realise there was glue on the pedals when you put your feet on them?” Emily asked.

    “With all I’ve stepped on today I didn’t feel anything.” Nancy commented. “It didn’t feel like there was anything on them and if there was it, I guess I assumed that’s what the pedal feels like. I’ve never driven barefoot before.”

    “Did it stick when you started driving?” Erica asked as she carefully examined Nancy’s other foot to find it similarly stuck to the next pedal.

    “It didn’t.” Nancy explained. “For the first like ten minutes it just felt like rubbery pedal. However, it started to get a little sticky as we went. It was annoying at first, but I could pull my feet free but the last few minutes before we stopped it was getting really sticky.”

    Erica picked up a stick from the ground and prodded at the glue. The stick did not adhere but proved unable to penetrate or harm the glue in any way. Erica stood up and looked to the others. “So, this is definitely glue and someone painted it onto the pedals. The stuff likely starts out wet like paint and has a small phase where it is like rubber before it sets. When Mrs. G put her feet on it the heat and friction reactivated the glue to make it sticky again and not its set and locked to her skin and the pedal.”

    “Who did this?” Emily demanded. “Some sort of sick prank?”

    “Maybe it was the same person who stole out shoes and socks?” Jenny added.”

    “I don’t think this is some conspiracy.” Nancy interjected. “Probably just a kid doing a prank. So how do I get it unstuck?”

    “Well, that is the challenge, isn’t it?” Erica commented. “We don’t really have much.”

    “Ok, lets work together.” Jenny suggested. “Emily, search the car and see if you can find anything that might be of help.”

    “Be careful!” Nancy added. “There might be more glue in the car. Don’t get stuck!”

    Emily made a grossed-out face before retreating to the back of the van to begin her search. Jenny went in the passenger side and climbed over Nancy as Erica readied herself from the driver’s door. Both grabbed a hold of one of Nancy’s ankles and the three women combined their strength. They pulled as hard as the could for close to an hour, changing position, looking for leverage and anything that might add to the pull. However, the glue always locked at two inches and would not allow either feet to get loose.”

    “We can’t break this stuff, not even close.” Nancy said, her face in obvious discomfort. “My skin ripping off would be better than the strain of constant pulling and snapping back.”

    “The glue being loose and rubbery means we cant rip skin or peel it off.” Erica commented. “Even if we were strong enough the car is making it really awkward to pull on her legs.”

    “I got some goo gone!” Emily said as she walked back to the front. The others perked up and eagerly took it and applied it to the glue at Nancy’s feet. However, as much as they scrubbed and applied the goo holding Nancy’s feet to the pedals would not go anywhere.

    “This stuff is having absolutely no effect on the glue.” Erica said with a sigh. “What else did you find?

    Emily leaned back to the back again. “Ummm, not too much. Bottled water, anti freeze, tool kit and a pocket knife.”

    “Ok!” Jenny said as she took a small spade from the tool kit. I am going to see if I can dig the wheel out. Erica, use the knife and start sawing at the glue to see if we can cut her loose. Emily, see if you can use the tools to remove the pedals from the car.”

    All three girls went to work, slaving in the hot sun. Jenny dug and dug at the sandy mud holding the car, it was like clay and seemed to reform around the wheel no matter what she did. Emily examined the car by her mothers’ feet and found that anything that might release the pedals was inside the car and without proper automotive tools there was no way to do anything about the pedals. Erica worked feverishly, sawing at the glue with the pocketknife. But though the knife was quite sharp the glue would simply not cut, nor would it even damage. She switched to other tools in the box, a pair of sheers couldn’t make a dent in the glue, even a small hand jigsaw failed to free Nancy’s feet from the glue.

    “I can barely move in here.” Erica sighed as she got up. “This stuff seriously wont come off.”

    “Those pedals might as well be shackles.” Emily added. “I cant budge them.”

    “I dug up as much as I could.” Jenny aid as she joined the others. “I think its as good as its going to get.”

    “It seems my only hope is to drive out of here while still glued.” Nancy admitted. “Let’s give it a try.”

    For the next hour Nancy fought with the wheel and the pedals, struggling to get the van to move from its muddy prison. The other three were at the back, pushing the car with all they had. They rocked it, pushed, tried every angle possible but the van didn’t budge, the front wheels sinking deeper into the mud, so the undercarriage rested in the mud. Eventually Nancy was forced to shut off the car.

    “Listen.” Nancy began with a sigh. “I’m stuck. You need to get to the road.”

    “We cant just leave you here mom.” Jenny pleaded.

    “You can and you will.” Nancy retorted. “Just bring me the water up to the front and go. It will start to get dark soon and I want you to find the road before the sun goes down.”

    “Shouldn’t one of us stay here with you?” Emily asked.

    “I would feel safer if you three stayed together.” Nancy replied. “Go to the road, flag someone down and get into phone service range to get me some help. You should be able to use your phones once you get past the hills at the very least.”

    “But what about you mom?” Jenny pleaded. “You will be here alone and defenceless?”

    “I can lock the doors.” Nancy commented. “Besides, if a kidnapper comes to get me I literally can’t be kidnapped.”

    “That’s not funny.” Emily commented.

    “Please.” Nancy pleaded. “The sooner you leave the sooner you can find help.”

    Despite not liking it one but the trip knew they had to get help. The car was not going anywhere anytime soon and Nancy was inescapably stuck in it. They brought the water to the front as well as some tools she could use to defend herself. They headed off along the path together, barefoot and alone with only each other for support.

    Nancy sat in the car and began to cry before the futile struggle to free her feet began once again.

-