Whiteout on Route 89 by L. Chambers

Tragedy strikes when a cab driver becomes more focused on his troubled passenger than the icy road.

To be truly great at certain professions sometimes involves more than just being competent at the labor itself. For instance, that rare doctor who possess good bedside manner, and bartenders who listen and serve free words of wisdom along with your cocktail. Same goes for taxi drivers. The best ones get you to your destination, while offering an ear and their two cents.

Old Reg is one of those drivers. On a fateful winter night, Reg navigates through blustery conditions to get his fare, Edie, safely to her fiancé. He attempts to conversate, but Edie is reluctant. Through the rearview mirror, he observes several things: bruises, tears, and no engagement ring. Kind soul that he is, Reg tries to get Edie to open up.

            REG
You know they say taxi drivers are
like barkeeps and psychologists. Just
as much help only you don’t have pay
through the nose.

After a while, Edie can no longer hold it together. She begins to sob. Reg’s attention becomes more focused on Edie than the road, and he doesn’t see the deer that crosses their path. By the time he does, it’s too late. The road is too icy. Reg loses control and the cab crashes, landing in a ravine. They’re trapped. Reg is badly hurt but his focus remains on Edie as he attempts to keep her calm. Reg is definitely one of the “good ‘uns”. So genuinely kind he’d probably treat Edie the same…even if he knew the truth about her.

Reg and Edie are great characters and offer a wonderful opportunity for actors to showcase their craft. The crash and snow might be a challenge, but by no means impossible to recreate with a little imagination.

About the Writer L. Chambers has been writing all her life – especially in her head, and on scraps of paper. It’s only in the last few years she began to get serious about screen-writing. Prior to this she worked in the Features Department for ABC TV as a Program Assistant, and trained as a FAD. She currently works as a freelance web-content editor and lives with her husband (also a screenwriter) in Sydney, Australia.

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About the Reviewer: Marnie Mitchell-Lister has creative A.D.D. Some of her writing can be read here: BrainFluffs.com. Some of her photography can be seen here: marnzart.wordpress.com.