Paradoxically Yours...

The Bells were Ringing...

(prompt: 'sound' 12/5/2017)

"Dang, Dang, Dang, Dang, Dang, Dang." The metallic warning bells were loud, momentarily striking fear into his heart with their unexpected warning. Simultaneously, Here? Now? questions clamoured in his inner ear. He jammed on the brakes, standing on the pedal for the fastest possible stop. He was able to hold a reasonable forward path, and keep the bike from an uncontrolled slide along the wet, shining roadway.

Kanute shook his helmeted head in disbelief at how close he'd come to the car that shot out from a small side street to his left. Shot out as if fired from a cannon, engine roaring, the reckless action clearly showing the driver's total oblivion to the deadly accident he'd so narrowly avoided.

Later, Kanute would wonder about that 'total oblivion'. Way back in those days, an overdose of alcohol was the most likely culprit - and when Kanute had time to examine every step of that terrifyingly near-miss situation, a memory returned of some pretty wild over-compensation from the screeching turn into the main road.

Later, he would have nightmares about the alternative outcome. All too fresh was the memory of another 'bikie' mate who came off second-best in another horrific situation where a semi-trailer ran a red light. Kanute's mate had tried his best, deliberately lying his bike down on its side in the slimmest of hopes he would slide clear beneath the high chassis - and between the huge sets of wheels. Against all odds, he'd succeeded. But on the other side he impacted with the gutter, feet first. The severest spinal injuries incredibly didn't take his life - but did leave him a quadriplegic - his magnificent brain intact - his body useless, from the neck down. "Saved by the bells," Kanute whispered to himself more than once when the darkest of imaginings clouded rational thinking.

It was some time before he could face going to the exact spot of his brush with Destiny. Even in the daylight he couldn't stop a shudder passing through his body. 'Someone just walked over my grave' were the common words used to describe this feeling. Strange words really, he thought. Don't make any kind of sense - and yet... And he had to admit, those words had that same chilling feeling as the cold hand gripping his heart. Taking a deep breath and a stronger grip on his feelings, he looked about him for those warning lights for - which one? The railway crossing - or the tram crossing?

To his surprise - the place of his near-accident was halfway between both - a distance of a couple of miles - too far to have heard either! Abruptly he remembered his first thoughts after hearing them that ill-fated night - Here? Now? - and realised some sixth sense had known exactly where he was on that main road, and how he couldn't possibly have heard the real bells.

He squirmed somewhat uncomfortably, this modern, young man-about-town. Sixth sense, gut-feelings, Guardian Angels even? With bells? Hmmm...