Burst: A Six Sentence Story

It was as summer as summer could be that Saturday morning, with the temperature hovering near 100 degrees already and it wasn't even noon, but there were errands to be run, and Mitch's wife needed sleep after she was up with the baby for much of the night, so with five year old Alex in tow, Mitch stepped into the hot, steamy west Texas morning and headed to the car.

They stopped at the pharmacy, picked up clothes from the dry cleaners, dropped of packages for shipping, and returned books to the library, and Alex was such a good sport throughout all stops and being unbuckled and rebuckled into his booster seat over and over, that Mitch let him pick out a can of soda from the gas station that he could have all to himself when they got home for lunch, and Alex placed his prize securely in a cupholder in the front seat before climbing back to his booster seat, keeping a watchful eye on the shiny can as they finished their errands.

Their last stop was at their neighbor Sam's house to drop off a baking dish; Sam's wife took the dish into the house after inquiring about the new baby, but Sam remained on the front step, he and Mitch talking about baseball and fishing and the best way to smoke a brisket while Alex amused himself with a pile of rocks next to the driveway, his cheeks red and his head sweaty. While the two men discussed the pros and cons of hickory versus applewood, Alex, hot and bored, got up and peered longingly through the car window at his can of soda, wishing he could drink it up now, when he called excitedly, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, my soda is SO BIG!"

"I'll be right there, buddy," began Mitch, but Alex, jumping up and down, cried, "Hurry, Daddy, it's getting round!" 

The two men exchanged a puzzled glance, then moved towards the driveway and the parked car just in time to witness the burst of hot soda spraying out of the heat-swollen can, spattering the windows and dripping from the ceiling as Alex's face fell and he burst into tears.