Many thanks to Jenne Gray and C.E. Ayr for their photo prompt, THE UNICORN CHALLENGE. (06/20/2025). No more than 250 words in length.
Jenna cracked her forehead on the dashboard, and left it there for a count of ten. Side-eying the fool behind the wheel, she pounded her forehead on its sun-hot surface for a beat of five.
“Please just pull over, Gerry.” She raised her head. “We’ve driven around this circuit at least four times. We’ll run out of gas before we even leave the train station lot.”
Gerry blew a raspberry and snarled, “I’m just following the signs. This is more confusing than American roundabouts.”
“See the pointy side of the signs? That look like arrows?”
“Yes. Do you see the words on the top sign? ‘Toutes Directions’?”
“I do.”
“So if I stay on this road, in this lane, it’ll take me in all directions, including the airport, and you can catch your flight back to Minneapolis. Did you notice that the airplane on the lowest sign is pointing in the direction we’ve been going?”
“How’s that been working for you so far?” Jenna raised an eyebrow so high it disappeared under her bangs. Gerry grunted in response.
“Look,” she continued, “Humor me. When we come around to the sign, go straight. Move into the far left lane.”
Eloquent as ever, Gerry grunted. And moved into the far lane.
“See that bridge? I’m dead certain we have to pass under that to leave this parking lot.”
When they’d safely passed under the bridge and seen additional, confirmatory signs for the airport, Jenna vowed she’d never travel with Gerry, ever again.
© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2025)
Valley of the Trolls 
Life’s a circle -er- circus!
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Toutes Directions is just about my favourite sign anywhere.
I always expect to end up in Rome!
I suspect your fun tale might include an element of fact, Liz!
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Just a smidgen!
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fave line: “Eloquent as ever, Gerry grunted.”
damn, talk about your show (hear) not tell! lol
back in the day when business travel was a thing, I’d always hire a car (no Uber back then) just to avoid the stress of access/digress (lol) from airports
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Thanks, Clark!
Wise move to hire a car (and driver!).
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Ha, ha, just giggling… that has happened to me so many times!
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😉😄
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I am afraid of regular roundabouts I cannot even imagine driving here- I would have a panic attack for sure!
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I hate ’em. There’s one near my home that is made up of 3, one after the other that I abhor. They first opened with lousy signage…scary as hell. better now, but people also whip around them like stock car drivers.
(Thanks for letting me rant!)
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I confess to not understanding the US hangup with roundabouts, they are safe and simple.
Except for the one at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which is one of Dante’s Circles of Hell.
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I think all of us can relate to this one!
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(Sigh) Spot on.
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Which brings me to the eternal question – why don’t men like asking for directions? 🤔
Great conversation, so true to life, Liz.
And I love how you show the MC’s frustration at the start – I can just see it…
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😂 (rubs her own. forehead in empathy!)
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We don’t ask for directions because we know where we’re going.
And we know which side is left, right?
And which way is north.
So it’s not that we’re lost, we just haven’t found the right road yet, okay?
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Alrighty, then (edges away & loads the Uber app). 😂😂
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See my response to Violet Lens. Too many people in multiple conjoined roundabouts, driving like Old Nic’s behind the wheel, cloven hoof bending the metal pedal.
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