It was a sweltering summer when the engine of Paul's old sedan sputtered and died. "Not today," Paul and his friends said with a grim face. The group of friends were driving to a music festival, in their twenties, all dressed in white and black outfits when their car careened off the road and crashed into a small ditch which broke the car's wheels. Paul had told them he trusted the strength of the wheels, but looking at how broken it was, there was no hope it could be fixed before the festival was over

Soon the reality of their situation sank into them, they had no phone to reach for help. "We are stranded" Gad, the youngest of them muttered. Their panic gave way to frustration, then resignation. The group trudged up the highway searching for a solution that seemed increasingly elusive. They sat by the roadside talking about their old days and laughing, hoping it will help them forget the disaster they've found themselves in.

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As the night began to fall, silence broke in, they stared at each other as if expecting the other to profind a solution. They couldn't believe they did not attend the festival they've prepared for, but at that moment, a way to reach home was their priority. When all hope seemed to have lost, a lone truck rumbled into their view. The driver, a grizzled old mechanic, took one look at the wreckage and shook his head,
"You boys are lucky I came along, the car is not going anywhere" he said, his eyes scanning through the broken wheels of their car.

"I can help drag the car to the garage" he told them and asked them to jump into the truck. Over cooled beer and a hearty meal, the old grizzled mechanic regaled them with tales of his own misfortune. They huddled together sharing stories and laughing. As they hit the road, the group realized that sometimes it takes a breakdown to discover the beauty of the journey.
"It wasn't a bad day entirely," Gad commented.
"Now we know better not to use cheap wheels" One of the boys commented and they all burst into laughter.

This is in response to the Pic1000 contest by freewritehouse. Everyone is invited to participate