THE NEW AGE CAR

They all worked quietly, still producing a lot of low sound around the automotive industry. Peter stood before the radiator supports, fixing the last parts of the ‘new age’ car. The car was named ‘Falcon Ranger’, an automobile, which was in progress to hit the roads for almost a year.

  “It’s done!” Dean exclaimed. “All the parts are now on!”

  Frank, the CEO of the company, walked around the car with a suspicious look on his face. Everyone held their breaths. No one wanted to hear ‘something’s missing’ from Frank’s mouth. And much to everyone’s satisfaction, Frank announced, “I think you are right. We just need to run the car and see how it goes!”

  Cheers erupted in the hall. “Hurry!” someone roared from the corner. “One-year hard work to finally hit the roads!” The volume of the cheers grew louder and came to an abrupt stop after a few seconds. All the mechanics shifted around the car, checking for final necessities.

  “All set,” Frank said after a few dozen minutes. “It’s time we move the car out of the place.”

  One by one, the stands of the car were removed along with the protection sheets. Peter and Dean together pulled off the final stand below the back tires. “Done,” Dean said. “Let’s push the car out, Peter.”

  Peter nodded. He didn’t like talking much, anyway. Slowly and gradually, the mechanics pushed the car out, not letting it get away from their hands as the ground was a bit steep in the place.

  “We have to stop,” someone suddenly said. “This can’t get out.”

  Dean looked up to the man with a puzzled face. “Why?”

  “Because the egress to get the car out is too low.”

  All the mechs turned their confused faces to the doorway. It was then when Peter realized the way out was low, probably an inch low. The car was almost certain to hit its top if it went any further. And if that did happen, it was just damage to the car itself.

  Nobody spoke for a few moments. None of them knew what to do. There was only one way out, which was from where everyone came in and went out. Suddenly someone offered, “I think we need to cut the top opening of the door.”

  Murmurs began in the room. Frank, who was standing with his hand rubbing his chin, spoke, “That’s not possible. The wall’s made with Sturdy Steel. It is almost unbreakable.”

  Everyone stopped pacing. “How about detaching the top of the car,” Dean suggested. “That’s our only option left.”

  The whole room groaned at once. “We took a week to make it!” someone yelled. “That looks easy for you!”

  Dean sighed and shrugged at the same time. One and all remained quiet. None of the fifty engineers knew how to solve this simple yet complex snag. They didn’t want to waste their one-year work just for an inch!

Time ran faster than lightning. But a solution wasn’t coming up. All the men settled down on the tables, not knowing what to do. After almost an hour of no result for the problem, few suggested bringing someone else from outside to resolve this issue.

  Frank almost agreed to it when Peter, who’d been sitting quietly for the past dozen minutes, hollered, “I think I’ve got it. A simple solution!”

  A few turned their faces to Peter, while others groaned as people shouting dumb solutions had been going on for the past one hour. But Peter didn’t get back with that. He walked confidently towards the car, a screwdriver in hand.

  It took him just a few seconds to puncture the first tire, and he did the same with the other three tires. “Done,” he said with a grin. Others watched in astonishment. The car was now an inch lower than before, smooth enough for it to get out. Together they pushed the car out of the working industry. An artless strategy turned out to be better than complex brains!

Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of my imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental. || Contents of this story should not be reproduced in any manner without permission.