Wheels and Words in the Woods
Roy pedaled steadily through the winding forest trail, his muscles working in rhythm with the soft hum of rubber on packed dirt. Sunlight flickered through the trees above, dappling the path ahead in shifting patches of gold. Seated snugly in a front-mounted baby seat was his son, **Quintaveous**—barely a year old, with big brown eyes, a mop of curly black hair, and the calm presence of someone who trusted completely in the strength and rhythm of his father's movements.
The two were alone in the woods, save for birdsong and the occasional rustle of leaves. Roy had taken the day off—he needed the break. Lately, the city had felt more suffocating than usual. Drivers honking as he biked to work, people grumbling when he passed too close, a woman once even yelling at him to "buy a car like a normal person." Today, the trees were kinder. No horns. No glares.
As he rounded a bend, Roy braked sharply. Ahead on the trail stood two people—one tall man in athleisure gear and aviators, and a blonde woman in leggings and an immaculate white hoodie. They paused, startled, as Roy came to a halt a few feet away.
"Hey!" the man said, stepping aside. "Didn’t hear you coming."
Roy exhaled, nodding. "Sorry about that. Trail's a little narrow through here."
"All good," said the man, offering a hand. "Tom."
Roy shook it. "Roy."
The woman smiled briefly. "Hope," she said, before glancing down at **Quintaveous**. "Cute kid."
"Thanks," Roy said, pride flashing across his face. "He loves being out here. Better than trying to share the road with impatient drivers all day."
Tom chuckled. "Yeah, city drivers are brutal. I gave up biking years ago."
Roy shook his head. "It’s insane. People act like you’re in the way just for existing. They’ll brush past you at 40 miles per hour and act like *you’re* the problem. I’ve had mirrors clipped. Yelled at. Once, a guy threw a soda at me—for being in the bike lane."
Hope crossed her arms. "Maybe you're just biking in the wrong places. You could always use the damn sidewalk."
Roy’s brows lifted, caught off guard. "The sidewalk? You know that’s illegal in half the city, right? And dangerous? People walk with strollers, dogs—"
"Well," Hope interrupted, "maybe you'd get fewer sodas thrown at you."
Tom raised his hands. "Whoa, hey, everyone breathe. We’re in the woods. Let’s all pretend to be relaxed humans for five minutes."
Roy looked at him, then at Hope, who was already checking her phone. **Quintaveous** cooed softly, eyes following a bird flitting past.
"Relaxed humans," Roy echoed, a little bitterly. "Right."
He took a deep breath, clipped his helmet tighter, and eased his bike forward. "C’mon, **Quintaveous**. Let’s find a world where sidewalks aren’t the only safe place for us."
As they rolled past, Tom gave a sheepish wave. Hope said nothing.
Roy didn’t look back. The forest welcomed them again, its silence more honest than any sidewalk.