There's no sound quite like that of two cars coming together. Metal colliding with metal - an unnatural collision of natural elements. Car crashes have been circling my orbit of late. I came across this debris of some sort of mishap one day then my mom told me of a serious crash that she witnessed, which left my sister very shaken. Coming home from the train the next evening, I heard that sickening crunch and was puzzled at the source of it until I saw the shock on the face of a fellow commuter who had witnessed it. Her expression froze into a mask of anxiety. Then I saw the aftermath. A minor collision but a puzzling one. One car had turned completely into the path of another. "That's the stupidest shit I ever saw!" a woman yelled out unhelpfully. Gawkers hesitated and gathered around the scene. Everyone seemed okay. Someone called the police and I walked on. I've never been in a serious accident (knock dashboard wood) or really witnessed one up close. I think the shock comes from being thrust from a place of comfort and security into a sudden abyss of violence and danger without warning. What we had taken for granted was a normal activity gets exposed for what it is - a leap of faith. The safer cars get, the thicker that bubble of protection around us seems. All it takes is another car going 70 miles an hour veering into our lane for a split second for hearts to race into our throats like a rocket to pierce that bubble.