Marble Figures at the Roadside

My family and I were on a road trip, laughing and singing, when the sky suddenly went gray.

Out of nowhere, these figures appeared by the side of the road. Tall,

still, made entirely of marble. We slowed down, staring,

and they didn’t move—not even a blink. Then, without warning…

every traffic light turned red, every car stopped. Just us. I laughed nervously,

thinking it was a trick of the light until one of them stepped onto the road.

Its eyes carved but somehow alive locked on me. And