Scene Description:

It’s 1974. The rain has just stopped. In a crowded elementary school parking lot filled with station wagons and sedans, a worn-out, rust-speckled 1960s Oldsmobile sits slightly crooked near the curb. Kids are pouring out of the school. Parents are chatting by their cars. In the middle of it all, the mother sits behind the wheel of her stalled car, her face tilted down, hand turning the ignition again and again, the engine failing to catch. In the back seat, her two kids sit silently. Other parents glance over, some with sympathy, others with judgment. A teacher crossing the lot hesitates mid-stride, watching her. The hazard lights blink. The moment is heavy.

1st Place

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