Bison

[Toby Tucker Hecht]

The truck driver had no inkling that the bison escaped until he pulled into a gas station a mile up the road and noticed that he’d forgotten to lock the tailgate. At that point, all he could do was to backtrack and move up and down the lanes of the village trying to figure where that half-ton shaggy beast might have meandered.

It had, in fact, wandered into the midst of a backyard garden wedding where both the bride, decked out in a strapless silk gown and veil of the palest cream, and the groom, wearing a charcoal cutaway tuxedo, looked nervous as the minister began the service. On seeing the bison enter the garden, the guests jumped up from their folding chairs, and ran to the house in horror.

The bride decided that this was an omen, that she and her intended were not at all meant to be, and locked herself into the first floor bathroom while the groom made an attempt—although half-hearted—to reason with her through the door. One guest, however, a middle-aged woman who had never known romance, saw the appearance of the bison in a more propitious light: if this one-in-a-million incident could happen, love was still possible.

[Laura Smith]

Never would have thought to put those two events together. Crazy awesome.

[Teresa]

Great story! 

[Toby Tucker Hecht]

About a decade ago, I read in our local newpaper that a bison escaped from the back of a truck and there was some havoc and a traffic tie-up until the truckdriver could get him back on board.  I've been thinking about that incident all these years and it came to me that I needed to use it in a story.  Thank you all for your comments.

[Angela]

All in the way you look at it, huh?  This is such an extraordinary scene.  Fun six.

[Jeanette Cheezum]

Great picture.

[Gloria Watts]

Romantic  - now maybe develop it, it being so able to become a longer story.

[Cita]

Oooohhh.... You are a ROMANTIC at heart!

[Simon Halliday]

Lots of elements that might be intended for magical realism or just plain old absurdity.

You see, this is the kind of quickie, an idea, that almost begs to be taken to a novel, a screenplay, perhaps even just one of those sidebar vignettes in Family Guy (actually, thinking about it, a bison wandering into a wedding does pretty much have that Quahog RI thing to it) ... yup, definitely a screenplay.

[Gita]

This has the air of a fable, which is one of the best forms of storytelling. Lo-lo-love it.

[Joey Delgado]

Brava, Toby! Really enjoy the positivity and romance of the last sentence. You can expand the middle-aged woman's story from that day on. I'd be curious to see what happens to her. :)