Excerpt: The Emerald Tablet.

The Mustang fish-tailed to a screeching halt a few inches from the curb, perfectly centered between the two lines delineating the parking space.

“How’d I do?” JD asked nonchalantly, flipping her strawberry blonde hair away from her face and releasing her seat belt. The driving instructor in the passenger seat, Mr. Twindle, inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly warding off hyperventilation. His chubby face, framed by a bad comb-over, was ashen. His fists were clenched to the edges of the clipboard in his lap like a drowning man grasping a life preserver ring.

“That… that…was terrifying!” he finally managed to gasp.

“Yeah, but did I pass?” JD asked innocently. “It was a defensive driving test, right? I think I can defend myself better than most.”

“Miss… ah,” he glanced at the clipboard to get the name right, “Van Doren. I think you misunderstand the spirit of the test. You’re supposed to be learning to stay out of trouble on the road, not overwhelm it with shear aggression.”

“Best defense is a good offense, I always say,” she answered brightly. “So, did I pass, or what?”

“Well,” he considered the clipboard again. “Your written test was perfect, one hundred percent.”

“Excellent!” she beamed.

“As to the driving test… it normally takes about 20 minutes. You finished it in less than five.”

“Yes! Is that a record?”

“We don’t keep records for speed, Miss Van Doren,” he said dryly.

“Oh. What about accuracy then?”

“Well, it happened so fast…” He scanned the clipboard again. “I didn’t get a chance to make any notes. I don’t remember you hitting any pylons…”

“Nope. I got through clean. I bet I can shave a few seconds off though. You want to try again? You can take notes this time.”

“No!” he shouted, then took a deep breath to regain his composure. “What I mean is, I don’t believe that will be necessary. Congratulations Miss Van Doren, you have completed the requirements of the court and the reckless driving citation will be expunged from your record.”