Lynn Combs

Some journeys aren’t about where you’re going—they’re about what you’re leaving behind.

Jack Callahan has lived a long life—but not a quiet one. Now seventy-four, sick, and running out of time, he’s got one final thing left to do.

In his driveway sits the fully restored motorcycle his brother once handed down to him after purchasing a new one for himself—a well-loved machine that carried them across the country on a road trip for two, one unforgettable summer, in a blur of wind, laughter, and freedom.

Despite his daughter’s fears, Jack sets out alone for one last ride—a farewell to his brother, his youth, and the life he refuses to let slip away quietly. With the sun on his back and the wind in his lungs, the miles roll beneath him and the past returns in flashes of memory, love, and loss. And as the years fall away with every passing mile, Jack discovers that the end of the road isn’t about dying—it’s about remembering how to live.

This Story took First Place in the Flash Fiction Contest at the 2025 OCW (Ozarks Creative Writers) Conference.