Ghost

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Tim's dead cousin haunts him for closure.
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The call caught everyone by surprise, but Tim seemed to have taken the news of his cousin Jacob's un-expected passing especially hard. Tim was only five or so years older than Jacob and the two had been more like brothers for much of their lives. Both had similar interests (fast cars chief among them), racing and just in general having a good time together.

A year ago Jacob moved to New Orleans to attend a University and that's when he had begun to grow apart from Tim and the rest of their family. Mainly because of the distance and being wrapped-up with his studies but they also knew Jacob had a girlfriend there though no one had ever met her, the suspicion in the family was that she was somehow involved Jacob's disappearance. His body had washed ashore of Lake Maurepas, just outside of New Orleans. His car, a year-old Dodge Challenger was found parked several miles away at a scenic overlook on the bank of the same lake.

Jacob's car was what Tim could not get out of his mind, nor could he get it out of his life. His Aunt and Uncle knowing how close the two had been called Tim a few days after the funeral to tell him they were having Jacob's car delivered to his house, they said Jacob would have wanted him to have it and they certainly didn't want it. Money never had been much of an object for them; in fact the car had been a gift from them for Jacob when he moved to New Orleans. It was a great car, had a big Hemi V8 engine and a supercharger. Whatever had happened to Jacob obviously hadn't hurt his car since it was found without a scratch on it and it had been delivered to Tim address in much the same shape. Three weeks ago.

The car was like a scab and Tim didn't want to deal with it so it sat like an un-welcome neighbors dog at the end of his driveway right where the flatbed had dropped it off at. The keys were still on the hall table, just inside his front door. His neighbors, knowing Tim's penchant for fast cars assumed he'd bought it. Curious, one looked in the windows when he noticed it was un-locked. He told Tim who un-interestedly clicked the lock button on the car's remote from his house, the car chirped its horn obediently and flashed its lights.

Black cars get dirty fast, especially when the neighbors sprinklers hit them daily, and the nightly dew is left to dry on them. Tim could barely stand the sight of the car. His wife Kelly didn't understand it and had been trying to get Tim to drive it, or at least move it farther up the driveway. Each time Kelly tried to broach the subject Tim would tell her flatly "no" or just ignore her altogether.

Something Tim would tell no one about though was the dreams. They had been vivid since just before news of Jacob's death had reached the family. It was always the same Tim would wake in his bedroom to see Jacob sitting in a chair across from the bed just staring at him mouthing words he couldn't hear. It was the same dream every night.

The dreams were haunting Tim to the point where he barely spoke at work, or even to his friends. He just tried to figure-out what they meant. Try as he could though he couldn't get the dream out of his head. John, his boss and one of his best friends had noticed his change and suggested he take some time off. Tim told him he was fine but John wouldn't be swayed and told Tim he had the coming week off. Longer if he wanted it. It wasn't an option.

That night the dream was more real than before, this time he awoke in the dream to Jacob shaking him. Spooked to his core Tim leapt out of bed, threw some clothes in a duffle bag and charged though the house looking for the keys to the Challenger. Finally he found them on the floor under the table in the hall. The dreams had to have something to do about the car. Tim had only driven the car once or twice before his cousin left for New Orleans. He fumbled with the key fob and finally got the trunk to open he dropped the bag in than fell into the driver's seat, turned the key and the large engine came to life, his driveway now illuminated by the car's headlights.

Kelly woke-up when she heard Tim riffling through the closet mumbling something incoherent. This behavior was quite different from the way her husband normally acted. She tried to ask him what was going on, he just said he needed to clear his head then asked where the keys to the Challenger were. "Are you taking a trip?" She asked incredusliy "I don't know, I just know I need to get on the road." was his response. "I'll call when I get things sorted-out." Kelley wept openly, "Just don't do anything stupid!" She pleaded. "Tim smiled, held her face with one hand then kissed her. "You worry too much. I'll be fine." With that Tim walked out the door to the idling car in the driveway.

Tim headed east, pointing the car towards the desert. An hour later the sun was just beginning to rise as the car sped along I-10 just outside of Palm Springs, the large windmills lazily turning in the early morning breeze. Tim had no idea what he was looking for, where it was or what he would do when he found it but at least being awake and driving he could stay away from the dreams.

Tim spent a day and half on the road before coming to rest at a no-name Motel on the outskirts of Houston, TX. Tired was a day ago, he was now beyond tired. Nothing made sense anymore. He stopped for the night at a small Motel, there he showered than fell onto the hard bed. He didn't care if the dream returned anymore he needed sleep, his body was on the verge of a complete breakdown.

The dream was back. This time Jacob was more animated than ever pointing and waving his arms like he was trying to describe something Tim awoke in a cold sweat yelling at no one and strangling a pillow. He looked around the dark room. He was alone, awake, alone and more confused than ever.

Tim got-up, walked around the dark room and stared out the window at the car and the highway beyond it. He lit a cigarette, one in a pack he'd found earlier in the center console of the car and took a drag looking down at the parking lot and at the lights gliding past on the highway beyond it. This trip was stupid, he didn't know what he had been hoping to find but he doubted that it would show-up. The dreams were getting worse. Was he going insane? What was Jacob trying to tell him. Tim finally returned to bed and fell asleep. The dream with Jacob also re-appeared, this time with his cousin sitting in a chair across the room looking cross. Tim didn't care. Whatever he wanted he couldn't help him. First thing in the morning he was heading back west, back to his life. Therapy and drugs would be the tools he'd use to rid his dreams of his cousin.

Dodge cars have never been known as the great harbingers of reliability, and this year-old Challenger was proving no different. The dome lights had stayed on all night at the Motel and run the battery dead, requiring a jump. Than a few miles out of town Tim picked-up a nail and got a flat tire, loosing two hours at a tire store having it fixed. "Fine, we'll go east" he said to no one as he slammed the door and drove out the parking lot for the tire store.

The next night found him in Beaumont, Texas. The dream was more vivid than ever this night. He could hear a muffled voice which sounded like his cousin's "New Orleans" was all he could make out. Easy enough, he'd be there in another four hours of driving. The next day the car idled down Bourbon Street. Despite the fact that Mardi Gras wasn't for months the street was packed with people, just a sea of humanity he had to steer the car through barely able to make out the one in front of his. He looked for a place to sleep but now he could hear his cousin's voice clearly in his head, he was calling-out street names and directions, Tim was following them out of frustration, convinced that he was sliding deeper into insanity wondering where he'd end-up.

He was on the outskirts of the city now the streets were dead, the bright headlights illuminating the dark night when all of a sudden the car stalled, Tim steered the dead car to the shoulder. This was too much for Tim he threw the door open and got out of the dead car, roughly kicking it closed behind him which knocked the key fob out of the ignition and for some reason, set the alarm, locking the doors and his cell phone, wallet and jacket inside. And of course now it was raining. Tim stood on the side of the road getting soaked by the rain then walked around under a picnic shelter. He'd wait for the rain to stop than he'd begin the long walk to try and find someone to tow the car.

He sat on a picnic bench, listening to the rain pound the aluminum roof above him. Now he saw another figure, a girl about his age, obviously another ghost, this one was silent and looked very forlorn. She was dressed plainly in jeans and a pink top. She just sat there on an adjacent bench looking out over the water. Now Jacob's ghost walked into view, instantly the girl jumped-up and the two embraced. Jacob rubbed his eyes to be sure of what he was seeing. Just then the wind picked-up a little and Tim looked-down to see a scrap of newspaper wrapped around his leg. It was almost a month old and his eyes scanned the article. It was about a local girl whose body had been found at the same overlook Tim was at. Robbed, beaten, raped and later found there, dead.

Tim, confused looked at the apparitions in front of him. They looked happy, like two lovers who had been separated for too long. "So this is your girlfriend?" Tim asked. Jacob nodded. Jacob pretended to be fighting-off people then pointed towards the water. "So you were down here with" Tim quickly scanned the article again "with Anne" The girl apparition waved meekly "when you two got attacked, they pushed you into the water?" The ghost of Jacob nodded than hugged a crying apparition of Anne. It made sense but Tim still had one more question, "Why were you down here to begin with?" Jacob's ghost motioned towards the water, the rain had stopped, the setting sun breaking through the clouds illuminating the lake below; it was breathtaking.

Tim looked back to the two smiling ghosts who had embraced and stared happily at the scene. They were at peace. The truth was out there now. They turned to walk away then stopped, Jacob shook his left-front pocket Tim shook his head "My pockets are empty, all my stuff is locked in the car". Jacob shook his pocket again so Tim reached into his own pants pocket and pulled-out the key fob from the Challenger. In shock Tim looked back-up in time to see the pair of ghosts disappeared into the gathering darkness Tim knew there would be no more ghostly visitors in his dreams.

The Challenger returned home with Tim, though not before he related the story of what had actually happened to his and Anne's families. The car no longer represented a painful scab and it was no longer cast away to the end of the driveway, it now lived in the garage. The dreams were gone, Tim returned to work the happy and driven person everyone had grown to rely on. It seemed Tim and Jacob needed closure and through a round-about way they both got it.

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AzPilotAzPilotabout 14 years ago
I enjoyed reading it and thought it was well written.

You did a nice job, sir. You set the proper tone and maintained it all the way.

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