Marie's
Bus Ride
It was a sweltering summer day when Marie climbed onto
the crowded bus headed downtown. She was twenty and daydreaming of spending April
in Europe with her best friend Jess. Marie hated taking the bus but she was
saving every penny she could manage. The heat caused the bus to smell like a
cross between stale urine, gym socks, and the perfume aisle at a drug store.
The stench was so thick she worried it would cling to her clothes for the rest
of the day.
Sweat dripped down her back as she stood holding her
breath so she would not have to taste the heavy air. The lack of available seats
forced Marie to stand while holding on to the leather handle, swaying with the
movement of the bus. She reached into her bag and pulled out two little pink
ear buds and tucked them into her ears. To her delight, Connie Evingson was the
first artist to come on. She closed her eyes and escaped into the sound of French
music.
Despite being uncomfortable on the bus, Marie was
smiling. Today she received her passport from a UPS delivery man. She felt as
if the whole world was opening up and tempting her to explore. She was prepared
to beg Jess to start their trip in France. She had at least half a dozen
brochures for hotels, hostels, and one castle that they could just afford to
share a room at for one night.
When the bus made a stop she lurched forward and then
stumbled back. To her dismay only one person got off and four more got on.
Fifteen more minutes and then she could get off the bus. The song changed to an
upbeat Katie Perry. She bobbed her head to the beat and swayed her hips in an
impromptu dance. Marie stopped when she bumped into the tall man standing next
to her.
She was quick to apologize but he just rolled his eyes.
This heat was getting to everybody. She felt a prickling sensation on her face
as if someone was staring at her. She tried to ignore it for a few moments, reassuring
herself that there was nothing to worry about.
She opened her eyes to see a little old woman in moth
eaten clothes carrying a plastic bag filled with an assortment of dirty laundry.
Then Marie noticed an animal in the bag among the clothes. She could not tell
if it was a teddy bear or a cat. The old woman smelled like a mix of mildew and
rotting roses. Disconcertingly, Marie noticed a white film where the pupils
should be in the old woman's wide blue eyes.
Feeling unnerved, she looked out the window. She thought
'let her stare. It doesn't hurt me.' Marie
could not shake the building feeling of dread, and suddenly felt chilled.
Goosebumps formed on her arms and the fine hairs at the back of her neck stood
up despite the sweat. She told herself to calm down.
The old woman's leathery hand rose in slow motion and
pulled the pink cord until Marie's ear buds fell out. Marie tried to back away
from the woman but she was trapped by people all around her. She let out a
small squeak, "Hey!"
The woman leaned in close enough that Marie could feel
her breath on the bare skin of her arm. The woman spoke in a low hoarse whisper
and before Marie could help herself she leaned down so that she could make out
the woman's words.
"I see you child. Rising to the top just like the
cream in my milk. Your time is short! Death follows close on your heels. Oh yes,
he is coming for us all... Lurking in the shadows; waiting to take us into that
Dark night."
The old woman's words sent chills down Marie's spine as
if the woman could see into her soul. She stood transfixed as a cold sweat began
to drip down her bare arms. Marie mumbled in a vain attempt to stop the old
woman from talking, "Sorry. I'm . . .
I'm not following."
"Child, I can see your youth spread out behind you.
This life we live is strange and death is cruel, so cruel. Here look," The
woman lifted Marie's hand to her face.
"he took my sight so that I could see. I miss the light when I feel
it on my face, but the shadows are calling. They're calling your name. It's too
late for you girl and there ain't one thing you can do to change it!"
The bus came to an abrupt stop. Heart thumping, Marie
pulled her hand away from the woman and pushed her way to the open door. All of
the people in her way made her feel trapped there with that crazy woman's
bizarre sermon ringing in her ears. Before she could escape, Marie heard the
old woman's voice one last time.
"Make peace with this world girl, while you still
can. Death is here..."
Finally Marie stepped down on to the hot pavement and
blinked up at the bright day. The sky was still clear and for a change Marie
welcomed the heat. She felt nauseous and her first steps away from the curb
were shaky. The worst part was that Marie thought she could hear that old lady
cackling as the bus pulled away.
She leaned on the nearby stone building to help get her
bearings but she could not shake the feeling of something looming over her. She
noticed her ear buds hanging by her knees. The simple act of winding the cord
up, turning off the music and storing the iPod in the front pocket of her bag
calmed her some.
She walked the last four blocks to the where she was
meeting Jess to discuss their travel plans, and caught a brief glimpse of her
friend walking into the small coffee shop across the street. All at once Marie
felt better and began to shake off the effects of her encounter. She couldn't
wait to tell Jess about that creepy old woman. She was sure that they would
laugh it off and it would be a great story for years to come.
Rushing to catch up to Jess, she stepped off the curb onto
the crosswalk with a flashing red hand urging her to move faster. At that moment, the driver of a blue Honda was
texting his wife and had looked down just long enough to not see the red light,
or to see Marie step out into the street.
Steel met flesh, and Marie's world exploded in sharp pain. Her body hit
the pavement, and then she felt nothing.
In Marie's last moment she could swear she heard that old
woman cackling, "Death is cruel, girl!"
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