Thelma Read online

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  About 11:30 p.m. on the following night, cab driver, Kenneth Salmon was out in his gray 1954 Morris Oxford MO trying to locate a fare or two to increase his night's earning.

  The road was slow as it was on most Mondays. Passengers were scarce. In fact, Kenneth transported his last fare nearly three hours ago.

  On such slow nights, he would drive to the railway station along Darling Street to chat awhile with his friend, who was the caretaker of the station. Tonight, they chatted for nearly an hour, discussing various topics, but mostly the Kendal rail disaster and their exploits of the fairer sex, until Kenneth excused himself to continue his job.

  The conversation had ended about ten minutes prior and now Kenneth was sitting in his car, in front of the railway station, deciding on where to go to solicit his next fare when the sudden appearance of a young woman at the window across from him, startled him. She lowered herself so that she could see inside the car. He looked at her, not knowing what to think. He knew one thing, however. No ordinary human could have done what she just did, none.

  How did she get here? Where did she come from? He was sure, before her magical appearance, that there was no one in that immediate area, so how in heaven's name did she do it? She seemed to have just appeared from nowhere, like magic. Was it possible? Nah, he thought. There was another explanation to it. There had to be.

  He concluded that he must have dozed off and so did not see her approaching. Yeah, that was it.

  He stared at her, smiling. She was one beautiful soul, and a Christian one too. He was able to determine that from her attire and the bible she carried in her right hand, which she rested on the car window as she looked inside.

  He could tell from her attire that she was not of the poorer class, or if she was, then she must have starved herself in order to afford such an expensive outfit. He ruled out that she had gotten the dress as a gift. No one would give away such expensive gifts, he thought. At least, he would not.

  Well, it was no business of his how she got her attire, was it? No, he thought. It was none of his goddamn business.

  She held his gaze but did not smile. She appeared more beautiful now than when she first appeared before him.

  He tried to speak but for reasons unknown, his lips did not move. It was as if his mouth was zipped shut.

  Suddenly, the temperature changed, and, on this warm September night, he felt cold, as if he had walked into a refrigerator. He was trembling noticeably. His heart was racing, and his head felt as if it was expanding. She must be doing this, he thought. She had to be. Who or what else could be responsible?

  He suddenly became afraid, afraid of her.

  He looked around. There was no one else in that vicinity, no one to assist him if necessary. This meant that he was at her mercy. It would not be so, however, not if he could do anything about it. She would be disappointed. She would have to find herself another victim. He was not going to stay and find out what was in store for him. He was getting the hell out of here, and fast.

  Decision made, he reached for the car's ignition. He held the key and attempted to start the car. Nothing happened. His fingers were not co-operating with him.

  He realized then that he was going nowhere without her permission. Christ, he was stuck with her.

  He resigned himself to his fate, hoping that if it were death it would be swift and painless.

  Whoever or whatever she was, why was she doing this to him? What did he do to deserve all this? Why did she choose him? Why? He did not think of an answer; he could not think of one.

  How could he think when she was scaring the hell out of him?

  Just when he was expecting the worst, she spoke.

  "Hello, are you working?"

  He opened his eyes, and turned his head in the direction from which the sound came, and beheld the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen.

  "Are you working?" She repeated, smiling, showing what Kenneth termed 'a set of perfect teeth'.

  He wanted to say 'no, I'll take you where ever you want to go for free', but he heard himself saying yes, and what do you know, his lips were unsealed.

  The realization suddenly hit home. He had dreamt up the whole thing.

  "I'd like for you to take me home, please." She said that in a tone that sounded to him more like singing than just ordinary talking.

  After agreeing on the fare, he opened the door for her, and she seated herself beside him.

  Wow! She was one to add to his list of conquered women. This one would elude him, however. She was unconquerable. She did not even give him a chance to get a word in.

  She was silent the whole ten minutes the journey lasted. He tried, a few times, to indulge her in conversation, but she declined. He accepted defeat. He would not win this one over. It appeared he lacked the necessary skills needed to communicate his intentions to her.

  When he stopped at her gate, she opened the car door and, before getting out, said to him, "I'll be back with your money in a minute."

  She left her bible and her purse on the car seat.

  After ten minutes, however, she had not returned.

  Kenneth started honking, but apart from disturbing the silence of the night, he got no result.

  Impatience got the better of him, and he went to knock the door that he saw opened for her earlier.

  A woman in her mid-fifties, an older version of the young woman, responded.

  "How may I help you?" She enquired.

  "I've brought a young woman here from the railway station just now. She has not paid me. She said that she would return to pay me some ten minutes ago. She has not yet returned."

  "You brought a young woman here, and she entered this house?"

  "That's what I'm telling you, lady. In addition, she owes me! The creepy, little bitch owes me! Now, will you, please, remind her that I am still to be paid, just in case she had forgotten, which I doubt very much." He had begun to lose his cool.

  She ignored his outburst.

  "That is strange." She said, in total contrast to his behavior, thinking the matter over. After a pause, she continued. "This young woman that you brought here, what does she look like?"

  He gave her the description.

  "That description fits my daughter, Thelma. The dress you describe is the one she was wearing when she left here yesterday morning."

  "Okay then," he said, calmer. "If she is out from yesterday morning, then I guess she must be tired, so instead of disturbing her, why don't you pay on her behalf."

  "Hold on," she said, disregarding his suggestion. "I've just thought of something. I'll be back in a minute."

  She returned in half the time with a photograph of a young woman.

  "Is she the young woman that you saw?"

  "Yeah, that's her," he replied.

  "You are quite sure about this?"

  "Of course, I'm sure. Lady, do you think I am a fool? Now, do you?" Kenneth inquired, again being irritated. "That's her. That's her, of course. That is exactly how she looked when she stood at my window. I would have known that smile anywhere."

  "Well, she's my daughter, Thelma, but it is unlikely that she would be chartering a cab at this time."

  "Why is that?" Kenneth wanted to know.

  "Because..." She started, and then stopped abruptly.

  Kenneth watched as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Now, what, the hell, was this? He was not interested in her problems. She could keep her tears. What he wanted was cash, payment for work done.

  "Because," she continued, sobbing. "Thelma is dead."

  "She is dead? You mean dead as in lifeless?" He echoed, unbelievably.

  "Yes, sir, she's dead, lifeless."

  "I guess I am a fool, after all. I should have been expecting something like that."

  "I am not taking you for a fool. I am telling you the truth. If you really think you brought her here, then you will not believe me, but it's true. She was killed in the train crash in Kendal, last night."

  He d
id not believe a word of it. They were just a pair of confidence tricksters trying to con him out of what was rightfully his. They could keep it, however. He would consider the fare paid.

  Thelma, or whatever her name was, had left her bible and her purse in his car. He would keep the bible and present the purse as a gift to one of his girlfriends.

  With that thought, and without bidding goodbye to Thelma's mother, he hurried to his car.

  As he sat behind the steering wheel, he reached for the bible and the purse. He felt nothing. He felt around on the seat and on the floor. Nothing was there. How was this possible? Who could have removed them? No one that he could think of, as he was watching the car continuously and no one approached it. This meant that the bible and the purse had simply disappeared into the atmosphere. Could they have vanished like that? No, that was utterly impossible. Could it be then, that Thelma was dead, and he had not really transported her? No, such things happen in dreams only.

  On a second thought, had he awaken from the dream or was he still dreaming?

  As it relates to Thelma, had the powers that be, in fact, granted her last wish to her? Had they transported her from the spirit world to see her mother one last time?

  What do you believe?

  The End.