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Rearview Mirror

Elaine Kaye | Daniele Murtas

Manny left work on a high note, making her long black hair bounce as she walked to her car. She was taking Friday off to join her girlfriends for a long weekend at a cabin. She prepared a hike for one day, Nancy had rented a boat, Brenna put in reservations for jet skies, Chef Jillian had all of their dinners planned, and bartender Sharon was bringing the drinks.

Manny drove her new red sports car, which she recently purchased from a reputable used car dealership, off the freeway. She sang loudly with the radio turned up, enjoying her freedom as she followed the country road. She rarely saw another car when all of a sudden a big black truck was on her tail.

“Where did he come from?” she wondered and made her car go faster.

The truck stayed on her tail and the driver used his horn. Now she was getting scared! She glanced in the rearview mirror, expecting to see him ram into her car, but before she could blink, the truck passed her and was gone.

She glanced in the mirror as she sped down the empty road. “What’s that?” She turned her head, but nothing was behind her. “You are seeing things, girl, and you haven’t even had one drink yet!” She laughed at herself but she couldn’t get the image of what she saw in the rearview mirror out of her head. It looked like a face; the face of someone in her back seat.

Shaking her head, she turned up the radio. Fifteen minutes later, her eye caught something in the mirror again; two faces had looked at her from the back seat. Slowing the car to a stop, she quickly got out of the car and looked through the back window. No one was there!

“What is going on? I’m seeing things that aren’t even there. The girls will definitely get a good laugh about this!”

Getting back into her car, she grabbed a water bottle and two aspirin. She traveled another twenty minutes with no incidents and was nearing the turn for the lake. Sighing with relief, she turned on her blinker and looked into the mirror before making the turn.

“What?!” she screamed after seeing the faces of many people smiling at her from the backseat. She slammed on the brakes, the car swerved. The last thing she saw was a big black truck coming straight for her.

Jeremy popped in a CD while he drove to work for his promotion. He would have his own office, secretary, and a nice, fat paycheck. He had worked hard going up the corporate ladder. To celebrate he bought a red sports car from the best used dealership in the city.

Getting into the left turn lane, he looked in the rearview mirror and he saw a woman with long, black hair smiling at him. Thinking it was his imagination he flipped on the turn signal, and was making the turn when a black truck slammed into him.

Carrie came from rich parents who gave each of their children a car for graduation. As the youngest in the family, she was the last to get a car. She said good-bye to her mother and walked out the door to her new red sports car.


About Elaine Kaye

Elaine Kaye has published a poem titled 'A Grain of Sand' with the ezine Long Story Short. She currently lives in Florida, but has called Honolulu, Hawaii and Okinawa, Japan home. A grandmother of two boys, she loves to write children's stories and short romances.

Visit the author's page >


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