This story begins like many others you have read before; it has all the basic, rudimentary, pieces that all stories must have. There is what you would consider the classic hero, the beautiful damsel in distress, the comical talking animal, and of course a bit of magic tossed in there just to make things interesting. Yet, hopefully, it will be far from any other work you have ever read before. So, sit back, relax, and get prepared to loose yourself in a world of wonder that is oddly different, yet hauntingly similar to the every day life.
Chapter one
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary…" Man, I thought, "Poe certain had that right." Those words seemed precisely true at this particular moment. It's nights like tonight that people dream of ghost tales and horror stories. All I wanted to be doing right then is curling up on my living room couch, reading a wonderful romance novel, and drinking my favorite tea out of my favorite cup. "But NO," I thought, "I just had to be sitting on this God-forsaken bus that will, in all likelihood, crash and kill me slowly and painfully." Thoughts similar to these swarmed and swelled in my head, enveloping all my attention until I was utterly oblivious to the outside world. Suddenly it occurred to me, "I may have missed my stop!" Sarcastically I thought "Shit, exactly what I need." I glanced out the window, but all I saw was the swirls of heavy fog, impenitratable fog. "Oh, yippee" I thought sarcastically. I had no clue where I was, besides being on the worst rattle-trap south of Canada. "And to think the City actually believes this thing is convenient, ugh, I hate public transportation."
I peaked my head over the top of the seat and looked around. Besides the bus driver himself, the only other person on was a woman in her mid to late forties. She was a chubbier lady, bless her heart, and she was sound asleep. She looked peaceful, both feet were on the floor, crossed on the ankles, her hands were folded neat in her lap. Her shoulders were slightly slumped and her head was leaned against the window. She looked like a more than slightly loved baby doll. She was wearing a simple, serviceable maid's uniform. "She's probably a maid for a downtown motel," I thought, "Poor girl's all tuckered out."
With her thoroughly categorized in my mind, I turned to look at the bus driver. It was difficult to see him at all. I was getting that scary, suspicious feeling down deep in my gut and I knew that nothing good was going to happen soon unless I changed things. "Dun dun dun dun!!!," I thought, "Great, now I'm thinking of theme music for this little adventure." I tried to get a better look at him, but the aisle lights were off, the driver's overhead light was off, in fact the only light on was a thin strip light illuminating the top step. That light was barely enough to show his shoes, they were old tattered tennis shoes that looked as if it had been many months since they even closely resembled white. It also looked like they were an off-brand of Nike, way off brand. "He probably got them at a yard sale, or some sort of bargain depot." He didn't look like the same driver that was maneuvering this wretched death trap earlier when I got on. "No, I'm almost positive," I realized, "That is not the same man who let me on. The previous one was a cheerful man, slimly built, greeting people with a joyous 'Happy Holidays' as they entered or exited." "Damnit! This isn't right." The current idiot piloting this heap was a heavy set guy. I could see his fat bulging around the sides of his seat. "Or was the skinny old guy driving this morning and this is all just a figment of my imagination? Oh Shit! Double Shit." I sighed. "Dangnabit." "No," I thought, "I always notice details, the skinny man was driving when I got on." "Where is he now," I worried, "And much worse, where am I, where am I going and how the hell do I get off this blasted thing." I looked back at the woman, her head was lolled forward in what seemed like a very uncomfortable position. I waited for her to wake up, or at least to move in her subconscious state to a more comfortable position. She was not moving, it scarcely looked like she was breathing.