A Story to Read Before Bedtime

-art by Gunwallace


THE PASSENGER
by kawaiidaigakusei

On a very untypical evening, I found myself driving around the rainy streets of Los Angeles late at night by myself. Somehow I ended up south of Pico Blvd and as I turned the corner onto Venice Blvd around Loyola High School, I happened to look up and noticed a teenage girl most likely high school age sitting at a bus bench near Rosedale Cemetery. Her stringy and unwashed hair was covering most of her face and matted from the rain. On most days, I let common sense override my moral compass, but I made an exception because it was raining and it was getting pretty dark. I know what it is like to wait at a bus stop for hours on end alone at night and it gets pretty scary.

I pulled up to the curb and asked with a friendly tone, "Would you like a ride? It's probably going to start pouring soon." She did not respond, but after a long pause, she began gathering her belongings and opened up the back right side door. She continued to look down and all I saw was her hair covering her face.

I drove down Venice Blvd a few blocks along the bus route as I assumed her home would be along the route. Once I reached the end of the line, I asked where she lived and a low, gravelly voice started to say "Drive to Boyle Heights". While I lived on the Westside, Boyle Heights was a part of Los Angeles I was only familiar with during the day time. Like several other neighborhoods, it becomes an entirely different place at night. I began to get tense and uneasy just as the rain started to pour down.

Once in Boyle Heights, I drove through a residential neighborhood very slowly and after a passing by and admiring a series of historic buildings, I heard a shrill "STOP. HERE." And before I could say my goodbyes, she ran out of my car, slamming the door shut. I could have driven home right then, but that was when I noticed she left her backpack in the backseat. I sighed, doubled parked and turned my hazard lights on, and walked out into the pouring rain.

The house she lived in looked dilapidated and falling apart and was most likely on the short list of condemned buildings in the area. I futilely used a small kerchief to keep dry from the rain and ran to the front door. That was when I noticed the doors and the windows of the building were unlike any of the houses on the street. Instead of glass windows and a wooden door, there were layers of newspaper and thick wax paper taped across each window pane and door frame. I tried searching for a bell to ring, but who was I kidding? Curiosity got the best of me, so I grabbed the pen I had in my pocket and poked a small hole through the paper covering one of the windows. I could not see anything through it, so I did my best to widen the diameter. The second time I looked inside, all I saw was the colour Red. I do not remember exactly what happened at that point, but I must have dropped the backpack in front of the door and ran to my car and drove out of that neighborhood without looking back.

A few weeks later I had set a coffee appointment to meet with a colleague who attended Loyola High School. It was only then that I remembered the details of the rainy night incident and I asked if he had ever noticed a strange girl riding the 710 Metro while a student at that school. I then retold the entire encounter, how I had offered a ride. I was met with an awkward silence and strange glare. "Did you get a good look at her eyes?" he asked quizzically. I retorted, "No, why? I don't believe we made eye contact at all during the entire ride." The next words out of his mouth have stayed with me until this day, "Well, her eyes are completely Red."

-The End-



2015 DRUNK DUCK AWARDS



Niccea says:
The awards winners will be announced within the comic. Niccea will be releasing 3 winners at a time, weekdays, during the next two weeks.

Link: http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Drunk_Duck_Awards_2015/




MILESTONE



Comic number 1,575 of The KAMics went up on Friday October 9 and Sunday October 11 was the 11th anniversary of when The KAMics first went up on Drunk Duck!! Congrats, KAM.

Link: http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/The_KAMics/


I would like Monday News to get fully immersed in the Halloween season for the month of October. So I am looking for community contributions from willing participants!

Email or PQ me!


-Do you have a Halloween-inspired short story that is Extra Spooky?
-Draw your original comic characters wearing a costume.
-If you are interested in Cosplay, you can even submit a photo wearing a costume!
-Original Poetry (Fall Themed)
-Awesome DIY crafts for decorating or making lollipop ghosts out of tissues.
-Photographs of pumpkin patches or carved jack-o-lanterns!




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What's Quacking?
Do you have any original art to contribute to our stock image database, announcements, community projects, ideas, news, or milestones to report? Please leave general comments below or send a PQ to kawaiidaigakusei. Email me at kawaiidaigakusei(at)gmail(dot)com.