Halloween from Bubba

I wanted to write you with another story from my friend Bubba. He called me the other day and told me this tale.

“Well sir, seeing hows this here’s the season for Halloween, I thought I’d tell you what happened to me this weekend because it’s the spookiest, downright scariest thing I ever done seen in my entire life.”

“Well, I was out somewhere in the middle of nowhere, I think we were going toward Riesel. Shoot, I’m not sure. But ol’ Bessie died again and-” “Old Bessie?” I asked. “My F-75.” “F-75?” “Well yeah. It’s a real old Ford and I figured it was made way before the F-150s so I’ve always called it a F75.”

Sigh. “Go on, Bubba.” “Well, it was just a pouring down. I mean the kind of rain where you can’t see more than a few feet in front of you. If it was raining any harder, Noah wudda come out of retirement. But Bessie wasn’t going nowhere and I done forgot my cell phone back at the house so I knew I was going to have to walk. So I climbed out and started walking. I hadn’t got very far when I saw this car coming toward me, real slow like. I was so excited and it was raining so danged hard that I didn’t even bother trying to flag it down, I just ran around the side and jumped in! But guess what I saw?”

“No idea.” “There wasn’t nobody in that car and the engine wasn’t even turned on.”

“So you just thought the car was moving then Bubba. You already said that you couldn’t see very well.”

“I know, but I swear that it was, and anyways, as soon as I was in it started going forward again.”

“Bubba, I think you’re mistaken.”

“I swear to you! This car just started creeping forward, real slow like. I sat there soaking wet and I wasn’t sure if I was shivering from fear or the cold. But that wasn’t the worst part. Just ahead was a curve in the road and a bridge over the White River. And the car was headed straight for the front edge just before where the bridge started and I was sure we were going to roll off into some pretty rough water.”

Although you never know how to take Bubba, he sure did seem like this experience had left him shaken.

“As strange as all that was though, that wasn’t even the worst part! Just when I thought we were going into the drink, this hand appears out of nowhere and turns the wheel! I swear it did!”

There was no doubt that Bubba saw something.

“So what’d you do, Bubba?”

“I jumped out, that’s what I did. I didn’t care how hard it was raining. I bailed and ran like a greyhound! And I got to this farmhouse and pounded on the door and these kind folks was good enough to let me in and let me call Elvis to come pick me up. As soon as I hung up I was going to tell these folks the story when there came a banging on the door.”

At that moment someone knocked on my door and I about jumped out of my seat! I motioned that I was on the phone because I had to find out what happened next.

“Well, there’s these two guys just as soaking wet as I was and they started to ask something when the one guy spies me and turns to his buddy. ‘Look John, there’s the moron who jumped in our car when we were pushing it.’ “ And with that Bubba let out a howl and started laughing hysterically. I could still hear him laughing as I Temple

slammed the phone down.

Have a scary story to tell?

Share it with us for a chance to be published! Entries must: Be 750 words or less, Tie in to the Bi-Stone area, be original work with a signed release, be submitted by noon, Friday, Oct. 10, Email stories (pasted into the body of the email) to publisher@ marlindemocrat.com with the subject line Halloween Writing Contest, or drop them off at our downtown office. The winning story will be published—with the author’s name and photo—in October, and honorable mentions may appear on our website. Don’t miss out—get writing!