En Route to the Dragon Festival

En Route to the Dragon Festival

        

Alphonse fiddled nervously in his seat. His eyes darted from the left to the right every second. Shelly watched his fidgeting in the rear view for the past 2 hours now. She wished he would just relax and enjoy the ride. But it seemed the further and further they went the worse his fidgeting became. Her green eyes were tired, but she couldn’t pull over to rest. The last exit was 10 miles behind them. The highway was a just a long winding road with lines, a median, lights, and cars. The far off road resembled the curve of a dragon’s back to her.

“Alphonse.” She spoke softly to him. “Are you alright, Alphonse?”

His hazel eyes met her green ones in the rear view. “Yeah.” His voice was shaky. “I’m alright.”

She shifted her eyes back to road. Liar. His pale clammy skin made him look like he was about to puke. She hoped she’d reach an exit soon. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep her eyes open.

“Are you alright Shelly?” Alphonse asked, leaning to where his chin nearly rest on the console. “You look tired. Do you want to pull over for a bit? I can drive if you’d like. I’ve got it down.”

“No.” Shelly shook her head then bit her lip in regret. The swift movement of her head made her dizzy. Great. Now I’m tired and hungry. Good day, Shelly. Good day.

“Are you sure?” Alphonse questioned. “You look downright awful. At least pullover so you can take a nap.”

“Yeah, but the exit isn’t for another couple of miles. Besides there is never a good place to pull over on the highway.” Shelly informed him.

“Then I can drive. I’ve gotten it down.” Alphonse stated.

“Alphonse, you’re a ghost. Remember?” Shelly stated simply. “Normal people can’t see ghosts. Now think about how it’ll freak everyone out if they see this car with an unconscious girl in the passenger seat as the car is moving on its own. It’s a bad idea. A REALLY bad idea.” She stressed.

After a few minutes of silence, she looked back in the rear view and noticed his fidget was still going strong. She looked down at her speedometer. She was going a normal speed for the high way. So why was he freaking out so bad? It wasn’t like she was just going to get killed. He was already dead.

“Okay, what’s up?” She began tapping her fingers on the stirring wheel.

“I’m just sitting here.” He stated as he glanced at the road ahead of them.

“Let me rephrase that,” she began with a sigh, “What’s your issue? You keep fidgeting back there. And don’t deny it; I can see you in the rear view mirror. So spill.”

He gulped. “It’s just my nerves Shelly.” He replied.

“Nerves have triggers.” Shelly stated after a moment of long silence. “What’s triggering yours?”

“I’ve been a ghost for over a century Shelly.” He began, trying to find the right words to explain. “I’ve never left my home. I’ve never explored outside my own yard. This is the first time I’m going to someplace new. And I’m scared. I mean, what if I’m one of those ghosts who are confide to a certain area? What if where we’re going is a place I can’t go? What if I’m just forced out of the car when we cross that invisible line? What if I disappear into some strange limbo?”

“Alphonse!” Shelly yelled. He stopped his ranting and stared at her blankly. “You’ll be fine Alphonse.” She said in a soft tone. “You’ll be just fine. I’m sure of it. Though if you were so worried about it, why didn’t you just stay at home?”

“You seemed so concerned about leaving me alone in the house for two weeks. And frankly, you’re right. I would’ve been lonely without you. You’re the first person who can actually see me. I miss being able to talk with someone.”

“I figured.” She smirked. “Well, you’re going to love where we’re going. Maybe someone else can see you too.”

“Really? I thought we were just going to a festival.”

“Yep! The festival of the dragons!” Shelly exclaimed. “It’s a very fun festival and there are a lot of physics there. Maybe one is real and can help us figure out why you’re still here. Also, you’ll just love the fireworks!”

Alphonse couldn’t help but laugh. Shelly loved festivals. She got so excited when she spoke about them. He rested his chin on his arms which were folded nicely on the center console. Once his laugh had died down, he smiled. “Seriously, let me drive you sleep deprived woman.” He ordered. “I fear you’ll fall asleep at the wheel and crash. Then we’ll both be ghosts.”

“Sleep deprived woman?” Shelly arched an eyebrow. “This coming from the man who called the seat belt the n word.”

Alphonse rolled his eyes. “From the 1800s. Back then nigger was a word everyone used. I don’t see why you find it so offensive. It’s just a word. It was the seat belt’s fault anyway.” Alphonse shrugged before muttering, “High tech shit.”

“And you want me to let you drive?” Shelly exclaimed. “Ha! Quit fooling around.”

“I know how to drive now. I’ll be really careful too! You’re just being stubborn.” Alphonse stated. “Just let me drive for a bit while you rest. Half an hour at least. Please?” He didn’t want her to push herself too far. “There’s a little space over there on the side. We can switch real quick and no one will notice. There’s hardly anyone on this road anyway.”

“Fine.” Shelly sighed as she switched lanes. She was far too tired to argue. Just a little while, she told herself as she pulled off the highway. She unbuckled her seat belt and hopped over the center console to the passenger seat. Alphonse giggled as he watched her maneuver around. He handed her the blanket that was fold up in the back seat. Shelly muttered thanks as he climbed up from the center into the driver’s seat. She mumbled the exit number and Alphonse nodded as he buckled himself in. He got on the highway and continued going in a quiet atmosphere as Shelly slept. He was grateful to her. When she found out that he lived in the house, she welcomed him as a roommate and treated him as such. He couldn’t be happier. Thanks to her, he was finally getting out of the house and depression of feeling stuck. He really did owe her a lot.

“Maybe I’ll make her something to eat when we get to this festival.” He suggested.