The depth of short stories and micro-fiction 2

The Taxi Driver's Dilemma

Jacqueline had been driving a taxi in the bustling metropolis for over a decade. She knew every street, every alleyway, and every shortcut. But what made her unique was her ability to see and communicate with the ghostly apparitions that frequently halted traffic.

It started a few years ago, when Jacqueline was driving home from a late-night shift. She saw a woman standing in the middle of the road, waving her arms frantically. Jacqueline slammed on the brakes, but when she looked again, the woman was gone. The next day, she saw the same woman in the same spot, and this time, she could hear her voice. "Please help me," the woman whispered. "I was hit by a car here. The driver didn't stop. I need justice."

Jacqueline was terrified, but she couldn't ignore the woman's plea. She began to investigate the accident and eventually found the driver who had hit the woman. She convinced him to turn himself in, and the woman's spirit finally found peace.

Since then, Jacqueline had become a reluctant mediator for the ghostly apparitions that haunted the city's streets. They would appear to her in various forms - some were transparent, while others seemed as solid as living beings. They all had one thing in common: they had died untimely deaths, and they sought justice.

One evening, Jacqueline was driving down a busy street when she saw a young man standing in front of her taxi. He was dressed in a white shirt and jeans, and his eyes were black as coal. "Please stop," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the din of the traffic. Jacqueline slammed on the brakes, and the cars behind her honked in protest.

The young man told Jacqueline that he had been killed in a hit-and-run accident just a few blocks away. He had been walking home from work when a speeding car hit him, and the driver didn't even slow down. Jacqueline listened, her heart heavy with sympathy.

"I can help you," she said. "But you need to tell me more about what happened."

The young man gave her the details of the accident, including the make and model of the car that had hit him. Jacqueline wrote down everything he said and promised to investigate. Over the next few days, she scoured the city, looking for any surveillance footage that might show the accident. She talked to witnesses and checked with the police department to see if anyone had reported the incident.

Finally, after a week of searching, Jacqueline found the car that had hit the young man. It was parked in a quiet neighbourhood, and the owner was a middle-aged man with a clean driving record. But when Jacqueline confronted him, he broke down and confessed. He had been driving home from a party, intoxicated, and he didn't even remember hitting the young man.

Jacqueline convinced the man to turn himself in, and the young man's spirit finally found peace. As she watched him disappear into thin air, Jacqueline felt a sense of satisfaction. She had helped another spirit find justice.

But her role as a mediator came with a price. Jacqueline couldn't sleep at night, haunted by the memories of the ghostly apparitions she had encountered. She felt like she was living in a world that was not her own, a world where the living and the dead coexisted.

One night, as she was driving home from a particularly gruelling shift, Jacqueline saw a woman standing on the side of the road. She was dressed in a long, flowing gown, and her hair was as white as snow. "Please help me," the woman whispered, her voice like a gentle breeze.

Jacqueline pulled over, and the woman told her that she had been murdered by her husband many years ago. He had buried her body in a park, and it was never found. The woman gave Jacqueline a map, drawn in her own blood, showing the location of her grave.

Jacqueline was horrified, but she knew she had to help the woman. She went to the park and began to dig, following the map to a spot marked with an X. As she dug, she felt a sense of trepidation, wondering what she would find.

Finally, after hours of digging, Jacqueline uncovered a set of bones. She called the police, and they took the bones away for analysis. A few days later, they confirmed that the bones belonged to the woman, and they arrested her husband for murder.

As Jacqueline watched the news report on TV, she felt a sense of closure. She had helped another spirit find justice, and she knew that she had done something good. But as she turned off the TV and went to bed, she couldn't shake the feeling that there were many more spirits out there, waiting for her help.

The next day, as she was driving through the city, Jacqueline saw a figure standing on the side of the road. It was a man with a kind face, and he was holding a sign that read, "Thank you." Jacqueline smiled, feeling a sense of gratitude. She knew that she was making a difference, one spirit at a time.

As she drove away, Jacqueline realized that she had found a new purpose in life. She was no longer just a taxi driver; she was a mediator, a bridge between the living and the dead. And she knew that she would continue to help the ghostly apparitions, no matter how difficult it might be, until they all found peace.