PRINCE OF FABLES

A BUS RIDE FOR THE INVISIBLE

The bus driver, Mr. Murphy was a fifty-year-old man who still lived with his mother, wore work classes, and rubber gloves as if we never left the Coronavirus pandemic. But even so, he was friendly, and told every person in town that he felt no greater calling in life than to ferry them around.

Theresa scanned the bus for a seat. They were all basically empty, besides Mr. Stopher who always road on the right in the third window seat back, Mrs. Helena who sat with her ancient pantyhose over the heating vent, and Margie who plopped down in the far back on the left side. The other, usual 6 a.m. bus stop adventurer who remained at the moment unseen, soon poked his head up. Freddy never sat in the same place two days in a row. In fact, he didn't always sit in any seat at all. Sometimes he stood in the center of the bus, hand up as if he was holding a tab like on the subway. He stuck his head up and waved at Theresa, and then ran to the back of the bus, sitting in the center of the last row, man spreading until Margie slapped his arm away from her.

"I sit over here," Theresa waved Anderson to follow her to the second row on the left side. He followed, and didn't argue when she took the window seat. She folded up the umbrella and handed it to him. "Thank you for this, by the way," she said as they sat down.

"Sure," he shrugged, accepting it and wedged it under their seat.

Theresa shifted next to him. Guys and girls were separated during many school activities, and it felt odd sitting beside him. Plus, she hardly ever sat with anyone on the bus. Sometimes, she would make conversation with Mrs. Helena or Freddy would come talk to her, but for the most part, they all sat in silent community.

"Will you," she said carefully, "ride the bus every day?"

Anderson nodded, "I think so. There's no way I'm getting the car to drive to school."

At some point, Freddy started talking to an invisible girl beside him, putting his arm around her and offering a few compliments.

"He's a little off," Theresa said.

"Or maybe he's the only one on," Anderson said. He glanced out the window, and then stared straight ahead.

The bus ride progressed and he held the umbrella out to her once more.

"Oh, thank you," she said, pulling the handle from him to hold herself and stepped down to the side walk. Before them sat the school, standing medieval in nature—the unnecessary decoration and twisting mini spires.

"Do you ever wonder, Theresa," Anderson started, not looking her in the eyes. His own scanned the street where water was still pooling, "if maybe Freddy sees something we can't?"

She turned to face the same way and took a breath. The bus slowly pulled away, Freddy nodding and Margie glaring. "Well," she glanced over at him, "of course he can. His reality looks a little different than ours."

"But what if it is different? Like it's actually real, and the fact that we're not seeing something so imperative to his reality—I mean, a human being—it's not right."

"I guess," Theresa shrugged. She did feel bad for him sometimes, but he made it okay, it seemed. He was always on the bus. As far as she knew, he had no other existence. Even when she road the bus into town or to another event, he was always there. As she thought about it, she wondered at the term invisible. Most people probably never noticed Freddy...it made her wonder for a moment, who was really invisible?

"Anyway," Anderson said, "school awaits."

"Yes," she nodded.

"See you on the other side," he nodded, cracking a smile.