The Midnight Shift

The following blog is an inspiration from my friend Shirley. She had wanted me to pen her story down on her behalf and post it on my blog. After adding some spice, we have the final result below:

Mr Tan glanced at his clock. It read 2:00 am in the morning. He had been cruising on the road for the past hour and there hadn't been a prospective passenger in sight.

"Ladadadooooooo….", he sang. On warm humid nights like this, he loves to sing to himself to keep awake. Driving aimlessly in the wee hours of the morning can never be easy especially when his eyelids threaten to shut and let him doze off. He blames it on the tough job market. He was forced to work the midnight shift for Comfort Taxi when his day job faced a pay cut two months ago.

He made a few turns on the road and suddenly realize that he was on a very deserted road. He passed a road sign. It read 'Chua Chu Kang Cemetery.' Oh-oh. He shouldn’t be hanging around here too long. The road sure looks eerie. He glanced sideways and saw tombstones peeking out from behind tall grass. Yikes, what a bad idea to be passing through this road.

He was about to pick up speed when he saw a lone female figure with long hair standing in the distance ahead. She was flagging him down. Should he stop? Wild thoughts started racing through his mind. He stepped on the brakes lightly and slowed down. As he approached her, he noted that she looked very shabby and tired. Perhaps she is just somebody's grieving relative who happen to stay too long at the cemetery. The taxi came to a halt in front of her and she opened the backdoor.

"Uncle," she said peering in." I only have $2.00 with me. May I have a ride home for this price?"

"Oh no. Uncle can't do that. The taxi company would find out and sack me."

"I really need to get home. It's late. And there's nobody else out here. " Her voice was shaky and she appeared to have been crying. Poor thing. She must have lost somebody close to her.

"Perhaps you could get a family member to pay your fare when we get to your home," he suggested kindly.

"Thank you, uncle. You're so kind". She stepped into the back and closed the door.

The ride to her home seemed to take forever despite the empty roads. The passenger was very quiet throughout the whole journey and it made him feel uncomfortable. He had thought of striking up a conversation with her but since she had been grieving, he thought that its best that he give her some quiet time to herself.

As he rode along, he noticed that the air conditioner appeared to be colder. He tried to turn it down but he still felt just as cold. The uncomfortable feeling continued to linger in the taxi. Silently, he prayed that he could get her home quickly.

The Bukit Timah mansion soon appeared in the distance. Ah! Home at last! But there were no lights shining through the windows.

"Mam, perhaps you should give a call to your family and __" Mr Tan stopped short as he looked into his rear view mirror. He wheeled around and stared opened mouth. There was no passenger in the backseat! She seemed to have vanished into thin air.

He stopped the taxi and got out. She couldn't have jumped out of his cab while he was driving or he would have heard the door opening. He stared at the mansion. An eerie feeling overcame him. He wanted to knock on the door but it didn't seem like a good time. He decided to drive off and come back the next day.

* * *

The scorching sun glared down at him as he knocked on the door. It has been several hours later since his mysterious passenger had disappeared from his taxi. An elderly woman opened the door.

"If you're selling anything, I'm not buying." She said rudely. The woman bore a strong resemblance to his mysterious passenger. She must be her mother.

"Oh no. I'm the taxi driver who drove your daughter home last night. I'm here to collect the cab fare because she didn't have enough money to pay me."

"What!" The old lady slammed the door in anger. A sobbing noise could be heard inside. Puzzled he stood outside not knowing what to do. Should he turn to go? The door soon opened again. This time it was opened by an elderly man.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" The old man demanded angrily.

"Sir, I'm just trying to earn my bread and butter. Your daughter did not pay me my fare for taking her home last night."

"My daughter died 5 years ago! You have made my wife upset over this. Please leave!" With that, he slammed the door shut at Mr Tan's face.

The realization soon hit Mr Tan. Trembling, he staggered to his cab and drove away.