Courage

1973

Date: October 14th, 1973

The car came to a halt at the stop sign. Jackie looked both ways before continuing. Despite it being the middle of October, the sun beamed down harshly inside the car. The radio was drawn on low, and conversation was scares, leaving an eerie feeling in the air. The smooth ride through the desert amplified the silence, making it almost deafening to hear.

Max leaned back, glancing at Jackie from the passenger seat. “Can you believe this is October, but here we are, melting like it's July?” Max said, attempting to break the silence. After a moment of no response from Jackie, he quickly added, “I could really go for an ice cream right now.” He sighed and looked out his side of the window. Jackie remained silent. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, fixing her eyes on the road.

Annoyed at Jackie's silence, she turned on the radio with a harsh snap. A soft, low tune played from the speakers but had no effect on the mood. Max glanced at Jackie, his stare harshening as the seconds ticked. Finally, his thoughts had intrigued him. “So you're just not going to talk to me at all?” There was a brief pause. “You can't still be mad about what happened earlier. What was I supposed to do? Tell her no.”

“No, Shit Max! You tell her no." Jackie snapped. “It's not just that she asked you for your number right in front of me. It's that you proceeded to give it to her!” She said taking a deep breath.

Max chuckled dismissively. “Babe, I gave her a fake number. You’re overreacting quite literally over nothing.”

“I'm overreacting?" She chuckled, struggling to keep her composure. Despite her calm demeanor, the car's speed increased without her noticing. "Max, I don't care what number you gave her. I care because you're my man, giving off the impression that we're not together. How do you think that makes me feel?" Jackie's words were cut short as she caught a glimpse of a little girl and her dog standing in the road. Jackie slammed on the brakes. The car sped out of control. A loud thud jolted them forward as the car came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road.

The smell of burnt rubber filled the air. The sudden stop had rendered their argument irresistible. Dust filled the air as the sound of oppra played from the radio.  Time itself seemed to stop as no one moved an inch for minutes. Jackie turned off the radio as they both got out of the car. The dog laid in the road, whispering silently. The girl seemed to vanish. The desert was empty, with nowhere to hide. The dog managed to get to its feet, walking away with a limp. Jackie took a glance around the area. “The girl? Do you see her?” she asked.

Max looked around. “You mean the girl that we almost hit, the one that vanished into thin air? No?” He said he was checking under the car. “Maybe she was just a ghost?”

“This isn't funny. Max,” she sighed.

“I wasn't laughing,” Max responded. “Where do you think it came from? We are in the middle of nowhere.”

Jackie looked around urgently. There was a small house in the distance. “I think he came from there! she pointed. “We need to help it.”

We don't even know if those are the  owners." He gestured as he started off back to the car, “I'm sure it will be fine on its own.”

“It's almost sundown. and there are coyotes everywhere; we have to get him home,” she snapped.

Jackie drove the dog to the car with meat. The dog limped towards her, grabbing the food quickly before nawing it refusingly. “There you go, boy.” She said, sweetly liffing the tag around his collar.

“Courage? That's a funny name. Are you okay, Courage?”

Max sighed with annoyance. “ Okay. Well, let's help it quickly. Anna's going to be angry if we don't make it on time. And you do not want to see her bad side.” he chuckled.

Jackie opened the door as Max approached the dog, and courage gave out a low growl.

Max lifted him into the car and shut the door.

The car started shooting out a ton of black smoke as the hoodless car converted into a safe transport for Courage.

Courage let out a slight cry.

“Courge, Huh? more like Coward.” Max laughed.

“Shut up.” Jackie signed.

The car began to move off the road towards the house in the distance as the sun began to move quickly over the horizon.