Brief Encounter

8 Blimp
“I’ve been in this here county my whole life,” he said creaking
back-and-forth on his rocking chair. He turned toward me and
repeated the statement, “I’ve been in this here county my
whole life,” and then he added, "except that three-day stint
when I ran a ferry business. It had me traveling all across
county lines.
"But it wasn’t no regular boat ferry, it was a blimp.
"Yes, I saw a blimp for sale in the local paper sold by a sad,
squirmy kid named Skip. I reckon Skip didn’t have any right to
sell the blimp, but I bought it fair and square, paid in full, .
"I fixed it up good, that blimp. Repainted it and redid the
interior, was able to fit 15 nice leather seats, cupholders
included.
"That first day, I parked my blimp in the field right next to the
ferry port. I shouted at the folks lining up for the ferries, ‘Come
ride this here blimp, best mode of transportation there ever
was. Bring your coffee and your juice, we’ve got cupholders.
"Only one passenger came by, a droopy looking woman in a
faded paisley dress.
"She said she was going to Area K. I flew her to Area K. A
regular suburban neighborhood.Three kids sitting on the
sidewalk carving pumpkins. Every mailbox on the street
decorated with a little paper ghost. Strangely quiet in Area K.
The droopy woman looked at the children sitting in front of her
mailbox. They scooted away so she could grab her mail.
Envelopes in hand, she walked up the driveway into her house.
She never turned on the lights.