It was a typical Midwestern fall day. The dower grey sky had dimmed into a cloudy, starless night illuminated only by the swelling stream of headlights from rush hour traffic. Ryan was standing on a street corner watching the oncoming cars hoping the next pair of lights might be his ride. A low and gentle breeze stirred the dry leaves and styrofoam cups covering the sidewalk. Ryan clenched his cold fists in the pockets of his coat and lowered his head, presaging the icy gust of air that followed. "C'mon, C'mon," he muttered. He saw a black Prius break away from the current of commuters and slowly approached the curb. "Finally." He acknowledged the driver with a wave, and the car came to a stop. Ryan slid in the back seat and greeted the driver. "Hey, how are ya?" He asked. "Good," she replied. "And you?" "Fine fine," Ryan said. The driver looked at the GPS receiver mounted on the windshield. "So let'
This is a collection of anecdotes from the fringes of reality, a tapestry stitched together from our dreams as well as our nightmares, from the fears that haunt the collective imagination. These are the symptoms of the sickness known as the human condition.