A Thick Silence
At first, we thought the black liquid was oil, that we’d struck it rich and that we’d be able to retire and live in leisure. We actually started writing down all the ways we’d spend the money.
Our first choice was a long vacation somewhere quiet, or exotic, or tropical — we couldn’t quite decide. Maybe all three. We were rich, after all. No more vacation time, alarm clocks, or commuter traffic.
We decided to celebrate right then and there using the last of our money (a whole $278) on a nice night out. We danced, drank, and ate a five-course meal. At around 4 am, we hailed a cab to take us the long drive back home.
The sun was just turning the world a cool, purple-blue, and we could see the outline of dark trees as we sped along feeling full and happy (and a little tipsy). When the driver turned on our road, though, we immediately felt that something was… off.
Nothing looked different, but we both felt this queasy feeling at the same time and looked at each other for confirmation, or maybe reassurance.
The cab pulled up to our long drive, and we told the driver we’d like to walk the rest of the way. He took our wadded-up cash and pulled away.
We stood there until the sound of his car faded. To nothing. Not just no vehicle, but nothing. No birds or frogs or crickets. An eery black silence, as thick as the black coming out of the ground.
