the mysterious car from the fog

What a creepy night! Just came back from an out of town errand some thirty minutes ago. It was a tiring trip and the drive home was terrible, punctuated by heavy traffic at some choke points due to the weather making the journey doubly exhausting. Alone in the car, I only had the stereo as company and on my way back to Manila on this rainy night, I was glad the radio helped keep my sanity.

On my way back I was surprised to find myself alone on a usually busy stretch of road somewhere south of the capital. I muted the radio for a while and partly opened my window but, apart from the mild hum of the car engine, it was quiet outside. People must have stayed indoors because of the rain, I thought, or else still stuck in traffic somewhere. It was kinda creepy driving alone on an unlit stretch of provincial road. I turned up the volume a bit and set
my headlights to bright as I drove on. Then I remembered this story from a year ago about a creepy incident along a similarly desolate stretch of road:

There was this guy whose car broke down on a deserted highway. It was a rainy, slightly foggy moonless night, just like tonight. He tried desperately to restart his car to no avail. And, as (bad) luck would have it, his mobile phone was dead as well. Scared, he decided to walk and seek some help, looking for houses nearby or another passing vehicle perhaps. He recalled hearing various stories, supernatural and otherwise, about deserted roads like this and they sent chills through his spine. To make matters worse, the fog started to thicken as if on cue.

Suddenly, he saw a car slowly looming, ghost-like, out of the fog. He immediately stretched out his right arm, trying to hitch a ride. It slowly crept toward him and seemingly stopped. He wasted no time in jumping into the car, congratulating himself for finding refuge in such short a time. However, as soon as he closed the door he realized that he was alone inside! Nobody was there, not even on the driver's seat! He was stunned, he couldn't move. He wanted to jump out but his arms and legs seemed to be frozen. It was as if only his brain was functioning.

The car slowly started moving again. He was terrified. Then, he saw that the car was approaching a sharp curve. He started to pray, begging for his life; he was sure the ghost car would go off the road and he would plunge to his death. But suddenly, just before the curve, a hand appeared from the fog through the window and turned the steering wheel, guiding the car safely around the bend. Terrified, the guy watched the hand reappear as they reached another curve. Finally gathering his wits, he leaped from the car and ran as fast as he could without looking back, afraid of what he would see. After several hundred meters he came to a cluster of houses beside the road. Relieved, he stopped to take refuge. Wet and in shock, he went to a store and, with his voice quivering, ordered two bottles of beer. He told the people gathered about his horrible, supernatural experience. Silence enveloped the group as they listened intently, goosebumps covering their skin as the man's story unfolded.

Then, about half an hour later two guys walked into the same store. When one of them saw him, his eyes widened and said to the other, "Yan! Yan yung tarantadong sumakay habang nagtutulak tayo..." (There he is! That's the moron who jumped in while we were pushing the car!")

LOL. It's a good thing the story ended that way, a fitting distraction as I neared the city on this rainy night. I immediately stopped at the next gas station, eager to stretch out, take a toilet break and shake the goosebumps from my skin. However, I couldn't stop giggling as I peed, recalling the story that I first heard over bottles of beer and tequila a year ago. Needless to say, I attracted some weird stares from other people in the restroom. (Photo credits: www.pbase.com)

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