Car Dream #48

CAR DREAM #48
by Michael Kroetch

Death wants to have a good time. He puts on a clown nose, big blue shoes, and checkered pants. Ha, ha, ha! He thinks he’s a scream. He looks in the mirror. Damn, no image. Still, he wants to see if he looks as funny as thinks he does. He asks his dog. It has three heads. None of them agree. This isn’t any fun at all. Poor Death. He steps out, goes for a drive. He drives to town, parks, hops out, looks at the parking meter and laughs. Big. His time is expired? Ha, ha, ha. In the street he finds a child in a stroller. He makes an absurd face for the child. The child cries. Its mother hears the cries, sees Death and screams for the police. Now, Death thinks, this is getting fun. The police tell Death to freeze. Death laughs harder. The police shoot. Their bullets tickle Death. He can’t take it; his eyes are full of tears he’s laughing so hard. He tells the police to stop. Please. The police say that’s more like it. They take Death to jail, but get upset when he has no finger prints and doesn’t show up in their pictures. They ask him what’s going on—is he a magician? Death says not really, but he does have trick that will make everybody disappear. Really? they say. Sure, Death says and snaps his fingers.