The Lifeline

Summer arrived at the restaurant, smoothing her long brown hair. She scanned the room, looking for her friend Janice. No Janice, so she sat at a table, to wait.

Chills suddenly racked her spine. Why’s it so cold, she wondered? The cold felt like it was seeping into Summer’s bones. Maybe they’ll turn up the heat, she thought.

“Excuse me,” Summer called, as a waiter walked by. But the waiter didn’t stop; he kept on going.

“How rude!” Summer thought angrily. No tip for him, she decided.

She looked down at her placemat and noticed that it was on palmistry. It showed a hand and descriptions of what each line meant.

“A long lifeline,” Summer read, “means you’ll enjoy old age, a short lifeline means you should expect to leave this world early, depending on your lifeline’s length.”

Summer glanced down at her hand and raised it, turning it so it faced palm side up. She saw her love line, her heart line, but she couldn’t find her lifeline.

“Where’s it supposed to be?” she said aloud. She glanced at the placemat and memorized where the lifeline was located. She looked back at her hand and still didn’t see it. Bringing her palm right to her eyes, all she saw was smooth supple skin. There was no lifeline.

Weird, she thought. I hope Janice arrives soon; I’m freaking out.

The waiter walked by again, Summer reached and her hand passed through his, causing cold to streak through Summer’s body.

“What’s going on?” Summer shouted!

Summer felt dizzy and the room started to swim in front of her of her eyes. Something’s not right, she thought, I’ve got to get out of here.

She ran out to the parking lot. Her blue sports car was gone. Feeling frantic, she started running. At the corner, she turned to the right, heading towards home.

As she rounded the second corner, she saw a group of people. As she got closer she saw Janice and a man.

Thank goodness, Summer thought. Janice will help me figure this out.

As she got closer, she realized the man was a cop, and that Janice was hysterical. She was crying, and the officer had his hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

“Janice!” Summer called as she stopped a few feet away.

“Jan?” Summer said again. There was no response. As Janice walked through the crowd Summer followed behind, wondering why Janice was so upset.

As the crowd shifted, Summer found herself standing with Janice in front of a wreckage. A wreck of what had used to be a blue sports car.

“No,” Summer moaned, “oh, please, no.” She walked closer and saw long brown hair falling from a smashed window of a blue sports car.

As she walked to the wreckage, she saw a battered, bloody hand lying palm side up.

Summer looked down at the palm and tears welled in her eyes and she smiled a bittersweet smile.

“Damn! Talk about a short lifeline!”