The Lift

The Lift

A Ritual Pasta

By John Castricone

Is there somewhere that you would kill to go, be it Area 51 to any other place that would usually be off limits to the general public? Well you can. Just takes a bit of driving. Do you want to know what the best part is? You don’t even have to drive.

First you will need obtain the following items.

A backpack

1 week supply of food

1 week supply of water

Some cash

An old, rusted coin (Doesn’t matter which kind or from what place. It just needs to be at least 50 years old)

Some extra clothes

Once you have obtained the following find a road. It cant be any road though. Make sure it’s a road you frequently drive down. It must be at night. Just like many in our world, we feel comfortable in the day. They feel the same about the night and 2:00 am will usually be the time they drive. Its like their rush hour, even though there will be nobody else on the road, at least that you can see. You must walk along the road until you hear a car. They will pull up next to you and slowly drive along with your walking. It will ask if you want a ride. Be polite and tell it your fine. DO NOT look at its face. It will try to convince you to get in but you must refuse. Continue to refuse until it drives past you. When it drives past you, shut your eyes or look the other way. It will try to lock eyes with you in its mirror. If it does, you will have to get in, except you wont be choosing the destination. It might take you back to where it came from, or just kill you right there. Depends on its mood. This will happen 3 other times, with each time the temptation to get in almost overbears you. When you feel like you have no choice, just imagine the place you want to go in your head until it gets bored with you and drives away. The forth time this happens though, you can get in. It wont seem desperate, it doesn’t even want to hurt you. Your paying after all. You still cannot look at its face. When it offers you a ride, you must gladly say "Thank you" and get in the car. If you refuse to get in for some reason, there will be no more cars, and you will be forced to walk the road until the end of time. Sorry. When you get into the vehicle it will offer to let you sit in the front. DON’T. More of a chance to see its face. Ask it to turn its mirror around to you cant see it. It will understand and oblige. Sit directly behind it. Your allowed to see the back of its neck. If you want. Doesn’t really matter. As long as your sure you cant see its face, your fine. It will sit there. Waiting. Waiting for its payment. Put the old coin into the cup holder and it will start to drive. Take a nap. It doesn’t want to hurt you. If you don’t snore. It has clearance to every single confidential area on Earth. Don’t ask how. Its their secret. You can ask it anything else though. What it is, where it came from, etc. It gets those questions all the time. You can even ask it what the meaning of life is or what's the next winning lottery ticket. Those coins to them are worth any knowledge you seek to gain. I hope the drive there will be… enlightening. If you took a nap, you will wake up in the vehicle. You will wake up in the vehicle even if you don’t remember sleeping. It needs you to sleep so it won't reveal any of its secrets. It will toss a tag to you. Put it on. It’s the only thing that will get you inside of who knows where. You are not guaranteed food or water everywhere you go so good you brought some. You are now free to walk around the place of your choosing without anyone questioning where you go. After a week of exploration, you must go back to where ever the driver dropped you off and wait. Now here is the dangerous and tricky part. A fake driver will come to get you, though you will not know if its fake or not. It could be real and you would be fine. If you suspect its fake turn it down politely. Hope to god that you didn’t turn down the real one, because he wont come back, and that tag expires after a week and one day so if your still there, the people you learned information from will try to kill you. Its their secrets right? I suggest making a code word with your driver. It doesn’t matter what it is, but don’t use your computer password because the fake will already know that. Don't use your pets name. It will also already know that. A random combination of numbers is probably your best bet. When you get in the vehicle with YOUR driver, then it will ask you to put your wrist out. It will burn a mark into your wrist officially documenting your business so the people you got the secrets from wont kill you. You are now protected from them. Enjoy everything you got out of your trip. Your driver will take you back to where you where picked up. Walk home and relax! You survived! P.S - Don’t forget to thank your driver for the lift.

Copyright © 2017 John Castricone