I live on the corner of a somewhat main thoroughfare and a little-traveled side street. After Daylight Savings Times ended this past autumn, I started noticing something odd: a school bus would round the corner and stop on the side street outside my office windows. The flashing red lights would come on, the STOP signs would engage, and the door would open. A moment later the door would close and the bus would take off. I couldn’t think of a single child in the neighborhood who would be getting on the bus at that place. The corner? Maybe. But not a quarter of the way down the block where there isn’t even a driveway, especially this time of year.
I didn’t notice this every morning, probably because I wasn’t awake or out of bed between 6:55 and 7AM. The leisurely life of the self-employed author lets me sleep in if I need to.
The past few mornings I have been awake, out of bed and actually sitting at my window doing Morning Pages (something writers sometimes do) and the bus arrived right on schedule. The door opened. The door closed. I did not see a child enter or exit the bus. After the bus drove off, I checked to see if there were footprints in the snow. Nope.
I decided that there is a ghost child living nearby and that bus is the neighborhood’s version of the Hogwarts Express.
For the record, I don’t live near a railroad crossing either. (Railroad crossings and school buses have rules!) I could not think of a single reason for the bus to behave in that manner except for a ghost child. I considered reaching out to some people who know people who drive school buses for an explanation, but decided that would involve too much effort. After all, I am a fiction author. I am allowed to make things up. Ghost child.
This morning (the morning I am writing this blog) I happened to catch the driver do something with an iPad attached to his dashboard. A-HA! I thought. He stops here to check in and prove that he’s on schedule.
That thought was immediately followed by acknowleding that was a totally boring motive. Realistic, but boring.
I like my theory of a ghost child much better.
