Yes, this is a short one – I have class on Wednesdays at the JC (Adobe InDesign). Sorry about that. But I have a ghost for you! 

By all accounts, Lacy was having a shitty night.

That jerk-off Andy was a no-show for his shift and Ohmi had burned a basket of fries… During the middle of the night rush her daughter, Sam, called in the midst of a screaming fight with her brother.

“I don’t have time for this now!” Lacy told them, “I told you to only call me in case of an emergency.”

“This is an emergency! Tyson is trying to put my dance shoes down the garbage disposal!”

“Are you dead?”

“What? No,” she said her tone making up for the omitted, “duh.”

“Are you dying?”

“No, mom…”

“Then figure. It. Out!” she hung up just as the drive-through alarm chimed indicating someone was there. She shook her head, took a deep breath and forced her mouth into a smile before saying, “Welcome to Jack In The Box. What can I get for you?”

“Hi!” the voice came back a little too chipper for Lacy’s night. “How are you?”

She tried to meet cheerfulness with cheerfulness. “I’m great, thanks for asking. What can I get started for you?”

“Oh, umm, I’ll take the Jumbo Jack combo with a coke and…. Uh, can I get that with curly fries?”

“Sure can,” she responded. He didn’t sound like an asshole. That was something. “Small, medium, or large?”

“Umm… large! Go big or go home, right?”

“I suppose so,” she smiled despite herself. “I’ll have your total at the window.”

“Great. Thanks!”

She could hear Ohmi putting down the fryer basket for the curly fries. “Let’s not burn those this time, okay?”

“Yeah, boss!” Ohmi called back.

Lacy filled the large cup with ice and a coke as the headlights from the customer’s car approached down the narrow drive through lane. She heard the car stop as she surveyed how Ohmi was coming with the rest of the order, then looked at the register for the total. Finally, she reflexively opened the window and leaned out to tell the… driverless car…

“What the hell?” she said aloud. Then she remembered the YouTube videos where a kid would cover himself with upholstery making it look like no one was in the front seat. “Very funny. What kind of crap is this?” As she looked inside the Honda Civic, the driver’s seat looked identical to the passenger seat. The overhead light shone into the car just right so she could see down into the footwell where no feet rested on pedals…

“What’s the total?” a voice came from inside the car. Not from a speaker in the car, not from some hidden compartment in the car, but as present as if it came from a person sitting right there in the front seat. But there was no person.

“Uh…” Lacy stammered. “Eight… uh… sixty five.” Her eyes roved  over the interior looking for the hidden driver, the remote control, the speaker… something to explain this. She jumped as a chime next to her startled her – the NFC payment sensor indicating it registered a valid payment source. But she was just staring out the window – nothing came remotely close to the NFC pad right next to her…

“Ah!” she shrieked as Ohmi tapped her on the back, indicating the bagged order.

“Ohmi, Ohmi, look at this!” She pointed at the car. Ohmi rolled his eyes and walked away without paying attention.

“Something wrong?” the voice came from the empty car again.

“N–No,” Lacy said. “Your order is right here.” She reached the back out the window. She felt something take the bag. She let go and the bag floated down into the car. Lacy held out the soda with a straw. It left her hand and floated down into the car. She stared slack-jawed.

“Have a nice day!” the voice said as the empty car navigated the curve into the parking lot and then out onto the street.