There is a Light That Never Goes Out

Flash Fiction

The street light flickered in the rain. A young woman, Cecily, walked quickly through the Pacific Northwest spring rain headed for home. But home was blocks away, in this residential neighborhood. A car’s lights broke the rain and a car slowed down. The driver, a young man, looked at her, and called out through the rain “Would you like a ride home”? Normally she would have said no. She did not accept rides from strangers. What if this guy was a murderer! she thought. But just then, the street light went out, due to the lightening that was coming, jagged, from the sky. She was left standing in the darkness, with only the car’s lights illuminating the scene.

She decided to take the chance, as she could not see ahead of herself without the lights of the car, and she was also afraid of being struck by the lightening. Cecily called out to the young man who seemed nice ” I was going to say no, but, (gesturing around), it looks pretty bad, so thanks”. She slowly approached the nice looking car and tested herself for any vibes against her better judgement. There were none, so she opened the door with a little hesitation and got in. The young man smiled and looked at her. ” So where do you live”? he asked. 

He started driving slowly down the street. Cecily said ” About 6 blocks down”. He said ” Okay, tell me when to turn, and if I’m going in the right direction”. Cecily responded with an okay, and asked his name. ” My name is Roger” he said. Cecily said nothing else as he took her home, or so she hoped. She did get home that night, and she saw Roger again and again. They later married.

It was 2007 now. Roger had died recently. Cecily thought of their unlikely meeting all those years ago. She thought of how, although they had met because of a street light that went out, as she would never have gotten in the car had that not happened, Roger had always been for her a light that never went out. He had always been the one light by which she could find her way in the darkness of life, or the light that illuminated the happiest moments of her life. There is a light that never goes out, thought Cecily.