OLIVIA CLAMP
Special to The Leader
It is Jonathan’s last night in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, so he and his friends decide to have a rowdy last night bar hopping around the city. The humid August air hits Jonathan as he leaves the pub. He will not be visiting for another few months and is reluctant to leave the historic city. Soon, his taxi will be arriving to pick him up to bring him to his hotel, The Gaslight Inn Bed and Breakfast. Jonathan says goodbye to his friends when his taxi pulls up to the curb. He enters the vehicle and notices the inside of the cab smells of musty cologne.
“Hello, sir, can you take me to the Gaslight Inn Bed and Breakfast on Middle Street?” Jonathan asks.
He receives no response. Jonathan is confused but shrugs it off as the taxi driver begins to pull away from the curb. The taxi driver is wearing an old jacket with a blue cap on his head. Jonathan finds this odd but figures the driver must be an older gentleman.
“So, have you had a lot of people to drive around tonight? It is a beautiful night.”
Silence. Jonathan figures the taxi driver is tired of talking about the weather and where he has driven, so he instead tries to get to know the stranger by asking him about Gettysburg.
“I was wondering, have you ever been on one of those ghost tours? I have heard great things about them, but I don’t believe in ghosts so I don’t know if I should attend. I heard the employees mist smells in the air and carve shelves and gutters to look like the shadows of ghosts. What do you think about it all?”
Once again, Jonathan receives no response from the taxi driver. He begins to feel uncomfortable as he feels he is talking to a wall. Although Jonathan grew up in New York City with snobby taxi drivers, he has never been in one where the conversation is nonexistent.
Instead of coming up with another topic to discuss, Jonathan stares out the window. The sky is dark, but the moon is big and beautiful. Jonathan looks at his phone to see how much longer he must endure the car ride. According to the GPS, he still has three and a half more miles in the vehicle.
Shortly after checking his phone, the car begins to slow down and eventually stops. Jonathan looks out the front window and sees a large bridge with vehicle blockades directly in front. The bridge has a few spotlights shining onto it. The looks of the red bridge give Jonathan the creeps. He waits patiently in his seat, wondering why the driver has stopped. The driver then takes the keys out of the ignition, implying that Jonathan is at his destination.
“Excuse me, sir, but I think we still have a few more miles to go,” Jonathan says politely with a quiver in his voice.
No answer.
“Sir, it’s late, and I have to wake up early tomorrow, so I don’t miss my flight. Can you please continue driving,” he says with more urgency.
Silence.
“Can you say anything? I will report you to your taxi company.”
This time Jonathan is outraged as he has no idea where he is.
Nothing.
Annoyed, Jonathan gets out of the taxi and throws his money at the taxi driver. The atmosphere is off, and the smell of cigars fills the air. He looks at the taxi driver who has not moved since he left. There is no trace of where the odor is coming from. He decides to investigate and moves past the vehicle blockades to see where he is. In the middle of the bridge, Jonathan finds a bronze plaque.
The beginning of the plaque discusses the historical impact of the bridge, which Jonathan skims over. It isn’t until the last few sentences when Jonathan takes in the words of the plaque, which reads, “While this bridge is a beacon for the ghosts of confederate soldiers, another legend takes place. Numerous visitors of Gettysburg report getting into a taxi with a silent driver. The taxi rides are eerie and do not end up where the visitor expects. The traveler is dropped off here, the Sachs Covered Bridge. Once they leave the vehicle, the taxi will disappear.”
Fear sends Jonathan to race to the taxi and the driver; however, they are no longer waiting for him. In disbelief, Jonathan searches for tire tracks and finds none. He did not hear the engine start nor see the headlights begin on the taxi. While coming up with a logical reason for where the driver and his car went, the smell of cigars grows stronger, and he hears gunfire in the distance.