Splash of Color

Fred mussed his short carrot hair. He chose this possibility. Now, here he was being pulled over by the police, to avoid an accident that could’ve ended his life. He got out of the car and slid his wallet from his jeans. As he thought that, a blue sports car zoomed past catching the police’s attention. A few minutes later the squall of brakes and screech of tires, then the scrape of metal against metal, before the big crashing thud resounded through the streets. The smell of gas and blood was poignant in the air. Fred winced. That would have been him had he not seen the byplay already. The police officer called in the accident, forgetting about his ticket and Fred smiled slightly.

He could run and he knew the police officer would let him go, but he had promised himself years ago when he first developed this ability, he would never abuse it. And so he stood until he got the ticket. He had nowhere pressing to be at this time anyway. A bark sounded from the back of his car and he laughed. “Coming Pongo,” he said sliding back into the driver’s seat of the small car. The dog’s nose poked him in the shoulder and Fred chuckled ruffling Pongo’s furry head.

“Come on boy, let’s go home…maybe,” he began.

An insistent tapping got their attention. A pretty brunette in heels was tapping her foot outside. She was holding onto a cell phone and gesturing wildly as she screamed.

“Drey! Can you hear me? Oh, when I get my hands on you!”

Fred started the car but Pongo had other ideas as he jumped from the back to the passenger seat and began barking incessantly.

Fred turned to Pongo and shook his head. “We are going home, Pongo.”

Pongo barked again and started nudging him with his muzzle. Fred sighed and glanced back at the brunette as she seemed to wither slightly with every call she made. Fred knew she wasn’t going to get through to whoever she was calling.

Pongo whined and Fred groaned. “Ok! You win pal. I’ll help her through it but when we get home I get to pick the movie,” he muttered stopping the car and stepping out. Fred stepped up to her, nervous about being near another being again. An angry one with unfinished business. She didn’t seem to recognize her time of happiness on this earth had passed and now...well that’s why Pongo wanted to help.

“Hi, are you ok?” he asked the now sobbing brunette.

“There must be terrible reception here or else my phone is broken. Do you have a phone I can borrow?” she asked sniffling.

He shook his head no. “I don’t carry those with me when I’m with Pongo.”

“Pongo?” she asked.

He smiled. “My dog. Do you need help getting to a certain place? I could give you a ride if you wanted?”

The brunette sighed and nodded. “I need to go to the hospital. My brother was injured in the accident.”

Fred nodded and led her to his small car where Pongo obediently let the brunette sit in the passenger seat. He wagged his tail and started to poke her with his muzzle and lick her face in a wet hello.

“Pongo! Down boy,” Fred said as he started the car. The brunette laughed and scratched the German Shepard’s muzzle. “You named him after 101 Dalmatians' Pongo?” she asked belting on as they reversed into the streets.

“Yup. It’s my favorite Disney film,” he said taking the 1-80 to Springfield Hospital.

They arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later just as the ambulance was starting to roll out again. Instead of arriving through the front, however, Fred walked in through the ER and kept walking to where a body covered in a blanket lay. He knew who was under. It was time.

The brunette had tried to get some service but had no success.

“What is it with everyone ignoring me today?” she muttered and Fred sighed taking her hand, and leading her to the body. He lifted the sheet to reveal the brunette as she was, lying on the gurney still and cold. A piece of shrapnel from the car had impaled her stomach, bleeding her out.

“This is why. You are dead. You need to come to terms with the death and leave before you become a waking nightmare and I’d have to excise you,” said Fred callously, shocking the brunette. The brunette for once in her life, afterlife? Made a split choice and dissipated in filmy smoke. Fred rubbed his twitching eye and lowered the sheet down. She’d made her choice.