Ghost Bike

Lucy had been driving for three hours. She was almost home. It was October 16, the height of leaf season, but Lucy had too much on her mind to appreciate her surroundings. Her visit to her parents had been uneventful, but also a little sad. It would be the last time she saw her childhood home. Next week, her parents would turn over the house to new owners in favor of a fancy new retirement village. She was lost in thought. 

When she saw a sign for a local antique mall, she decided it would be just the thing to take her mind off of her visit. The store was called “Timeless Treasures,” but it looked like a place that time had left behind. The florescent lights highlighted layers of dust on the dilapidated furniture. The green glassware was so dirty that it was no longer translucent. Treasure was nowhere to be found. Lucy was just about to leave when the old bicycle caught her eye. 

She hadn’t been on a bike since she was a little girl. She smiled at the memory- hair blowing in the wind- and that feeling of freedom that she would never forget. She laughed to herself and thought, “I am far too old for another bicycle!’ She turned to go, but decided to take one last look. It was a road bike, the kind with the funny-looking curled handlebars and when she wiped away the dust, she found the most beautiful shade of blue. It was iridescent, changing colors depending on how the light hit. She envisioned herself riding and the vision filled her heart with joy. Maybe, I could just ride it in the parking lot she thought and the next thing she knew, she was taking it out for a spin. 

Riding felt effortless and for a few moments, she didn’t have a care in the world. The bike felt like it was made for her. She brought it back in to the store. She thought of the cyclists that rode the country roads near her house. They looked like athletes. She barely exercised. Even so, she was smitten and could not bring herself to leave the store without that bike. She found the store owner, who was as mesmerizing as the bike itself. The owner seemed to float instead of walk. She had long brown hair and sparkling green eyes. She seemed genuinely pleased to see Lucy’s purchase. “This is a very special bike,” she said. “Take good care of it and it will bring you lots of happiness, but never, ever bring her back to this store. It is bad luck!” What an odd thing to say, Lucy thought. Still, she was all smiles as she loaded the bike into the back of her SUV. She realized that it may have been the first time she had smiled all day. 

The next morning, she decided to take it for a short ride. She knew a safe five-mile route. She would start slowly. She put on an old helmet left over from when her boys rode bikes through the neighborhood and set out for a short, safe ride. She was having a blast when suddenly, without her steering, the bike turned left. She made an attempt at turning around, but it seemed the bike would not take her direction. She should have been terrified, but she was having too much fun. Her five mile ride turned to ten and the bike took her down roads that she had never seen. The bike came to a stop at the edge of a field of wildflowers. It was the most magnificent sight Lucy had ever seen. The vibrant colors looked too beautiful to be real. She stopped to soak it all in. She felt like there was magic in the air. A blue butterfly landed on her nose while colorful dragonflies danced in the sunshine. She put the bike down and laid in the field. She closed her eyes just for a moment. When she opened her eyes, there was not a flower anywhere around- just green grass and the blue bike. She got back on and as though nothing had happened, the bike let her steer again. She wondered if she had imagined the entire thing. She arrived home safe, but tired. It would be a week before she would take the bike out again. By then, she had convinced herself that the strange and wonderful experience had just been a dream. 

She climbed onto the bike with a bit more trepidation this time. She started to ride, but once again the bike seemed to have a mind of its own. She relaxed a bit and thought of all the places she might go. She began to breathe a bit hard as she climbed a hill. When she inhaled, she smelled the unmistakable scent of the beach. An odd occurrence, since her city was landlocked. As she crested the top of the hill, she saw a sea of aquamarine. The bike stopped. The ocean was crystal clear and teaming with life. Her heart rate slowed and she began to relax. She never wanted to leave. The sun began to set though and she knew that she must return home. She mounted the bike again and as quickly as it came, the sea had disappeared. 

Each time she rode her bike, Lucy found a new adventure. 

One of her favorite stops was a little coffee shop. The outside of the shop looked like a gingerbread house. Lucy sat at one of the tables and fairies delivered her favorite cinnamon rolls to her table. The bike stopped at the little shop whenever Lucy’s energy began to wane and she found after a little bit of coffee and a little bit of sweets, she was ready to ride again. 

Other days, she passed farms. When she stopped, the animals would walk right up to her bike. They seemed to be enchanted. She even visited an island inhabited solely by friendly cats. Cats were her very favorite animal. She wondered how the bike knew. It took her to places that she had only seen in her imagination. It was like the bike had chosen her. Somehow, no matter how far away her adventure might seem, Lucy made it back for work the next day. Time seemed to stand still. 

Lucy remembered standing in the little store. She was so drawn to the bike. Every logical thought in her head tried to steer her away, but she kept returning until finally the bike was hers. She thought about the beautiful young shop owner and the twinkle in her eye. She seemed so pleased that the bike had chosen Lucy. 

She was right, the little blue bike had brought unimaginable happiness. In spite of the happiness Lucy felt, she began to feel an unease. She had so many questions- questions that kept her up at night. One night when she finally fell asleep, she dreamed of the antique mall. In her dream, the shop owner reminded her to stay away, but the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye made Lucy think that perhaps she didn’t mean it. Lucy had to find the answers to her questions. Who had owned the bike? Why had they given it up? What were the bike’s magical powers? Would it take others on adventures? She had to know.

The only way she would ever find out would be to return to the antique mall. She climbed on the bike. This time, it wasn’t quite so easy to pedal. In fact, the closer she got to the antique store, the harder it was to keep the bike moving forward. There was a lot of traffic on the road that day and Lucy realized that it was the first bike ride where she had seen any cars. “So strange,” she thought. Suddenly, she heard a truck coming fast behind her. Without steering the bike ran right off the road. Lucy tried to stop, but was thrown over the handlebars. She landed next to a tree. When she awoke, she realized that she was at the site of the antique store. Her vision was a little fuzzy. She looked up and there was an empty field where the store had been. Her beautiful blue bike was gone and in its place was a bike that had been painted white- a ghost bike. She could see a little bit of blue paint sparkling through the white. Next to it a picture and a plaque. Lucy’s looked at the picture and her face turned white when she saw the familiar green eyes. The inscription read- RIP Laurel Bell June 1,2001 - October 15, 2026.October 15- just one day before Lucy entered the store.