Equinox

Drive carefully, don’t go too fast and above all do not drink over the limit, this was good advice if you obeyed it. It kept you safe and free from harm and best of all it even protected other people; Alastair Fenton however, 'didn’t care', not about the fact he had a drink problem nor the fact he was a murderer. It had happened two years ago, he had gotten drunk at the office party and decided to risk taking the car home believing himself to still be in control of his motoring skills. People begged him not too but he was the boss and who were they to tell him what to do?!? She hadn’t even seen him, and he being too drunk to stop, had not seen her until it was too late. She had landed with her skull damaged (on the road) and had spent two years in a coma. He had been found guilty by eyewitnesses in the area, however his lawyer, the sort of chap employed by companies like this, had got him off and so he was free to kill again. This time he would probably do just that. He had been invited to a party where he hoped to do business with some of the top businessmen in the City, the kind that didn’t care about his past. There was something special about today he told himself as he drove to the house of the hostess named Louise; she greeted him with a kiss and led him inside. “I’m pleased you could make it Alastair, there’s still time before the clock strikes midnight”; "I've got to be home by 2, what’s so special about midnight?”; "The coming of light and darkness when good and evil are both equal"; "I see, well let’s hope it doesn’t upset any deals!". Alastair spent most of the evening chatting to a man who worked as a financial consultant for a large company and even managed to clinch the deal. At 11:30 he said “goodbye", his breath smelt of drink; the man had offered to order a taxi but Alastair said he was alright, “besides", he said, "I don’t live far”. “Yeah, well be careful, this is the Equinox!” said the man sounding like a doom warning. Alastair put this down to the fact the man was probably more drunk than him. For some reason images of the young woman came flooding back into his mind as he got into his car and began to drive off. The 'Equinox', why was this on his mind? He couldn’t keep awake because of the drink. He wished now he had taken the taxi. Then it happened, his car skidded out of control and began to run down a huge ditch. Overturning as it did so. He looked around; he was outside his car, somehow he had gotten out. “Oh Sir, please excuse me”. He turned to see a man in a white suit with greyish hair apparently in his fifties with a tall thin stature standing beside him. “Do forgive me I came as quickly as I could, the other side wanted to send one of their people but I was most insistent, this is your car I take it?"; “Yes, why, can you fix it?”; "Oh no Sir, this is the Equinox, besides I am not here to give physical assistance my purpose is to give moral support as God intended”. Oh great, thought Alastair, a religious extremist. Still, he might be useful: “Look, do you have a mobile phone I could use?"; “I’m terribly sorry I have no means of communication saith for that of which I am telepathically connected and besides I do believe you no longer have any need of such assistance"; “Listen I have to get home, i’ve an important meeting tomorrow at my company, now if you cannot help me I suggest you find someone who can!"; "Oh I’m afraid no one can help you, you see today is the Equinox, the time when good and evil are equally balanced and no side has jurisdiction over the other. You see Sir I’m an angel, when your car crashed into the ditch and overturned it was blown up by a petrol leakage, you were killed instantly". “Wait a minute what are you on about I can see my car right there"; “No Sir that’s the time spiritual remains what we call the ghosts of the past used to perceive judgement upon those about to enter or be dismissed, however usually it disperses but this is the Equinox and so we cannot interfere in any way with what has taken place, although neither can the other side. That young woman she died in the hospital I believe; the one you ran down whilst under alcoholic influence, I believe she died in the hospital after a brief recovery, I believe her parents and her boyfriend, who she was to wed, were most distressed". "I’ve had enough of this!” exclaimed Alastair, making his way past the man, however, something invisible like a force field seemed to be blocking his path. He tried the other way, same thing, in fact he seemed to be surrounded; “What’s going on?”; “I’ve already explained, darkness and light are balanced so you cannot be judged”. “........So I’m not going to Hell”; "No Sir, you would have, and the other side tried all manner of legal techniques having quite a few lawyers you understand, however we insisted the rules be kept as intended by us and their side”. "So I’m safe" said Alastair, a feeling of relief engulfing him despite what had already taken place. "Well not exactly", exclaimed the man in regrettable yet justified tones. “You see when the car blew up you was killed instantly, however your body was twisted in the wreckage and the doors had welded together and the car had distorted its structure, it took them ages to cut you free though like i said this is the Equinox when Heaven and Hell are both equal so I’m afraid no one can claim you so you’ll have to go back in the spiritual wreckage until the end of all eternity, the other side were kind enough to agree for you to be allowed out so I could explain your predicament. It's ironic really but this is what the other side wanted". The man vanished after saying "goodbye, Sir" and that he was sorry but this was the Equinox, and so Alastair found himself trapped in the spiritual remains of time-past for eternity. All he could do was shout for help from the cars that past; however he knew he could neither be seen nor heard, for this was the Equinox and he was trapped within limbo between light and darkness where no one could decide. END