The Car Is Dark and Full of Terrors

Story Sent in by Billy:

I was to meet Alice for our first date at a restaurant. I arrived there first and she called me soon after. She said that she'd be a little late, that her car had caught fire.

It was either the lamest excuse ever or a serious incident in the making, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt, asked if she needed help, and hung up after she told me that everything would be okay and that she'd be right there.

She arrived, I asked her again if everything was okay, and we were seated.

She told me that she had lit some candles and put them on her dashboard, then tried to drive. They had fallen onto the floor and nearly incinerated her and her car.

I asked her why she'd light candles and she informed me that the lights inside her car, those that lit up the dashboard and such, were broken, and that it was the only way for her to see how fast she was going.

"I do it all the time," she said, "I just wasn't careful, this time."

I asked her why she didn't get the problem fixed, or at least use a flashlight as a workaround. She explained that a repair would cost too much money, as would flashlight batteries.

After dinner, I walked her back to her car, and told her flatly that I didn't think it was a good idea for her to light any more candles inside of it. She gave me a big hug, promised me she wouldn't, and we parted. She climbed into her car and then, as I watched, right in front of me, she lit two candles, placed one on the dashboard and one on the empty seat next to her, and drove away. After seeing that, I couldn't ask her out again.