New prose by Craig.

Wasn't the Full Moon just two or three nights ago? Must be a delayed reaction.

A strange shift. I went into service at 4:00, and immediately had two trips in a row. An excellent start. It was shaping nicely into what promised to be a good, steady roll right out of the chute then...nothing. The phones had quit working by then, and were lifeless initially for 2 1/2 hours or so. Any hack will tell you there's something not quite right about long, silent radio periods. Thanks, GCI. Stood pat for quite awhile rather than chase phantoms, then decided to play the airport. Speaking of phantoms. I figured there would be lots of cabs there and was right, but still was lucky to flag two pretty decent trips anyway. I love it when they'll walk by a whole line of cabs and then stop at mine.

So far, so good, all in all.

Phones were up and sporadically ringing by then and Trulee, the dispatcher, sent me to Oaken Keg. Liquor stores are rarely decent sources of customers, but somebody has to do it, right? So I ignored my gut feeling - invariably a mistake on my part - and went anyway. To find a tweaker. I didn't know that about him before I picked him up, of course, but eventually suspected he might be psychotic as well when he volunteered, out of nowhere, that he was a multiple felon. No, I didn't ask which ones.

He wanted to go home to the Monson Motel, but decided on the way that he had to have a movie to watch. No problem, so we stopped at Blockbuster. Returned a few minutes later pretty pissed at the clerks because they wouldn't rent him some movie called Green River Killer that he wanted to see, but probably really wanted to study and someday practice. I figure they just didn't have it on hand, but reality is relative and can be fleeting for some.

It sort of explains why he cursed popcorn when, in a failed diversionary effort to chit-chat, I suggested that it goes well with a movie. Or maybe not. Hell, I don't know. Just know that when Karma decides to take a shift off, I might as well save some gas too so, thank you, and good night.