spirt light

I picked up the passenger on the outskirts of the reservation, the dusty road stretching out before us like a snake slithering through the desert. The passenger, a quiet woman with a worn leather jacket, slid into the backseat without a word, her eyes fixed on the passing landscape.

As we drove, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the barren terrain. The GPS led me down increasingly narrow roads, the darkness deepening with each passing mile. The woman's silence was unnerving, but I didn't press her for conversation.

Suddenly, she spoke up, her voice low and husky. "We're almost there. Take the next left up ahead." The road wound deeper into the reservation, the only sound the crunch of gravel beneath the tires.

That's when I noticed it – a faint light hovering in the distance, seeming to follow us. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if fatigue was playing tricks on me, but when I looked again, the light was still there, pulsing softly.

The woman didn't seem to notice, her gaze fixed on some point outside the window. I hesitated, unsure whether to mention the light, but something about the atmosphere felt off.

As we drove deeper into the night, the light grew brighter, illuminating the dark landscape in an otherworldly glow. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Was this some kind of UFO?

As we drove closer to the passenger's destination, the spirit light still hovering behind us, the landscape shifted from desert scrub to a flashy neon oasis – the reservation's casino. The building loomed before us, a sprawling complex of bright lights and enticing sounds.

The woman's expression changed, her eyes gleaming with a mix of excitement and desperation. "We're here," she said, her voice husky.

As I pulled up to the entrance, she handed me a wad of cash and slipped out of the car, disappearing into the crowd of gamblers and revelers. I watched her go, wondering what her story was and what she'd been searching for.

The spirit light, still pulsing softly behind us, seemed to grow brighter as I sat there, as if drawing my attention to something. Suddenly, the lights of the casino flickered and died, plunging the parking lot into darkness.

In the sudden silence, I heard the woman's voice, carried on the wind – "The house always wins, but sometimes it's more than just a game."

The lights flickered back to life, and the casino's sounds resumed. I shook my head, wondering if I'd imagined the whole thing. But as I pulled away, the spirit light vanished, leaving me with more questions than answers.