Pot o’ Gold Challenge

I pulled off the road and turned off the wipers. Blood was smeared on the windshield over a spider web of cracks.

“Whatever it was, it was big.”

I squinted out the windshield. The rain was sluicing what was left of the blood away.

“Did you see anything?”

“No,” she said. “I was too busy screaming.”

I laughed. “Don’t worry about it. One of us had to.” I sighed. “I’d better check it out.”

She didn’t protest, and I popped open the glove compartment and grabbed the flashlight.

I got soaked immediately.

I wan’t sure exactly what I was looking for.

Wait. What was that? I shone my flashlight toward where I had seen a glint.

It looked like a Barbie doll. Twisted and obviously dead, diaphanous wings crushed beneath her, still oozing blood, which was washing away in the rain. I bent closer. The tiny female form was blonde, dressed in leaves, and a tiny wand lay near her outstretched arm. And something else . . .

I grimaced, then scrunched up my face and reached out to pick up what she’d been carrying.

Back in the car, Jen turned to me, her eyes wide, and said, “Did you find anything?”

I held up the thimble-sized pot of gold.

“Another fairy? You’d think they’d figure out eventually not to fly so low over human roads.”

I tossed the tiny pot into the glove compartment with the flashlight. At least it would pay for a new windshield.