The Vanishing Hitchhiker It was a dark and stormy night. Jake was driving home from a long day at work, feeling tired and bored. He saw a figure on the side of the road, waving for help. It was a young woman, soaked and shivering. Jake pulled over and rolled down his window. "Hey, are you okay? Do you need a ride?" he asked. The woman nodded gratefully. "Yes, please. Thank you so much. I'm Sarah. My car broke down and I've been waiting here for hours." Jake smiled and unlocked the door. "No problem. I'm Jake. Hop in." Sarah got in the car and buckled her seatbelt. Jake turned on the heater and drove off. "So, where are you headed?" he asked. "I live in Maplewood, just a few miles from here. Do you know where that is?" Sarah said. "Sure, I do. I live in Oakville, not too far from there." Jake said. They made small talk for a while, chatting about their jobs, hobbies and families. Sarah seemed nice and friendly, and Jake felt a connection with her. He wondered if he should ask her out. They arrived at Maplewood and Sarah pointed to a house on the corner. "That's my place. Thank you so much for the ride, Jake. You're a lifesaver." she said. Jake parked the car and turned to her. "It was my pleasure, Sarah. Can I have your number? Maybe we can hang out sometime."

he said. Sarah smiled and wrote down her number on a piece of paper. "Sure, I'd like that. Call me anytime." she said. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, Jake." she said. She got out of the car and ran to the door. Jake watched her go, feeling happy and hopeful. He drove away, humming to himself. He decided to call her the next day. He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up. But instead of hearing her voice, he heard a recorded message. "The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again." Jake frowned and checked the number again. It was correct. He tried again, but got the same message. He was confused and annoyed. He decided to drive back to her house and see if she was there. Maybe she gave him the wrong number by mistake. He arrived at Maplewood and looked for her house. But he couldn't find it. There was no house on the corner. There was only an empty lot with a sign that said "For Sale". Jake felt a chill run down his spine. He realized that he had been duped by a ghost. A ghost of a hitchhiker who had died in a car crash on that very spot years ago. A ghost who had been haunting the road ever since, looking for unsuspecting drivers to lure into her trap. A ghost who had kissed him goodbye with cold lips.