The Disappearing Car
In 1993, I purchased a used red Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX with all the money I had saved since I was ten. What an astounding machine. One summer evening around 1994, I was on my way home on a nearly empty freeway. At some point, I noticed a silver sedan pull into my passenger’s side blind spot. To mitigate the problem, I slowed down and sped up. Unfortunately, the driver matched my speed perfectly. Quite annoying and unsafe.
Because I could not directly see the car in my mirror, I had to crane my neck around to spot its headlights. After a few twists, I developed a routine. I looked ahead for a ten count, then at my speedometer, and then craned around. This routine went on about twenty times, and then, poof! I did not see the sedan. Where did it go? I had not passed any exits, and there was enough light to see cars (even without headlights) behind me.
There are five possible explanations. The most likely explanation is that I lost track of time and the car drove onto an off-ramp. Alternatively, they could have had an electrical failure, causing their lights to turn off. The third is an optical illusion or visual mistake. (The car was still in my blind spot.) Another possibility is that for this article, I fabricated the story, dreamed it, or did not recall what happened correctly.
What did I think at the time? The car disappeared! Yes, the law of physics went out the window, and the car teleported away just like on Star Trek. Is this explanation logical? Of course not, but I told all my friends about my fantastic event.
Did I truly believe this outrageous explanation? 100%. Why? I think a part of me wanted something unique to happen. Another aspect of me was stunned by the sudden action and refused to accept any logical explanation.
Was I too immature (illogical) to accept a rational explanation? I have always been a logical person, possessing the mental foundation to understand the difference between what is possible and what is impossible. Yet, I allowed myself to take a deep dive into fantasy.
Over time, this powerful memory got replaced by logic. The first explanation is probably what occurred. Why did it take me so many years to see the truth? I suppose age brings wisdom.
Yet, there is another aspect to this discussion. When readers pick up a fictional book, they know the story is not real. Yet, we turn off our logic and let our minds drift. Magic, talking robots, ghosts, time travel, and dragons are all possible. This line can be blurry because authors push the envelope, incorporate real-life events, and want their readers to immerse themselves in fantasy. So, I suppose science fiction helped me believe that a car could disappear.
This is a real event from my life, and knowing science fiction helped push me toward an illogical conclusion is a bit creepy. I want to think that I am above being taken advantage of in that way. Alas, no.
Humans have a deep desire to accept the unacceptable and genuinely want to believe. I suppose that, as a writer, this gives me an edge. As a driver? Umm…
You’re the best -Bill
March 17, 2021 Updated September 13, 2025
Because I could not directly see the car in my mirror, I had to crane my neck around to spot its headlights. After a few twists, I developed a routine. I looked ahead for a ten count, then at my speedometer, and then craned around. This routine went on about twenty times, and then, poof! I did not see the sedan. Where did it go? I had not passed any exits, and there was enough light to see cars (even without headlights) behind me.
There are five possible explanations. The most likely explanation is that I lost track of time and the car drove onto an off-ramp. Alternatively, they could have had an electrical failure, causing their lights to turn off. The third is an optical illusion or visual mistake. (The car was still in my blind spot.) Another possibility is that for this article, I fabricated the story, dreamed it, or did not recall what happened correctly.
What did I think at the time? The car disappeared! Yes, the law of physics went out the window, and the car teleported away just like on Star Trek. Is this explanation logical? Of course not, but I told all my friends about my fantastic event.
Did I truly believe this outrageous explanation? 100%. Why? I think a part of me wanted something unique to happen. Another aspect of me was stunned by the sudden action and refused to accept any logical explanation.
Was I too immature (illogical) to accept a rational explanation? I have always been a logical person, possessing the mental foundation to understand the difference between what is possible and what is impossible. Yet, I allowed myself to take a deep dive into fantasy.
Over time, this powerful memory got replaced by logic. The first explanation is probably what occurred. Why did it take me so many years to see the truth? I suppose age brings wisdom.
Yet, there is another aspect to this discussion. When readers pick up a fictional book, they know the story is not real. Yet, we turn off our logic and let our minds drift. Magic, talking robots, ghosts, time travel, and dragons are all possible. This line can be blurry because authors push the envelope, incorporate real-life events, and want their readers to immerse themselves in fantasy. So, I suppose science fiction helped me believe that a car could disappear.
This is a real event from my life, and knowing science fiction helped push me toward an illogical conclusion is a bit creepy. I want to think that I am above being taken advantage of in that way. Alas, no.
Humans have a deep desire to accept the unacceptable and genuinely want to believe. I suppose that, as a writer, this gives me an edge. As a driver? Umm…
You’re the best -Bill
March 17, 2021 Updated September 13, 2025
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