The Blue Phantom(Rich Puckett) ### **Background & Setup**

Tommy had always been a boy caught between two worlds—the warmth of home with his mother and the roaring engines of his father’s dreams. His mother, a tireless waitress, carried the weight of two roles after his father’s death. She worked long shifts at the local diner in Poplar Bluff, coming home smelling of coffee and kitchen grease, exhaustion worn like armor. She loved her son deeply but feared the track—it had stolen her husband, and she worried it would take Tommy too.

But racing was in his blood.

As Tommy grew, he couldn’t shake his fascination with the world of engines, grease, and horsepower. His Uncle Timmy became his bridge between his father’s legacy and his mother’s caution. While his mother refused to let Tommy work on cars, Uncle Timmy took him to the racetrack every chance he could, giving him glimpses of a life his father had loved.

Then, there was **Paula**.

Tommy first noticed Paula not because she was the daughter of the famous hot dog vendor, Charlie, but because of the way she laughed—bright, carefree, like summer breaking through the rain. Her blonde curls framed a freckled face, and her emerald eyes always carried a hint of mischief. At first, she was just the girl handing out hot dogs, but over time, he started stopping by the stand not for the food, but for her.

By the time Tommy was sixteen, their quiet exchanges turned into long conversations, and their conversations turned into something neither of them had quite named yet. On that particular night—the night everything changed—Paula took a break from the stand, and for the first time, she and Tommy walked the pit area together.

It was then that they found the **Blue Phantom.**

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### **Chapter 1: The Ghost in the Pit**

Tommy’s hands trembled on the steering wheel. The blue Ford sat rumbling beneath him, just like it had when he was a boy, when his father had taken him on long rides down country roads. But this time, it was different.

Because his father sat beside him.

Paula stood frozen at the entrance to the pit, her green eyes wide, reflecting the eerie glow of the floodlights overhead. She couldn’t see what Tommy saw, but she felt something—a presence, a shift in the air. The scent of gasoline and old leather filled the car, just like Tommy remembered. His father looked just as he had before the accident: strong, confident, grinning at his son as if none of the past had ever happened.

“Drive,” his father said, voice steady.

Tommy swallowed hard. His throat tightened. He wanted to ask so many things—*How? Why? Are you really here?*—but something deep inside him already knew the answer. This wasn’t just a ghost. This was a gift.

So instead, he gripped the gearshift, pressed the pedal, and let the car roll forward.

The engine roared to life like a living thing, and for the first time in years, Tommy didn’t feel alone.

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### **Chapter 2: A Race Against Time**

The racetrack buzzed with roaring engines and flashing lights. The moment Tommy lined up at the start, he felt the weight of the moment settle in his chest. This wasn’t just a race—it was something more. A test? A second chance?

The Christmas tree lights counted down: red… yellow…

His father sat still beside him, hands resting on his lap. Tommy exhaled slowly, waiting for the green.

Then—**GO!**

The tires shrieked. The blue Ford shot forward, the familiar rumble shaking his bones. Tommy felt the speed, the control—it was instinct now, second nature. The track blurred past him, the crowd just a dull roar in his ears.

And then, halfway down the track, it happened.

A flash of metal—a wheel spinning loose. The same terrible moment that had stolen his father from him years ago.

Tommy’s breath hitched. His hands tightened on the wheel.

But his father’s voice cut through the panic, calm and sure.

“**Hold steady. Stay with me.**”

Tommy gritted his teeth and adjusted. The car wobbled but held. The split-second decision—the correction—kept him from going into a nosedive.

He flew across the finish line, the crowd erupting into cheers.

His father let out a low, satisfied chuckle.

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### **Chapter 3: The Final Goodbye**

Tommy hit the brakes, pulling into the pit. His heart pounded. He turned to his father, chest rising and falling with frantic breaths.

His father smiled.

“That’s my boy.”

Tommy blinked, and suddenly—he was gone.

The passenger seat was empty. The blue Ford sat still, the engine ticking softly in the cool night air. The scent of leather and gasoline lingered, but the warmth beside him had vanished.

Paula ran to him, out of breath. “Tommy! That was amazing! Are you okay?”

Tommy looked at her. Then at the car. Then at the empty seat beside him.

A quiet, peaceful smile spread across his lips.

“He taught me how to drive,” he murmured. “One last time.”

Paula hesitated, then reached for his hand. She didn’t ask questions. She didn’t need to.

Because for the first time in years, Tommy felt whole.

And somewhere beyond the track, beneath the hum of the night, he could’ve sworn he heard the distant echo of an engine—fading, but never truly gone.

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