A Friend in Need

Alice burst into the kitchen without knocking. She was crying.

“You have to help!” she sobbed. “Ted’s locked himself in the garage and I can’t get in. He’s trying to hurt himself!”

Alice was not prone to hysteria. Hastily, I shoved my chair back and stood. “Are you sure?” I asked, alarmed.

She nodded. “He left a note.” She was shaking. We ran across the section of grass between our houses to the garage on the far side. I knew that garage well. We’d spent a lot of time in Ted’s Man Cave over the years, playing darts or just shooting the breeze from plastic lawn chairs. Ted had been really down these last few months, though and it had been a while since we’d shared a six out there.

I banged on the door and tried the handle. It was locked. I could hear an engine running inside.

“Ted!” I yelled. When there was no response, I ran around to the front and yanked up on the overhead door. It wouldn’t budge. I looked for something to break down the door.

“Call 911!” I yelled.

Every second was wasted time. I ran back to the side door and gave it a kick near the knob. To my relief, it budged. Another kick and it started to splinter. A third and I was in.

The interior of the garage was thick with exhaust and the roar of the idling lawnmower. The open door gave just enough light for me to see Ted sitting, still, in the passenger seat of his car. My heart pounded. I grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him out onto the grass. He looked dead.

Then, just as the sirens sounded in the distance, he groaned. It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard.