In the distance, a rumbling engine cut through the sound of the river, growing louder by the second.

Mary: "It's a car!"
Tristan: "Loud car…"

Finally, a large bus pushed through the darkness and pulled up beside them. Mary looked at it disdainfully.

Mary: "This is not what I asked for."
Tristan: "It'll have to do."

The door on the bus slid open with the horrible screeching of metal parts crying out for oil. In the driver's seat was an old man, staring at them expectantly.

Charlie: "Well? Are you getting on or not? I don't have all night, I have a schedule to keep."

Tristan and Mary exchanged glances with each other, then stepped onto the bus.

Charlie: "Hold up, there. You gotta pay the fare."

Tristan grinned like a little boy on Christmas, while Mary looked at him worriedly.

Mary: "Tristan, I don't have any money…"
Tristan: "I do! I brought a penny for each of us!"

Tristan dug around in his pockets, slowly counted out two pennies, and gleefully tossed them into the fare bucket. The bus driver looked at him like he was insane.

Charlie: "Son, is that a joke?"

Tristan shrunk back.

Tristan: "I thought the fare was one coin apiece, to ferry us across the river."
Charlie: "Does this look like a danged ferry boat to you? Do I have paddles? This here is a bus. A motor vehicle with a steering wheel and an automatic transmission. The fare is five dollars, each. One way. And no Canadian coins!"
Tristan: "I see. Well… is there a ferry we could take instead?"

The bus driver glared icily at Tristan for a full thirty seconds before responding.

Charlie: "Exactly what century do you think this is, Son? Would we have gone through the trouble of upgrading to a bus if we planned on keeping a fleet of leaky old ferries around? Do you know how toxic that water is? It'll melt you down if you so much as look at it wrong. Those old boats were a huge liability."

Tristan pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and flipped through it.

Tristan: "Damn! I lent James my last twenty so he could get that ridiculous man purse! All I have is two singles."

Mary sighed heavily and tried to focus on conjuring some money. None appeared.

Mary: "Too bad Emily didn't forget her wallet, we could've met here right here at the bus stop and been home by now."

She pushed past Tristan and batted her eyelashes at the bus driver.

Mary: "Sir, please, there must be something else we could pay you with."
Charlie: "Missy, I don't take up with ladies of the night. Especially not while I'm on the job."
Mary: "What?! I'm not… that's not what I... I mean it's night and I'm, but I'm not--oh, just ew. Tristan, give him your watch."
Tristan: "It's not exactly a Rolex, Mary."

Tristan looked at his wrist and then back up to Mary.

Mary grabbed Tristan's hand and released the watch from his wrist. She pushed past Tristan, stepping up to the driver.

Mary: "Here. This is a collectors item. See? His little mouse hands point to the time. And it's got the limited edition red leather strap! This is worth far more than ten dollars."

The bus driver looked from her to the watch suspiciously.

Charlie: "Oh, all right. Get on."

Tristan and Mary hustled to the back of the bus before the driver could change his mind, choosing the seat furthest away from the rest of the passengers.

Tristan: "I can't believe you gave away my watch!"
Mary: "No big deal, I'll get you another one."
Tristan: "Mary, I've had that watch since nineteen-fifty-two."
Mary: "Yeah, so?"

Tristan: "You're not going to be able to find another one."
Mary: "Honestly, Tristan, I know you're obscenely old, but what century are you living in? Haven't you ever heard of eBay?"

Tristan crossed his arms and sank back into his seat while Mary rested her head on the window and watched the scenery go by. He had no idea where this leg of the journey would take them, no idea how long it would last, and now no way to keep track. He glanced around nervously at the rest of the passengers of the bus, realizing that he couldn't really discern their features or tell them apart from one moment to the next. The skin on the back of his neck crawled as it occurred to him that he was utterly alone in a world of ghosts.