Midnight Train

Why is it so bright in here? Oh, God my head. I put my hand to my pounding head. It feels like I have been beaten with a stick. I blink several times to try to be able to allow my eyes to adjust to the light. the feeling of the room is both shaky and bumpy. Which doesn’t help with the nausea I am feeling right about now.

Wait?! Am I on a train? I look around inside the cabin; I am in a cabin that sits 6 passengers. Three on onside and three adjacent to me. At the end of the seats, there’s a big bay window that faces outside on the other side is a sliding door with some windows to the hall of the train. I’m sitting in this little cabin alone.

In a panic, I frantically look around for my bag. It's next to where my head laid on the seats. Now that I think of it, how did I even get on this train? How long have I been here? I pull my pocket watch out of my bag and see it's only 12:01 am. I tap on the watch, that can’t be right. Looking out the window I can’t really see much since it's dark and the train is moving awfully fast.

Something doesn’t seem right about this train. We should have come to another station by now. I know that it's midnight but where are all the other passengers? I didn’t realize that a train ran this late, let alone go so far. Where are we? It’s like this train almost doesn’t exist.

I wonder if there is anyone else on this train. I collected my bag and jacket from the seat next to me and opened the door cautiously to the hall of the train. I can hear murmurs of other passengers. Feeling a sigh of relief, I started walking towards the front of the train to see if I can find someone. Hopefully, find someone to maybe tell me how I got here and where this mystery train is going.

A ticket inspector came out of one of the cabins; “Oh! Hello, madam. I see that you are finally awake.”

“What? What do you mean finally?” I’m stunned and confused. “How long have I been out?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” He takes his pocket watch out of his vest pocket. “I’m not sure exactly but we picked you up a few hours.”

“I’m not sure I understand. How can I be on the train for a few hours?” Stunned at the statement. I pull out my pocket watch back out of my bag and it still reads 12:01 “12:01? I’m not sure I quite understand. When I awake my watch stated it's 12:01 but it still says 12:01.”

“Well, Madam I can assure you,” He continued, and I tap on my watch. My head whipped up once he started to speak again “This train runs a little differently than most.”

“I’m not sure I understand. I’ve never seen this train before. Where are we going?”

“That’s because this train isn’t on the usual schedule,” Before I could cut in and continue to ask questions he asked; “May I see your Ticket?”

“I don’t have a ticket-” He pointed down to my bag where there was a golden ticket. “Wait what? How did that get there?”

The ticket inspector took the ticket from my hand and punched a hole into it and gave it back. When I got it back it said my name, the station, and the time I was picked up at.

Genevieve Monroe

12:00am

Madrid, Spain.

Before I could question the ticket inspector about how I got on the train and where the train was going, he was gone. Just like that.

“What the-?” I said out loud. I guess I could walk around and see if I could find the other passengers or get up to the front of the train to the conductor. Maybe I could see what they knew about this train.

I started walking down the hall of the train towards the front. After walking for a while, I realized that this fault was like a long ass hall. I should have been at the doors for the next cart, no? I moved to the window to look outside and try to see if I was able to look down the line of the train. The train was going around the bend, so I was able to see the engine of the train.

Looking at the carts behind the engine it didn’t seem like it was broken up into individual carts. It was like one big cart. I thought that was kind of cool. I continued to walk down the hall to the engine when I could see a light coming out of one of the cabins. The murmurs got louder.

I was close enough that I was able to make out what they were saying; “Did you hear?” the one woman said. “They found a girl just laying on a bench passed out in Madrid, Spain.”

All in shock and awe like I was up to no good or on the run. “Does anyone know why she’s here on the train? Or where she came from?” another woman asked concerned.

“No, but I did hear she did wake up and walked into the ticket conductor about 20 minutes ago,” the first lady said.

I was already over this conversation before it began. Who are they to judge, they don’t know me at all! Besides, why am I on this darn train to begin with? And what kind of train is this? Where is it going?

As I walked by the cabin, they lowered their voices so I wouldn’t hear; “Is that her? Is that the girl that was sleeping on the bench?”

I just walked by the cabin instead of just stopping to talk to these women. I couldn’t tell if I was annoyed that everyone was gossiping about me or embarrassed that everyone on the train was talking about me. I didn’t bother to try to stop to find out any information about the train.

Bench? Passed out on the bench? What does that even mean? I don’t remember anything about a bench. Let alone a train station or getting on the physical train. What’s going on here?

I kept walking down the hall to the engine and in every cabin I walked past everyone had gawked, whispered among themselves, and pointed. In what seemed like forever I stumbled across a cabin with one lady inside. She seemed to be about around my age, late 20’s early 30’s.

She didn’t even look up from her book; “You must be Miss Monroe.”

“Yes,” how did she even know my name? “Do you know what’s going on here?”

“Don’t you?” the way she said that was in utmost confidence and a bit of diva.

“I don’t quite sure I understand, Ms.?” Confused and baffled with her reply.

“This is a very special train. Haven’t you noticed?” Very sharp, to the point. Sassy.

“I have noticed, yes. But why?”

“There’s only one way on this train. Which means there’s one way off-”

“ALL ABOARED!” the train conductor yelled.

But when I looked out the window it didn’t seem like we had stopped; “That’s weird. The train didn’t stop.”

“Oh, but it did. It’s an allusion that the train doesn’t stop. It’s so people don’t get off before they are ready to,” the lady replied.

“What do you mean before your ready?” That doesn’t even make sense, I thought to myself.

“Sure, it does. Every person is on this train for a purpose.”

“And what purpose is that?”

“That’s for you to find out. This is a very special train.” She finally looked up from her book. “Now if you excuse me, I’d love to lay down for a moment.”

I stood up and nodded my head; “Wait, Ms. I didn’t get your name?”

“It’s Linda,” she smiled as I left the cabin.

Thinking about it I came out from talking to Linda with double the number of questions I have than questions I got answered. What does she mean by the only way on and the only way off? I was leaning against the wall in the hall of the train so I can look out the window and I see the guard for the doors standing at his post reading a book. I walk over to him, and he notices that I have come walking over to him.

“Ahh, Madam how are you feeling? It’s nice to see that you are up and walking around,” the guard had gestured his seat for me. I waved him off that I was okay to stand.

“Sir, may I ask you something?” I tried to think of how to ask such questions.

“I may have an answer for you madam,” he winked then nodded for me to ask my question.

“How does one come on the ‘special’ train?” I hope I don’t sound too crazy.

The guard seem a little awkward and didn’t seem like he was going to answer at first. Before I could have the opportunity to tell him he doesn’t have to answer he says, “Well, madam this is a very special train. There is only one way on this train yes. But to get off is next to near impossible sincemthere is only one way off. Getting off this train isn’t your ordinary exit. I’m not sure if you have noticed or not madam. But this train does not stop. Even though you may hear passengers come on.”

Now to think of it I did hear passengers come on and walk by the cabin I was in with Linda. But didn’t see them come on nor did the train stop to pick them up.

“The train does stop and go. But if you are not ready to see then you will only see what you want to see,” the guard tried so hard to explain but it wasn’t really making too much sense.

I thought for a minute to put the correct words in order without sounding crazy; “Uhm, would it be possible you could tell me how I got on this train?”

The guard really looks genuine and sorry; “I’m sorry madam. I cannot help. I’m not sure what happened or how you got to be on this train. I wasn’t the guard that carried you aboard the train-”

That was the moment he knew he had said too much because he saw the look on my face- the face of what did you just say? “Excuse me?!?!”

“I’m sorry madam, I shouldn’t have told you that. You’re supposed to find your purpose of why you are here. The reason you ended up here in the first place. It’s your ticket on getting out of here,” he pleaded. “You need to be able to see. Once you’re able to see, is when you’ll be able to get off. Till then you will continue to be on this train.”

For some reason I had the urge to check my pocket watch it was 12:01. and it was like time was standing still. My head whips up to the sound of the horn and suddenly I’m sitting in a white padded room with a white jacket on.