Night on a Train

Night on a Train

D. A. Ratliff

“Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering.”

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Lizzie Gaston closed her eyes to shut out the sun glinting off the snow-covered mountains. Faint pressure pushed against her chest as the train clickety-clacked along the tracks, and she willed the wheels to move slower and delay her arrival.

She laughed as she recalled her words said silently to herself as she stepped onto the train. “I hate this bloody red train.” The train represented all she had fled from and vowed never to return. But she was returning due to the guilt trip her grandmother signed her up for, and it worked.

The train to nowhere—at least, that is what Lizzie called it as a child—led to Mount Gaston. The village, if it could be called that, was twelve miles from the Alaska Highway in the Yukon, nestled in a valley at the edge of the Kluane National Park. She chuckled. Her ancestors had settled there, opening a trading store during the gold rush. The gold rush ended, but they stayed. Hikers and campers came to the area in the spring and summer during the endless hours of sun, but reaching the site was treacherous. Only narrow paths, some paved, the only way, and her family used four-wheelers to get off the mountain to a nearby town. It was her great or maybe great-great-grandfather who realized there was an abandoned rail spur that led to the village. He secured investors and repaired the tracks extending the Gaston rail line to the village from British Columbia.

That had changed everything over the years. The winter brought cross-country skiers, hikers, snowmobilers, and hunters, and many came for the spectacular view of the Northern Lights. Her great-grandparents built a lodge and restaurant, and the village population grew large enough to open a one-room schoolhouse. She dropped her head against the headrest. She had come to loath that schoolhouse as they gained access to the outside world via satellite. As soon as she could, she headed to California and college and never looked back.

But her grandmother convinced her that as it was her father’s sixtieth birthday, she should come home to celebrate with the family and the town. As her father was the mayor, the village had planned quite a shindig. So here she was, on her way.

It was nine p.m., and the train wouldn’t arrive until around three p.m. the next day. Lizzie could have flown on a small commuter and caught the train down the line, but she wanted more time to prepare. She hadn’t been back in twelve years. She needed to take the long way home.

After working on a public relations presentation for an upcoming campaign for an actor, Lizzie was drowsy. She pulled the lever to recline the seat, grabbed the blanket and pillow she had brought, turned off the overhead light, and settled into sleep.

~~~

Lizzie woke. The car was dark and quiet. She had purposely headed to the second car, which would be less crowded. There were no more than four passengers at the car’s front end, and she chose the rear. Her head throbbed, and she turned on the overhead light to find ibuprofen. Reaching for her bag, she sensed a presence. Turning to her right, in the seat next to her, sat a woman. A woman bathed in sparkling mist.

Lizzie pressed against the side of the train. “Who are you?”

The woman turned, a smile on her face, and Lizzie realized she knew who it was. She spoke in a panicked voice. “Aunt Ruth?”

“Yes, my dear.”

“What is happening to me? You’re dead.”

“Yes. I am, but it is time for you to learn a few lessons.”

“I’m dreaming or hallucinating. You can’t be real. You died fifteen years ago.”

“I remember. And I remember how you cried and vowed not to be like me and live your entire life on Mount Gaston.”

“How…?”

“The dead are not gone, my dear, just departed. I am here to show you what life will be like for you because of your choices. Let’s begin with when you were a little girl. Let me take you back.”

The train car faded from Lizzie’s sight, and she found herself in her parent’s kitchen. The aroma of beef stew and wood burning in the fireplace wafted toward her. As a ten-year-old child, she sat at the rough-hewn kitchen table her father had built. Her brother, Matthew, sat across from her, playing with his toy dinosaurs. Her heart lurched when she spotted Grover, the Husky she grew up with, asleep in front of the fire. Aunt Ruth, sleeping as well, in a rocking chair next to him.

As her mother ladled stew into rustic pottery bowls, the door opened and her father, covered with snow, entered carrying a load of firewood.

“Close that door, Perry. You’re letting the heat out.”

“I’m getting there. Smells good in here.”

Lizzie’s breathing was shallow as she watched her father drop the wood in the wood bin and gently awaken his sister. “Laura has dinner ready.”

Perry asked Lizzie and Matthew about their school day as they ate beef stew and chunks of freshly baked bread. “Tell me what Mr. Rollins taught you today?”

Matthew excitedly waved his hands. “Showed us films of bears and wolves that live here.”

Perry asked him questions and then turned to Lizzie. “Eliza, what did you learn?”

Warm tears spilled from Lizzie’s cheeks. No one but her father called her Eliza. She watched as her young alter ego excitedly told of learning about the Yukon Gold Rush and the Ashcroft Route they lived along. They talked for several minutes before she asked her dad a question.

“Mr. Robbins told us about the city and all the things we could do if we visited. Is it really fun?”

“it depends on what you think is fun. There are certainly more things to do in a city, but don’t you love what you have to do here?”

Young Lizzie nodded her head enthusiastically. “I love it here, Daddy. I never want to leave.”

The scene dissolved before her as the train reappeared, and the aura surrounding Aunt Ruth bathed Lizzie in its light once more.

“There is more to your past that you need to see. What you left behind.”

Once again, Lizzie found herself observing her parents. This time, they were in her bedroom. Her mother sat on the bed, clasping a worn stuffed bear to her chest.

“Perry, she isn’t coming back, is she?”

Lizzie watched as her dad sat beside her mom and put his arm around her. “I don’t think she is.”

“Did we do something wrong? Maybe we pushed her too hard to stay? I feel lost without her.”

“No, honey, we didn’t. Laura, if anything, we did everything right. We allowed her to make her own choices. After her school trip to Vancouver, she was never satisfied with the mountain. She needed more—more than we could give her.”

Tears ran down her mother’s cheeks. “I just want her home, but I don’t want to keep her from her dreams.”

Lizzie could barely take a breath as the train appeared once again. “Why are you showing me this?”

“My dear, there is more. We have looked at your past. It is now time to view your present.”

Before she could protest, the conference room at the Los Angles public relations and marketing firm she started after college appeared around her. Her staff sat at an enormous glass table.

“Time to see what impact you are having on your employees.”

The firm’s vice president and general manager, Maria Compton, sat in Lizzie’s chair. She sipped her coffee and sat the cup down with a smile. “Good meeting, everyone. Nice to have a calm meeting and move at lightning speed rather than warp speed. Let’s get back to work. Winnie, stay for a second, please.”

Everyone else filed out, and Winnie closed the door behind them. “Wow, Maria. I didn’t realize how pressure-filled our meetings with Lizzie are.”

“I know. I’m worried about her. Since she divorced Jeff last year, she’s been crazed. Never lets up.”

Winnie nodded. “I ran into Jeff a couple of nights ago. He asked me how she was, and I told him she’d been a crazy woman. He said he couldn’t deal with how obsessed she was with her career and how little she cared for his family.”

“I believe she cares, but she won’t take the time to enjoy life. Do you know this trip she’s taking home is the first time she’s been there since she left for college? I don’t think her family was the issue. She told me once she hated the wilderness.”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of this rat race. I’d rather be where she’s going.”

“I hear you. I hope her family softens her a bit because she is becoming a bitter woman. I’d leave if she weren’t so good at what she does, but the bonuses are good, and we are saving for a house. In LA, that’s going to take a while.”

The train surrounded Lizzie once again. Rage was building inside her, and she dared not look at the apparition now floating in front of her. “What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?” An icy tingle touched her and tilted her face upward. Aunt Ruth stood before her, arm outstretched, gossamer fingers on her chin.

“You must now see what you leave this world when you depart.”

Lizzie stood on soft ground, the faintest scent of flowers wafting on the slight breeze. The sky was overcast, the air was cool, and monuments and tombstones surrounded her. A cemetery. Why was she in a graveyard?

A few people stood around a freshly dug grave, a simple polish mahogany casket draped in lilies resting over it. A man in dark robes was muttering in prayer, and she could barely make out the words. When he finished, one-by-one the mourners threw white roses on the casket and began to walk away.

Lizzie gasped as she realized Maria Compton, now gray-haired, was among the mourners. A young woman in her twenties accompanied her.

“Grands, it’s so sad to see only a few people from the office and her nurse come to say goodbye.”

“Yes, it is. As the years passed, Lizzie lost contact with nearly everyone, then when she became ill, she withdrew to her home and wasted away.”

“I’m glad she left the business to you.”

Maria stopped. “On paper, yes, but Angie, I am too old for this rat race. I asked my attorney to draw up the papers transferring the business to you. You have worked with us since high school, and you know the PR world better than I do. I only stayed because the company and I were all Lizzie had. I want this to be her legacy and yours. She had nothing but money in the end, but I ensure her dream continues in you.”

As the young woman hugged Marie, Lizzie found herself back on the train. Unaccustomed tears streamed down her cheeks. “Was that the real future? My real future?”

“Yes, my child, this is your future. But it doesn’t have to be. I left home once but returned as I made my decision not to turn my back on my past. It is not too late for you.”

Her vision faded into a room full of warmth. Rough-hewn logs formed the walls, and the rich smoky aroma from a crackling fire filled her with contentment. Several people had gathered at a large table, and she realized she was the center of attention. A birthday cake covered in candles sat in front of her, and she knew instinctively that the people with her were family—her family, children, and grandchildren. As she blew out the candles, the scene faded from sight.

“No, don’t….”

“Don’t what, Lizzie? If you want the life you just witnessed, then you have grave choices in front of you. Decide what you wish your life to be. Only you can decide.”

Lizzie turned toward Aunt Ruth’s image, but she was gone. Only the dim night lights in the car and the clickety-clack of the train’s wheels racing along the track kept her company. She immediately drifted into sleep.

~~~

She awoke around nine a.m., much later than her normal five a.m. start to her day. She was sluggish, and it took a few moments for her to orient to where she was and what she had experienced overnight. It was a dream but one unlike any she had ever had.

Grabbing her kit, Lizzie headed to the restroom to freshen up, but images flowed through her mind. They weren’t real. They couldn’t be real. She quickly finished, returned to her seat for her purse, and headed to the dining car. Dawn was half an hour away and felt like the middle of the night. Coffee would help, and maybe food.

She was wrong. Coffee didn’t help, and eggs were far from appetizing. She pushed the plate away and stared at her reflection in the dark window, her mind reeling. She didn’t believe in ghosts, but what occurred felt so real. Too real.

After a third refill of her coffee, the sun rose, this time to an overcast sky. The snow took on a grayish cast, and her thoughts drifted to a day that had dawned the same way when she was eight. She and Matt had received wooden sleds for Christmas and had been anxious to try them out. Heavy snow had finally subsided, and visibility allowed them to sled down the slope next to the house. She was so bundled up against the cold that she could barely move, but it had been one of the best days of her life. What happened to that feeling?

Returning to her seat, Lizzie tried to concentrate on a work project, but she couldn’t focus, so she tried to read. She gave up after22 three hours and put everything away as thoughts from her childhood flooded back. Overwhelmed, she drifted to sleep again, awakening only a half-hour before her scheduled arrival. Her hands shook as she began to collect her things.

Dusk was falling as the train’s whistle blew, announcing their arrival. As the train slid to a stop, Lizzie saw the station manager exit the small station. She could see others milling about inside the building. She trembled. Who would greet her?

She stepped off the train, and her eyes met those of her mother’s standing only a few feet away. Her dad stood behind her mother, grinning broadly. She took one step before her mother raced to her and gathered her into a warm embrace. The tears welling in her eyes were a surprise.

“Look at you, Lizzie—you left here a young girl and returned as a confident woman. “

Her dad gave her a bear hug. “And a beautiful one, I might add. Just like your mother.”

A yell came from the doorway, and her brother Matthew ran toward her. He grabbed her and spun her around. “About time you came home.”

A small hand tugged at her coat. “Hi, I’m Sam.” Matthew picked the little girl up. “Samantha, meet your Aunt Lizzie.”

Perry interrupted. “Matt, let’s get Eliza’s luggage while you guys get in the Shaman.”

Lizzie followed her mother through the station to the road and an enormous truck/SUV that sat at least eight people with extra cargo room. They got in, and Sam immediately crawled into Lizzie’s lap. In the back of the large all-terrain vehicle, two Huskies greeted them with whimpers and wagging tails.

Her mom shushed the dogs, who quietened immediately. “Meet Brett and Beau, Scout’s descendants.”

“Brett and Beau? From Maverick, the old TV western?”

“Yes, my favorite show.”

Sam giggled. “We have Bart, their brother.”

Lizzie chuckled. “Mom, what is this thing?”

“It’s called a Shaman, a Russian all-terrain vehicle. We need it for the resort.”

“The resort?”

“Yes, we have a lot to tell you.” Her mom grabbed her hand. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

Lizzie’s chest tightened, surprised at the warmth that spread through her. “it was time, Mom.”

“Yes, it was.”

After loading her luggage, with Matt driving, they headed home. They chatted about her trip and plans for her Dad’s birthday party the following night. When they arrived at her family home, Lizzie closed her eyes as images of her as a small child raced through her thoughts. She paused at the bottom of the steps, gripping the banister, willing herself to go on. She was right—it was time.

The house was both familiar and unfamiliar. In twelve years, her parents had redecorated. She was staying in her old room, which in no way resembled her teenage room. The filly pink bedspread and canopy were gone, replaced by pale green walls and a cream duvet. She showered, changed, and joined her family for dinner.

Matthew’s wife, Shelia, now pregnant with their second child, had walked over from their house next door, and her maternal grandparents arrived. Over mulled cider, her family bombarded Lizzie with questions about her life and company. She was once again feeling overwhelmed when her mother announced dinner.

After everyone’s plates were full, Lizzie asked a question. “Mom, you mentioned a resort. Tell me about it.”

Her mother smiled. “I think your dad should tell you.”

Perry nodded. “A lot has changed since you…uh.. moved to LA. Three years ago, a company that builds ski resorts approached us. They learned of the unique way people arrived by train and did some research. They felt the ski slopes had promise, and we had good locations for other winter sports, like snowmobiling and cross-country skiing, and in the summer, hiking and camping. They proposed that the village partner with them, sharing in the profits. We put it to a vote, and the residents accepted the plans.”

“That’s amazing, but it will change the village.”

“It will, Eliza, but for the better. Matthew and Shelia have decided to raise their children here, and so have a lot of other young families.”

Matthew spoke. “I decided to become a vet because as the people population grew, so did the pet population, and there was no wildlife sanctuary. Sheila is a trained chef and,” he smiled, “she is now the culinary director at the resort.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Her dad laughed. “Wait till you taste her cooking. She’s excellent. I had hoped the architect and construction manager would be here for dinner, but he had a Zoom meeting.”

Her mother smiled. “You know him, Lizzie.”

“I do?”

“Yes, you remember Luke Raines.”

Lizzie momentarily froze, not able to speak. When she answered, her voice came out squeaky. “Yes, I remember Luke. I never expected him to come back here.”

“You saw each other during college, didn’t you?”

“A few times. How did you know?”

Her father answered. “He told us. You know he’s coming back here to live. Going to run the resort.”

“He’s the architect? How can he work from here?”

Matthew stood to start clearing the dishes. “Sis, we are no longer in the dark ages. We have cell towers and satellites now. The resort is partnering with that new global satellite service, so reception should be even better. Luke is a freelance architect. He might have to travel some, but he will be here most of the time.”

Her grandmother smiled. “I know his family is happy to have him back.”

Lizzie gave her grandmother a knowing smile in return. “I’m sure they are.” She got the message.

~~~

Lizzie spent a restless night until scratching the door awakened her around three a.m. She opened the door, and two Huskies rushed in and jumped on her bed. No amount of cajoling got the dogs to leave. Resigned, she crawled back into bed and fell asleep with the dogs draped over her.

Her father’s birthday started with a breakfast of pancakes and all the trimmings. She was going to help with the dishes when her father told her to get her coat. He had something to show her. She suspected he wanted to talk.

They walked the short distance to Mount Gaston’s Main Street as the sun was coming up. When she left, only a few buildings lined the streets—now there were triple that many. As they headed to Marge’s Diner, her father pointed out the new Village hall, which housed the city offices, the courthouse, and the police department, along with a large rec hall. A bit past sat a metal building that was her brother’s vet clinic. Entering the diner, the reaction from everyone to her arrival shocked her.

Marge yelled her name and ran around the counter to hug her. “Missed you. You were the best waitress I had. Perry, you got her home. Need to keep her here.”

“She’s her own woman, but who knows? Honey, grab that table in the back, and I’ll bring coffee.”

Lizzie shed her coat and sat. Large snowflakes peppered the air, framing the mountains and evergreens that soared above the valley. She had forgotten how beautiful the Yukon was.

“Quite the sight, isn’t it?” Her dad set a mug in front of her and sat.

“It is.”

“Eliza, I want you to know. Your mother and I understand why you left. We don’t understand why you stayed away. You didn’t come to your brother’s wedding. We need to understand why you don’t want to be with us.”

Lizzie gripped the mug, composing her thoughts, jumbled since her vision of Aunt Ruth. “Dad, I don’t know. I wanted more when I left, and maybe I never knew how to turn back.”

“We often run from the things hardest to face. I’ve done that in my life as well.” He patted her hand. “But face them—eventually, we have to do that.”

“Dad, tell me about Aunt Ruth. Why did she come here after Uncle Elliot died?”

“Why do you want to know about Ruth?”

Lizzie paused. She couldn’t tell her father the truth when she didn’t understand what had happened to her. “I dreamed about her on the train. Saw her sitting in the rocking chair by the fireplace. It started me thinking about why I left and why she returned.”

“Ruth was a bit like you, and when she met Elliot in college, there was never any question that she would come home. They visited some, and we went to their home in Denver a few times. I suppose since they had no children, she couldn’t face the loneliness. If you remember, your granddad and I went to bring her home with a dog, two cats, and the treasures she wanted to keep. We lost her too early to cancer, but she was happy being with us.’

Lizzie’s eyes welled up, and her father brushed a lone tear from her face. “You have to do what makes you happy, Eliza.”

The diner door opened, and a man entered, preceded by swirling snow. Lizzie gasped as she recognized him. Luke Raines. Part of her wanted to sink under the table, but her heart was racing too fast to move.

Perry glanced over his shoulder and then, with a sly smile, at his daughter. “Luke, come join us.”

Luke was no longer the college guy she had been in love with but a mature man. As he approached, she pushed back feelings she didn’t want to dredge up. Then her father stood.

“I have to get to the office. Got a finance meeting at one p.m.” He turned toward Luke. “I will leave you to entertain my daughter.”

Luke sat as her dad stopped to pay for their coffee. “Never expected to see you again. I knew your grandmother had contacted you but was surprised when you accepted.”

“I had no idea about the resort or that you were here.”

“But here we are.”

Desperate to turn the conversation away from anything personal, Lizzie asked about the resort. Luke explained that when designing a resort for a development group, he mentioned the red train and Mount Gaston. They were intrigued and the plans developed from there. They commissioned him to design the resort and be part of the team to make the presentation to the village council, and the village approved it.

“Why did you decide to become the resort’s director?”

Luke paused, looking out the window. “Look at that snow. I’d missed it. When I came back, I realized how much. I live in LA, too, Lizzie. I followed your business and know how good you are at public relations and marketing. When Perry said you were coming home for his birthday, I thought I would see if you would be interested in joining us to promote the resort.”

She was speechless, not expecting Luke to make that offer to her. “I…. I’m not sure what to say.”

He stood. “Let’s take a ride. Let me show you what we have done so far.”

His heated UTV took them less than half a mile from the village to the valley’s western edge. “Those poles above the snow show the outline of the foundation built this fall. In late spring, we will begin to build. The lodge will have eighty single and double rooms and twenty suites. Between here and the village will be condos, shops, and restaurants. We will have the resort open all year, maybe even do Holiday theme weeks. Plus, most of the year, we have the spectacle of the Northern Lights. I think we can make this work. Already have considerable visitors, but advertising will increase the numbers.”

“Quite the project. It will bring a lot of revenue to the village—and a lot of change.”

“I designed the lodge to blend in with the village, nothing fancy, but warm and inviting. Let me get you home. I’m sure you have a lot to do before the party.”

They spoke little during the drive to her parents’ house. Lizzie’s emotions were roiling. What she once felt for Luke came raging back. She had walked away from him because being with him frightened her, and she was afraid he would draw her back into the place she desperately wanted to escape.

Now, drawing her back to that place was exactly what he was doing.

Arriving at the house, she started to bolt out of the UTV when Luke grabbed her arm. “Lizzie, I won’t lie to you. Seeing you? Well, I regret what happened to us. But I promise, if you are interested in running the advertising campaign for the resort, I won’t pressure you. We don’t have to do anything but work together.”

“I don’t know, Luke. I don’t know.”

Lizzie turned and hurried up the steps as Luke pulled away. She found a note from her mom, saying she was picking up the birthday cake from Nilda, the village baker and that her grandparents had gone to lunch with friends.

Overwhelmed with everything, she wandered into the sunroom, where a glass wall offered a view of the soaring snow-covered peaks in the national park. She curled up on a chaise lounge, and in seconds, the Huskies curled up with her. She closed her eyes and replayed her night on the train in her mind. Was she wrong? Had she been wrong all along?

Lizzie lost track of time. Exhausted, she fell asleep, awakened by her mother when she returned.

“Have a good nap? I am sure you are tired after that long train ride.”

“A bit.” Lizzie paused. “While I was having coffee with Dad, Luke came in.” She chuckled. “And Dad left immediately.”

“Your father never was too subtle.”

“Did you plan this?”

“No, we wanted you here for your Dad’s sixtieth birthday, and well, we wanted you home.”

“Mom… I….”

“No, Lizzie, no more. We can’t keep you or even ask you to stay here, but we can let you know we want you here, even for an occasional visit. Beyond that, we aren’t going to beg. It’s your choice.”

“That’s what Dad said, what Luke said, I….”

“Listen to your heart, honey. Mine never let me down, and yours won’t if you let it tell you what to do. Now, dinner will be at six at Matt’s. You get to enjoy Sheila’s cooking, and the party starts at the rec hall at seven-thirty. We will leave here at about five-thirty to help Shelia. Still have a couple of pies to make. Want to help me?”

“I’d love to, Mom.”

~~~

The party was in full swing. A lively band played her father’s favorites, and the guests danced and had fun. Everyone brought hors d’oeuvres, and the bar was flowing. Lizzie found herself having more fun than she had enjoyed in years. At one point, once again feeling overwhelmed, she left the party and wandered into the lobby of the Village Hall.

She leaned against the double glass entry door watching the snow, now much heavier, as it floated to the ground. As the band sang an Eagles song, the lyrics drifted toward her. No, she couldn’t tell anyone, including herself, why she felt the way she did. Returning to Mount Gaston was never in her plans, yet in less than forty-eight hours, she realized that was what she wanted.

Footsteps echoed behind her, and she knew who it was before he spoke. Luke.

“Lizzie, you okay?”

She turned toward him, and any doubt left her. “Is your offer of becoming the resort public relations manager still open?”

He smiled, but his eyes revealed more than his happiness that she accepted the job, and she was sure he saw the same in hers. “You bet it is.” He offered his arm. ”Let’s go back in. Your dad is about to blow out the candles.”

“Someone call the fire department.”

~~~

Lizzie waited until the family and Luke returned to her parents’ house to tell them. They were enjoying a brandy by the fireplace in the great room. She stood.

“First, a toast to my father on his birthday and, secondly, to my wonderful family. I need to apologize to you for being selfish and not understanding what was important, and that is you,” she looked at Luke, “all of you. Luke offered me a position as the resort’s public relations director, so please hear me out before you respond. I have decided to accept. I will turn over the daily operations of my business to Maria Compton with provisions for her to purchase the company. I will remain a consultant for as long as she needs me. However, it’s time for me to come home.”

The room erupted in cheers, and her family, in tears, rushed to hug her. Even the Huskies began barking in celebration. Her father held her at arm’s length. “This is the best birthday present you could have given me. Welcome home, Eliza.”

She looked over her father’s shoulder as he hugged her at Luke, a broad grin on his face. But her gaze drifted past Luke to the kitchen doorway and the image of Aunt Ruth. Lizzie smiled at her departed aunt, and Ruth’s image faded.

A night on a train was all she needed to find her way home.

***

Authors Note: With apologies to Charles Dickens, this story takes a theme from his novel, A Christmas Carol. Hope you enjoy it!

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Resources

Charles Dickens Quote https://bookroo.com/quotes/a-christmas-carol