Please Remember

The heat on my face stings as my heart races. A bright light pierces my closed eyelids and when they open, it burns even more. Cupping my hands over my eyes to provide some shade as the thumping in my head increases in speed because of a screeching metal noise vibrating in my ears is all I can think to do at this moment. The jerking of the train turning churns my stomach. When I uncover my eyes, the compartment is clear and I reach to pull down the shades. Two large luggage bags sit in my peripheral. I open one bag and it contains men’s clothing. I guess I’m not alone. Running footsteps are approaching from outside the door. A man burst through the doors. “Amelia, where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you. Why are you going through someone’s luggage?” His green eyes glare into my own, waiting for a response. “

Where am I, and who are you?”

“That’s not funny. Come on, we need to get back to the party. Our son is waiting.” When he grabs my arm, I pull back right away. My head turns to search for another exit, but there is none in sight other than the window leading to certain death since the train is circling a mountain. The strange man runs his hand through his dark hair. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

He takes one step forward and I move back. “Calm down, my name is Jasper, and I am your husband.”

I don’t remember who he is, but if this is the truth he speaks, then I have excellent taste because I find him very handsome. With a small head tilt and narrowing eyes, I try to recall being married to this man. Jasper attempts to move toward me again and I raise my hand. “Stop!” On my finger, a wedding ring stares back at me and the overwhelming feeling knocks me off my feet and onto the seat. “How did I get here?”

Jasper sits opposite me and says, “I don’t know how you got into this compartment, but we used a spell to get on the train. They gave everyone a different combination spell to get on and off the train with their ticket. You insisted on arriving alone a few hours early to set up for our son’s birthday party.”

A room is full of balloons and a happy small boy blowing out candles on a cake flashes in my mind. “Mikey,” I shout.

“Yes, our son is Michael. You remember him?”

My lips tremble. “I need to get off this train. When does it stop?”

“It doesn’t stop. Do you remember your spell to leave?”

I sit back and close my eyes in hopes the memory of the spell will return. The heavy weight of disappointment causes my head to lower when my eyelids lift and I reply, “No!”

Jasper rises to his feet. “We have to get out of here.” Walking out into the train car, we collide with a large group of adolescent boys running in the narrow hallway. Jasper yells, “Be careful and slow down.”

One boy turns back and runs to give me a warm embrace. “Hi Mom, thanks for the party. This train is so much fun.” When he pulls back, I can feel the edges of my mouth turn upwards. “You’re welcome, Mikey.” He runs off to join his friends as Jasper pushes me into an empty compartment. “The train conductor is coming this way. Please tell me you have your ticket?” Placing my hands in the pockets of my dress to feel nothing but the fabric, I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t have a ticket.”

Someone bangs on the door. “Open up, time to show your tickets.”

Jasper opens the door and the spirit of a man in a blue uniform hovering off the ground floats into the cabin. My eyes widen while my mouth gapes. “Are you a ghost?” The conductor gives me a side-eye glance and faces Jasper. “Well, you got yourself a real intelligent one here, mister. Now show me your tickets.”

Jasper hands the conductor two tickets. He glances at the paper and hands them back to Jasper, whose shoulders slump in relief. The ghost says, “You are missing one ticket. Those were for one adult and one child. Where is your ticket, ma’am?”

I stutter, “I don’t. I mean I lost, well.” Jasper interrupts, “Sir, this is my wife and she has misplaced her ticket trying to get our son’s party together. You can scan her eyes and see she has a time as proof a ticket was purchased.” The ticket collector takes his translucent hand to my face and a bright light illuminates scanning my eyes. When the brightness disappears, the spirit says, “Two days left. It would be better if you find the ticket. The other collectors might not be as cordial as me.” With another side-eye glance in my direction, he glides through the door.

Jasper’s eyes blink rapidly as beads of sweat form on his upper lip. “Amelia, we have to find your ticket and you must remember the spell to get off this train.”

“Can’t you make up a spell to get me out of here?”

“Unfortunately, that’s not how this train works. If you are still here past your ticket time, the collectors sense it and will increase the search. Once you are found, they will eliminate you and collect your soul.”

“What!” I gasp. “They will kill me for being on a train too long?”

“Well, for breaking the rules. This train is all about following the rules. It’s the reason you chose it to keep the children in line.”

Beads of sweat form on the back of my neck and my voice trembles.“Jasper, I’m scared.” He leans in to give me an embrace and this time I accept.

“Don’t worry, we will figure something out. Let’s go join the party for Mikey.”

We exit the compartment and move into the dining car where the party has started. The music is going and Mikey's eyes are sparkling, surrounded by his friend's raised cheekbones responding to his new jokes.  From the candles on the cake, it is his eleventh birthday. After we sing and partake in the delicious sweet, people dismiss themselves to rest. Mikey informs us he is also exhausted and returns to the sleeping car. Jasper rubs his face as his brows wrinkle. “Please tell me you remember the spell by now? Tomorrow is our last day.”

My head drops and I speak softly. “I remember nothing.” Jasper and I sit in the dining car for hours as he tries to create spells to exit the train and return home with him and Mikey. Not even one was successful.

The sun went down and rose again so fast. My eyelids are heavy, and Jasper rubs his eyes and sniffs. I bend forward to lay my head on the table, but Jasper places his hands on my face. “Amelia, I can’t lose you. We have to figure this out.” He orders water for us to drink and wake up. I give in to the heaviness of my eyelids until Mikey runs into the dining car yelling. “Mom, Dad, I’ve been looking all over for you! I thought you left me.” Jasper and I jump up, making it clear we both fell asleep. Mikey shifts his gaze between Jasper and me with a wrinkled forehead. “Why did you sleep in here?”

Jasper replies, “Your mother and I need to speak with you. Let’s go to the sleeping car.” When we return and rest on the lower berths, Jasper bends down to speak with Mikey on his level. “Mikey, something has happened to your mother. She doesn’t remember the spell to return home and has misplaced her ticket. This is our last day on the train and we must depart in the morning without your mother.”

“No!” Mikey screams.

“I’m sorry, Mikey, but your father speaks the truth.”

“You never forget a spell. Try to remember, please!” Tears fall down Mikey’s face and my heart breaks.

I spend the entire day in the sleeping car trying to remember the spell. When the moon rises, a mist develops outside the window. Mikey is sound asleep and I fear this is the last time I will see his face. Jasper taps me on the shoulder, then clasps his arms around my body for a warm embrace that feels like home. When I pull back we stare at each other for a moment until Jasper’s lips touch mine and his kiss flood my mind with memories of our life together. Once we pull apart, Jasper says, “I love you.” The corners of my mouth turn up and I reply, “I remember you.” His eyes sparkle as the sides of his mouth curl up so high I can see the shine on all his teeth.

“Does this mean you remember the spell?” My head lowers and I respond, “No.”

Jasper steps back and pulls out some tiny bottles filled with varying colors of liquid and hands each one to me. “Since you will be on the run, here are some potions to help keep you out of sight from the collectors. It’s not much, but it is all I have. The blue one will make you invisible for ten minutes. The others will turn you into a small animal like an ant or spider.” I open one jar, and a powerful stench emerges, then I close it immediately. “Wow, I hope they don’t taste as bad as they smell.”

“Amelia, we only have a few hours left. When Mikey and I disappear, find a place to hide on the train. At night you should find food because the conductors monitor the sleeping cars. But, please be careful. I will get you out of here.”

The sun’s rays shine in the window, illuminating our compartment. Mikey tosses and turns while Jasper is staring at me as if he is trying to memorize every line on my face. Mikey sits up and asks, “Did you remember the spell to return with us?” I grab Mikey, for which is our last embrace, and let him know I will not be returning home. His eyes fill with tears, but he tries to remain strong and gathers his things for their departure. Watching Jasper and Mikey prepare to leave me for who knows how long sends tears down my face. A loud scream comes from the hallway. We rush to see what is happening. Many people did the same, and we all stood in awe watching the collectors suspend a woman high in the air with a red light running through her entire body. When the light reaches her eyes, she explodes into a puff of black smoke disintegrating before our eyes. I gasp, “What is the meaning of this?” The collector whips around to face me and says, “She broke the rules.” The crowd continues moving around heading back to wherever they came from and Jasper pulls on my arm. “Let’s go.”

When we return to our sleeping car, I pace back and forth, sweating and wringing my hands. Thoughts of my body being held in mid-air burning from the inside plague my mind. “Amelia, it’s time.” Jasper and Mikey stand together holding hands and I watch as they disappear, fading into a mist. I want to sit there and cry while banging my head into a wall, hoping the words to a spell would fall out somehow, but there is no time. I must move fast and hide.

Exiting the sleeping car with potions in hand, I make my way to a part of the train where the adult beverages are stored along with the food for meals. This feels like a comfortable place to hide for now. Footsteps are approaching and the doors shake. I hide behind large boxes. It is one chef coming for supplies. She doesn’t see me, so I settle in and continue to drown myself in tears. After many hours, which leads to an accumulation of days, I need to wash. The sleeping cars have wash areas, but it is dangerous. My ungodly stench suggests I must take the risk. Once all is quiet, I exit the food storage area into the dining car. There are only a few people here who wrinkle their faces as I pass inhaling my foul odor. I make it to an empty compartment in the sleeping car to wash. When I exit, I run right through a collector. He turns fast and I move my legs with speed down the hall. For a moment, I pause to see if it is still chasing me, but he vanished. Then I calmly head toward the dining car and I feel this heat flowing through my veins. My body lifts in the air as my lungs expand on the verge of exploding when I remember the spell to return home. It is hard for me to breathe. Panting, I speak the words of the spell and I open my eyes and a pair of green eyes are staring back at me. “Jasper, is that you?”

“No, Mom it’s me, Mikey. You are home.”