The Last Train to Tanjong Merah
Spooky Singaporean Microfiction
Even the dead must commute.
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Mist rose off Tanjong Merahβs tracks. The depot bore the odour of dust and rain. Under its flickering lights was a girlβalways wet, always waiting.
Always holding an umbrellaβbut not her own.
All traces of the Singaporean train station at Tanjong Merah had vanished from Google Maps, scrubbed, as if it had never borne passengers or trams. It sat below Tanjong Merahβs glass towers, rustic, silentβempty.
But not defunct. The last tram arrived every monsoon season, rolling in on a track that shouldnβt existβfor those who lost something they couldnβt quite name.
The station was the backdrop of Su Min Ongβs tragic disappearanceβone that became a local legend over years of telling. 1965βs great floods had grown a monster. Ruined infrastructure. Compromised food sources. Displaced lives. Tanjong Merah had borne more than its fair share of human lossesβincluding Su Minβs. On Line Zeroβs final tram.
Tanjong Merah had welcomed the train, playing its much-needed host during the deluge. Its keeper, alone, documented each appearance and departure. Su Min, pale, in a soaked uniform, arrived like clockwork every Friday of the month since then.
And someone else from Tanjong Merahβs platform would vanish. Without shoes.
The tram pulled into the depot, along with echoes of thunder and flashes of lightning. The Keeper opened his logbook, preparing to record that Fridayβs namesβand saw his own, already penned.
The station bell tolled, without being touched.
Su Min arrived, pale-faced, eyes hollow. She said nothing, but opened her umbrella, revealing tram tickets stitched within.
The keeper didnβt have anyβhe didnβt need one. But he understood.
Su Min guided him aboard the train, handing him her stitched umbrella.
She stepped off. The tram hissed, breathing for the last time.
At dawn. the depot stands empty, buried under an overnight construction project. Only an old pair of shoes remains, tattered from years of walking and groundskeeping.
Mass Rapid Transit apps show Line Oβout of service since 1965.
A few years later, a commuter on the train entering the new Tanjong Merah Mass Rapid Transit station scrolls down the screen of his mobile phone. He sees a reflection in its glass, a wet girl, seated on a bench, with no one seated beside her.
She rides quietly beside us now, waiting for a seat.
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This story is entirely original. AI tags are coincidental.
About the Creator
Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin
Hi, i am an English Language teacher cum freelance writer with a taste for pets, prose and poetry. When I'm not writing my heart out, I'm playing with my three dogs, Zorra, Cloudy and Snowball.
Reader insights
Nice work
Very well written. Keep up the good work!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
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Comments (18)
This is one of my favourites I've read lately π Great storytelling
Phenomenal storytelling; riveting writing! Excellent work Michelle! πΈ
Great work
This is a really eerie story. The description of the misty depot and the girl waiting with an umbrella that's not hers sets a spooky tone. It makes you wonder what's really going on at that station. I've always been fascinated by stories with a touch of the supernatural. This one reminds me of some old abandoned places I've visited. There's a certain mystery that comes with places that have been forgotten or left behind. I'm curious about what you think the significance of the tram tickets stitched into the umbrella is. And why does the keeper's name end up in the logbook? It makes you question if he's part of this strange phenomenon or just an observer. What do you think is the connection between Su Min and the station? Is it some kind of time loop or a way for the lost souls to find peace?
Nice
Nicely done, Michelle... By the end, I felt for her. Congrats on your TS!
I love this. Was kind of creepy but in a more suspenseful way.
Itβs fascinating how memory and loss can linger in unexpected places, even in the most mundane moments, like waiting for a train. Congrats on your top story!
Great Article..
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Spooky micro story and captivating. Congratulations on the top story
Congratulations on your top story, and well written.
original?
Haunting and beautifully atmosphericβthis story lingers like mist on forgotten tracks. Truly chilling microfiction!
Wonderful πππ
Eerie reminder of the force and toll of Mother Nature
Well-wrought! A haunting story, both in its theme and its beauty!
reminds me of a Clive Barker story on a similar subject, but much more horrific. Love the darkness in this. Great story