Railway Dreams - A Short Story
Jack couldn’t remember a sky quite like it; as the three of them lay on the hillside, though it was always sunny in their country village, where the sky took its hue from the sea; there was in it overbearing that morning, so much so Jack caught himself and had to look away, but Kal only continued:
“It’s an amazing place, you won’t miss things round here at all, won’t you at least come see it first? If you don’t like it you can get off. There’s another train that comes back”
“I don’t know,” said Cara, “I’m kind of afraid of that old station, and you, when disappeared, we thought something had happened to you there.”
“Nothing happened though, you can see I’m fine.” Kal reached out and grabbed Jack’s shoulders, “I’m fine see?”
“But don’t you want to see your family first, and tell everyone you’re alright, don’t you want them to know?” said Cara.
“It’s only upset them,” said Kal, “you see, they’d try and get me to stay like you two are, and maybe, if I saw them, it’d be harder for me to leave too; but there’s nothing holding me back now… except you two; you’re my best friends, if I never come back, I want someone in the village to know why, that I didn’t just see all this on my own, so you’ll come won’t you? I can count on you?”
“I’ll think it over,” said Jack, “I’d like to see where that train goes, but I’m not going to give you my answer away.”
“Fine,” said Kal, “but if you’re coming, you’ve got to meet me at the station when the tide comes in, and the moon is at it’s highest point, I can’t wait for you any longer than that. And you Cora?”
She shook her head, “I’m sorry, my Mother would be too worried about me.”
“Suit yourself” said Kal, “just remember I came back for you, I offered you the chance. It was you two that used to wonder about that old station, can you really just continue on here, not knowing where it goes?”
They didn’t answer. Kal picked himself up off the grass.
How pale he looked in the sun, thought Jack, but his friend smiled that same goofy grin he always did when he was leaving them. He raised his hand in mock salute,
“Farewell my co-conspirators, I bid you adieu, I can’t say we’ll meet again unless… well, I’ll not push the point any further, I only ask you to keep my secret until I’m gone.”
“Take care,” said Jack, “your secret’s safe with us, I’m not sure anyone would believe us anyway, nothing comes or goes through the station anymore.”
“And it won’t, after tonight,” said Kal.
He left them the same way he’d come, over the railing into the trees, headed towards the railway station. The breeze was turning cold.
What do you think, are you going to go with him? said Cora.
Jack picked up some grass in his hand and threw it about, “all this time we were worried about him, it’s just like Kal to come back with some proposition.”
“You’re not relieved he’s okay?” said Cora.
“I didn’t say that it’s just… I don’t think he’s telling us everything.!
“So don’t go then,”
Jack laughed and threw another clod of grass at Cora.
“I know, I know, it’s stupid really.”
That night there was no-one in the station, no sign of Kal, or of any train, just the chill wind running through the rusted shelter, down along the grass-eaten platforms.
So stupid, thought Jack, he always lies, and this is just another part of his game.
“Going so soon?” said a voice behind him.
It was Kal, he tried to smile but it was as if he’d heard Jack’s thoughts, and he seemed more downcast than he’d been earlier in the day.
“I didn’t think you’d come”
“I’m still not sure why I did,” said Jack.
There was another sound in the station, footsteps on the opposite platform, it was Cora, dressed in jeans and a hoodie.
“Hey guys, I thought you get the train on this side?”
“Not that’s no good, you’ll have to cross over and come to us,” Kal beckoned,
She climbed down onto the overgrown track, the thistles rising up around her knees.
“AH!” she yelped, the track won’t let me up!”.
Jack looked down, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong, but Cara stood as if something were constricting her.
“Better hurry Cora,” said Kal, “you don’t wanna be here when the train comes”,
“It’s silly, nothing can go on those tracks,” said Jack, and he jumped down to help Cora.
“You sure about that?” said Kal.
They were startled by a rumbling of the tracks and the emrgence of a ghostly light in the distance.
“C’mon Cora!”, said Jack, “somethings coming,” he heaved her across the tracks, and she scrambled up onto the other side of the platform.
All of a sudden the white light flickered and went out, and something like a great train came hurtling into the station, darkening everything with its immensity and coming right for Jack.
A hand reached out and pulled him up just in time, Kal, who at least now Jack was more certain was still their friend, was out of breath, and the three of them lay sprawled on the platform, as the great door to the carriage swung open, revealing a cold darkness within.
They each got to their feet, noticing how their surroundings had changed; the station was still deserted, but instead of the moss covered remnants of what it had been before, the bronze surfaces of the railings and shelters gleamed, and the sound of the train coming to rest, filled the tunnel at the East end, a tunnel that before had only been a gap in the wall leading to the open countryside.
Two lights lit up in the carriage, and Jack could make out the figure of a man whose features were sallow, his smooth-boned skin illuminated like the moon under a blue flame.
He came walking out slowly, and Jack noted his black suit and tie, he shivered as the man seemed to stoop under the door, his long spindly arms gripped the side panel.
Whatever the mans eyes were, they were so sunken as to be black holes, his emergence gave Jack a sinking feeling, like seeing something foreign clamber into a nest. Could the man even see them? He lunged towards Kal, and grabbed the boy by the shoulders.
His voice was wet as tides on a rain-swept night, breezing through a dark cave,
”one might be reminded, soothed out by distant lanes, that you can’t stay there forever.”
“I brought them, said Kal pulling back from the man, “as requested.”
“Will they journey?” said the tall thing, balling his fist, then moving, clambering round them. “Have you paid their tickets?”
“They want to see,” said Kal.
“Good, there are things to see on the way, such bright and glittering things in the evening, before it gets darker”.
“You guys need to get on now,” said Kal, “I told him I’d get you two to get on, and if I did, he’d let me go, isn’t that right?”
“Hush” said the long, lithe-limbed man, his face of bones performing the sound, the long trail of his hush like steam running through Jacks mind.
“Hush,” it pulled Kal close and held him towards the other two, “shhhhhhh”, we are going back to the forest now, where the trees are so warm, and the roots so nourishing that even such as we might live again.”
Suddenly, the things face looked very familiar. The voice was emanating from somewhere deeper, and older, but somewhere recognisable to Jack.
“You’ve already made your mind up haven’t you boy, you made it a long time ago. Perhaps before you ever knew these two, perhaps not.” He looked at Jack over Kals shoulder, “have you really known them at all?”
“The sunlight,” thought Jack “it was a day where I couldn’t remember how long I’d been looking up at the sky. So rare to see the clouds like that, these days people can live most of their lives without really looking, and seeing how it can change, to the woven material of a dark funereal suit, faces peering through the contaminated fabric, while you feel yourself getting lowered into the ground, from the hill side all the way down, tumbling, tumbling, tumbling down for the price of some magic beans.
“Your the one who brought us here, you suggested it first,” said Kal under his breath.
“You’re wrong,” said Jack. “I would never have brought us here.”
“What if I let you get on the train,” said the man of bones, “free of charge, just you Jackie boy, and the others can stay. I’ll even let Kal go.”
Jack looked at Kal,
“you knew I’d come, and I’d be your way back. What did you see out there?”
“I dunno,” said Kal, “all I know is I don’t want to go back.”
“Shameful,” said the voice of the thin man, “taker backer. Maybe this one,” he leaned down towards Cara, would make a fine passenger, “she’s got her Mothers eyes-”
“I’ll go,” said Jack.
The thing was gripping his shoulders now, the cold fingers of death.
“I knew you’d come.”
And with that Jack was entering the double doors, being rolled in almost. For a moment he could feel his friends nearby, Cara at least, was trying to get at him, but Kal held her back. He wasn’t smiling now, but rather looking on him in puzzlement. Something was happening Jack didn’t understand. He was being taken away somewhere, and the doors closed behind him.
When the train pulled into the station, he wasn’t sure where exactly, he could see it was a dim evening outside. Getting off with the others, he ambled up the platform, listening to the sounds of the voices nearby; themselves not sure where they were going. All of them were simply in transit, from one point to another, but these two points were completely indiscernible.
He didn’t even think to go out by the ticket scanner, but instead he walked right past, along with some others, through the gap in the tracks. There was some kind of construction being built; and there were stone cylinders just piled up in front of the unfinished buildings.
He ascended the small hill of grass, again listening to the sounds of the voices around him. Some of them were drinking in the station, like him.
He sat for a moment, in this imagined place. Drawing his knees up in the muck. He thought he’d caught someone's face in the crowd. Thought he’d recognised their voice, but they were gone now. Everyone was leaving. Making their way unfortunately home.
But for him… he just wanted to stay here.
Between two places.
Another moment.
But he was older now.
Older now and faraway.