A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Old Train Tracks

Photo Credit: u/shaneokb on reddit

There are a set of old train tracks next to my new house but they don't lead to any train station you've ever heard of. In fact, they don't lead to a train station at all.

I noticed them for the first time when nobody else did.

And I don't mean to say that I'm special or something. Though I know you always told me I was.

No, I mean it literally. Like I asked Mrs. Recset where those tracks used to lead and she didn't know what I was talking about.

You know Mrs. Recset right? I wrote about her, what was it, two weeks after I moved in? You must have gotten that one. I think. Or maybe it was later than that. Now that I think about it you might have missed her actually.

Well just in case, she's the kind old lady who lives down the road from me. Baked me pies for a week after I moved in. I think she's lonely, so I go and talk to her on the weekends. I read her bits from my latest project and she makes me lunch. It's a good deal.

She reminds me of mom too. So there's that.

Anyway, the train tracks. I asked her about them last week just as an offhand comment. I didn't even think it would have anything to do with the situation. But she just gave me a confused look. Or not confused really more like, concerned?

Yeah, she scrunched her face up real tight and said she didn't know what I was talking about. Then she told me not to talk nonsense. She says stuff like that sometimes, sweet old lady but a bit old fashioned.

Anyway, the train tracks. I decided not to take her advice because you know me. Obviously with that kind of reaction, I'm going to dig deeper. So I went to the local library. They've still got old newspapers and stuff you see. Yeah, it's that kind of small town.

So I went to the library and spoke to the head librarian. Mr. Sifirae. You wouldn't know him, I didn't meet him until a month in when my laptop broke. I had research to do but getting tech fixed in this place takes forever so I went and paid the library a visit.

Turns out, I really should have done that way earlier, you have no idea the cool stuff they've got hidden in here. I'm a sucker for the vintage aesthetic.

Anyway, the train tracks. I asked Mr. Sifirae if he knew what I was talking about and he's got a better poker face than Mrs. Recset but he does get this little twitch in his moustache when I'm asking about things he thinks I shouldn't know about.

Then I was certain there was more to these train tracks than met the eye.

At that point I decided the only way I was going to get answers was just to go for it. So I was planning on just walking down the tracks and seeing where it took me. I mean, as far as I could see it was just a broken down road leading away from town. But luckily Miss Sing caught me before I could.

Let me tell you about Miss Sing, she's probably the most interesting person in this place. Dresses in all black year round with a veil over her face and barely leaves her house. Kids call her the widow but no one is even sure she ever had a spouse. She's just one of those people, you know?

Anyway, the train tracks. She saw me heading off down them and stopped me. Told me I was gonna lose myself that way. She was the first person other than myself who actually acknowledged the existence of those tracks.

So naturally, I listened.

I listened as she told me that those train tracks would take me away from here if I wasn't careful. Far away to where nobody would ever find me again.

I asked her what it would take for me to go in there and bring somebody back out.

At first she seemed really surprised, like she wasn't sure why somebody would want to do that. She might have been a little scared too though I could have been making that up. But she got real quiet when I told her about the situation.

Finally, she said that she could help me. She gave me very specific instructions and trust me when I say I followed them to a t. I couldn't risk messing up something this important after all.

A handful of iron, enough red yarn to get you where you need to go. A silver mirror for looking and some peace of mind.

That last one was the hardest to obtain.

I mean can you blame me? I'm the closest that I've ever been and I am not about to lose this lead. I'm not about to lose you, again.

And it worked! I did a test run a couple of days ago. Tied the yarn around myself, believed as hard as I could and it worked.

As soon as I crossed the threshold of the tunnel, the scenery changed completely. From a broken down road running out of town to a shallow ravine in the midst of a lush green forest. The air around me got warmer, birds were chirping, bees were buzzing.

Well, I guess if that's really where you ended up too, that's one thing I don't have to explain to you.

I'm going back there tomorrow. I've thought it over a thousand times and I'm sure this is the only way. And just so you know I'm not going on another wild goose chase, I did meet somebody there. Or rather spotted from afar.

Small and thin and definitely not human. The wings gave it away.

You were right big brother.

Fairies are real, and I'm going to get you back.