What if I ain't no violinist?

108. Twoset Travellers

Brett and Eddy were travelling in Taiwan visiting relatives and friends. They've been having a great time but they were both missing time alone together. Today was their day with no plans with friends nor family; it was a day for just the two of them to enjoy each other's company. Brett remembered Eddy saying to leave the planning up to him for this day.

"...So what did you have in mind for today, Eddy?"

"I thought we'd catch a train to the countryside of Taiwan. What do you think?"

Brett smiled.

"Yeah sounds like a nice thing to try for a change."

"Good. Because I've already bought ourselves tickets."

"How !?"

"Online. Booked and paid for 2 days ago."

"Gosh, you're good, Eddy. Thanks, man."

They boarded the train in the centre of the city and settled into their seats. They had a late night the day before so the two of them dosed off shortly after the train departed.  When they both woke up after their nap, the train was keeping a steady pace along the countryside. Peaceful and picturesque scenery of mountain green continued. A natural and fresh breeze blew through the windows of the rustic train carriage.

Brett looked around.

"...Eddy, you notice there's only the two of us in this carriage?"

Eddy smiled.

"Yeah...it's been like that for a while. Since the last stop we had."

"I didn't know you were awake before I was.."

Brett nudged over a bit closer to Eddy and got rid of the space between them.

"We might be able to get a bit more comfortable..."

Eddy smiled again.

The next moment it went dark.

"Oh, we're in a tunnel Bre..."

Eddy's lips were sealed midsentence.

Eddy felt his heart, initially beating in sync with the rattle of the train, rapidly becoming faster and faster till it reached the double tempo of the train rattle.

It was a long tunnel.

A very long tunnel.

Eddy started to feel dizzy in the darkness.

"Bre.. wait.. ..Hang on a sec..."

Eddy reluctantly pushed Brett away and gasped for air.

He heard Brett's soft giggle in the darkness right in front of him.

"You ok?"

"Yeah.. I need to listen to this in case it's important..."

Eddy was listening intently to the announcement made by the train conductor. Brett let out a sigh, obviously disappointed by the interruption but also tried to listen to the conductor who was talking through a PA with very poor sound quality. By now their eyes were getting used to the darkness and they were able to see each other and the outlines of the seats around them.

"...Brett, what's a huangfeng?"

"OMG Eddy, you're asking me? I have no idea."

"I got the gist of the announcement... said that immediately after we come out of this tunnel, there's a .... dwelling? of a huangfeng and therefore we ask the passengers' help to close the windows... we appreciate your cooperation...."

Brett took out his phone from his pocket.

"I wonder if it's some kind of... yellow animal... a bird that doesn't want its nest to be disturbed, maybe??"

"Say it again for me, Eddy?"

"It sounded like huangfeng"

"Hmm.... huang...feng...."

Brett tapped it into his phone.

"Any hits?"

"OH F*CK EDDY"

"What?"

Brett looked up from his phone. From the light of his phone illuminating on his face, Eddy could see that Brett's eyes were wide open in horror.

"What is it Brett???"

Brett showed his phone to Eddy.

"Eddy... huángfēng is WASP!!!"

Eddy recoiled in horror.

"HOLLY SH*T!!!!"

The duo looked up to check the windows in the carriage. Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness and they were able to see the window frames in the carriage.

ALL THE WINDOWS WERE OPEN.

The duo screamed in unison;

"OMFG!!!!"

They dashed to the front of the carriage and started to close each window, Brett closed the windows on the left hand side of the carriage and Eddy on the right.

"Hurry !!! I dunno how much longer we have in the tunnel!!!"

The inside of the carriage suddenly became bright. They had come out of the tunnel.

"OMG!!! They said immediately after we come out of the tunnel there'd be a f*cking wasp nest...!! C'mon, go!! Go!! Go!!!"

They moved along the carriage closing windows as fast as they could. They were on their last window when they suddenly heard something hit a window at the front of their carriage.

"What the heck was that !?"

"...Is it raining..?"

"Sounded more like hail??"

Brett looked up towards the front of the carriage as he closed his last window.

"OMG...."

Eddy had also closed his last window and looked up. Both men, mouth agape in horror saw the wasps... crashing into the train windows and bouncing off by the 10s... maybe even by the hundreds....

"OMFG..."

Eddy lost feelings in his legs and sank weakly into the train seat. Brett flopped down next to him.

The train continued its steady rhythm, oblivious to the hundreds of wasps bouncing off its windows.