Suadade: A Short Story Collection

Heist on The Blue Train

The world whizzes by frame by frame as the blue train rumbles through the blank world. The snow falls and coats the bare and rotting trees, not a river or lake to be seen, any remembrance of one has since been buried. House after house, farm after farm, a girl is carried further from her known universe. Off to a different world. Only from the windows of a train could the world look this beautiful, this peaceful. The sound of the train rattling on the tracks drones her to sleep, only for the sound of the whistle to yank her from her trance. She watches the all too expensive chandeliers - with cobwebs and dust clinging to the fabric, the tassels looked as if they would fall off - wobble above her head, the back and forth lullaby matches the flow of the train. She twirls her wedding ring anxiously, having no need to still wear the damn thing, but the feeling of the cool metal on her finger is comforting. She wonders if she should just throw it away, but the lure to her husband still calls her. The carpet, a pattern as ugly as all hell, draws her attention.

She concentrates on the amalgam of shapes and creates images in her brain. That shape looks like a bunny. That one a hotdog. Hotdog. The girl's stomach growls with hunger. She places a hand on her navel to try and quiet the whale noises coming from under her shirt. After a few hours into this journey, she has only just woken from a nap. She looks up from her seat, trying to make eye contact with any possible passerbys, hoping one of them will direct her to the food car. Only now does she realize how alone she is on this train. What used to be an old luxury was now something not many could afford. Not too many people were traveling by train, if at all anymore. She remembers passing a couple other individuals on the way to her seat, but it now feels eerily quiet. The line to get aboard the train stretched the entire platform, so there must be more people here. There are only two other passengers in the car with her: an older man with silver hair flattened under his hat already heavily asleep, and a wild looking woman with a green scarf and her head buried deep in a book - The Mystery of the Blue Train, Agatha Christie. Oh, how she desired some adventure of her own, preferably one that wouldn't lead to her death or a bizarre mystery on a train, but she wanted something, she craved for more.

The girl wills herself to stand on shaking legs, leaning against the booth to catch her balance. I'd make a poor sea captain, she thinks to herself, her skirts wispy as her stance gets fitted. She wobbles over to the woman with the book and leans down to her level.

"Pardon me, but do you know where I can get some food?" The woman looks up at her wide eyed and pulls her hat lower over her face as if trying to block her from sight. White, silk gloves rest delicately over her hands as she paws at the pearls at her neck. Of course she wouldn't talk to someone like the girl. "Thank you for nothing," she says much too loudly under her breath.

She straightens her back as she catches a whiff of hot coffee coming from behind her, and follows the scent, hoping it'll take her to a desired destination. The girl uses the seat backings to stabilize herself, making her way along as if she were a child on the strangest jungle gym. On her way, she daydreams about snacks. She has gone way too long without eating, the thought of food on a moving vehicle had made her nauseous, but now sugary treats danced through her skull.

She is startled from her dreams of seductive treats by a hand resting on her lower back. She jumps slightly and whipps her head to the man who smiles kindly back, awkwardly reaching from his seats. The girl simply glares and goes to take another step. His hand tightens on her dress.

"Excuse me sir," She says through gritted teeth, "Remove your hand now, please, if you'd like to keep it." She returns his sweet smile with too many teeth showing, like a dog growling, about to fight.

He raises his hands slowly above his head and shrugs, "I just thought you should look up."

The girl raises her eyes to the door in front of her. Emergency Exit only, it reads in bright red letters. She lets out a frustrated sigh. She is at the back of the train and has apparently been walking in the wrong direction.