The Abandoned Island

The Start of an Adventure

It was a cool fall day as a large cargo ship pulled into a large and bustling port of Britain. Ships sailed to and fro as workers hurried about on foot or forklifts. All while a soft cool wind blew faintly off the sea, adding a bit of bite to the air. This day would be the start of an adventure much bigger than ever planned. But the start of this adventure would start small as a young lady stepped off the cargo ship onto the gangplank. She walked down onto land and almost immediately fell. Having gotten used to the rolling and pitching of the ship, she wasn't used to solid ground.

A gruff chuckle would fill her ears as the captain of the vessel she had just been on easily transitioned from one to the other, patting her on the back. "Do the trip enough times, and ya might get proper sea legs," He said with a smile.

The poor girl could only groan in response, and after a minute, was able to stand back up to her full height, a respectable six foot tall. Reaching up, she pulled her hair out from under her conductors hat before placing it back on her head. "I hope...ugh...I hope to limit my time on ships as much as I can help it," She responds, rubbing her stomach softly.

The ship captain had a hearty laugh at that, "Well, I'm still impressed that a young lady like yourself was able to repair our engine. Where did you learn to do that?"

The girl smiles a bit and rubs her hand on her jeans. "I love trains, so I learned all about steam engines, diesel, and electric. That way, when I build one at home, I'll know how to build, run, and maintain it!"

The captain seemed surprised, "That seems like an awfully tall order for someone as young as you, but that doesn't explain why you wanted to come to Britain."

"Oh, well, I want to look at all the trains here. I've already looked at all the trains in America, at least the ones I could get to. So I came here, so I can look at all the ones that are here. That way, I can be sure which train I want to make at home." Now that she said it out loud, it did sound a bit crazy, but she was determined to see it through. Especially because she didn't want to go on another boat ride anytime soon.

"Awfully optimistic, but good on you for having a goal. Though, sorry to say, the museums probably won't let you climb on or in the engines. Maybe some of the heritage railways would." The captain rubs his chin in thought. "There were a lot of trains at Barrow before, so maybe go there."

"I definitely will! Thank you very much, sir!" She took his hand and shook it before heading off, waving as she left.

The young girl briskly made her way through the busy docks, making sure to stay out of everyones way before slipping out and walking to the nearest train station. She'd ponder the words of the grizzled sailor as she wondered where to go. He had made valid points, it was true museums wouldn't let her climb in any engines, and heritage lines might be few and far between. As she stared at the ticket machine, she would nod and smile. She'd head down to Barrow like the Captain had suggested. So she purchased a ticket and climbed on the train when it eventually arrived. Despite how excited she was, she'd sleep the whole way on the two hour trip. Thankfully, she set an alarm and disembarked from the train, hearing the diesel engine putter down the line as she left the station.

As she stepped out of a station, she had a realization that she never asked the Captain WHERE in Barrow this railway was. Kicking herself for forgetting, she decided to go to the local shops and bars and ask around about it. Though after nearly a full day, no one knew where or what abandoned railways she was talking about. Accepting defeat for today, she headed to a store and began to stock up on supplies. If no one knew where it was, she'd go wandering to find it, and to do that, she needed lots of supplies. So she bought lots of bottled water, MREs, and other long shelf life food, and put it all in her backpack that had some light camping gear. As she was putting it all neatly away in her bag, an older sounding person asked," That is a lot of supplies. Are you going on a big trip somewhere?"

Without even looking up, the girl nodded as she slotted in an MRE into a deep corner of her bag, "Yes I am. I'm gonna be wandering around Barrow looking for a supposed abandoned railway."

"I see," the voice said thoughtfully. "You like trains, do you?"

"Of course! They are amazing! From the smallest steam engine to the largest diesel or electric!" She chuckled. "Sorry, just...I really do like trains."

The old voice chuckled, "I haven't heard someone so passionate about trains in a long time. Since you seem serious, I'd recommend going to the West, a little Southwest, actually. My parents talked fondly of an old railway that way."

"Really?!" The girl shot up, having finished packing. "Thank you very much! It is always great having a place to start." She smiled, then stood silent for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, I never asked your name."

The old gentleman in a nice black suit and a black top hat smiled, "The last name is Hatt." He offered the young girl a hand, "What is yours, madam?"

She gladly took it and shook his strong hand. "My name is Zephyra. Nice to meet you, Mr. Hatt"

He nodded and shook her equally strong grip before he pulled out a pocket watch before replacing it back in its pocket. "It was nice to meet you, Ms. Zephyra, but I must go. I wish you luck on your adventures." And with that, he bowed his head and lifted his hat before walking away.

She liked that man. He seemed like He'd make a good manager or boss. But she had to focus now. Armed with this new information, she headed West-SouthWest, quickly heading out of the city and into a surprisingly thick forest. It was clear that no one had been this way in probably 50 or 60 years, at least, but she was hopeful even as she neared the coastline. As she wandered closer and closer to the shore, she saddened a bit, thinking there had been no railway, but as she broke through the trees, she was greeted with an island.

An Island that definitely wasn't there on a map, and it was rather close. A short bridge could probably reach it. She immediately pulled out her phone and opened up the maps of Britain and sure enough the only island that SHOULD be over here is the Isle of Man, but that miles away, not a few hundred feet. Intrigued by this mystery island, she began to walk along the coast to see if there was a way across and after an hour of searching she was even more surprised to find an old and abandoned lift bridge.

The derelict thing was down, but whether that was how it was left or what years and years of neglect did, she wouldn't know. She quickly scampered over to the metal structure and was immediately greeted with train tracks, and despite the many years, they were still there where they had been set. Her heart lept. Maybe there was truth to what that old man had said after all! Curiously, the tracks were on the bridge and led to this island, but the rails to the actual bridge were gone, at least on the Britain side of it.

With newfound excitement and urge for adventure, she peered over the bridge or what was left. Many scars from age and brutal weather were all over, and it was clear it couldn't hold a 7-plank wagon, let alone an engine, but she hoped it was strong enough to hold her. So balancing on one of the rails, she began to walk one foot in front of the other. Each step, as she walked out on the bridge, seemed to echo in the dusk air, and each step ringing out a groan fro. the giant structure, which threatened to collapse at any second. Regardless of the terror and worry that welled up inside her, she continued to put one foot in front of the other, staring down to make sure she didn't trip before eventually she saw tall, green grass at the edges of her vision. She had made it and lived, but her heart was racing; both from excitement of everything, but also the terror of what she had just done. She followed the track to the edge of the forest that lined the coast before sitting down with a heavy sigh. She set up her sleeping bag under one of the larger trees before gathering some sticks and starting a small fire, which she then used to cook a small meal. "Well, this is the start of an adventure I never planned for. But here's hoping it is as amazing as I hope it is." With that, she ate her food, cleaned her dishes, and went to sleep on a mysterious island.