Hesitantly, Sarah broke the silence. Her voice, hoarse from disuse, echoed strangely in the vast emptiness. "Hey," she called out, "train's not for another hour."
The young man flinched at the sound, his head snapping up as if startled awake from a bad dream. He turned towards her, and in the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights, Sarah saw the toll etched onto his face. His skin was pale and drawn, stretched taut over hollow cheeks, and his eyes, rimmed with a deep, exhausted red, held a haunted look. He managed a short, jerky nod and a hoarse whisper, "Thanks, didn't realize it was so late."
He started to walk away, his gait unsteady as if each step was a monumental effort. He moved towards the far end of the platform, seeking solace in the shadows. But something in Sarah's heart tugged at her, a strange pull towards this stranger whose despair mirrored her own.
"Mind if I join you?" she offered, gesturing to the empty space beside her.
He hesitated, the offer hanging in the air like a question mark. Then, with a shrug that seemed to hold the weight of the world, he shuffled back towards her. Sarah scooted over, making room on the bench. They sat in silence for a long while, the only sound the rhythmic clatter of the approaching train growing louder with every passing moment. The silence wasn't awkward, but rather a comfortable blanket that draped itself over them, acknowledging the shared burden they carried without a single word needing to be spoken.
YOU ARE READING
The Train Stop
RandomOn a desolate train platform bathed in the dim glow of a single flickering light, Sarah huddles on a cold bench, lost in her own despair. A stranger arrives, their weary eyes reflecting a similar burden. As they share a brief, soul-bearing conversat...
