The place you left behind

The black fox

Kumiko slowly started to wake up. Her vision was blurry. The morning sunlight painted her brown eyes as caramel and made them sparkle as crystals. She blinked twice trying to clear her view as she looked around her for something she could recognize. Suddenly, she came to her mind and jumped up on her sit. Last time she was awake she wasn't in her bed, not even at home. She was still on the train and hadn't even arrived to her stop by the time her eyes closed. In fact, it should've still been night by the time she arrived. Her eyes opened as wide as opals when she realized. She must've actually taken the wrong train and ended up who knows where or how far away. What time was it? Where was she? Was it another city? The thoughts started to fill her head all at once and made her heart start to pound so hard she could hear it on her ears.

She stood up, made sure that everything was in her bag and went to the same doors from where she came through. She pressed a green button. The doors didn't open. She pressed again and repeated again. Neither tries worked out. She then proceeded to press it once again multiple times, accelerating the speed each time. Even though her hand was already nervous, she was trying to stay calm, but her heart was starting to pound faster and faster too. She went to the other nearest doors, at her left. No result. The doors on the other extrem of the wagon. Nothing. She pressed the red button with a telephone sign. But it didn't even ring. 

The options started to scarce. The next option was the doors that connected other wagons to hers, but after trying both with no result, she finally ran out of options. Unless... She went to the first gate again and tried to put her fingers in the gap between the doors. They weren't opening, not even the slightest despite all the strength she was using.

"It isn't working... Should I start screaming or knocking them? Or both...". Her head, almost leaning on the door, was facing her feet as she was trying to think any other way possible to get out of there. "Calm down", her mind spoke again as her head raised. The first thing that caught her eyes, before she could look any other way, was through one of the doors window.

Outside, not so far away, a black dog-like animal was sat looking directly at her. Its snout was slim and when it stuck its tongue out panting, it looked like it was smiling at her. 

The animal stood up and walked closer to then sit down again, still keeping certain distance to the train and, therefore, to her, never taking its gaze away from her.

"A fox", she mumbled to herself and then thought, "I've never seen a black fox before".

She was startled and put her hands away when the doors suddenly opened without any kind of force nor any button pressed. 

With hesitance, she took some steps foward down the train. Even though her feet were shod, she could feel as she stepped on a grass. She just then looked at the scenery that surrounded her. Besides a curious animal, there was only vegetation around her. The land was filled with overgrown weeds, some bushes and lot of trees at the fox's back, like the entrance of a forest with an endless depth inside.

Did she end up on the countryside? That was the only thing she could conclude.

The fox suddenly stood up again and made her startle again and take a step back, tensing her whole body up. Its eyes were still locked on hers. It then calmly turned back and walked away entering the forest.

She stayed still for at least two minutes, being alert.

The small animal never came back. 

She could turn back too as the black fox did and set out on her way to look for someone that could help her know where she was and how to get back home. Yet she couldn't understand why she felt the need to follow the same way the fox went.