The girl on the Train tracks

I walked, as I had decided on asking directions from the staff from the B&B and walking to the train station, as apposed to getting public transport, which was more expensive.

I arrived and was directed to the staff area of the train station, where Mr Lanswell met me for my job interview. The station was not very busy, with just a few people waiting for people to arrive from train journeys to Lungwood.

Mr Lanswell was a well built man, with brown hair trimmed and combed neatly in curtains. He had dark eyes and broad shoulders, emphasised with his blazer, matching adequately with his red tie. He had almost no expression on his face, except when I saw him, and he gave me a dazed, half smile as I shook his hand, of which I noticed was quite a weak handshake from his part.

I followed him into his office and took a seat on the opposite side of his desk.

"So, Mr Pech, have you... Had any experience in train driving in the past?" He asked me.

"Well, I studied in the field of train building after leaving school, of which I tried out driving a little, but other than this I have a lot of theory in the job, just not much practice in it, but I hope to soon." I replied, confidently. I looked at Mr Lanswell's face, which had gone into another daze, this time more solum. He eventually broke away from it and continued.

"Well I can say I too would hope to see you practice it. The other gentleman whom was your competition in this job did not ever reply to me by telephone or letter as I directed, so as far as I'm concerned, you may run a little practice today if you'd like, with no passengers of course... And if all goes well you may begin with the day schedules tomorrow and take on the night journeys when you're ready. What do you say?"

"Sounds jolly good", I laughed. We walked out of his office and I felt I had accomplished something by getting this job, even though all I had done was turn up and watched the second man reject his opportunity by ignoring the opportunity to show up for the interview.

We went outside to the station and I noticed how spookily empty the station was with no one else there. It felt like someone else was there I could not see, and everything was still. The benches were deserted and empty, and the platforms were as empty as a desert, but it still felt like there should be people there. The whole area was silent, no footsteps entering up the stairs, no sounds of trains running past, no squeals of reunited families, or cries of people departing one another, just... Silence. I did not like it and tried to focus on my first ride on the train I would drive for years to come.

I stepped in, and Mr Lanswell showed me around. The doors and how to work them, the buttons, levers everything else. I recognised most things, but some he had to explain to me, and I understood after some practice.

"If you'd like, it's set up so it's all ready for you to drive and test out." He told me. I took too it and set off, the whole station suddenly came alive, leaves blowing away in the wind caused by the movement of the train, and it seemed it all got a bit warmer and alive when those wheels first turned round, even though there were no extra people around, and the steam engine only had two passengers in it, Mr Lanswell and myself.

This was what my whole life had been leading up to. Me, at the wheel of a train. I had known all along it was meant to be, and although I had had no official training, I felt like a master already. I learnt all the levers and buttons as I went along, enjoying the excitement of learning to work the engine I would use for the rest of my life. I turned around in my excitement and joy, to remind me that Mr Lanswell was still watching me, to check on my skills and confidence. I tried to push down my smile, to look more professional, but it made little difference. I was so happy that my cheesy smile pushed it's way out

despite my attempts to push it down.

Before I knew it, we had arrived back at the station. I got out.

"Well, for someone with no official training, you did quite well, I must say" he informed me, surprised.

"Thank you. I heard there is a home included in the job?"

"Yes, you can move in tomorrow if you'd like"

I thanked him again and after returning to his office to sign and collect some paperwork and take my coat, I left to go back to the B&B, to re-pack so I could move into the cottage the next day.

When I got back to the B&B, a maid had been in my room and made my bed. I sat on the bed, to notice the photograph of the family with the little girl had been put back in its place. I smiled at it, and proceeded to change for dinner. I contemplated on whom I would eat with, as I knew very few people other than the family I had met at breakfast.

I went downstairs to the dining room, a lost expression on my face. I noticed, by chance, the family from breakfast at the table, dressed a little less formal than myself. They beckoned me to sit with them gain, and I walked over to join them.

"Fancy meeting you here! Again!" The mother of the family exclaimed.

"We went into the city today! It took ages to get there though" said the little boy. The mother told him off for interrupting, but I found him quite sweet. We conversed about the city and my new job for a while, until we got to the subject of living in Lungwood.

"Well, the holiday has been jolly good so far, but I could never live here" the father said boldly. I asked why. "It would just feel... Uncomfortable, I can feel it. " the rest if the family nodded their heads at me, even the children, and it unnerved me slightly. I decided to laugh it off and I left, thanking them again for their company.

I left the dining room and prepared to leave on the morrow.