Short Little Writings

Riding the Train

A/N: Hello lovely person staring at the screen! Cailin here... introducing a new short story! I know this is a little boring, but it was just a small little idea I had :) maybe you will enjoy it, maybe you won't; feel free to leave your opinion :)

Eyes shut, I heard the dormroom door open and a voice shout out, "Honey, I'm home!" This is my roommate, Karly, and she always comes in like that. "Britt, you will not believe how absolutely amazing my- Brittany wake up!" she screeched.

My eyes shot open and I jumped. A pen flew out of my hand and I saw my notebook with scribbles written all over. "I must have fallen asleep while working on the assignment," I thought sleepily.

Karly jutted out her hip and smacked her hands onto her hip. "Brittany, what have I told you about waiting until the last minute to do your papers?"

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. They were incredibly dry. "It's not last minute. This is due the day after tomorrow. And I just don't know what to write about."

Karly sat down on the bed next to me and grabbed my notebook. She bit back a smile as she took in my scribbles. "I see you have made progress."

Groaning, I grabbed the notebook back. "Shut up. I fell asleep," I protested, ripping out the wasted paper and crumbling it into a ball. I threw it towards the trash can by our desk, but it fell short.

"Airball!" Karly shouted, sounding like a sports announcer. "Brittany could have shot the winning basket, but instead she missed like the fool she is!" I responded by shoving my roommate off the bed.

On the floor, Karly asked my about my project. I began to explain it. "Well, we are working on descriptive writing. I am supposed to find something unique to write about, but I have had no luck. There is nothing unique I have been able to find."

Karly started biting her nails, a bad habit she does when thinking. I watched her concentrate for a long time before Karly shook her head. "I can't think of a way to help you right now. I'll do some research while you get some sleep."

Graciously, I prepped myself for bed as Karly got out her laptop. I flicked off the lights so the room was dark except for the light from the laptop. I went to bed to the sound of Karly's typing and clicking.

♦•♦•♦

The next morning, my sleep was interrupted by rough shaking and screaming. "Get up, Brittany!" Karly yelled into my ear and I screeched. Trying to get away didn't work, and I only managed to get myself tangled up in my blankets.

"Karly," I groaned. "Why am I up so early? I need more sleep!"

"Quiet, baby. I have an idea for your descriptive writing paper." This peaked my interest. "Do you want to hear it or not?"

I untangled myself, then sat up on the bed. "Hit me." Karly raised her hand, but I slapped it away. "Not that kind of hitting," I scolded with an eye roll.

Karly, being her mature self, stuck her tongue out at me before telling me her idea. "I found on a website that one of the most inspirational places is a train. You can speed through new areas and see many sites that only appear for a split second."

I looked at Karly, eyebrows raised. That idea sounds ridiculous. Karly saw my look and continued to talk. "Just give it a chance, Brittany. I scheduled a round-trip on a train for us, and I bet you will be able to find something useful."

I sighed and got out of bed. "Let me get ready. This better not be a waste of time."

After I was dressed and ready to be seen in public, we headed out the door. Before we headed for the train station, Karly and I stopped in the cafeteria. I bought a cappuccino to go; Karly got a muffin and milk. We left and started our long walk to the train station.

At the train station, a train just pulled in. Karly and I quickly bought tickets, then boarded the train. "Okay," Karly said. "The only rule is to look out  the window. You can't look at me or anything else on the train. Once the ride is done, you can start writing."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I wouldn't expect Karly to have a dumb idea. The train started to move and I reluctantly stared out the window. Like riding in a car, everything started to speed up. The world around me was in a blur.

We left town and entered the country. Fewer buidings appeared, but were swept away the second I blinked. The buzzing of human voices faded out as I focused on the ever-changing scenery. The golden fields of wheat blurred together, reminded me of the song "America the Beautiful."

With amber waves of grain...

As the train ran through the country side, I saw a family of baby cows jumping on spidery legs through a green field. I gasped and pressed my face to the window, but the cows were long gone.

Many more sights whizzed by, each one catching my eye in a different way. Maybe it was a picture-perfect barn (red paint and white trimming), or it could be more animals. Sometimes I saw farm equipment making the way through the golden grain.

"I wish I had my camera," I thought. "These views deserve to be recorded and kept forever."

And then, I felt the train slow down. More building came into view, until the train slowed down in front of a station. Karly grabbed my hand and literally pulled me away from the window.

We stepped off the train and took a seat on the bench. I instantly pulled out my notebook and pencil, then started writing. So many things to describe....

How will I describe the views perfectly?