The forgotten World

7. The Ghost Train

The next day I woke up long before the alarm went off. I was completely ready before the alarm even went off. I smacked the stop button. I picked up my staff and put it on my back upside down just to be funny and walked out the door. Then I realised I didn’t have a car or any way to get to my goal. It took me some time but I found a train station and at first glance I thought I was the only one on it but then I spotted Elfman, Lisanna and Mirajane. I walked over to them and asked them when the train was going to arrive for Cunnamulla and they say told me I was just in time. Lisanna pointed down the track, you could hear the train, it sounded huge, but I could not see it, then again the only train tracks I could see where the ones at this platform.

Then I saw it. It materialized out of nothing and my heart skipped a beat as the Headless horseman stepped of the train as it stopped. He put his hand to where his head should have been and the train doors opened and people came flowing out, I didn’t see very many of them but I’m sure I saw Bruce Willis, David Tenant, Matt Smith, The Rock and a pile of other move stars that I didn’t know the name of.

I stepped into the train and it was the oddest feeling, the air was cold and stale even with all the windows open, it looked real but when you touched it, it was like it was not there, you could not feel it, but it stopped you from passing through it, it was like it was real and not real at the same time, a thing of impossibilities, but recently you would be surprised how many things I have seen that fall in to the category of impossible.

I found a seat that I could not feel and sat down and it supported me but it felt like I was sitting on air, I had to look down to make sure I was not crouching over actual air. Lisanna was sitting opposite me with Elfman and Mirajane in the seat behind her talking about their job. “You get used to it after a while” she said, I looked up at her “how long did it take you?” Lisanna tapped the seat next to her like she still hard a hard time believing it was real “I haven’t yet, it’s more a case of trust” I nodded my understanding “so how does this train work?” I asked,  Lisanna smiled “you’re probably going to find this confusing but this train only goes to one place, Sky hope City, it’s a City that does not exist on any official maps but everyone here in The Hedge knows of it, from there you can take whatever your preferred method of travel to your destination, and trust me, you think you have seen a lot of people here, Sky Hope City is so much more populated, most people make their home there, it’s more the famous mages and that that return to The Hedge, it’s kind of a holiday home for us.” I listened closely while Lisanna explained how the train worked “so this place is The Hedge? And this train runs back and forward between The Hedge and Sky hope City?” Lisanna Nodded “that about sums it up, look out the window, would you believe me if I told you we were already half way there?” I looked out the window but there was nothing to see other than a swirling mass of white almost like a smoke machine had been overloaded and exploded, I didn’t think of looking out the window back when I boarded this ghost train “at the moment I’ve seen much and I’m ready to believe anything” Lisanna Smiled “and we have almost arrived” she stood up and I stood up also “Sky Hope City” I commented. All around the train people were starting to stand up Lisanna tugged my hand “come and see” I nodded and followed as we made our way up a set of stairs, I kept having to look at me feet to make sure I was not going to miss a step, when I got to the top Lisanna was waiting for me. “I love watching this” she said as she opened a window in front of us, I walked over next to her as I could see the train, it was the same white as what I saw when I looked out the window. Well that was until we hit some kind of invisible wall. It made the white curl like a wave at the beach and under it the most beautiful crimson red “in The Hedge this is a Ghost Train, out here in the real world it’s a normal Train with Polished Wood walls and roof.”

A few minutes later the train stopped and both I and Lisanna walked back down the now solid wood stairs and it was like walking into a completely new world. I followed Lisanna out the door and looked around. It was breath talking.