The Water Train

The Story

            The water above and below is soft and crystalline as it moves under the water.  Sleek and silver, a mirror reflection of its outside world, yet so obvious to the inhabitants inside.  Silent and unaltering, it moves without provocation, no declaration of its existence, but it is beautiful.  What do they call it, this mysterious thing?  They call it simply, the Water Train.  It had once been very popular a long time ago, but has since become a thing of legend.  But that didn't stop me, today.  Standing at the empty landing a half a mile from the docks made me feel uneasy of what would happen.  The boat that had taken me from the docks had been completely empty of any other people, but I was too excited to really care that I was all alone.  Many thought that this train hadn't existed for many years, but I wanted to believe that it existed.  According to the ticket that my father won at a raffle, the train only stopped at this particular landing every 20 years.  It took its passengers around in a half hour trip of the beautiful sea before dropping you back off at the landing, and going on to its next location.  The purpose of the water train had always been for exploration, and never transportation.  I could only imagine what it would be like to be on this train.  People were telling me I was wasting my time, but this was a dream of mine that I couldn't pass the opportunity for. 

            The train was scheduled to come at 3 o'clock on the dot, and it was 2:55.  Only five minutes left until I got to find out if my dreams were real, or not.  I was so nervous.  I was frozen still on the edge of the platform.  I wanted to move, to pace, to do something while I waited but I was stuck on the platform, my feet almost glued in place.  So, I took a good look of my surroundings while I waited for those five agonizing minutes.  The clock that I had been staring at was old, and moldy from the constant spit of the sea.  The original finish was a beautiful gold and silver, but most of it had chipped away by now.  The tiles on the floor before the landing platform began used to be every color in the known universe.  Some of the older villagers remember what the platform used to look like, and all I could ever do was listen and gawk with their stories and dream of how beautiful it must have been.  They told me when they were little, there used to be boat rides to the platform for the kids to play after school.  The train had been long gone by then, they would say.  They described the colors to me.  Red, yellow, lavender, blue, light green, royal colors, Easter colors, dark, light, any and all in little circle shapes intertwining each other in an endless pattern.  Now, those once beautiful tiles were faded, and most were broken or gone.  2:58.  It was so close now.  There were black columns that held up a slanted room in case of heavy waves or light rain were also chipping, and looked old and broken.  In my mind, I could see all the beautiful colors, so many people huddled in little groups, excitedly waiting for the train to appear.  I wish I could've been there when people still believed in something like the water train.  The ocean was calm today.

            The waves were soft, the water was a deep blue, the breeze was light, salty, and briny, and perfect.  In my ears I could hear beautiful soft bells from the clock striking the hour, with a melody so pure and familiar, yet I'd never heard it before, but my mind was in other places.  3 o'clock was finally here.  I couldn't stand my excitement, anymore.  I started bouncing, almost dancing to the beautiful melody the clock played, thinking of all that I could see if the train came.  I twirled around the old black columns, around the old fainted tiles pretending they were still as beautiful as the day they had been made.  I was so busy dancing around to the beautiful bells that I didn't notice the waves creeping up toward the landing.  All of a sudden, a huge wave threw up out of nowhere, and scared me.  I ran behind a column to protect myself.  I waited, confused why I hadn't been sprayed with salt water yet, before peaking my head around from the corner.  My eyes widened with shock, and I almost cried of joy.  It wasn't a wave, but I couldn't believe it.  There it was.  Sleek and silver, reflecting everything off its shining surface, and looking as though it were just flying lazily about, there it was.  The water train had arrived.