Ghost Train

Chapter 3

Getting on the train I expected it too be an old rustic antique interior, but to my surprise many things were quite modern and all together different.  

1. The seats that were in the first compartment reclined. Which was a godsend for me. I hate stiff seats, like in the big ugly yellow buses you would take to and from school. 

2. The sides of the train were almost completely made of glass, so you could see everything as you chugged along the countryside.

3.  There was a restaurant of some sort hidden towards the back of the train equipped with a mini bar, stove, and other kitchen equipment. Along with some tables and chairs.  

4. Each bedroom area in the middle compartments of the train were the size of a trailer. Each miniature space had a bottom floor for the bedroom with beds so soft they could be on one of those Serta commercials. On the top floor that's accessible by a ladder was smaller but had it's own little table and tv. The bathroom was located on the bottom floor to the left of the entrance. (Each bathroom even had it's own jacuzzi!)

After I had explored and inspected every hallway and clear glass window, I went back to a certain room that had a girl's name on it. Aria Selenta. This room was among three others to have a name on the door. But this room seemed to stand out to me more.

Inside Aria's bedroom hung pictures of butterflies and written signs filled with qoutes. Her bed was all white with the exception of two gray pillows, and a little pink lamp stood on her tiny nightstand. A mirror reflected from the other side of the room, and was framed by pictures and posters instead of metal or cheap plastic. These pictures interested me the most.

Many of them were taken with friends all laughing and smiling at school or during vacations spent together. No pictures of late night parties or endless selfies. Her family, looked perfect. Her parents seemed to glow with warmth from every picture, and her sister was only ever found in the ridiculous photos. Grinning with a goofy smile, or caught trying to steal ice cream from the freezer in the middle of the night.
There were no sullen family photos, or half torn pictures because your brother didn't want to be part of your family. But most importantly, no picture had one less person in them. 
I wanted to take them and somehow turn them into my own pictures, but I couldn't. This girl Aria seemed to care so much about her family, I did too, but maybe not enough. Staring at them all, I broke away and left the room not even wanting to look at the rest of Aria's life.

Back in the hallway I needed something to get my mind off of everything. So, I decided to take a shower in one of the empty rooms.
Apparently when you die your still stuck in the same clothes, but unfortunately your stuck with them in the condition of how you died. And my clothes were smeared and spotted in some places with dirt and the imprint of concrete. My pink vans were still a bubbly pink, but they did not look cheerful. Looking at myself I realized this is how people must see me now on Earth. A poor misunderstood child with the most unappealing appearance with her torn and tattered shirt, and jeans stained with dirt and blood. Most disgusting. These thoughts only pressed me closer towards the warm shower that awaited me.

Going into one of the empty rooms I checked the drawers for any extra clothes. I really didn't want to take the clothes of some person from one of the named rooms. What if I took their favorite crop top, or pair of designer jeans? Looking through the wood drawers I found a plain white shirt and blue jeans, but nothing else. Maybe they kept clothes for guests?
Or for people who end up in the wrong afterlife. In any case, I was glad for them, and for the best shower I've ever had. The handle to control the temperature of the water had number settings for hot and cold water, so you could find the perfect temperature. Not to mention, the clean and modern style of the shower.
This one didn't have a bent shower head or water that turned cold after five minutes. After drying off and putting on the clean pair of clothes I walked out the door and went back to the front compartment to sit and relax.

Looking out their big glass windows/walls I watched the scenery of the afterlife. We had gone past the countryside and into a dense forest. Everything was full of color and was as green as a rainforest. All mistycal and fantasy like. In gaps between the trees you could see little waterfalls drip along rocks and into puddles or pools. Sometimes I could even see animals scuttle along trails or behind bushes. I was able to see a lot more when the trees were thinning out, but soon I saw no more forest hills and the image was replaced with a vast glassy lake that reflected the forest into the pool. It seemed like something could pop out. I was even more surprised when something did. A rabbit popped out of the lake completely dry and hopped into the forest.

"It's a window from Earth to here. Mostly used for animals, it's not like they need a train."

Startled, I turned around and saw George standing behind me. The surprise on my face made him smirk.

" I just came out to tell you were getting close to the city. In fact, if you look out the left side of the train you might see it." He said.

"Really?" I hopped over to the seats on the other side and looked out the window. In the distance I saw the shiny tops of city towers and the glistening gleam from their glass exterior. I couldn't wait to see it. Hopefully it wasn't like New York.