Shalott

City Idiot

"We are now approaching Ash Town," a voice announced over the speaker. "As the platform is small only the front three carriages will open. Please ensure you are in the front three carriages if you wish to alight at this station."

Shirley groaned and stood up, heaving her suitcase out into the aisle from the adjacent chair and swinging her hand bag over her shoulder. She shuffled quickly down the carriage and through the doors as she felt train begin to slow.  She reached what she hoped was one of the first  three carriages and stood behind the glass door staring ahead bleakly into the night.

The amber lights of the station appeared, and deserted and slightly misty platform whizzed past. Shirley felt the dread build up inside her as the train ground to a halt.

The doors opened and she hesitated. Do I really want to do this? Okay, worse case scenario, you get stuck, you can just hop on the next train.

Shirley put a foot out.

Do it! You've come all this way now.

She extended her foot onto the platform and once it connected with the gravel she instinctively moved the other foot forwards so that she stood just in front of the train. She winced as she heard the beeps of the doors closing behind her and decided to carry on her way. No going back now.

She walked a few paces until she came to a bench under a lamp and here she placed her suitcase. She unzipped her coat pocket and pulled out her phone.

Her heart froze. No Signal.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" she cursed, her eyes scanning her surroundings desperately. It was dark, slightly windy and a  gentle mist hung in the air, albeit a transparent one. It was your average scene for a murder mystery.

Well, she had only one choice now. She would have to wait for the next train and take it to the next actual town. When the hell was the thing? She marched across the platform to where a big white poster sat beneath a plastic sheet on the wall. Okay, good, a timetable.

She checked her phone, it was five past seven. The next one was at one minute past eight. So she would have to wait for an hour. What a shit show.

What kind of an idiot was she anyway? Did she really think she could just show up in the middle of nowhere and get a cab. Flag one down from the nearby field where it was dropping off a couple of sheep. She was a city idiot, that's what she was.

She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out her hoodie , guideline taking off her jacket and putting it on underneath. Next she pulled out some jeans and yanked them on over her tights. As she pulled them up under her skirt she suddenly became a bit paranoid. Was anyone out there watching her? She shuddered, and not just from the cold.

She left her suitcase on the bench and made her way to the station entrance. She found herself looking out into an inky black night, and nothing visible but the beginning of a black tarmac road.