Pandemic

Lost and Found

The train came huffing and puffing to a stop. I hadn't bothered to look up from my book for the entirety of the journey. Now, I chanced a glimpse outside the window and was met with the sight of a measly few in the crowd. Not many people wanted to take the risk of gathering at the station, what with the pandemic going around. 

One of the servicemen came walking towards me with a limp. "Do you have somewhere to be, young lady?" he asked. I could smell smoke on his breath. What a foolish man.

"Yes," I replied. "My aunt and uncle are waiting for me at this stop." It was what I had told most everybody who'd asked, and certainly they'd asked, because a fourteen year old travelling alone with very little luggage could arouse suspicion. 

In truth, I was unsure if they'd be waiting for me, and I did not really know how to get to their house without them. I'd never been. But all the same I got off the train, clutching my Parisian valise close to my chest. The serviceman looked at me intently as I left, so I made sure to be purposeful as I strode through the small crowd.

Eventually, the train pulled away from the station, and the crowd dwindled, until it became clear that my aunt and uncle hadn't come to pick me up. I hadn't expected them to; they probably thought their niece was being sent off someplace else, that they'd avoided caring for me. I walked up to the man at the ticketbooth and asked in a voice much more confident than I, "Do you sell maps at this station?"

He looked at me as if he knew what was in my valise. If he did, he'd have seen a worn leather journal, a few outfits, some cheese and crackers, and exactly $52.67. I wasn't going to waste my money on a map, that was for sure. If, by some chance, my aunt and uncle were indisposed in such a way that I had nowhere to stay, I'd need money for an inn or a ticket someplace else. I couldn't afford to buy a map for more than fifty cents.

"We do indeed, young lady," he replied with a certain degree of caution. "Would you like to purchase one?"

As he said purchase, a bit of spittle flew from his lip. He was clearly emphasizing that end of the bargain. "I'd just like to see what kind of maps they are first, please," I replied carefully. "If it doesn't show enough of the surrounding area, I wouldn't like to spend my Aunt Rosa's money."

He arched an eyebrow and slid a map across the counter to me, face down so I couldn't see it. His finger kept it securely within his grip. "Your Aunt Rosa, eh?"

"Yes, she lives near here. She invited me to come and stay with her for a while. She was kind enough to send me plenty of money for all my travels. You know, tickets, snacks on the train, stuff like that. But she was so generous to give me so much that I'd hate to spend more than necessary," I bluffed. Every lie needed a bit of truth. I had an Aunt Rosa, but she was by no means wealthy.

"Okay," he agreed, carefully lifting his finger, "but you can't look at it for too long. Alright? Because then you would be using it without buying it."

"Oh, if I needed it I could buy it," I reassured him, deftly snatching the map before he could hand it to me. I scanned the lines quickly, aware that each passing second made me more suspicious.

The man at the ticketbooth tapped his finger loudly on the counter. I smiled brightly and handed it back to him. "Too small," I announced in a chipper way. As I walked away, I felt my throat close up a little. The map had worked fine; I knew what roads to take, but I also knew I'd have to walk a few miles along them, and that there could be servicemen to question me on my way. Why couldn't they have just picked me up? I thought desperately.

The station was empty by then. Not many people wanted to travel towards the city, where the pandemic spread like wildfire. They'd rather be here, in the countryside, where servicemen were mostly concerned that you wouldn't litter as opposed to that you'd spread some kind of virus.