A Stranger on the Train

     A light flickers from the hidden corner of the dimly lit cart as the dreary eyed young woman with the bulking black suitcase saunters out the double doors. It’s midnight and the train rattles through the desolate tunnel; its sound occasionally overtaken by the piercing sharpness of metal against metal. My eyelids sluggishly balance atop each other as I rehearse my tasks for the week: buy groceries… then I see him.

     The stranger’s features are concealed beneath a veil of darkness. I scan the cart for another soul, there's no one. Dancing, my heart fills the void of silence as if inviting the stranger to dance with it, as if yearning for the stranger to reassure it in its panic. I look over to see that the man remains in the shadows, like a patient predator.

     Before I can finish mapping the details of my defense plan, the train comes to a jarring halt. Maddening silence invades my ears. Then, I hear the train announcer say: “Attention, please. We are experiencing some delays. We will be moving momentarily.” I instinctively look in his direction. His shadow turns toward me. I look away and clutch my backpack tightly against my stomach. The lights on the train continue to flicker, on and off and on, and off. Suddenly, a pair of glowing red eyes stare me down. Their hellish glow intensifies as the squeak of the old train floors looms closer to me. I make a run toward the farthest end of the cart. Standing there in the dark, I await my end. But there is nothing.

     It is probably twenty minutes past midnight, when the lights pop back on, and the train engine makes itself known again like a sudden flash of thunder. I look to see that the man is still where he had been sitting, though now I can see his features clearly. He is staring intently at a thick book which is nestled gently between his hands. The old train comes to a stop again, except this time the white lights of a drawn out and vacant Canal Street Station are piercing through. The train’s doors open swiftly, and I am in awe as the man springs out of the train.

     I cast one last glance at the stranger. As the announcer voices “Stand clear of the closing doors please”, our eyes meet, and the stranger shoots a warm and friendly smile in my direction.

THE END.