Member-only story
Next Stop to Nowhere
A young couple falls in love in an empty train car.
I had been riding the train for so long that I couldn’t remember where I had started. The only thing I knew was that I was heading to a place called Paradise. Everything else — my ticket stub, the different landscapes blurring past, the other passengers who came before me — faded into the background, as if they had never been. I kept my eyes on the window, my hands in my lap, as I just observed life passing me by.
Then a scratchy metallic sound preceded an announcement that came over the sound system.
“Attention, passengers, please stay seated as we near our next stop.”
I didn’t hear what the next stop’s name was. It was as if my mind were clogged with debris. I let out a soft sigh and fidgeted in my seat, eager for a respite from this long train ride that seemed never-ending.
Just as the train began to roll into its continued trajectory, the metal doors ahead of me opened to reveal a young man who looked breathless and a little disheveled. His eyes immediately found mine, and I found myself staring at the little details of him: a leather jacket over a white t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and combat boots strewn with glow-in-the-dark star stickers.
