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Hum

Why does this tune feel familiar?

By Kyra LopezPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
1
Hum
Photo by Charles Forerunner on Unsplash

Noon.

Red coated train cars slowed across the worn metal tracks, pulling into Sapphire station. The world was now operated almost entirely by robots, so there were no human conductors monitoring the train routes. Everything was different for human life after traces of some unknown virus started seeping into things. The animals began acting strange, new portals opened up, and there was even more paranormal activity recorded. Everything was crooked, like a book that was slightly tilted on a shelf.

Other than that, nothing had really changed when it came to commuting. Humans still had to run some things, but jobs were a lot more difficult to find.

Today was a fairly hot day, with only a few stragglers coming into an otherwise empty platform. The northbound train would be traveling for the next 8 hours, and it was the usual commute he took after a grueling overnight shift at the hospital. All of this traveling was part of the cyclical mundane trek Luis took every other day. His home was far away, but the money was enticing enough to break the bounds of travel inconveniences.

The train slowed, and breathed out. Its clanky metal doors opened slowly, dipping forward to welcome the sluggish passengers.

Luis boarded the train, drifting off to the same window seat in the third row down the aisle. As always, the willowy girl with the long blonde hair sat in the seat in front of him. Her eyes were constantly glued to the outside world, her hands twiddling a heart shaped locket, and always humming the same tune. It was never a different song, only variations of the same song. What struck Luis as odd was how she never picked another seat, never seemed to get off, and was always on before him.

She must get on at an earlier stop and stay until one of the last stops.

But still, she is a little weird. I mean, who hums the same song all day with no headphones on?

The train rattled to life again, and the cars took off into the greenery of the hills. Luis' curiosity about the woman had been growing recently, never seeing her move from that seat over the past year. He wouldn't have been surprised if she was glued to the seat by now. It was her permanent home.

6:45 p.m.

The sun was setting, and orange rays dipped into the rows of seats through large square windows. The girl was still humming, even after Luis had awoken from a well-deserved slumber.

He decided the next day he would attempt a conversation with her, and ask her why she always sat there. Maybe it would come as as a little rude, but he was dying from the unknowns. He had to find out what song she was even humming, and why she never moved.

With a shudder, the train pulled into Creekside. This was his stop.



2 Days Later.

Luis boarded the train at Sapphire, right at noon. He made sure to dab the beads of sweat forming on his temples before attempting to talk to the pale girl endlesssly looking out the train.

Ok...whew. Here we go.

Luis boarded and walked slowly down the aisle, turning to her row instead of his own.

"Is this seat taken?"

The girl quickly turned towards him, looking alarmed. She quickly shook her head back and forth to signal "no", and he proceeded to make himself comfy with a seat of space in between them.

That was easier than I thought. Might as well get straight to business.

"So, what song are you humming? I noticed it before, since I'm on this train often."

"It's just a melody I have in my head." She smiled a little, pushing her blonde hair over her shoulder, but never taking her eyes off the window. The heart shaped locket glistened in the bright afternoon sun.

"Oh, I see. It sounds nice. So, my name's Luis. How about you?"

"Not sure."

"Huh? No name?"

"No."

Crazy...no name? Man, I wonder what she even does for a living.

"So...uh... what stop do you get off at normally? Im always at Creekside."

"Hmm."

She paused for a moment, turning towards him to shrug, and then proceeded to stare out the window while the train moved. The heart shaped locket caught another beam of light, blinding Luis for a moment when it reflected into his eyes.

Guess I deserve that for being so pushy.

"Uh, I'll be back. Im going to use the bathroom."

Luis saw that the girl didn't move or react to him saying that. She ignored his statement entirely, and picked up the humming once more as he got up to head towards the main aisle.

Bumping back and forth, Luis moved to the next car, looking for the bathrooms. It was a traveler's train after all, and a lot nicer than those trains you see in the subways in big cities. This was for roaming long distances, and it had more amentities than most models.

Luis was becoming more confused, as he couldn't find the door to the bathroom that should've been in the right hand side of the second to last car. He made his way further, and saw that there was another one to the left. Quickly, he made his way into the small booth and locked the door behind him.

5:25 p.m.

Looking into the mirror, Luis began to wash his hands. He reflected on the odd encounter he just had, and how weird that blonde girl actually was. Debating on what to say to her next, he came up with a better plan to get more information out of her.

This was practically a mystery.

I mean, she could be mentally ill? Or just bored at home, trying to spend her days on the train?

Whatever the reason, he was now invested.

Turning the lock back open on the train, Luis noticed something very bizarre. He saw a row of seats right in front of him upon opening the door.

What is going on...?

The train hissed at the next stop, but suddenly he was sitting down. The window next to him displayed the beautiful evening sky, and his skin had appeared white as a ghost.

Where did the girl go? What the hell is happening?

Luis suddenly found himself sitting in the strange girl's seat on the train. He began staring out the window, feeling an overwhelming compulsion to hum her song. On the floor by his smaller feet, he noticed a broken heart shaped locket.

Short Story
1

About the Creator

Kyra Lopez

Writer from the 773

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