The DeathTrain

I woke from a deep sleep and realized that the six-seat compartment on this train was full. There were two couples, a single man and me. The men were all reading newspapers and the women were absorbed in novels. I felt very strange when I awoke as I could not remember boarding the train. I must have had a dream because in it I was wearing the strangest clothes. My skirt was short and I had bare legs. I had never seen clothes like these in my life, so I was wondering why I dreamt that I was dressed this way. I looked around and satisfied myself that I was no longer dreaming as I was dressed in a similar mode of fashion as the other women. I glanced at the newspaper that the man sitting opposite was reading. It was in fact according to the printed date May 15th, 1912, I noticed. I smiled to myself when I thought about the clothing I was wearing in the dream. I almost chuckled when I thought how some of the ladies and gentlemen would have reacted if I was actually wearing these garments.

After a short while I realized that the stations were not being announced and I noticed that the train had not stopped at any of the stations since I woke from my dream. After about an hour, I decided to organize myself to leave the train, as I was aware that my station was about an hour from where I would have boarded. I stood up and the single man very politely lifted my case down from the luggage rack. I smiled and thanked him as I slid open the door and walked out into the corridor.

The green fields with grazing animals went flashing past and I waited for the train to slow before stopping at my station. I saw the sign showing the name of the station whizz past and then the platform went past as a blur. The train did not slow or stop and I started to panic as I realized that I would probably have to catch another train from somewhere to bring me back. I could not understand why the train had not stopped. I saw the conductor as he walked towards me dressed in his grey suit and small cap with a leather bag over his shoulder.

I addressed him and asked him why the train had not stopped and when I could expect it to pull into a station. He looked at me strangely, with a vague almost dreamy expression. “The train won’t be stopping at any stations; the final stop is coming up shortly” he replied. I was puzzled at his reply and went back into the compartment. I spoke to the young man who had retrieved my case from the luggage rack. “I have missed my station”, I told him. “I asked the conductor when the train would be stopping and he told me it would be coming to its final stop soon and it would not be stopping at any stations. I must say he was rather peculiar!”

“Anyway, I will have to get off this train somewhere and go back. This is such a nuisance. I have never been on a train before that does not announce the stations.”

I sat down and took out my sandwich that I had packed for my lunch, but I had not expected that I would still be on the train when I ate it.

I looked out of the window and noticed that the countryside was flying past at an incredible speed. The thick smoke from this iron monster was billowing across the landscape. I started to become alarmed as I realized that this train was travelling at a dangerous, breakneck speed. I glanced at the other people and they did not seem to be perturbed at all. They were very quiet; in fact, I had not heard any of them speak during the whole journey except the young man who had helped with my luggage.

I got up and went back into the corridor and I could see the conductor standing gazing out the window. I suddenly saw that everyone on this train was in great peril. I could see the great, iron, engine puffing out thick clouds of smoke like a mythological dragon as it rounded a bend at terrifying speed. I wondered how it could stay on the rails and I held my breath until it straightened up again but still it did not slow down. I approached the conductor again and told him my fears that I thought the train was travelling at a dangerous speed and was there any way he could communicate with the drivers in the engine. “If it is your destiny to be on this train then there is nothing that can help you.” I was alarmed by this comment and thought once again how he was almost other-worldly.

I decided to investigate what was happening, so I walked slowly along the corridor trying to keep my balance as the wild ride threw me from side to side until I got to the very front carriage. I walked to the front but there was no exit out to the engine. I opened a window and leaned out but could not see into the engine. I started to yell for help which was fruitless as even if the drivers were there, they would not be able to hear me above the noise.

I walked back towards the carriage where my compartment was and stood in the corridor staring out. I felt totally alone as there seemed to be something very strange about the passengers on this train. The train was out of control and I did not know if the drivers were even in the engine. As far as I could understand, I was the only passenger apart from the young man who was not affected by whatever had come over the other people on the train.

I looked out at the fields as they passed in a blur and I pondered if I could jump and survive.

I went back into the compartment and spoke to the young man, voicing my fears about the speed of the train and wondering if the drivers were still controlling the train. “There is something very strange about every passenger on this train. They seem to be unaware of anything that is going on around them.” “Yes, I agree, and I fear for our lives” he replied in a concerned voice.

The train seemed to be gathering more speed and the people in the compartment were being tossed around on every bend. I sat down to steady myself. Holding on tightly I prayed that the train would stop. I prayed that we would be saved.

I steadied myself, holding onto anything to steady myself and went back to the corridor.

I began to cry as the terror of the situation made me realize that my life on this earth was probably going to end in a violent and final way. I thought of my parents and my siblings and thought that I would not even be able to say goodbye. I just wished that I was safely at home.

Looking towards the front of the train, I saw the black entrance to a tunnel. I grasped a leather strap that was hanging from above. I wondered if I risked jumping from the train in the tunnel as I knew at least then I would not be flung over a cliff, but it was pitch black and I could not see anything. The tunnel seemed to go on forever and then suddenly we were in bright sunshine again.

The young man came out into the corridor and stood beside me. “I think that I am going to take the risk and jump off the train. I see a terrible end to this train ride if we don’t get off. Do you want to jump as well, with me? Every other passenger seems to be unconscious or something.”

“Yes, as much as I fear we will die, I think we have a small chance of survival if we jump”, I replied.

As the train took a bend we could see ahead. We could see a trestle bridge approaching. It spanned a deep ravine with a terrifying drop on each side of the rail bridge.

Together we moved to the back carriage and stood at the entrance. The young man opened the door and the rush of wind nearly unbalanced us. The young man told me to wait till he called jump and then leap as far away from the train as possible. We held onto each other, readying ourselves for the leap that was hopefully going to save us.

Was this my destiny to die on an out- of control train?

The massive engine snorting clouds of smoke and its wheels clacking furiously on the rails, approached the bridge.

The young man suddenly yelled “Jump now!”

We both leaped from the train trying to clear the area close to the rails. With incredible force we landed on the grassy edge of an embankment. Without having time to register if we were badly hurt, only knowing that we had survived the jump, we stared in horror as the train started its treacherous crossing of the trestle bridge.

Suddenly, there was an enormous, sickening crash as the train went airborne and left the rail crashing down into the deep ravine below. We could hear the sound of trees and vegetation being smashed by the great force of the giant engine and the carriages as they descended violently into the abyss. It was like a huge dragon in its death throes. We watched this tragedy play out from where we had impacted with the ground.

Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my head and then a loud buzzing. I felt like I was passing out.

I stood on the platform and there was a loud buzzing in my head and a pain right through my body. I found a seat as I felt like I was going to faint. I could not remember arriving at the station.

I drank some water from my bottle and sat there until I overcame the feeling of faintness. The sun was warm and feeling somewhat recovered, I walked out onto the platform and felt the warmth on my bare legs and arms. Today was an exciting day, May 15th, 2022. This was the day that the train I was waiting for would take me to my new home and first job as a journalist one hour north of my hometown.

I noticed a large plaque and a young man was very absorbed in reading it. I wandered over as I was curious. There was a large image of a steam train and underneath the tragic story of the train that had departed this station on 15th May 1912 and after travelling out of control, crashed off a trestle bridge into a deep ravine. Everyone except for two people had died a violent death at the bottom of the deep valley. Two young people had risked leaping from the train and miraculously had survived with some injuries.

I read this tragic story and I felt a deep sadness for all those people who lost their lives on this same day in 1912.

I turned to go and the young man looked at me and for just a fleeting moment our eyes locked and there was some strange, unexplainable feeling of recognition between us.

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