The Strange Case of the Man Who Woke Up on a Train

One morning, while I was sitting in the dining car of an eastbound train, my ears perked up when I heard one of the other passengers speaking about something that had happened on one of his previous train rides. He talked about how he had woken up on a train, with no idea how he got there or even where he was going, and since it was late at night and the train was in transit, there was no easy way to get off it, either.

Tom Crawford was a regular guy. He worked nine-to-five at a local accounting firm and he was happy with his life. But one day, everything changed. Tom woke up on a train with no ticket and no memory of how he got there. The train showed no signs of slowing down and Tom had no idea what was going on. So he decided to explore the rest of the train to see if anyone else knew anything about it. When he finally reached the end of the train, an elderly woman named Mrs. Finch asked him what was wrong. I don't know, he replied. I just woke up here. Honey, she said, you're not in Kansas anymore.

The man woke up on a train with no memory of how he got there. He had no ticket, but he paid his fare. The train showed no signs of slowing down. The man was confused and scared. He didn’t know what to do. People stared at him from their seats as they sped past. The other passengers were giving him strange looks, and he began to feel self-conscious. He decided to ask the conductor for help. The conductor, however, seemed unhelpful at first. He rushed back onto the train and told the conductor what had happened; surely he could arrange transportation home from here? No such luck: It would be another hour before he reached his destination again. The stranger took out his phone and tried calling home but got no answer - now worry filled him - all of this must have been some terrible nightmare! A kind stranger convinced him to ride out front, where there was more fresh air. The man still couldn't remember how he got on the train or where his ticket was, but at least he could breathe. He dozed off again, only to be jolted awake by the sudden braking of the train. The other passengers looked relieved, as if they had been expecting this all along.

The man was found by police after he disembarked the train in order to ask for help. He was disoriented and had no memory of how he got on the train or where he was going. The police were able to piece together that he had boarded the train in Philadelphia and that his final destination was New York City. They also discovered that he had no ticket. When they asked him what happened, he could only answer I don’t know. The police then contacted Amtrak customer service and were told there was no way this passenger could have boarded the train without a ticket. It was determined that someone must have put him on board at Philadelphia, but it is still unknown who this person might be.

It's a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, inside a riddle. That's what we like to say, at least, when we can't explain something. And this case is no different. The man who woke up on the train has no memory of how he got there, and no ticket to show for it. The train shows no signs of slowing down, and he has no idea where it's going. All he knows is that he needs to figure out how to get off—and fast. But as the miles go by, it becomes more and more clear: nobody wants him to leave. Or they don't know he's here at all. If he wants answers—if he wants any chance of getting back home—he'll have to find them himself.