He hurried toward the train platform and never looked back. The trip ahead of him was unplanned, but then, very few things in life are.
His only luggage was a small carry-on he had quickly packed only a short time ago. He settled into the passenger car and closed his eyes to the rest of the world. His mind wasn’t on the trip ahead but the reason for it. The telegram had said she’d died, but it couldn’t be true. He could still feel her in his bones.
She was alive. They had to be wrong. Maybe she was simply not responsive. She couldn’t be gone. Forever.
NO!!!” echoed in his mind a thousand times.
As much as he tried to fight it, the gentle sway of the train put him to sleep. He knew staying awake for the whole trip would only make him even crazier. However, his sleep wasn’t a peaceful one as bits of the past came back to haunt him—their first kiss, their wedding. Flashes of her walking down the aisle came to him, and he was on the verge of waking up, but the train’s movement lured him into a deeper sleep.
Hours later, the sudden stillness and lack of motion jarred him awake just as the loudspeaker announced their arrival at his destination. He shook his head and tried to force the memories from his mind, but they resisted.
Standing on the platform, he looked lost. He was lost, even more than he looked
“Glad you could come.” He recognized the voice and turned toward the person who spoke.
There she was! She was alive! Then he blinked and realized it was her sister.
He approached her slowly. “Is she…?”
“Yes, she died early this morning. There was nothing anyone could do.”
She pulled him close to her and put her arms around him. Feeling her warm body next to him, he felt safe again.
He pulled away. “Come, let’s get her buried so that we can get married.”
His only luggage was a small carry-on he had quickly packed only a short time ago. He settled into the passenger car and closed his eyes to the rest of the world. His mind wasn’t on the trip ahead but the reason for it. The telegram had said she’d died, but it couldn’t be true. He could still feel her in his bones.
She was alive. They had to be wrong. Maybe she was simply not responsive. She couldn’t be gone. Forever.
NO!!!” echoed in his mind a thousand times.
As much as he tried to fight it, the gentle sway of the train put him to sleep. He knew staying awake for the whole trip would only make him even crazier. However, his sleep wasn’t a peaceful one as bits of the past came back to haunt him—their first kiss, their wedding. Flashes of her walking down the aisle came to him, and he was on the verge of waking up, but the train’s movement lured him into a deeper sleep.
Hours later, the sudden stillness and lack of motion jarred him awake just as the loudspeaker announced their arrival at his destination. He shook his head and tried to force the memories from his mind, but they resisted.
Standing on the platform, he looked lost. He was lost, even more than he looked
“Glad you could come.” He recognized the voice and turned toward the person who spoke.
There she was! She was alive! Then he blinked and realized it was her sister.
He approached her slowly. “Is she…?”
“Yes, she died early this morning. There was nothing anyone could do.”
She pulled him close to her and put her arms around him. Feeling her warm body next to him, he felt safe again.
He pulled away. “Come, let’s get her buried so that we can get married.”
