Train Stories: Part 3 - Late Night Platform

“You’re an arsehole.” His voice is sharp and deep. 

“And you're not my goji berry anymore.” Hers is dragged, husky and lazy. The words merge into one another.

“…that’s what I'm saying!” Excitement pops somewhere else on the platform like a champagne cork. 

“Oh! You're my fluffy bear!” Sarcasm is high pitched, heavy, and poisonous from the only one apart from me paying attention.

The eco of music blasts in the background. A headphone somewhere so loud and uncaring, it’s almost obnoxious. 

Seven people sit on a row of seats. Two read books, four play on their phones, one seems to sleep.

One of the phones smiles with a sigh, twitches on his seat, rubs the fabric on his pants, clicks something every so often. Every click unlocking a repetition of the same chain of events. 

Soles clip-clop up and down the platform.

I shut my eyes, sigh, and reopen them.

Phone guy is still staring at his phone. Whatever he's looking at stamped all over his face like a kiss and tell.

“Well! I didn’t like that you left me!” She tries to stand still for long enough to look angry and sober. And fails, “I love you.” 

He moves his face away from her puckered lips.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Across the platform, the violin case bops and moves to the rhythm of the excitement.

“I hate drunken people on the Tube,” the poison is no longer indirect from the only one paying attention. The two people with him looking in different directions, relieved the end is near. The outing proving to be an excise of patience more than of friendship.

Lights appear in the depths of the tunnel. Due in precisely one minute.

Seven people sit on a row of seats. Two read books, four play on their phones, one no longer seems to sleep.

Written by: Paola Santana

All rights reserved.

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Train Stories is a four-part series, including three short stories and one poem. This one was written as an exercise in writing multiple characters into one scene. These are hard to write and, if you're not careful, the reader doesn't know who is who or you can overwrite it. I hope you found it enjoyable. :)