"Excuse me, where is this train going?" the man in the black suit asked after a good dozen or so minutes of travel, but there was no reaction from his fellow passengers.
The little boy sitting by the window continued to gaze as far as he could, perhaps trying to see beyond the forest wall that completely obscured what lay beyond. Conversation could be heard from the corridor, as people stood there, perhaps due to lack of space, exchanging opinions on the newly formed political parties.
Across from the boy sat a woman, apparently in her thirties, who had been staring maniacally at the man asking for directions since he entered the compartment.
"Did I do something wrong?" the man began to become visibly irritated. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The woman silently turned her gaze out the window, as if reluctant to comment on such trivial matters. The man, even more confused, began to seek help from a third passenger. He was a short man, somewhat dwarf-like, and a bit bearded. As soon as he looked at him, he wanted to ask his question again.
"We don't know either, sir. We boarded this train at stations in our own cities and we've been traveling on it for a very long time." The dwarf, as he spoke, moved his eyes everywhere, avoiding the eyes of the new passenger. The conductor also refused to say anything.
"And we'll stay here anyway? This train stops at stations, can't you get off then?
" "No way. Anyone who gets off is immediately turned away by strange people, the same at every station."
The man thought he was dreaming. How could he have found himself in such a strange place? After all, he had just wanted to go to his family at the seaside. He had boarded what he thought was the right train. He had bought a ticket as usual. He pulled it out now. It looked quite normal. The logo of the company operating the line was visible against the light. The usual information: departure station, arrival station, date. However, in the lower right corner, there was a rather large blue dot, which he hadn't seen on other tickets he had bought. He put the ticket away.
"How long have you been on this train?
" "I lost count after nineteen days," the man said, astonished by the dwarf's response.
"And you didn't try to escape?" the man was amazed
. "I tried, of course. I always got distracted by those strange people on the platform."
The man decided to go out into the corridor and look around for help, because he couldn't just leave the situation like this. This required decisive action.
In the corridor, the two men continued to talk politics.
"Sir, I don't think you know what you're talking about. Those communists won't change anyway. They'll keep doing what they've been doing, even if they say otherwise." A gray-haired man in a tattered brown sweater insisted on his point about the elections the post-communist party had just won.
"What are you talking about? I'm telling you, these are different people now. Young people, do you understand? Young people." His interlocutor denied it as best he could.
"I beg your pardon, gentlemen. Where can I find the conductor?" the man asked.
"Oh, sir. The conductor was here about five days ago," the gray-haired man said after a moment's thought. "Go to the front of the train, he's probably sitting at home playing cards.
" "Thank you.
" "You're welcome," he added at the end of the conversation.
The man began to briskly walk through the train's carriages. It seemed strange to him that no more than three or four people sat in each compartment, while the gentlemen in his carriage stood in the corridor, as if there was no room for them. The man had been walking for quite some time, wondering if a passenger train could have so many carriages. Finally, he started counting them. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. Impossible, he thought. At that same moment, a compartment marked 'service' came into view. He peered through the compartment window. No one had noticed him. Inside, a conductor, dressed in a dark purple railway uniform, was indeed sitting, playing cards with someone. The other one was strange. Hooded, dressed in a black robe or something. He had his back to the man, so he couldn't say anything more about him. Should I open it or not? – the thought flashed through his mind, as if he were afraid of what might happen. The whole situation was strange enough. A train that had been running for at least a dozen days, and people were being turned away at the station.
The door opened of its own accord, or rather, the conductor did, noticing the man watching him play.
"What are you looking for here?" he asked gruffly.
"Good morning. I'd like to know when the next station is. I need to get off the train urgently – there was some truth in that.
"Get off?" the conductor asked in a surprised voice. "So, I don't know where you're going? Didn't he tell you
'He'?" "'He'? What 'He'?" the man felt utterly disoriented.
"Ticket collector," the conductor slowly said, "
excuse me? I bought a ticket at the train station, at a regular ticket office.
" "I wouldn't be so sure. Did you look closely at this ticket office? Are you sure it was the same as the others?"
The man pondered for a moment, trying to recall the details of his visit to the station.
"Well... I guess so. Well, maybe just that there wasn't a queue for it like for the others." That was all he remembered.
The conductor looked at the man for a moment, as if to say, 'You're a poor man, for being so unaware.'
"Sigh. See? So, the Ticketmaster after all. You bought a ticket to nowhere." These words, coming from the conductor's mouth, sounded like a sentence.
"Nowhere? What do you mean, nowhere?" The man couldn't believe the words reaching his ears. "How can you buy a ticket to nowhere?
" "Exactly like you did today, I presume."
The man couldn't gather his thoughts. They began to swirl in his head, driving him mad in an instant. Suddenly, he began to remember the long stays these people had had here and the u-turns on the platforms.
"So I won't get out of here?
" "I don't think that's possible. Now, however, I'd like your ticket, so I won't have to enter your compartment during my next round."
The man, still stunned by the latest revelations, pulled a folded ticket from his pocket and handed it to the conductor. The man looked at him as if examining a perfectly ordinary ticket, picked up the ticket validator hanging from his wristband, and inserted the date into the slot.
"Have a nice journey," he said in farewell, before retreating back to his service compartment.
The man pocketed his ticket, heading towards his own compartment. The journey in the other direction was much shorter. There were not seventeen carriages, but only five. Peering through the compartment windows, searching for the right one, the man noticed a certain pattern. In almost every compartment sat a child, a woman in her thirties, and a tall dwarf. Although their faces were different from those in his compartment and they were dressed differently, it was always the same train. Occasionally, a man in a dark suit appeared, looking disoriented.
He finally reached his destination. The woman and child continued to stare out the window. Only the dwarf visibly perked up with the arrival of his fellow passenger.
"So? You've been gone long," he asked immediately. "Did you find out anything?"
"Yes. The conductor said it was a train to nowhere," the man replied.
"I already knew that, but did he tell you how to get out?" The dwarf began asking questions
. "How did you know that?!" The man tried to keep his nerves in check. "And you didn't tell me when I asked? Why?
" "Because I thought you'd learn something. Something new, do you understand?
" "No, I don't understand, but let's leave it and think about how to get out of this mess."
A light pop could be heard from the speakers above the compartment entrance, as if someone had turned on a microphone, and the conductor began his rant.
"Dear passengers, the train is reaching the station. I remind you that it is futile to attempt to get off the train. Passengers who board will be assigned to unoccupied compartments. Thank you." The words sounded through the old loudspeaker as if from some broken radio.
The man had been considering trying to escape from this accursed train from the moment the conductor announced the station. Escape. Yes—perhaps he could? The train was passing through the outskirts of some larger city. It would probably be braking soon. He had to hurry. He grabbed his suitcase and ran out of the compartment. As he expected, the train began to brake. The man stood at the exit, waiting for the train to reach the platform, then jumped out and began running towards the station as fast as he could. Suddenly, two figures appeared from nowhere, grabbing him by the arms in such a way that he couldn't do anything. Moreover, a strange feeling of fear gripped him in a way he couldn't control. He couldn't understand why he'd allowed himself to be thrown back onto a train to nowhere, and before he could look back, he was already on his way, passing the desired station.
He returned to his compartment with a defeated expression and sat down in his seat.
"I told you," the dwarf said sympathetically, "there's no escape from here. They'll always turn you back."
The man didn't say a word, lost in his thoughts. He still couldn't understand why he hadn't been able to escape those two.
The compartment door opened gently. A woman stood on the threshold. A beautiful, slender blonde with emerald eyes. Wisdom was written in them, but also madness, spontaneity, and composure. The man stared at her for a long moment, stunned by the sight before him. He'd never seen such eyes, such a woman. She was too phenomenal to believe she was real. She was like something from a fairy tale. As unreal as this entire train. The man knew he had to do something. This could be the woman of his life!
"Excuse me, is this seat free?" she asked, nodding to the seat next to the man.
"Of course," he said in a tone that made him want to sink into the ground.
The next few hours passed explaining the whole situation to the stranger. Like the man, she was unaware that she had bought a ticket to nowhere. At first, she didn't understand where she was and that there was no way out. Only after the man and the dwarf explained what had happened to her did she begin to understand. Long hours passed, spent in the same compartment.
The man felt increasingly that the woman he met in this unusual place was the one he'd been waiting for his entire life. She was his ideal, ripped from his dreams, his ersatz heaven, some utopia he aspired to. Yes, he already knew he'd do anything to be with her. That's why he decided to jump off the train at every station. He encouraged the woman with emerald eyes to do the same. She jumped with him, also realizing that she couldn't leave the man she thought was the one. She, too, felt the same way. In the breaks between stations, they talked. They talked about everything. About women, men, children, the world. But with each jump, they understood more and more that their attempts were completely futile. So, what the little man had said at the beginning of his acquaintance with the man was unfortunately true.
They gave up on the jumps. Each one brought unnecessary stress, and after each one, they remained silent, unable to accept their failure.
"Do you like strawberries?" – she asked one time, as they were strolling down the train car corridor.
– Why the question? – the man felt a little embarrassed.
– Simply put. Do you like strawberries? – she repeated.
– Actually... yes.
– Because I love them. I could eat tons of them.
Just then, a small cart from WARS rolled into the corridor. It was driven by a bartender she'd met earlier. They both went there often to eat.
– Did the lady order strawberries with cream and sugar? – he asked with complete seriousness.
– No, unfortunately, it's not me, but I'd love to try them – she replied with unconcealed eagerness.
The bartender lifted a plate covered with a semicircular metal cover, handed it to the woman, and then with a quick movement uncovered what was on it. The woman was speechless. Instead of strawberries, they saw a green pulp on the plate that looked nothing like them.
– What is it? – she asked, disappointed but curious about the answer.
– What do you mean? Strawberries – replied the bartender from WARS.
– That's not true! – the woman almost screamed.
“But of course it’s true,” the bartender said, oblivious to the woman’s tone. “Everything here is like ‘Peter Pan.’ Imagine that these are strawberries, and they will be strawberries. But right now, these are just ordinary, random thoughts that run through your head.”
The couple looked at the bartender with unconcealed surprise. “Is that possible? Is that really possible here?” The bartender left them their plate and a moment later hid behind the aisle between the train cars, returning to his usual spot.
The woman looked from the man to the plate, unsure what to do.
“Maybe you’ll try it?” he asked after a long moment.
“Think about it?” She wasn’t sure anymore. “Should I just make it up?”
The man nodded. They looked at the plate at the same time. The woman began to think. She was thinking, as the bartender from WARS had instructed, about strawberries, but the pulp on the plate didn't turn into strawberries at all. The woman began to think even more intensely about fruit, about cream, about sugar. The contents of the plate moved slightly. The man twitched his right eyebrow, a sign of surprise that something was happening at all. The mass began to shimmer with a thousand colors. From purple, to red, to green. Shapes began to emerge. Plums, small apples, and cherries appeared, disappearing as quickly as they appeared amidst the pulp. The woman narrowed her eyes. It took a little effort to think about strawberries, but she didn't give up so easily. One by one, they began to appear on the plate.
"Incredible," the man practically exclaimed.
The plate was already filled to the brim with strawberries. They were drizzled with cream and sprinkled with sugar. The woman, proud of herself, began to eat them with her fingers.
"Mmm. Delicious," she said.
The man was intrigued by his companion's 'conjuring' of strawberries.
"Maybe it can be done with other things on this train?" he thought aloud.
"Unfortunately, only 'He' can decide that, just like the existence of this entire train." The conductor appeared as if from nowhere. "Do you have a ticket?
" "Yes, of course." The woman wasn't as intimidated by the conductor as her partner.
She reached into her pocket and slowly handed the ticket to the conductor. He examined it carefully and validated it with his ticket machine.
"Thank you, everything's fine," he replied, handing it back.
He looked at them with a spy's gaze, narrowing his eyes slightly. Then, whistling a tune known only to him, he moved forward with a light step.
"Strange guest," the man said under his breath.
"Indeed, I guess it's the same as this situation," the woman agreed. "How long have we been traveling?
" "I think it's been about two days.
" "So short? I feel like a dozen days have passed."
The man looked at her and thought that he had been very lucky in this misfortune to meet her here, in such an unusual place, on some train to nowhere. This twist of fate puzzled him.
The train stopped at a small station, reminding us that it wasn't built solely for speeding forward, but also for occasionally picking up passengers. In the compartment, the child continued to stare out the window and the forest wall passing behind him. The woman was asleep, raising her drooping head every now and then. The dwarf had left to eat at WARS. The entire train had already moved a good few moments before when the compartment door opened rather quickly, revealing a handsome gentleman with a suitcase. He politely asked if the seat next to the woman was still available and, receiving an affirmative reply, settled himself comfortably. After a few minutes of riding together, he asked timidly,
"How's it going on this unusual train?"
"What do you mean? Do you know what kind of train it is?" the surprised man asked.
"Yes. I know a thing or two about it. There are things you've never dreamed of that have a direct connection with you. Take your meeting, for example. Isn't it strange that you met here? On a train to nowhere?" – he uttered words that stunned not only the couple but also the child, who suddenly stopped looking out the window, and the thirty-something woman, who seemed to have woken up subconsciously, sensing that important words were about to be uttered. – You could just as easily have met in the real world.
What he said, and above all, the fact that he knew everything that was happening here, caused great surprise, which manifested itself in the inability of the passengers in the compartment to utter a single word.
– Now, excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but I have to go. Goodbye – he said in farewell, leaving the compartment simultaneously.
The train stopped, stopping at a station in a fairly large city. Through the window, one could see a handsome gentleman entering the station building. The man and woman already knew who the gentleman was, who, despite having said few words, had effectively confused them. They went out into the corridor to talk. Yet they didn't say a word. Well, she, nor he. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, feeling that some invisible force wanted them to be together forever, no matter what.
"Did I miss something?" The dwarf seemed to have returned from their meal.
They both liked him. He sometimes cast strange glances, as if he completely distrusted the entire world, but it was hard to blame him. Of all of them, he'd been on that damned train the longest, going nowhere. Now he cast one of those glances too. The couple laughed, and the dwarf was effectively thrown off balance.
"Please tell me! Should I ask you? Something important must have happened, because people in WARS rushed to the windows when the train stopped at the last station. Had someone managed to get off?" They saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Yes. 'He' was here," she said.
"'He'? And I was on a steak? What a bummer!" The dwarf blamed himself for not seeing 'Him'. "What was he saying?"
"That what's happening here is connected to us, and always has been, and we didn't even know it," the man replied.
The dwarf merely turned his nose to the left, then entered the compartment and assumed a comfortable sleeping position.
"I guess he didn't understand," the man said, amused by the situation.
"He understood, but he just didn't want to acknowledge it," she replied.
They went together to their favorite spot—the very back of the train, where they could be completely alone. The view was incredible. They had discovered this place right at the beginning of their journey together. The doors at the end of the train didn't have handles on the inside like the ones between the cars. The train sped along tracks as straight as an arrow. The fact that there were no curves at all was astonishing. It simply traveled straight, straight to its destination—nowhere. They enjoyed gazing at the receding trees to the side and at that straight line stretching to the horizon, adorned with rails and sleepers. To the right of their track was another. Identical.
"I wonder what that second track is for, don't you?" the man uttered his long-screaming thoughts.
"You know? I wanted to ask the same thing," his companion replied.
They gazed at these views, so different from those visible from the side windows. The sunset slowly engulfed the entire track, with the speeding train as its main feature. The sun reflected off the tracks, gleaming golden, blinding those watching. And the train continued on.
"Are you asleep?" a whisper and a gentle nudge on the shoulder woke the woman in the middle of the night. "Wake up, please.
" "Yes, already," she replied quietly. "What time is it?
" "About three in the morning," the man whispered
. "Why are you waking me?
" "Something strange is happening." It wasn't very revealing to the woman, because everything here was strange—someone was walking in the corridor.
At that same moment, a black shadow moved across the brighter window. The moon was shining, so it was quite bright outside, and silvery light streamed in through the windows.
"Who's that?" Even though the woman's face couldn't be seen, the man knew what was written on it.
"I don't know, I think I'll go check," he replied.
"Don't go." And this time, he knew the expression on her face. "Please, don't go."
"Easy, honey," he used that word for perhaps the first time since they'd met, a sign of the seriousness of the moment they were in.
They both thought this might be the key to solving the whole mystery. The man opened the compartment door as quietly as he could and peered out into the corridor. There was no one there, so he stepped outside. The shadow was moving toward the front of the train, so he moved in that direction too. His breathing was clearly very frightened, too, as it became increasingly shallow. The silver-gray moonlight created fragmented shadows through the windows. The train was moving quite fast, and there didn't seem to be many trees outside. He continued walking. At the end of the corridor, it was darkest. There was a passage to the next car. He paused for a moment, listening for anyone approaching. Seeing nothing suspicious, he moved toward the passage. Suddenly, someone grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. Bony, cold hands wrapped around him like a thong, choking him. The figure attacked him from the side, so it must have emerged from the train restroom. He couldn't see it clearly, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black hood. A hood he had once seen on the conductor! With his last breath and strength, he managed to fend off the masked figure's attack. Miraculously, he broke free from its murderous grip and began to flee toward the service compartment. "Protect her," he thought. Just as when he'd first gone to the conductor, the journey now seemed very long. The mysterious figure chased him, stepping silently across the corridor floor. Instead, he ran as fast and as loudly as he could toward the front of the train. Right in front of him, the door to one of the compartments opened.
"Over here!" someone shouted, pulling him inside.
He didn't know what was happening. He simply watched as the hooded 'someone' ran down the corridor. Only then did he look around and, to his utter surprise, realized he was in his own compartment!
"How... How is that possible?" he couldn't muster another question.
"We don't know either," the dwarf was as disoriented as the man. "You went ahead and came back from behind."
"I can't explain it," the man rubbed his neck with his hand. "This 'someone' was trying to strangle me."
"I was afraid for you," the woman said, hugging her partner. "I knew it wasn't a good idea."
The rest of the night passed peacefully. The dark figure didn't return, and the morning found the passengers asleep for several hours. Their sleep was brutally interrupted by the conductor, who with a sharp pull opened the compartment door.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" he practically shouted. "How was your night?
" "Thank you, quite peacefully," the man lied, watching the conductor closely.
"I understand. Do you need anything?" He suddenly became helpful and kind.
"No, thank you." The woman also returned the courtesy.
"Goodbye, then." The conductor closed the compartment door after these words.
The day slowly began to draw to a close. The couple strolled, gazing out the train's rear door, and tried to forget the previous night, simultaneously feeling a great sense of dread for the night to come. Their fears proved exaggerated. Although neither of them slept, no one was pacing the corridors, no one was strangling anyone. In short, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Just an ordinary night on an extraordinary train, which, moreover, was going nowhere.
"Hello, sir! Please wake up! This is the final destination." The voice grew louder, betraying signs of concern and irritation.
"What... What's going on?" asked the man, roused from a light doze.
"The final destination," the dwarf replied. "The sea is already."
"What do you mean, final destination?!" The man couldn't believe his ears.
"Well... We just arrived." The dwarf was clearly irritated by the question. "Enjoy your stay. Goodbye!
" "Goodbye," the man replied, looking around the compartment.
She wasn't there. Gone! His other half, his ideal, his utopia. Vanished! He couldn't believe it. "Emerald Eye! Where are you?" he screamed in his mind through his tears. No one answered him.
So it was a dream? A stupid dream? The only thing he could think about at the moment? Impossible!
He ran out of the compartment, heading for the door. A woman with a child was just stepping down onto the platform. He nodded in farewell. Someone also exited the carriage through the other exit. He saw it out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head. "It's her!" he heard a cry in the center of his head.
But had she also had such a dream? Was it just me? Did she know me? Did she treat me as an ordinary fellow passenger?
He approached her. She looked up in surprise. Emerald eyes gleamed in the sunlight as if in a dream.
"Excuse me, could I invite you for coffee?" he asked.
