The Train Going to ...

Six people take an original train ride.

 

THE TRAIN GOING TO ….

 

People arrived at the railway station by taxi, by car, or by public transport. There was nothing about the station to attract attention. It was the same as all the other stations to be found all over the world. The entrance hall was large, dirty, and busy. To one side there was a ticket office and then a kiosk that sold cigarettes, sweets, newspapers and magazines. At the other end there was a cafeteria that smelt of newly made coffee, heavy tobacco smoke, and cheap perfume. The floor was covered with dirt that acted as a protective covering. The smell that was the most overpowering was the smell of urine near the toilets. It was in fact a replica of any other busy city railway station.

In the area that was the most distant from the main platforms, the sidings were to be found. None of the railway workers went near the sidings. From time to time there was an old train or some wagons, on other occasions there was nothing. Anyone who arrived there was because they had lost their way in the station. When they realised it wasn’t where they ought to be, they went back.

 

However, all this changed with the unusual presence of a train. Seen from outside it was not striking in any way. There was a large notice placed near the engine, and a man who stood looking at everyone with an air of not belonging to the ordinary or the common. The words on the notice were:

 

 A unique trip aboard a train that will take you anywhere and everywhere. There is no other in the world. Choose your destination, buy your ticket and climb aboard to enjoy the trip of a life time. Don’t miss the incredible opportunity to live an adventure that will take you to the depths of the world.

BUY YOUR TICKET NOW!

 

The train, the man, and the notice all had a festive air.

For many hours a fair number of people approached the notice, read it, stared at the man and the train and walked off. The public’s attitude didn’t bother the man at all, he never lost his proud air. There was time for everything. He could wait.

Walter bought a ticket for the train without knowing why he did so. It would be one way of distracting himself for a few hours. How strange, it didn’t say how long the trip lasted. On asking the man, who turned out to be the engine driver as well as the ticket seller, Walter received the answer, “The necessary.” Climbing aboard the driver asked him two questions:

 

1. What would you prefer to have been like as a person?

2. What kind of life would you have preferred?

 

Walter asked the driver when he wanted his answer, and the driver said, “After dinner.” The engine driver took him to a compartment, where he left Walter with his thoughts.

The driver was an ageless man. Dark, thin, and mysterious, strange and unreal. He wore a uniform that hid his true personality. If Walter had been asked to give a description of the driver he would have thought about it, and arrived at the conclusion that he hadn’t noticed.

 

Cynthia was walking towards the station when she saw the notice. She read the words which had a peculiar effect on her. At sixty years of age there are not many surprises left and it was for this reason that Cynthia felt obliged to buy a ticket and climb aboard, in order to try something different. Just like Walter, Cynthia sat down in her own compartment. She sat thinking about the two questions the man had asked her.

 

Adriana had seen Cynthia get on the train. Full of curiosity, she had got closer to read the notice. To any part of the world it said, and seeing an opportunity to flee from the everyday routine of her life, even for a short time, she bought a ticket and got on board. When Adriana saw that she had a compartment to herself she asked where the other lady was who she had seen get on a moment before. The driver without blinking or changing the expression on his face told her that every passenger had their own compartment. Adriana thought that exclusive. She wrote down her answers at once.

 

Gerard had had breakfast late, and badly. He was in a bad mood. His business interests had gone sour lately. His head ached constantly. What could he do? He had gone into the station to buy a newspaper and to feel one more of the human race, neither better nor worse. He had fooled himself and it was this self-imposed deception that pushed him to escape from the crowds, the bad smells, and the noise, to find himself in front of the notice. Gerard looked at the train without interest and bought a ticket without knowing why. The driver was at the door of the train. Gerard stared at him without seeing him, he only saw a uniform. Having a compartment to himself made him think that the business of the train must be in dire straights.

 

Eric had hours between flights. He usually killed this time in a bar, a cabaret, a restaurant, and nearly always with a woman. For airline pilots there is always a woman with whom to spend the time lost between flights, when they are away from home. Women who give their bodies with the same indifference as the men who possess them. The station had attracted him as it had the same rushing around as an airport. In one sense he was at home. All that coming and going was familiar to him but with a difference, that in the station he wasn’t going to meet up with anyone he knew. He wasn’t in the mood to see anyone or to speak to anyone. The train seemed like a good idea to him to escape from planes for a few hours, his drunkenness, and women. Sitting down in the compartment he relaxed closed his eyes and slept.

 

Virginia saw that she was lucky because according to the notice the train was about to leave the station. She was thirty-three years old and had spent her youth in a vain attempt to make herself a name in the world of journalism. When a piece of news wasn’t as provocative as she wanted it to be, Virginia added an anecdote which was not important but was written in such a way it made the reader sit up. Her air of know-it-all and busybody didn’t help her in any way in society, who saw her as dangerous, not just for them but for herself too. Her urge to go far made her talk nonsense. The presence of the train in the station was new to her and she had to climb aboard in case she missed an article. Used to observing everything, Virginia was the only one who had noticed that the driver and the ticket collectorwere one and the same man.

What fun! Virginia thought, the train and the man are from a fairground, what are they doing here? Where are the rest of the passengers?

Virginia tried to see the man better, but the peak on his cap made him like one more railway worker. She had no time to think, only climb aboard and make herself comfortable in her compartment. Virginia paid no attention to the driver’s questions, she concentrated on doing her hair and her make-up.

 

The driver closed the ticket office, put ‘FULL UP’ on the notice board, climbed aboard, and went into the control cabin. He blew a whistle. Three minutes later the train started up.

 

Cynthia had her head of elegant white hair leaning against a cushion . What fun all this is! The train began to move from side to side, suddenly the lights went on and through the windows there was only darkness. It’s like a real train, it’s done so well. Putting on her glasses she thought about the two questions. ‘Of course I’d love to have been all that I’m not. That’s impossible. I’d like to be different, but not perfect.’ To the second question she thought, ‘Less emotional.’

 

Eric was suntanned, with white sideburns to make him look more interesting than old. With an air of authority and a steady gaze, with a touch of playboy, Eric had no problems in finding feminine company at home or away from it. To the driver’s first question he put, ‘Rich’ as his answer. To the second question, he put ‘A life of leisure’.  Eric looked at his watch thinking that the last time he had eaten had been ages ago. Let’s see what the restaurant service is like on this train. Ha, ha, it’s an original way to pass the time. Eric took out from the inside pocket of his jacket a diary. From the expression on his face anyone would have thought it must have had amusing contents.

 

Virginia was thinking What does this tunnel mean? At the end of every tunnel there is light. As this train isn’t going anywhere, then it has to form part of something different. Virginia didn’t like the first question, and the second one she thought, ‘Less difficult’. The train seemed to be travelling faster, Virginia stopped thinking about the questions and wondered what could happen. At the same time she was hungry, I hope we are given food, or that this trip won’t last long.

 

Walter was the typical women’s doctor. He wasn’t a handsome man, but he had a face with a professional smile that made the women who went into his clinic tremble. Walter knew all about the rumours, but he was above the gossip. His liveliness in his dealings went beyond his clinic. Only now with nobody looking at him was he able to lower the mask of affable man and reveal the real man underneath.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen welcome aboard ‘The train going to….’ Please answer the two questions I asked you . I’ll ask you for your replies after dinner. Thank you.” The cold, metallic, and mysterious voice cut off, and the passengers now knew that they were being watched, but why? And by whom?

 

Gerard had thought out his replies before the voice had started speaking. He was a man who had all kinds of businesses. In his youth he had been considered attractive but now he was slightly bald and a stomach that betrayed him as a lover of good food. Any opportunity of doing business was fine by him, even his own divorce, followed by a marriage with the widow of a man who had been a magnate. Then Gerard embarked on a financial matter and then another all the time using his wife’s money. Eventually his wife left him to find consolation in the arms of another man. Gerard didn’t like his second divorce, and in order to benefit from the situation he had used blackmail. Gerard’s ex-wife thought that he was a rotter, and had not the slightest intention of paying him anything. Her new husband thought it worthwhile to pay Gerard what he asked for, thinking that after all it was the only way and most economical to free themselves from him. Gerard’s replies were no different from Eric’s, but while the latter was irresponsible, the former liked to give orders.

 

All her life Adriana had had to bear annoying situations. Many times when talking to herself she said, Everything that happens to me is very strange. It’s as if the script of my life was written by another person. Nothing like me at all. Adriana saw herself as a bringer of bad luck. She was twenty-six years old and pretty. The strongest weapon she possessed was her voice. She spoke so slowly and so softly that men, more than women, were fixed on what she was saying. Adriana without thinking much about the two questions, thought the first answer was: ‘More attractive and taller’. To the second question she thought: ‘Easier’.

At that moment a gong sounded in the corridor, the sign that dinner was served.

 

The restaurant car was behind Adriana’s compartment. All the compartment doors opened and from each one appeared a passenger. Eric, as he occupied the last one saw only heads. Cynthia was curious about who was behind her and she saw Eric reflected in the glass panel in the door.

The tables were laid for two; and the driver, now dressed as a waiter, took them to their respective tables.

 

Virginia now had little interest in continuing the trip. After all, it was just a game, a funfair attraction. She tried to catch the waiter’s eye, but he was too busy making sure that all was as it should be. Eric sat down where he was shown and looked at Virginia without curiosity but he decided to introduce himself. “Is anything wrong?” Eric asked.

Virginia, who was used to taking the initiative in speaking, but only about her job, surprised herself when she heard her own voice saying, “Yes, I’d love to get off this train.”

Eric saw that Virginia was rather nervous. “ I suppose that’s possible but wouldn’t it be better to leave after dinner? It’s all included and maybe you’ll feel more animated when you’ve had something to eat.”

Virginia knew that he was right. “I’ll dine first and get off afterwards.”

At that moment the waiter started serving soup.

 

“What’s this soup made of?” Adriana asked Walter, who shared the same table.

“I don’t know but it’s not bad.” Walter, with his experience of women, the majority of thirty-five and over, found something refreshing in Adriana’s presence.

“May I ask you something?”

Walter was again the professional. “Of course you may. What is it you want to know?”

“I’d like to know what mystery this train contains. Has it been in the station very long? Where are we going?”

“According to what I understand, it’s a game. I don’t know the answers to the two questions. And now it’s my turn to ask. What’s your name? And what do you do?”

“Adriana, and right now I’m here on this train.”

Walter stretched out a hand without asking anything else. “My name’s Walter and I’m a gynaecologist.”

Adriana shook hands with him.

When the second course arrived Adriana and Walter were chatting amiably without getting too involved.

 

The waiter went from one table to another, at the same time conscious of what was happening among the passengers.

Cynthia had opened a paperback on arriving at the table. How horrible! I’ll have to share a table, she thought to herself. Glancing around at the other tables, Cynthia smiled to herself, With a bit of luck he won’t be a talker.

Gerard had deliberately delayed leaving his compartment, but in the end he thought that as he didn’t know when his next meal would be, then it wouldn’t hurt him to dine. When he saw Cynthia seated and reading on the opposite chair he felt relieved at not having to speak.

The dinner was simple: soup, steamed vegetables, a steak and chips, fruit and to drink water, wine, coffee. Everyone agreed that the dinner was very good.

 

Virginia was unable to control her curiosity nor her job as a journalist, and sensed a story. During dinner she had paid half her attention on what Eric was saying and the other half on the rest of the passengers. Gerard’s face seemed familiar and after some minutes remembered his second divorce. He’s a dowry hunter. Today isn’t his day, he isn’t going to get anything here, not even good evening from his elderly table companion.

 Directing her gaze towards Adriana and Walter, Virginia’s brain started working. Well, well, so that’s how that dirty old man is behaving with that young girl, and how she’s taking him in. That girl isn’t stupid.

Eric called Virginia, “I think the waiter’s going to tell us something.”

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen , your attention please. In five minutes all will be ready. When you hear the bell each one of you may return to your compartment. I hope you all found the dinner delicious. Thank you.”

 

The windows were in fact large screens and the man had put a film inside each one. How was it possible that he had so many films to hand? As anyone who deals with human beings knows, there’s not much difference among people. In a moment we can be classified by age, the way we move, our clothes, our bearing; all these details the man had filed away in his head the moment the ticket had been bought. The system was the work of the silent films. The train didn’t move but the passengers believed that they were in movement due to the images that they saw through the windows and the mechanized motion of the carriage.

 

Cynthia and Gerard hadn’t exchanged a word. If this mystery man is so clever he hasn’t shown it with us two, Gerard thought looking at the other two tables. At least they are talking. Although, with an older woman, what can I say?

If Gerard had been able to read Cynthia’s mind he wouldn’t have felt so satisfied with himself. She was thinking, it’s obvious he is newly rich and I would prefer not to know what type of business he’s mixed up in. But it’s evident he’s lived. The years don’t pass in vain, and Cynthia already in the last part of her life had only one consolation, and that was to see young women behaving just like she had done when she was young. Adriana had caught her attention by the way she inclined her head when she was listening to Walter. By the eager and relaxed attention that he paid to Adriana, Cynthia deduced that he was used to listening. Maybe he’s a psychiatrist or a doctor. Adriana’s attitude while Walter was talking reminded her of herself in a youth now long forgotten.

 

“The lady with the white hair seems to be interested in you,” Walter said to Adriana.

“I saw her get on board and wondered why she didn’t think herself too old for this  sort of thing, but then I wasn’t either.”

“Do you often copy what others do, without knowing who they are or why they do it?”

Adriana was quick to answer, “Of course not. I know how to think for myself. If you are referring to the fact that I came aboard behind her, it was purely coincidental.” She knew that her answer was not very satisfactory but she didn’t care.

 

The bell sounded loud  The six got to their feet, the ladies left first. Walter saw that his compartment was next to Adriana’s.

When Eric passed by Virginia’s door he saw that she was absorbed in a notebook. The door to Cynthia’s compartment was shut.

 

The atmosphere on the train had changed. It had seemed like a game before, this idea to climb aboard for the trip of a lifetime. Now it was more serious. The cold metallic voice spoke to them, “According to how you have answered the questions there is a corresponding trip. I hope all goes well. Have a good trip.”

 

Virginia shouted at the place where the voice came from, “Is the trip going to last long? I don’t want to be here wasting time.” There was no reply. The driver with his impenetrable face, switched all the films on. To one side he had monitors through which he could see the passengers but they couldn’t see him.

One by one, the driver went switching on the films in each compartment. At the same time, with just one movement of a finger he was able to see the reactions of every one of the passengers. In this way he had them all under his control. To find out if everything worked in the compartments he switched on his monitor.

 

Walter was sitting in his compartment looking at the film. The expression on his face didn’t reveal what his thoughts were. He was all coldness and professional courtesy.

 

Seeing that all was going well the driver changed compartment. Cynthia was very tired. This lady doesn’t have good health, thought the driver. The behaviour of Cynthia and Gerard in the restaurant car hadn’t gone unnoticed. At the moment her image appeared on his screen Cynthia was thinking about a dog that she had had many years ago, and was knocked down. Then Cynthia felt pity for the dog and for herself. That tragic moment was the beginning of her old age. Cynthia had not bought another dog, because an animal is for all your life and if she died what would happen to the dog? The driver observed that on Cynthia’s face there was a strange expression as if she had made a decision.

 

With her eyes shut Adriana was half-lying on the seat. It seemed she had no interest in the countryside that could be seen through the window. She felt comfortable and in a short time she would be asleep. The driver pressed a button and the volume of the background music rose. Adriana didn’t react as was expected and the driver increased the volume until the girl had no alternative but to look at the window. I’ll have to keep an eye on her in case she falls asleep. Let’s see who’s next?

 

Gerard was looking towards the window. He appeared to be entertained by what was happening. Cynic, thought the driver and changed to another compartment.

 

Eric was the only one who kept his eyes fixed on the window. His face had lost the look of playboy, of a man without a permanent home, to that of a person who was more aware.

 

If all of Eric’s attention was on the window, with Virginia it was the contrary. Until that moment she had not sussed out any article and she was angry with herself for having got on the train without finding out more about it. The unexpected presence of the train in the station, had aroused her curiosity enough to get on board. She felt angry with herself for not having asked the driver some questions even though she would have had to force him to answer. The window didn’t attract her, she was writing down things about the other passengers. The driver made two things happen at the same time, the train went faster, which caught the passengers by surprise, especially Virginia who stopped writing to stare unwillingly through the window. The countryside was passing by so fast that it was impossible to capture what was outside. Nothing more than mixed blurred colours met her eyes. Virginia felt exhausted with the rattling of the train, she reclined against the back of her seat and fell asleep.

Seeing he had got what he wanted from Virginia, the second thing the driver did was to reduce the speed. Feeling the train was going slower, Virginia stood up crossed the compartment, opened he door and went into the corridor.  She looked from one side to the other. The light was not very bright but enough so that the woman could see where she had to go to find the exit. She had a hand on the handle when she heard another door open. Virginia’s head swung round in the direction of where she had heard the click come from. There was nobody. She heard only the click of the door being shut. Someone with the same idea. Virginia started to tremble What will happen if I open the door? What will happen if I stay?  I don’t know what to do. Well, I’ll return to the compartment and put up with it till the end.

In Virginia’s window there was a monster. Around the monster, smaller and more defenceless beings. From time to time the monster caught hold of one of these beings and ate it. The ones that didn’t interest it, it didn’t even bother with. Little by little the monster got fatter and fatter from eating so much. The more it ate and the fatter it got the more inflexible it became. It was as if the monster didn’t realise what was happening to it, or it wasn’t intelligent enough, and simply obeyed a primitive instinct, or it didn’t give it too much importance. The monster got as big as an inflated balloon. Now it was so big that its image covered the screen. There was no other being, neither stronger nor weaker that could satisfy it. The monster was alone, there was nobody the same size. The other beings were not there and it had to stay there unable to move and unable to return to its natural size.

Virginia thought, What a revolting film! It’s not exactly horror, it must be a kind of science fiction. There are people with vivid imaginations. She got up and began to wander around the compartment. She felt tired and sat down on the seat, lying against the window so as to sleep. Falling asleep was not easy, Virginia decided to make the effort. The monster was like my first boss in journalism. Inflated by his own ambition, and fat, too. The salaries that the majority were paid were miserly. She stood up and picked up her notebook. Under the light she wrote some phrases about the monster. You never know. There may be an article here. Virginia remembered the words of a journalist with whom she had worked. A journalist must always be on the alert for an article. Virginia thought, a good journalist never rests. Out there are an interminable number of stories that should be told.

The driver shook his head on seeing Virginia and at the same time reduced the volume of the background music to help her relax.

 

Gerard had not stopped looking at what was happening on the window. The sea came up to the window. The waves flowed back and forth. It looks like my last wife’s yacht. At first sight it seemed that no one was on board, but when the sun was high in the sky a door in the floor of the deck opened, and a woman with the figure of a Venus appeared. She wore a white swimming costume which stood out against her perfectly suntanned skin. At the moment the woman had made herself comfortable on a sun lounger a man came out of the same door. The woman demanded his attention and the man went up to her. When he had spoken to her, he disappeared, only to return minutes later with a tray holding glasses, an ice cube bucket, slices of lemon, and several bottles. The man served the woman an aperitif and then he sat down with a drink for himself.

Gerard was having fun. What a pathetic man! I wouldn’t behave like that with a woman. Never. After the aperitif the woman held out a hand with the empty glass in it. The man said something but she shook her head, closed her eyes and returned to her sunbathing. The man disappeared through the door with the tray. The woman stayed on the lounger, spreading suntan oil on herself. The yacht didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Every half hour the woman turned over. At one point she dived into the sea. When she was tired of swimming the man appeared with a towel to help her get back on board. While she was in the water the man had placed the tray on a table near the loungers. And above them an awning of blue and white stripes giving everything a holiday atmosphere. The two sat down to eat. After lunch, the man cleared the table and the woman stared at the sea. And now to wash the dishes, Handsome! Gerard hadn’t had such a good time in ages. Look at him, the idiot. The woman must be very rich to be able to put up with an emasculated male. Gerard wiped his eyes with a silk hankie. I’d never do such things for a woman. What a strange kind of film, it reminds of someone. Never mind. There are a lot of idiots in the world.

Gerard had heard a door open and close, but didn’t go to investigate, he was too entertained with the film.

The driver laughed in a strange way on seeing Gerard enjoying himself so much, and relaxed. For some minutes he had Gerard under his deep gaze. He increased the volume of the sound track so that he would feel more of what was taking place. Gerard became more relaxed and more relaxed, with the coming and going of the waves against the yacht. Satisfied with the result, the driver changed compartments and left Gerard’s without sound.

 

Poor Eric, the film was old, and dealt with an investigation of an air accident. Through a series of flashbacks the film narrated information from the survivors. The flight crew went out to get on board the plane. The cameras were focused on the Captain and one of the female cabin crew. Everything was going normally. The take off, the introduction of the pilots to the passengers through a loudspeaker, and the cabin crew serving magazines and drinks to those who wanted something before the regulation dinner. Meanwhile, that something was going on with the Captain could be sensed by not one but various of the cabin crew. The Captain was not at his best with too much alcohol inside. What stupidity! What an idiot! went through Eric’s head. The plane continued on its course and the cabin crew carried out their duties. In the flight deck the pilots had switched on the automatic pilot and started talking. Eric’s hands opened and closed over an invisible control.

The driver observing the intense, concentrated gaze of Eric, removed the background music. Now Eric formed part of  the silence in the compartment and the interior of the plane. Everything happened suddenly and with astonishing speed. A tray fell out of a steward’s hands with the brusqueness of the movement. The passengers were horrified, the cabin crew tried to calm them down. One of he cabin crew entered the flight deck to find out what was happening. While the plane was lurching, the pilots were talking about what they were going to do on their free days in between flights. They hadn’t been aware of the growing turbulence outside. They were all there, but it was evident what they had been doing from the smell of whisky and the used plastic cups thrown into a wastepaper basket. The girl had a worried look on her face, but the pilots, and above all the Captain, didn’t appear at all worried. The storm could be seen through the window of the flight deck. Lightning and thunder in full fury descended on the enormous metal bird, that up there, surrounded by nature’s forces, out of control it didn’t seem so big nor so important. The passengers were receiving instructions from one of the cabin crew as how to behave in a given moment. Silence reigned in the flight deck. The pilots didn’t ask themselves how it was possible. They were in danger  together with the passengers due to their own negligence, and had to get out of it by using their own intelligence and knowledge. Sweat ran down Eric’s face, his hands ached for having been held so tightly together. Eric began to give orders to the crew as if he were in a control tower. It was useless. The pilots couldn’t hear him and the words stayed in Eric’s mind. When the fall came, it was agonizing. The cabin crew were in their seats with their heads in a cushion between their legs and their safety belts fastened. Eric closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see or know what was going on. Something made him open his eyes, and he saw that the plane had fallen into the sea  and in a few minutes had gone, sunk. Eric, on wiping his face, noticed that it wasn’t only sweat, but tears also. My God! What can happen with a little carelessness!!!

Eric stayed in his seat with a distant look on his face. The driver had no need to see Eric any more.

 

Cynthia felt tired but she wasn’t sleepy. It was the tiredness of not having anyone in her life other than herself. Cynthia’s eyes were fixed on the floor. A sudden scream made her raise her head towards the direction from which it had come. There were two girls laughing, and looking at a handsome, young man. One of them went up to him and said something to him and he seemed to say, yes. The two went out several times but the other girl appeared not to have anyone. In another scene the second girl was talking to the same young man in such a way that in the end she had won his friendship. Then the eternal triangle was formed, two girls and one boy. Which one would he choose to be the definitive? The first girl was more direct, incapable of putting on a show to maintain the boy’s interest. On the other hand, the second girl used all the schemes that she knew, plus ones that she had invented. It was the moment when the boy saw that he was so involved with the second one that it would be a work of art to flee from that situation. The wedding day was fixed. Six months later he had lost his job and his wife soon abandoned him for another man in a better financial position.

Arriving at this point Cynthia got up and opened the door to the corridor. I’d like to know what the elderly man and the young girl are doing. Everything in life is repeated. That girl in the film, the girl in the restaurant car, and me, we are all cut out from the same pattern. So much emotion, so much anxiety, and so much desire, it really is of no use at all. Maybe she’s not in the same mess that I got myself into.

Cynthia’s eyes took a while to get used to the darkness. She made out a woman in the corridor. That other woman turned her head in Cynthia’s direction. Seeing her plan foiled, Cynthia went back to her compartment. The light from the screen lit up everything and Cynthia had no difficulty in sitting down again.

The driver was thinking. What would you  like to do madam? Help the young lady? What could you tell her? At your age you still don’t understand that destiny can’t be changed. The life of each one of us has to take its course. It can’t be modified. Well, let’s see.

Against her will Cynthia began remembering people, situations, past times. Cynthia’s second husband was wealthy and much older than her. After some years of squandering, typical of those whose money works for them, the panorama changed for Cynthia when her husband got ill. The years in which she had to nurse him went by without being noticed. His death had freed her from an existence with an elderly rich man to be confronted by an outside world that was totally unaware of what had been happening in the sick man’s bedroom. She had not been to a social event in many years and the friends had been his not hers. Cynthia was alone at a critical age. Everyone who saw her was jealous of her for the money and the  freedom of movement that she enjoyed. Her female friends had also had similar experiences with sick old husbands and they now felt the need for someone younger. Cynthia never had a young man at her side because she had forgotten masculine pride. So she had stayed alone.

She didn’t look at the window again.

 

What an egoist! In spite of his age he doesn’t understand anything. The driver was thinking whether he should raise the volume of the sound track or leave it as it was. I’ll raise it later.

On seeing how the patients treated the doctor in the film as if he were a god, Walter was reminded of some of his wealthy but rude patients. They called him day and night with no respect for his rest time. At times his life was unbearable. The nocturnal calls were of a psychological nature and Walter tried to calm down the hysterical female at the other end. They treated him badly, he knew it, but they paid him very well and that’s why Walter put up with everything, thinking of the bill he was going to send them.

Walter was thinking, I wonder what he charges? Does he get thanks?  A present from a patient, probably something useless and ostentatious. There’s no doubt he is a lovely person, but there’s no need to exaggerate, you can be a good person and earn money at the same time. The patients were sitting on straw mats or a stool listening to what the doctor was saying. They were simple people but the profound attention that they paid to the man who had come to help them impressed Walter. How many times have I had to argue with people who ask me for advice and on receiving my answer say no, because it means giving up someone or something. And that’s why fat people continue being fat, smokers continue smoking, and the ones who have an unfaithful husband or one who is indifferent, continue being badly married. In other words fools continue to be fools. I’d like someone to listen to me for once. The face of one of the women was like that of an old friend, not a patient. Walter had not seen her in a long time. Her husband had been one of his best friends, now he was dead. Walter had visited the house at intervals of three months in remembrance of his friend and to have contact with someone with nothing to do with his work. How long is it since I went to visit her? As soon as we get out of here I’ll go and see her, just in case something has happened; anyway I must go.

Walter’s face was ashen. The driver thought, Looks like something has pricked his conscience or he’s going to faint. I’ll give him some air to liven him up. The fresh breeze alleviated Walter’s tension.

 

I’ll give all the rest a fresh breeze too, I don’t want any of them to fall asleep. Thought the driver.

Virginia’s reaction to the breeze was the contrary. What’s this clown doing now?

Cynthia shivered as if it were a north wind.

Eric stood up with a desire to leave.

It must be a sea wind, thought Gerard half-asleep.

Walter felt less giddy, and Adriana fed up.

 

Adriana had felt fed up, annoyed and tired since dinner. The increase in the volume of the sound track had annoyed her a lot. Adriana’s face had a look of irritation on it. When the train started moving from one side to the other stronger than before, Adriana lost some of her languidness. And straightened herself up and the heaviness in her head weakened.

Who is this girl? She looks like me, as if she were my twin sister. She felt as if she were looking at herself in a mirror. Let’s see if she is sillier or cleverer than me. I hope she won’t be another victim, that would be too much of a coincidence. The story of the film was very simple. The girl (who looked so much like Adriana ) was one of those girls who pass through life attracting men so easily that other women are jealous of them. The problem was she never knew which one she preferred. The result was that she became the victim of the complicated web she wove. The girl in the film was what Adriana would like to be physically, and her life was the same or worse.

Adriana liked playing with men. Feeling power over them was a true pleasure. Adriana closed her eyes and went back to last summer. She had seduced her friend’s boyfriend, and when the friend discovered the affair, she left the boyfriend and went away on holiday. The girl told Adriana she never wanted to see her again. The boy moved away. Adriana shrugged her shoulders in indifference. I don’t understand why I’m always to blame when I’m really the victim. I did indeed do her a favour in seducing her boyfriend. At least she didn’t have to wait until after the wedding to discover the true man. She didn’t see the affair in this way and so she called me vulgar names and stopped talking to me.

Staring at her window again, Adriana saw countryside, and in it the girl. She was taking a stroll. Then a small lake appeared and a rustic house with a garden all round it. There was a man in the garden whom the girl spoke to for a few minutes, then she went into the house. Adriana knew that she was married but didn’t know how she had come to be married, as she had been busy thinking about her own past. She didn’t know what had made the girl change. The typical happy ending, security before everything else. That’s not for me. I want to stand out and do something with my life and have a good time as well. Marriage, only if I can better my present situation. I want to be someone whatever the cost. Everyone seems to be satisfied with little me no. I want the best and I know how to get it. Adriana looked at her face in a small mirror she had taken from her handbag. At that moment the train increased speed and she lost her concentration. When the train slowed down to its original speed, Adriana tidied up her face and hair and fell asleep.

The driver was thinking that there were no failures, no successes . What he had learned about human beings since working on the train, was that people are what they are and they can’t be changed. Whatever the result in each passenger was, the decision to climb aboard wasn’t obligatory. Even though all the passengers felt surprised, it hadn’t occurred to any of them to complain.

 

The driver and Cynthia were the only ones who knew what she had done. Cynthia opened he door and left the compartment closing the door carefully. Passing along the corridor she saw the doors to the other compartments were closed. What luck, I don’t have to see any of the passengers again. So this way I avoid unnecessary explanations, was Cynthia’s reaction. She had thought of talking to Adriana, but the impulse had passed with the fear of her advice being rejected. Cynthia thought that her fear for Adriana was the fruit of her imagination, and so didn’t stop in front of Adriana’s door. She was going to open the exit door when the driver asked her if there was anything she wanted. Cynthia said, no. It was then she saw something strange about him, and that he was worried, or something worse. Cynthia said her farewell, the driver opened the door and off she went. Both of them knew it was too late to help Cynthia. Her time had almost ended. The driver closed the door after her. Cynthia walked slowly, but  resolutely towards the station exit.

 

Gerard was thinking, As soon as this game has finished, I’m going to get off this train and never get myself mixed up in anything like this ever again. What a strange man, the driver, waiter, ticket collector is. He appears to be a magician, a very theatrical type. And the elderly lady? It’s just a game, a funfair attraction. I’d like to know why he put on that film. It’s as if he knew me from somewhere. It’s likely just sheer coincidence. I shan’t ask him anything, It’s better to forget all about this. It doesn’t mean anything. Gerard got up and with his usual aplomb went into the corridor.

The train stopped and the driver saw Gerard who said, “So this is the end of the ride,” without expecting a reply.

The driver made a signal for him to stop and Gerard saw the others in the corridor.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you’ve all had a good time on the journey of your lives, your destination is your destiny. Thank you for your visit.”

Virginia asked the driver, “Please, how did you know how to select a film about journalism for me? I hadn’t mentioned anything about it.”

The other four stared at the man who had controlled them in a rather original manner, his impenetrable face didn’t change, he said, “It’s easy to explain and I’m surprised you have asked me something so obvious. People who get on the train have a problem and want to forget about it for a while. Although the problem is forgotten it doesn’t disappear, it stays inside you for ever. It’s easy to deduce someone’s profession or the kind of life they lead. The only thing I have to do is open their eyes and observe. The small things are what give someone away. Do you understand? And after all, there aren’t that many types. And now if you’ll excuse me I have work to do.”

 

Gerard was the first to get off, saying that he had an appointment to keep. Adriana didn’t want to say anything to anybody, she felt she was the victim once again. She went almost running through the station to get lost in the crowds. Virginia tried to grab hold of her arm to ask her questions, but it was no good. Adriana felt naked in front of the others’ eyes and didn’t want to look them in the eye, and much less speak about herself.

 

Walter said goodbye to Eric and Virginia, and went to get a taxi, to go and see his widow friend. I have to dedicate myself to where I’m needed.

 

Virginia, seeing herself alone with Eric, asked him, “Could you give me your opinion about the train and what the driver said to us?”

Eric offered her a slow smile, “I’m sorry, I can’t. I have to go to the airport. After all it’s only a funfair attraction, isn’t it?”

Virginia felt frustrated and angry , “Well, if you think like that it’s better that you go. Have a good flight.”

“Thank you, goodbye,” Eric replied.

Virginia followed Eric crossing the station. While he hurried, she had an air of indifference. She stood calmly in the station doorway watching as Eric got into a taxi. When the taxi had gone, she left too. Now she had no idea what her original reason had been for going to the station. Eric is right. It’s just a funfair attraction. I wonder where I left my jalopy of a car.

 

Inside the station everything is normal. And why not? Nothing had happened. Of course not!

 

The train was still standing in a siding and the ticket seller was waiting for new passengers.