Prologue

The underground railway transport system or more popularly known as the Subway is a sign of technological advancement made by man as is usually the symbol of a nation’s engineering prowess. Since it’s introduction it has always been a city’s major transportation lifeline, helping daily commuters reach their destinations. Underground subways present a totally different atmosphere to the common man who tries to escape the world under the sun into a new world made and run entirely by man.

Rarely however we do find situations in which the subways play the rather villainous role and get in the way of people’s lives, literally or otherwise. On the other hand the unmoving, periodical and mechanical behaviour of the subways possess great powers of healing even the deepest of wounds over time.


The Subway

Hello, my name is Yuki. I am a tenth grader in Rallifort High. I live in the suburban residential areas in the outskirts of Newark city. I live with my parents and a devilish elder brother. Ours is an average family. My dad works in some office and brother is in college.

Usually I am a shy guy and like to stay alone. I am rarely troubled by it as others are. Mom says I am an oddball, who knows maybe I am. I garner rather boring hobbies of reading and listening to music. As I prefer the indoors rarely do I go outside. Actually I refrain from doing so until it is absolutely necessary. One such occasion is when I have to go to school.

“Good morning mom. What’s for breakfast? Make it quick or I will be late for school”. Mom brought sandwiches and eggs for me. Meanwhile I took a glance at the day’s newspaper. Something snapped in my brain and I thought I was going to have a concussion. Only that I did not. There was a piece on a young girl being run over by the subway train. Witnesses did not realize what happened until much later. Some suggested it to be a case of suicide. However her parents and friends vehemently protested that she was completely happy and content and had no reason to commit suicide. The police are still looking for any clues. In another news item, a law had been passes that all college going students must refrain from using cell phones within college campus.
Oh when would I get to go to college. This year never seemed to end. I would have so much fun in college. At least this year’s my last at this school. School SCHOOL .Oh God I am going to be late for school. Hurriedly I snatched a toast from the plate and dashed out of the door. “Hey Yuki did you take your medicine?” mom asked but I was in a hurry so had to lie “yes mom.”

Soon I was running along the path to the subway station shielding my eyes from the morning summer sun. I board the subway from here, the Southern parks and travel to Commune Centre staion, which is about five stops ahead. From there school is a couple of minutes walk. I had rather a very promising feeling today. Though I could not really pinpoint what was its cause it caused me great euphoria. For reasons unknown I was feeling extremely happy today.

Huffing and puffing, I reached the Southern parks. The subway was like a home away from home to me. It was a refuge from the outside world. I checked in with my monthly pass and descended down the escalator. I flopped down on one of the triplet chairs and threw my backpack to one beside me. The train was due in a couple of minutes. I looked around for something interesting to happen. Usually nothing does happen and I waste my time looking for something nonexistent. The place was almost deserted except for a few sweepers, school going students and a couple of office goers. I like it this way only for I really despise crowds.

The train was on time and as I stopped I boarded it in a leisurely fashion. We were off. I found a seat facing the door, this was my favourite spot. I loved to sit here and watch people board and alight from the train. I love to look and remember faces of strangers. As of now I know a lot people by their faces only, the faces which I will remember for a long time without even knowing their names, let alone their destination, jobs or family. However I do chance upon a couple of interesting characters once in a while. Like the lady in the brown cardigan. She uses to board the train every Thursdays and Saturdays on a walking stick. Though she was always in a lot of pain she refused any help from her fellow travellers. She stood during the entire journey clutching her bag tightly to herself. What was in the bag was another mystery for me. For all I can guess it might even be a bomb. But I never intent to find out lest it might dampen all the excitement of travelling on Thursdays and Saturdays. Some other times I find a gentleman wearing an oversized cloak and a hat which to cover up his entire face. He never talks or for that matter even look up from his seat which was invariably at the farthest end of the coach. Apart from these unusual characters there were groups of giggling girls and noisy boys, some tramps and balding old gentlemen who if not snoozing were discussing politics, business and other adult stuff. For me this seemingly confusing scene was no less than a wholesome television like entertainment. And before long I arrive at the Commune Central station.

But today fate had other plans for me. As I took my seat and he train began its journey a sharp unsettling pain hit my cranium. I almost fainted at the spot. But soon enough it evaporated like there was no pain at all. The pain was magically gone however I still a giddy feeling the seemed to linger on. I guess I should have taken my medication. I decided to head back home. As the next stop came into view I picked up my backpack and prepared to alight and stood near the doors.

It was the Frank land Avenue station. The train had begun to slow down. A sea of faces were flowing along side the train. Finally the train came to a halt. Along with it also my heart, though only for a second. For I found myself face to face with the most beautiful young woman through the door glass. The doors slid open and then slid closed. The train began to move again too but I was still rooted to the spot, unable to move.

As the train caught up speed, I started to feel my arms and legs again. My legs felt like ice though. With some awkward movements akin to an arthritic rhino I managed to find a seat. I closed my eyes and began the slow breathing technique taught by our physical instructor in order to calm my jangled nerves. Wow, what a close shave, I thought. I never knew beautiful thing as such had such disarming abilities. I never wanted to look at such a beautiful face again or did I? A moment later it was there again. It had popped out of nowhere as if it was imprinted in my mind forever. To get away from it I frantically opened my eyes and felt my skip a beat again. (If this happened a few more times I was going to get a heart attack for sure, I thought). She was sitting there right opposite to me. She looked at me as if I were a ghost. Slowly her expression changed and she smiled at me for a second and then looked outside the window.

Though I felt a strong affinity towards her I dared not do anything more than stupidly stare at her unearthly face. As a couple of stops later she got up from her seat and got down from the train. Soon the train was in motion again and thankfully I broke out of my reverie. Soon the train entered the Commune Central station. I alighted. However I was still in a surreal world. I did not know where I was going. I was swept along with the flow of humanity into the outside world. There the sun knocked some sense into me and made me realize that I would have to qualify for the Olympics, if nothing else to reach school before the first class began.

The day at school was rather uneventful except for a couple of teachers who rebuked me for daydreaming in their classes. As the school clock musically chimed out three ‘o’clock a mad marathon began and all students made a dash for their homes. I was running along with them though my journey was only to the subway station. I climbed down the stairs to the welcoming platform. It always felt so very soothing inside the subways and relieved me of all the physical and mental tensions I had borne that day. I was waiting for the three twenty five to arrive.

The train as always was on time. As it came to a halt at the station I jumped into the third compartment and occupied my favourite seat opposite to the door. The journey was uneventful and boring, that is until we reached the next station. I expectantly looked up to the sliding doors half hopeful for the knockout beauty to materialize right there outside the door. Soon my pulse was racing away in a Ferrari for she was there again. But this time I was prepared and tried not to look at her lest I might do something horribly stupid. However that was not to be. Her beauty was just perfect, metaphorically speaking of course. What I meant was she was perfect for me. It was like another sun glowing with radiant beauty and I was basking in its heat. This time I diverted my gaze to her person. She was neither a waif nor voluptuous; neither fair nor dark even her hair was like somewhere in between black and brown and was in a ponytail. She was wearing some sort of a uniform, maybe a school uniform. I hazarded a guess. But I could not figure out which school. The train had come to halt in the Frankland Avenue and she left, leaving me behind with my mouth hung open.

“What is the time, young sir?” a gentleman sitting beside me asked. This broke my trance and I obliged the man with my watch. The train was slowing down again and the familiar Southern Parks station came into view. First it ran, then jogged and then it stopped at last. I walked out of the subway in slow motion, somewhat like in the movies. As I surfaced again, the setting sun hurt my eyes. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I made my way home in a jog.

The alarm clock rang out loud near my eardrums. I tried to bury myself in my pillow. As usual it was in vain. Reluctantly with much grumbling and tantrums I had to get off my sweet bed and turn the darn thing down. By now I was quite awake so I decided to get ready for another day at school. Soon I was downstairs all dressed up for my breakfast. After munching on my food for a couple of minutes I headed out for school. The memory of that angelic beauty I encountered yesterday was refreshed in my mind as soon I entered the subway station taking refuge from the relentless morning sun. Soon enough I was praying hard that she make an appearance today again and hoping for the best. For the record though I wasn’t really sure what was best for me though. That she make an appearance and the wind out of me or she doesn’t make an appearance and break my heart to pieces.

The train arrived and I boarded it eagerly. The next station came into sight soon enough. I crossed my fingers and waited hoping against hope that she come again today and out of the hundreds of doors choose the door in front of me to board the damn train. I could not take the pressure and decided to close my eyes and wait. I could hear a door opening opposite to me. I waited with baited breath. No, actually I could not wait. I cracked out my left eye a fraction of an inch. The old lady with a walking stick and bag clutched to her self walked into the compartment. As I began to curse my luck I was suddenly overtaken by all so familiar blinding pain in my cortex. However I was thankful as it receded as suddenly as it had come. As I came to my senses again my sight rested on the angelic beauty from yesterday. She was still as pristine as the last time my eyes had feasted on her glowing face and braided ponytail. It seemed as if she was helping the old lady to a seat. For one thing the scene was somewhat hard to digest. Never before had I seen the lady allowed anyone else to talk to her let alone help her. After leading to a seat both sat down together and began some sort of small talk. But these things minutely distracted me. The only thing that troubled me a little bit was that ‘my’ angel was talking to the old lady. I speculated that maybe they were related. Maybe the old woman was her grandmother. Maybe not. As my mind raced on I noticed a certain detail that had until now eluded my eyes. An insignia embroidered on her sleeve was what diverted my attention. I recognised it without too much difficulty though. It belonged to the Scottish Girls’ High. Yes I remember that symbol from somewhere in which I was recently involved but could not place it accurately. Perhaps it was on some cousin of mine or possibly it was from the newspaper that I had come to about it. A couple of stops later, the old lady alighted helped by ‘her’. As they left I could not help wondering why I felt that I should try to know more and more about her family. Commune Central arrived and I made my way out of the train and the station in the sunny outsides again.

In the afternoon I prepared to return home from school “Hey Yuki, would you do me a really big favour?” I turned around and found a flustered but friendly Ralph looking pleadingly at me. “What are you talking about Ralph, what favour do you want?” I asked somewhat puzzled. He continued, “You live in the southern parks right? Well you see I was wondering if you would help me find me my uncle’s house there. Before I had considered it I had spoken “ Sure thing Ralph”.

However over the next couple of hours I found myself wondering if I had perhaps spoken too soon a dozen times. As we entered the station together I was suddenly gripped by a fear of loss. What if my angel made a show now that I was with Ralph, she would definitely grab his attention with her glorious beauty. No, I could not let that happen if I could help it. It might really seem that I was acting a bit hysterical here. As if she was some hidden treasure and I was the adventurer who had found her by some turn of luck and now did not want to share her with no one else. Somehow I could not control this particular feeling of mine and it seemed to grow with every passing moment.

As we waited for the train to arrive I was almost sweating with tension. Finally the train arrived a good ten minutes later and we boarded it. This time I took care to take a seat as far away from the doors as possible. After that I tried to engage Ralph in useless small talk. Half of my mind, perhaps more was targeted on the door at all times. As the next station slid into view, I held my breath and waited in anticipation of her making a totally unwelcome appearance. I saw a stick prodding the floor followed by the old lady from this morning. Damn, I thought and redoubled my efforts to wean Ralph’s attention from the noisy doors. But soon enough I realized that my prayers had bore fruits as the old lady was alone and thankfully without her granddaughter or whatever. She was her old self again, the grumpy old hag who never sat down and never talked to anyone let one take any of the offered help. All in all my angel was not in sight and I heaved a sigh of relief.

I helped Ralph to his uncle’s home in southern parks and bade him good-bye. After that I returned home completely exhausted mentally and somewhat physically too.

Next morning again as I raced the sun to the subway station, I was feeling somewhat elated but could not place the feeling as usual. But as soon I entered the cool interiors of the station I knew what it was. It meant that today I was going to meet my angel again. I do not know how but it was almost like seeing into the future. Maybe it was some sort of telepathic connection between her and me. It was as if she was someone whom I had been seeing in my dreams and waiting for all my life. I entered the train and took my favourite seat again opposite to the doors. As the train set into motion I fixed my eyes at the door intently. The Frankland Avenue station arrived and the doors mechanically slid open. But instead of my angel the man with the cloak and hat stepped in. I felt as if let down and banged my head with my knuckles in a fit of frustration. It was as if I hit a sore spot on my head. The blow immediately jumpstarted a searing pain in my temple. I could barely keep my eyes open and gently massaged the temple in a bid to ease the pain. It was in vain but the pain began to recede away as suddenly it had started. Some disturbance caused me to gaze down the row of seats and to my utter surprise that it was her and all her glorified beauty that was attracting my attention away from everything else. Today however there something else that was different from the daily routine. That is, she was deep in conversation with the man in the cloak and the hat. Their conversation was not like some stranger talk but rather kind of intimate like they were closely related or something. As usual I remained dumbstruck throughout the remaining journey. She was a beauty beyond comparison crafted by the hands of God himself. There was such finesse and perfection that I doubted there could be anyone else at par with her. I know, I know it does sound a bit exaggerated but true or not it was really how I felt right then. I did not realize when the commune central station had arrived. I managed to regain my rational state of mind and made my way to the surface real world again and somehow found my way to school too.

At school we were told that the following day our school would remain closed for some overdue repair work school wiring system. After school, I was on a high over this good luck that I had found in the form of an unexpected holiday. I loved holidays just like any other kid. After all it allowed me to relax unfairly on working days. As I descended down the stairs, I began to formulate a plan on how to spend my holiday in a not so productive manner. Some video gaming and chatting on the net would not be bad. But I should not loiter in my room for long otherwise mom would ask me to clean up my room. Maybe I could visit Ralph at his uncle’s place. I could perhaps catch up on some lost translations in History and some wayward locations in Geography to kill the time. Apart from all this I must devote a generous amount of time to sweet slumber.

I was deeply engrossed in some really major planning when the train arrived. I boarded the train and waited in front of the doors for a final long look of my angel for the weekend. This time I had no misgivings that there was something in between us then bonded us together. It was as if were connected by some ethereal means and were one being in two bodies. Well I am sorry for I do not possess much knowledge on these topics but I ask you how would you explain that whenever I am on board the train she is drawn towards me and I find her right there in my vicinity every single time. So much about that already, presently she was came right in trough the opposite door. This time again she was not alone. But this time her company was somewhat unacceptable to me. There close beside her sat a blue eyed boy of similar age as mine. That apart, he was engrossed deeply in some imaginative conversation with her. Hey who was this nightmare ruining my time with my angel. Maybe this guy was her brother, I wondered? After all members of her family usually accompanied her more often than not. So instead of directly confronting the couple I decide to plan my advances and take care of this problem in the bud itself. Who knows if he wasn’t her brother? What if he liked her? No that I cannot let that happen.
It was then that I realized that she was there for the taking for the past couple of days and all I did all this time was foolishly gawp at her. Something had to be done and done fast. I put the situation into my head began to think of a good strategy. That’s it. Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow was a holiday and I must make this holiday pay. She must have school tomorrow. I will meet her early in the morning and sort this little dilemma of mine. In the subway station.

I made up my mind to meet her tomorrow and express my feelings towards her. With this happy thought I left the station and trundled down the path to home humming a gay tune under my breath.

Next morning the alarm clock was ringing its head off and announcing the arrival of ‘the’ day. I got up from my sweet bed and turned it off. Rubbing my eyes groggily I peered at the time. What the heck? Only seven in the morning. Today is a holiday. Cursing, I turned to the bed again and fell flat on it. As soon as I had closed my eyes I realized. My God, today is the big day when I shall at last speak to my angel. In an excited state of mind I bathed and put on my best attire for the all so special occasion. I left home in a hurry without even caring for a bite. The thoughts of her angelic beauty seemed to fill my mind and stomach as well. I braved the morning cold in the warm sun and reached the station. I bought a regular ticket for the not so regular destination. Frankland Avenue. I restless watched the overhead digital clock. Then I looked at my wristwatch and then at the clock again. This continued for about ten minutes until the eight five arrived. I boarded it and soon my journey began. Everything around me seemed new to me though I had travelled in the same train a million times before. As the Frankland Avenue came into view a disaster befell me. My old head splitting headache was back. Not now darn it. Moreover this time it didn’t fade away as swiftly it did as always rather it occupied dangerous proportions. Not this time, I decided to brave it this last time. For my angel.

The train halted and the doors swung open. I alighted on to an alien surrounding nursing my temple. I sat down on the waiting chairs. Meanwhile the pain had reduced considerably but still there was still some soreness in my cortex. I decided to look for her and began to walk along the lonely platform. Not a soul was in sight. A perfect setting, I thought. After about some fifteen minutes I gave up on my search and sat down again. However I felt something beckoning me from behind. I looked behind me and found a woman standing with her back towards me. On closely observing her I realized that it was she. Though I had never seen her from behind I had full faith in the telepathic connection between us. I could almost see her angelic halo from behind. Moreover I recognised her Scottish High’s uniform and ponytail, which madly swung in the cold gale. It was time.

I walked up to her slowly on weak unsteady steps. I was really near her now and was frantically trying to form the words to speak in my mind. I could almost smell her faint perfume, almost touch her soft hair, could almost feel her being. I raised a hand to call her upon her shoulders and took another step towards her. I paused for a moment. Something beckoned me to stop. Something that was coming towards us. Coming closer and closer. Coming nearer every second. My ever active conscience told me whatever was approaching was not good. Rather far from good. It was sinister and still more. It was resiliently evil. It warned me of an oncoming disaster.
She was still peering into the tunnel. The train lights were visible now. Clouding the darkness within the tunnel the subway train was making its way to us. The time was at hand now. Now or never my conscience said to me. It urged me on. Go, it said. Go on. I took the final unsteady step to her. It kept pushing me on. It pushed me on so much that it that become rather intolerable. It was as if I was in a delirium. I did not want to go on any more. I wanted to stop. But I could not. Still it went on inside me. Push on. Push. Then unable to bear the pressure, I pushed.

I collapsed from the pressure right there and from there on my memory draws a total blank. The only thing I could remember was a wild scream. And of course the subway train. When I had woken up I found myself in the platform medical ward. I was told that I had fainted from exhaustion and fever.

Where had she gone? Had I missed my chance? Then it all came back to me. The train was almost there. When I fainted she must have had boarded the train and left. Stupid headache. I cursed my poor health and poorer luck and headed home. When I landed back in the Southern parks I was smarting all over for the lost holiday and lost girl. As I surfaced from the subway station I immediately began feeling a little better. That day for the first time in a long while I roamed the remaining day outside. I came home late in the evening and was famished. I ate like a dog and slept like a log. The day was over for me and a new tomorrow was coming.


Epilogue

The next morning was brand new as ever. Everything was back to normal. I ran downstairs to get some breakfast. As I waited for the food to be prepared I decided to catch up on some of the day’s latest news. Elections were round the corner and campaigns were in full force. A new dam was being proposed for the nearby river. In an incident involving the subways, a young girl from the Scottish High was run over by the train again. This was the second case of a ‘subway’ death this month and the sixth this year already. A lack of witnesses led to a vaguely drawn conclusion of suicide which friends and family opposed vehemently. When I looked at the girl’s photograph I the newspaper something seemed familiar to me. I seemed to know this girl but I could place her anywhere in my memory despite my best efforts. Was she a distant cousin or a friend of my cousin sister, I was not sure. Whatever the case I was unable to forget the pony tailed girl’s pretty face.
As I rushed down the pebbled path to the Southern Parks subway station I felt a kind of remorse for the ponytailed girl’s poor fate. Soon I reached the station and upon entering I immediately felt calmer and happier. While I waited at the platform, watching the sweepers, beggars and the like my eyes chanced upon a pretty young girl waiting for a train. At once my heart began to race and my feet went numb at the sight of the angelic beauty.