Train ride- Short story #2

I

was sitting in my office one afternoon. There was a slight chill of cold-sweats as the air-condition hit my back. I found myself constantly glancing at the clock, and longing for the end of my working day to come. While waiting, I was chatting on FaceBook with a friend I trusted. I had relayed to her what had happened to me in Mumbai. Only her, and a few others, though...I don't think that anyone else would have believed me, and quite frankly, all who needed to know, knew for it was because of them, those little children, that God whisked me off to the other end of the world in the night.

That was a year ago. I wondered if anything like this had happened to anyone else besides me. I spoke to my pastor about it, and he told me of a guy who was teleported to talk to an Ethiopian man or something along those lines. He showed me the reference in the Bible, and I was in awe as I read it. "This thing is a lot more real than I thought", I pondered to myself. A Chinese man passed my office as I was typing. I waved at him, knowing his English was as good as my Chinese. I looked at my watch, and jumped. Oh shoot, IT's time to leave this place. Where I work, they don't pay you overtime, so it didn't make any sense lingering for the slightest second.

I packed up and left the office!

I exited the building, squinting as I pushed open the door. The light from my office and from staring at the computer screen all day was no match for the sun that beamed down onto my face with a blinding vengeance. I put on my shades, and headed for the back gate of the complex where I exited. I walked a few blocks down, and turned right, onto the train station. I re-adjusted my daybag onto my shoulder and tapped my back-pocket for my wallet, where my card was, to pass the toll booth. I passed the card over the sensor *beep* and a slight click let me know that I was allowed to pass through the toll booth. I headed down by the platform, and waited for the train to arrive. I checked my watch. Then, as though it were waiting for me, the sound of the train echoed through the station, and people started scrambling to get their books into their bags, and such like. We all stood on the platform, just close enough to board the train first, and just far enough to avoid being killed by the oncoming train.As the train screeched to a halt, the doors opened before me, and, as if in a trance, I ignored all the other commuters pushing to get onto the train. I came in and sat down, feeling rather drowsy, as if on drugs. As the doors closed, I felt a huge relief hit me like if I had just completed crossing the Grand Canyon. I allowed my head to lean against the wall, and I felt my eyes feel like pianos were tied to my eyelids. I allowed them to close.

Then suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and I was no longer on the train. I was standing...somewhere, I didn't know. I was surrounded by light. That was all that was there. Myself and light. I began to feel a little disoriented, though not sleepy anymore. There was nothing but light as far as the eye could see, and I didn't hear anything. The light was blinding, and the silence was deafening.

"Son" a voice called, piercing through the silence. It didn't sound like my dad's voice (though it's been so long, I'd be surprised if i remembered what it sounded like) but this voice was different, like nothing I have ever heard before. It sounded like a thunderous voice, but instead of fear, I felt a pang of warmth fill my body instead. I knelt on one knee and bowed my head to the ground of light beneath me.

"My Lord", I whispered with my heart knocking on my chest like a woodpecker. "Did I die on the train?"

"No, you're still on a train, Stefan, but it's not the same train you boarded."

"Figures!" "You will get back on that train when you're finished doing what you're supposed to do. I will give power to your words, and you will spread My Gospel where I say"

"Yes, Lord"

The light flashed, and I covered my eyes.

I tried not to guess where I was because I know that I would be wrong. It was night, and it seems as though I had been at the last stop on this train, because one, it wasn't moving, and two...no one else was on it. When I stepped out of the already opened doors, I discovered that maybe no one had been on that train for a very long time, for the entire station was abandoned. My clothes had changed again just like the last time, and I was beginning to feel like some sort of secret agent on a mission for the Intelligence Agency, but obviously, my employer is more important than them. My short-sleeved, green plaid shirt and brown slacks were replaced by black t-shirt, and black leather pants. My daybag also was gone. It would appear that I didn't need it for this mission. What happened next let me know that I would need both hands.

As I walked through the semi-dark train station, I heard a rustling in a corner ahead of me. I could almost feel my pupils dilate as I peered into the shadows to see what it could be that would make that noise. Then, I heard a cry - A baby's cry- The baby started crying just after the rustling noise, so I deduced that the baby just woke up or something. I walked over to the little bundle left there on the cold station floor, and picked it up. I looked into his eyes that seemed to soften upon seeing me. Ssshhhh! I whispered, and the child stopped crying immediately. Shocking. He was making little cooing noises, and reached for my face. There were scotch marks on his body, and the cloth he was wrapped in was rather dirty. I could not possibly imagine the circumstances surrounding why he was left there, but it did not matter now. What mattered was getting this child to safety.

I came up the steps of this forsaken station, and started walking along the road. One car passed, then another...then another. I walked carefully with this child, ever so often looking into his face. I stopped under a street lamp and held him up to the light. I stared into his bright green eyes, and found myself lost in them. "What shall I name you, little buddy?" He giggled. I thought of a man that I heard about in Sunday school many years ago, that named his son Isaac because he couldn't help but laugh to himself when God told him something which was almost too good to be true.

"Isaac shall your name be, little buddy, just because you laughed." I snuggled him back into my arms and prepared to walk again, when I heard a crashing sound.

"What do you mean, negative?" a painful cry shouted

"Calm down, Harold"

"Calm down? Melinda, this is the third time in three months"

"I know, honey. I know. This is frustrating me just as much as it is you"

"You think so? How can I face my family? My colleagues? They'll tease me and laugh at me! You know they will...sinful fools, the LOT OF THEM!!!"

"Honey, calm down. You'll wake the neighbours"

"I don't know how long I can take this. I'm going outside for air"

With that, the door of house #405 swung open, and a man in pyjamas stormed outside. He sat on the step under the light, and clasped his head in his hands and started crying. I walked over to see what was wrong.

"Sir, excuse me. Care to share with a stranger what's wrong?" I asked softly.

"I'm no sir. Sirs are men. I'm no man..." he wept without even holding up to see who he was talking to.

"Well, I haven't been around here that long, but you look a lot like a man to me." I said chuckling to myself. The man jumped to his feet and glared at me angrily as if I had told him something wrong. His face was stained with frequent tears as though they had scald his face on their way down. He stomped over to me and grabbed his crotch. "Then tell me" he growled "why can't I produce children?"

The seconds that passed seemed like hours as his face was uncomfortably close to mine. I inched back a bit for the baby's sake. I felt bad for the man. I found it rather un-cool that here he was lamenting on being impotent and here I was standing there with a child in my arms. I see now the reason for his resentment towards me. He spun around and flung his hands in the air. I then realised what the noise inside the house was all about.

Just then, Isaac started crying. The man, Harold, I think, burst into fresh tears as he heard the baby cry. "Come in", he said between sobs. "Your child must be cold"

As I stepped towards the house, the rain started to pour with a vengeance. I was grateful for the hospitality, but I couldn't help but sense that I had come at a bad time. Anyone who knows God, knows that He loves to show up and do stuff at times that seem most inconvenient, just to prove that he is God. I stepped into the house and felt the warmth of the dimly lit corridor that I passed through. A lady stood in the kitchen, looking at me. I felt her eyes as they made their way down to the child that was cradled snuggly in my arms. "Oh heavens, you must be starving!" she exclaimed as she started fidgeting about the counter. "I'm sorry, though. All we have to offer you is toast and milk." I thought to myself that that must have been the weirdest combination of food and drink that I have ever been offered, but since she did offer, I felt a familiar growling as my stomach protested against me. "That'll do just fine"

"I'll get some blankets from the room upstairs" Isaac shifted his position in my arms and yawned -That yawn that made you forget all the world's troubles and just smile at the marvelous little creature that you're holding. I could have been in the middle of a warzone, seeing that yawn would have put my mind at such ease. "Thank you for your kindness, ma'am" I started to make my way to the front of the house where the gentleman sat. He looked around at me. He just sat there, staring into the fire- pensive. As I approached him, my bare feet softly tiptoed across the wooden floor. The lady came up behind me holding three folded blankets. She seemed rather fussy to see the baby, and this further confirm my suspicions that they were trying to get some of their own. She came in front of me all smiles and showed me the blankets. "Which colour do you prefer, the pink, blue or the white one?"

"Blue, please" Isaac opened his eyes and gazed up at me.

"Hey buddy,...look who brought us blankets!" As if he understood me, he turned his head towards the lady. I repositioned him so that he could look at her properly. She looked into his eyes -those beautiful eyes- and it seemed as though her heart melted.

"wow, he has some beautiful eyes." she said, making her way closer to his face. "...and what do we call you, precious?" I smiled.

"His name is Isaac, and he is in dying need of a bath and some of that milk you have there, ma'am."

"Please...call me Melinda. This is my husband, Harold." I shifted my gaze to the man at the fireplace. "Good evening, Harold" I said with a smile. He groaned in response.

"Give him time. He'll come around", she whispered. "I already have the water running for Isaac's bath, and some old clothes that my sister left here when she visited with her baby a year ago. Somehow, I just couldn't get rid of them." she said, looking away embarrassed.

I put my hand on her shoulder. I didn't know what to say to a woman in her situation. So, I guess a warm smile had to do. I gave her one. She returned one to me. I lifted the child to her, and she took him with a look of disbelief on her face. I guess she wondered how I could trust her with him after having just met. I did. I admit that I felt a mother's love coming from her even though she had no children.

She took Isaac and went upstairs humming the song "Precious Jesus, meek and mild look upon thy little child". I walked over to the fire place and stood by Harold. He finally looked at me "ya know, it's a sad thing when a man cannot have children." I can tell that this was hurting him greatly. I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued. "especially when there're so many undeserving people out there with six and seven children, treating them badly, using them to get back at other people, not being able to afford them, and yet depending on the government to provide for their nonsense." His voice began to intensify. "The government shouldn't be paying for their nonsense. The GOVERNMENT DIDN'T..." he stopped himself, and took a breath. I sighed to myself. By now, I knew that God wanted me to give this baby to them. But what was this business of giving power to my words?

Just then, I heard a crash coming from upstairs. It sounded like someone had broken into the window where Melinda was. Harold and I froze for just a second, then I looked over at him, and he put his finger on his lip. I nodded. He walked over to the coffee table in the middle of the room, and reached under it. I heard a soft click, and the table started to hiss as the top slid open to reveal a weapons stash. My eyes opened wide in amazement, as Harold reached in and grabbed a pistol and silencer and tossed both of them at me. As I caught them, he took out another one and started to screw on the silencer. I did the same, and began to crouch behind the kitchen counter. He hid behind the wall and peeked around the corner at me, who was only a few feet away. I nodded, and we waited. We heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I kept a firm gaze on Harold, so I would know when to move.

When the sound of the footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs, Harold jumped from behind the wall. I remained hidden because of what I saw next. His eyes immediately filled with fear, and he raised his arms. "For goodness sake, man. SHE HAS A CHILD!!!" he shouted. He started to step backwards as the shadows on the floor moved slowly towards him. One, two...three? He was outnumbered. There were two men in masks, and Melinda. She had Isaac in her arms wrapped in a towel and they both looked okay, but her mouth was gagged. One of the men was behind her with a gun pointed in her back and the other one moved towards Harold, and motioned for him to lie on the ground. I knew I had to act fast. I jumped from behind the counter, right behind Melinda's captor, and fired a silenced shot in his hip, and covered his mouth to muffle the screams. The other captor seemed to hear nothing, as he proceeded to tie Harold's hands. I took the cloth from Melinda's mouth and put it in her captor's mouth, putting another shot in his right elbow. The other captor looked up and saw me standing with a gun pointed directly at him. He slowly stood to his feet. "Take off your mask!" I demanded. He slowly reached for the top of his head and removed the mask that hid his face. "Now...sleep!"

For a second, he gave me a rather bewildered look, and then collapsed on the floor. I put the safety on the pistol and untied Harold. He got up in disbelief and ran to his wife and embraced her with Isaac in her arms. "I don't know how to thank you" he said. "You can thank me by taking care of Isaac" I said smiling. I was waiting for the right moment to tell them, and no time seemed more perfect than when they were all together. Melinda's mouth dropped. "You're serious? I thought this was your child. Is this not your child?" "Nope," I said, shaking my head. "I found him in the abandoned train station"

Melinda burst into tears. "Harold", she said "It's what we've always prayed for, a son" Harold seemed as though he didn't know what to say or do. "...but he still won't be ours...really ours" he frowned.

"That's alright", I said "you will have more next year this same time." Immediately, the two of their bodies made a slight jerk as if something had shocked them, and I knew that's what God meant by adding power to my words. They looked at each other and smiled like two teenagers, and I raised my eyebrow, knowing what was happening next. "Let's take out the trash, shall we?" I said. We all laughed.

After an hour or so, the ambulance was there, as well as the police making notes and writing reports. The two captors were in the police vehicle, fully awake. Harold and I stood on the other side of the road, talking. I took the time to tell him about Jesus, when he asked me how i put the man to sleep. He seemed excited when he heard that Jesus is who healed him, and that he can be saved only by believing.

"You mean all we have to do is believe?"

"yes"

"That's great...wait till I tell my wife"

"You and your whole family can be saved. Just believe." He ran across the street to tell his wife and new son the good news. I stood there and watched as he got more and more excited. After about two minutes, they looked across at me. I raised my hand to wave at them, and an ambulance whizzed past me, and they were left waving in amazement.

I blinked as the ambulance passed me and opened my eyes to find myself back on the train I started in that afternoon. The whirring from the siren meshed into the screeching of the train coming to a halt. I smiled to myself, and wondered if the time that I spent by Harold and Melinda was the same amount of time I was on the train. I checked my watch. If that was the case, this train would have made a full three rounds. It didn't matter. I was heading home again. I bowed my head and thanked the Lord. Then, I got up, and left for home.

[End]