Weekly Story Writing Contest – Week 3 / The last train that was waiting for

"The clock at the station reads 1 am. The last train was supposed to leave at exactly 12:45. But today, the train is strangely standing.

The platform is almost empty. An old man is sitting on a bench in the light fog, panting.

Suddenly, an announcement comes over the loudspeaker—

‘This train is still waiting for a passenger…’

But the problem is—all the tickets for this train have been sold out…”

The old man slowly lifts his head and breathing becomes heavy, as if he has been running for miles. His wrinkled hands tremble while gripping a small worn-out bag. A young station attendant, who had been preparing to close his shift, looks confused. He checks the ticket list again and again.

“All passengers have boarded,” he said to himself. “So who is the train waiting for?” The atmosphere feels strangely quiet and almost unnatural. The old man suddenly stands up and walks slowly toward the train. Each step seems difficult for him, but his eyes are fixed on the train as if something inside is calling him, and the attendant noticed him.

“Sir,” he says gently, “this train is already full. All tickets were sold.”

The old man smiles faintly. “I know,” he replied. “But I’m not here to board the train.” The attendant looks puzzled and inquires.

“Then why are you walking toward it?” the curious attendant asked

The old man pauses for a moment and stares at the long silent train. “I came to say goodbye.” The attendant feels a chill run down his spine, and he asks.

“Goodbye to who?”

The old man slowly sits on another bench closer to the train tracks. The fog moves around him like soft waves. “My son,” he says quietly. The attendant’s curiosity deepens while he sits beside the old man. The old man takes a deep breath and begins to speak. “Thirty five years ago, my son left this town on a train just like this one. He was young, full of dreams, and eager to see the world. Before leaving, he promised me something.” “What promise?” the attendant asks softly.

“He said, ‘Father, one day I will return on the last train of the night. No matter how long it takes," and the old man’s eyes shine with unshed tears. “I waited for years and years, which turned to decades.” The attendant feels a lump in his throat. “Did he ever come back?” he asked

The old man shakes his head slowly.

“Three days ago, I received a letter from the railway company. They found an old passenger record from an accident that happened many years ago.” The attendant’s heart skips a beat. “What accident?” they asked tensely.

“A train crash,” the old man whispers.

The fog thickens as if the night itself were listening.

“My son was on that train. He never survived.” Silence falls between them.

The distant whistle of the train echoes through the empty station. The attendant looks toward the train again and says,

“But if that’s the case, why did the announcement say the train is waiting for a passenger?” The old man smiles sadly. “Because I finally came.”

At that exact moment, the loudspeaker crackles again. “This train has been waiting for its final passenger."

The attendant suddenly feels an unexplainable coldness. When he turned toward the old man, something felt strange. The old man is no longer panting. His face now looks peaceful.

“Sir?” the attendant calls softly.

There is no response. The old man’s head tilts slightly to the side.

The attendant gently touches his shoulder. The old man did not move.

And then the attendant realized that the old man had passed away quietly while sitting on the bench.

Just then, the train whistle sounds again, and its doors slowly close by themselves. The engine began to move slowly, and the attendant stares in shock as the train glides away into the thick fog. For a brief moment, he thinks he sees something through one of the train windows.

He saw two silhouettes. One of them looks like a young man and the other looks like the old man. They sat together as if a father and son had finally reunited after many years and the train disappears into the night. The platform becomes silent again, and the loudspeaker makes one final announcement: “All passengers have now boarded and the train is departing.” The attendant stands alone in the fog, unable to explain what he has just witnessed. But deep inside of him he learned one thing, and what he had learned is that some promises are so powerful that even time, distance, and death cannot break them.

Thank you.

I invite....

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