Right On Time

The day had started with lovely spring-like weatherthat drew passengers from every direction. Wrinkledmen, rosy-cheeked teenaged girls and everyone inbetween came rushing for the depot with the promise ofwarm sunshine and cooling breezes as they waited forthe locomotive to arrive. There was happy chatter andgiddy chuckling all along the row of potentialtravelers. Terry had been among the first few there,enjoying the festivities as she passed the timebetween a plump middle-aged widow and a burly youngman with a thin mustache.

Then came the winds. Gentle at first, but graduallyapproaching gale force. At first, the jovial mood wasunbroken as the crowd reasoned that the train ride toa splendid destination would be worth braving someadversity. Besides, they thought, how long could thewinds last?

By the time the gusts died, more than half of theformerly enthusiastic line had departed, leaving roomfor advancement by those who remained. They packed intighter and enjoyed the stillness, the return ofwarmth and the ease of balancing that came followingthe absence of strong winds. Over the horizon, though,the waiting could see another wave of testing. Theclouds gathered, black with moisture.

Some left immediately, unprepared to weather this newtrial that promised more misery than the last assault.Terry thought about how much more comfortable it wouldbe if she were back in her house, as ramshackle as itwas. At least it was dry, she thought, as the firstdrop of moisture collided with her lower lip. Therewas little time to think about dryness, though. Withinseconds of feeling that first raindrop, there was nota dry spot on Terry's quivering body. The rain was notonly relentless, but also frigid.

And so came wave after wave of the punishing elements,pushing or pulling each waiting one to his or herlimit and then beyond. Terry's thoughts ranged betweenrage and indifference as she occasionally raised herexhausted eyes hoping to catch a glimpse of the trainthat was supposed to have been here long ago. Thenumbers continued to dwindle, but Terry remained. Sheknew, despite her fatigue, that there was only onetrain and this was its depot. She had nowhere else togo.

The night came and the darkness thickened as theglowing eyes of lupine predators appeared all around.This wait, Terry thought, was going to end foreveryone one way or another. She heard screams fromfurther up in line accompanied by growling and thenthe sound of a heavy object being dragged through thesandy soil that surrounded the station. After that,the sound of her rapidly pounding heart was all Terrycould hear for some time. The night seemed eternal.

The silence and the darkness were finally ended by ashrill blast in the distance and a single shining eye.The waiting ceased as the train pulled into thestation and the enduring handful made their way ontothe cars. When the whistle had blown, many who hadearlier departed began to hurriedly make their way tothe platform thinking that they could gain access.They were mistaken. The train did not wait for thosewho had earlier been members of the line that was nowdisappearing into the portals of the train. Theconductor paid them no heed. This train was on aschedule, and a tight one at that.

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