When Sana went to the countryside for her holiday, she didn’t expect to find an abandoned train station. 

 

She had been walking in the forest, alone with the golden retriever the owner had told her to take with her, for safety measures, for a few hours when she had noticed a building between the trees. She hesitated to leave the marked road, but her curiosity took over, and she stepped in the bushes. The dog barked a few times, but he seemed interested too, and followed his temporary master. The sun light seemed to be cut off by the wide branches of the tall trees, and Sana winced a few times when she felt plants scratch her bare legs. Wearing a short for that kind of activity seemed like a bad idea, now that she thought about it. 

 

“Pip !” She shouted when the dog ran too far ahead of her ; thankfully, he came back quickly and she felt relieved. 

 

She lost sight of the building a few times, either because they had to take a turn, the trees and bushes being too much of an obstacle, or because they both got distracted by other things : a squirrel in a tree, birds, a little river with pretty fish. Crossing the water had been a bit of a problem ; being her clumsy self, Sana had lost her balance on the tree she used to cross and she soaked her shoes when she managed to not fall face or back first. Piper had been quick to react, and helped her not completely wet her full attire ; her bag, phone and camera were safe. 

 

Walking in soaked shoes was the most uncomfortable thing she had ever experienced, after being pranked a few years ago by her friends and having to stay in a phone booth for a whole night. She shivered as the memory went through her mind. Walking bare foot in the forest wasn’t the best either, but she didn’t mind. 

 

Thankfully, the river wasn’t far from the building, and the duo quickly reached it. It was still illuminated by a warm sunlight, and Sana left her shoes and socks to dry. She also let go of her backpack, and stretched when the weight left her. 

 

The pavement around the building was warm from the daylight exposure, and she stepped on it with a smile. The feeling of the cold water was finally leaving her. Piper following right behind, she took in the front of the place. She could read the word ‘train’ written in old paint above a wooden door, and an old piece of paper still somehow stuck on a panel told her that the station had closed down something like 20 years ago. She carefully pushed the door, but found herself pushing more forcefully when it refused to open fully. She almost fell again when the door suddenly stopped resisting and she stumbled inside. 

 

Inside, it seemed like time had stopped. The bright red of the seats was still visible even with the heavy layer of dust, the counter had still a booth open to pay for a ticket, and she noticed an old vending machine at the corner. The light were pouring in from the openings on the other side, and she finally noticed the train rails. Piper joyfully walked around the place, sniffing whatever seemed interesting. He sneezed a few times, and Sana did the same. The girl also made her way between the seats, grabbed a few magazines left on the tables, ran her hand on the vending machine to try and see what was inside. She discovered old snacks she would only find today in the little shop across the street her grandmother lived at ; real treasures. But those were surely not comestible anymore, and she didn’t try to get any. 

 

The time on the clock indicated 7:12pm, when it was only 3pm when she checked her phone. In a sense, time had really stopped. 

 

She followed Pip to the departure and arrival part of the station. The rails were surprisingly visible, she had expected to see them hidden by grass or even trees ! But no, it seemed like trains were still passing by here. It could be possible, but her theory got proven wrong when she stepped between the rails : on her left, she could see a gigantic rock blocking the path of any train that would try going through here. On her right, the forest, but it was still possible to follow the rails. So no. Not used anymore. Why was it so clean, then ? 

 

She crossed the building again to grab her bag and shoes and settled near Piper under the sun. The walk had been exhausting and they both needed to take a break. Sana drank her water bottle in one go, and finished her apple in a few bites while Piper was munching on the content of the can of dog food the girl had taken with her. She looked inside her bag to find the bandages she had taken in case of little accidents, and put some on the wounds on her feet, and the ones on her hands caused by the old damaged wood of the door earlier. The warmth on her face, the simple breeze of the air, the distant sound of the river led her to slowly fall asleep, one hand on Piper’s fur, the other resting on her belongings.

 

—

 

She woke up later with a jump, and a disturbing feeling. Piper was gone, the sun was setting down. She panicked when she couldn’t find her bag and jumped on her feet, but stopped right when she noticed the light coming from the station. Light ? Was there still electricity in this place ? Was someone else here ? She went back inside and let out a breath of relief when she saw her bag on one of the seat, and Piper waiting near the counter. She was going to scold the innocent dog when she finally took in the environment around her. 

 

The vending machine was lit up, looking as clean as ever. The seats had been cleaned up too, and the soft sound of the river has been replaced by the buzzing of the insects turning around the hanging lightbulbs. No more grass had made its way between the slabs of the floor, newspapers, messages and ads were pinned on the walls. Colorful lights had appeared above the counter, giving the place a sense of festivity. Pip was sitting in front of it, wagging his tail as he observed Sana. She joined him and squinted her eyes as she tried to see if there was someone behind the protective glass of the counter. It was the only place still immersed in the darkness, and she couldn’t make out anything in the dark.

 

“Hello...?” She hesitantly asked with a tiny voice. No response. She let out a nervous laugh and asked again. Her voice bounced against the walls of the station, louder than she had planned. And finally, something happened. 

 

A faint tingling noise, and a ticket slide from behind the glass, through the little opening. Sana stayed still for a moment, staring at the little piece of paper under her eyes. It was rectangular, the paper seemed brand new, the bordure of the ticket were gold, in contrast with the light blue in the middle. 

 

She took it between her fingers, examining it more closely. There was a date and time in the middle ; 17 July 20XX - 20:20pm. She gazed at the bold letters, written as if a child had taken care of it. When she looked up, the booth at closed. Who closed it ? Surely not her nor Pip. 

 

‘’Pip, what should we do ? The date…’’ she bit on her lower lip. ‘’… it’s today.’’ She looked up at the clock and weirdly enough, didn’t find it surprising when it indicated the right time, 7:57pm. She still had a bit more than half an hour before the train would show up. If it really would. 

 

She looked back down at Pip. the dog seemed unbothered, amused even. 

 

‘’Why am I still here, really…’’ she let herself fall on one of the seats, and the dog jumped on the one next to her. what was even happening ? was it reality ? A dream ? Had she gotten so lost that she went to a different world ? She wondered about the stories she and her friends loved to talk about in high school, the ones with ghosts and all the amazing folklore of their country.  What would happen to her ? Were people worried ? thankfully, it was not dark outside yet, she hoped no one would panic about not seeing her back yet. She was alright, her phone was simply not cooperating. 

 

She unlocked it and clicked on the first game app her eyes landed on. She lazily tapped on the screen as a little figure jumped from platform to platform. She watched as the character died over and over again ; he was only a toy for her boredom, and she sightly felt like him : stuck on loop without a choice. that’s what she could resume her college life to. 

 

She eventually stopped killing the poor guy and got up to grab something at the vending machine. She let the coins roll inside and chose her favorite one. She carefully unwrapped the chocolate bar and folded the paper in a nice origami like her cousin had taught her too. 

 

Pip had joined her and was curiously looking at the tiny figure in her hand. She crouched to show it to the animal before throwing it in the nearby trashcan. 

 

‘’Come on, Pip. The train will be here soon.’’ she grabbed her bag and they stepped outside. Sana shivered as the chilling air of the summer night hit her body ; the sun was still up, but the station was now completely in the shadows, the trees standing over it like protectors. 

 

They sat on the platform’s edge, waiting for the vehicle to show up. As time passed by and got closer to the arrival, Sana felt more and more drowsy, and the only thing keeping her up was Pip hitting her arm with his nose. And then, everything happened really fast. They heard a loud bang and the both of them got up in a dash. 

 

Suddenly, it was like time was catching up what it had missed. The trees lost their leaves, gained them back in a record time, the sun set up and down, like the earth had suddenly began to rotate quickly. The building went from old to brand new, to old again. Sana felt like she was the only one not moving, and she crouched down to hold on Pip, who welcomed it with a lot of joy. He seemed scared too.

 

Sana squeezed her eyes shut when things began to move too fast. She could feel it in her bone, her stomach her head. she felt too light. Something was happening, and when it finally ended, all the heaviness of her body came back and she took a short breath. She refused to open her eyes just yet, with Pip cradled her in arms, only the wind as a hint that everything had settled down. 

 

she slowly got up and looked with wide eyes at the train that had mysteriously appeared. It had two or three cars, an old model but seemed brand new. She stepped closer to the only open door, and followed Pip when he jumped in without hesitation. The outside was old, and so was the inside. She felt like she had been transported to an older version of the railway she used to take everyday when she was in middle school. 

 

As she was too busy admiring the interior, she missed the lonely figure sitting not far away. It’s only when Pip barked that she finally made eye contact with the person and froze ; that was the weirdest part of the day now, even after what had just happened. 

 

‘’Momo…? How can you be there, you - I don’t - I-‘’ she couldn’t make out what she wanted to say. Her best friend, first love, first heartbreak, first everything, was sitting in front of her. Someone she hadn’t seen in weeks. She stayed frozen as the door of the train slowly closed shut, and it began to move. Pip had already joined the other woman, and was laying by her side like everything was normal. She gestured for Sana to come sit next to her by patting the empty spot on her right. 

 

But Sana refused to move. That was too much of a shock, she couldn’t believe it. How could Momo appear here ?! Surely that was a trick, or another prank. Something or someone was playing with her. She leaned on a pole in the middle of the train, but refused to get closer. Momo looked at her with a sad smile, but that would not get Sana to move. No. 

 

They stared at each other for a little while, before the train jumped a bit and Momo focused her attention elsewhere. She began to gently pet Pip while whispering gentle words in that voice of hers Sana had only heard her use with animals. She decided to look through the window, admire the scenery instead of focusing on that person she was not even sure was really here. 

 

The sky was a mix of pink and yellow, with little patch of blue in between the clouds. The sunset had begun, and the tress had totally disappeared, but Sana didn’t notice. the field did not matter, only the warm color of the sky did. she tried to distance herself from the situation she was in, and her denial was working pretty well before a familiar voice interrupted her. 

 

‘’Sana… why won’t you come closer ?’’ she still refused to look at the other woman. ‘’Please ? Pip and I would love to have your company.’’ She clapped her hands on her ears ; that voice couldn’t be real. Surely it was all in her head and she would woke up soon on the bench near the abandoned station. But the voice of her friend still reached her ears, along with the soft whining of the dog. In front of her eyes, the sky suddenly turned into a deep shade of red as the sun got closer to the horizon. 

 

‘’Shut up ! Shut up ! Both of you !’’ She let her backpack drop loudly in anger, and the train jumped again. ‘’I don’t want to hear your voice, leave me alone.’’ She shot a death glare at the woman, who was still looking at her with a peaceful gaze and a sad smile. She could feel the anger go through her whole body, and she cracked her fingers to try and get a bit of the violent feeling that was boiling inside of her out. 

 

‘’Sana, you have absolutely no reason to be mad at me - at us like that. If there’s, one solid reason, please tell us.’’ And her wise friend was back. It reminded her of that one time in high school when she had to fight these guys that kept saying her best friend was stupid. Momo was one of the smartest person she had ever met, always knew what to say, the answer to her maths problems, how to speak to new people. She just didn’t find it worthy to waste her precious mental energy at school. 

 

The sky had turned to a shade of dark blue as the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon. Sana sighed and joined Momo on the seats. The sad smile got replaced by warm smile, and Sana felt her anger melt away. She let her body relax when Momo slipped a hand inside her’s, and she held it tight. 

 

‘’What did I do wrong, Momo ? We could have avoid it, all of that, things could’ve stayed the same.’’ She shifted a bit when her friend laid her head on her shoulder. The girl didn’t say anything. ‘’I should’ve been more careful, of what was happening around us that day, of what you had been telling me. Of the signs, of-‘’ 

 

‘’It’s not your fault. Stop taking the blame already. I believed we made it clear ? You are in no way responsible of what happened, Sana. You know it.’’ Her voice was lazy, as if she had gotten tired of repeating that. ‘’It’s too late anyway. You can’t change the past. Stop trying to know when things went wrong.’’ 

 

Momo’s thumbs slowly caressing her hand was the only thing that was keeping her from being angry again. She stayed quiet as the words sunk in. Yes, it was too late now. She knew it. however, she couldn’t help but try and imagine scenarios in which nothing went as bad as in the one she was living in. 

 

Through the windows, it was all dark now, and warm orange lights inside the train, giving a comfy atmosphere to the place. It felt warmer, too. Sana could still see the bright stars in the sky, and managed to recognize a few constellations she had studied. Beside her, Momo and Pip had fallen asleep. 

 

That’s when the tears began to fall. 

 

She felt a new type of heaviness reach , and the stars seemed to blur as water reached her eyes. She couldn’t hold it ; heavy tears rolled down her cheeks and chocked up sobs resonated through the train. some fell on their intertwined hands, but it didn’t affect Momo. Sana rubbed her free hand on her face, only managing to spread the salty water all over her face. She gripped on her friend’s hand tighter. 

 

She was so scared, scared of seeing her friend fade away again. It all came back, the late night escapes around the neighborhood during schooldays, the little café at the corner of the street where they always shared a hot chocolate on Friday evenings when it was winter, the library where they would joyfully tell stories to curious kids. 

 

The basketball field where they would crush the guys saying they couldn’t play and exchange cards with their friends. Their first day of high school and how Momo had cried when she had seen Sana’s bleeding hands after she had fought the nosy boys. The soft kiss they had shared in the infirmary that day. 

 

‘’Sana, let me go !’’ Momo kept saying between giggles every time she would act like she was going to throw her in the fountain in front of their school. Or when she would pin her down on the bed to attack her with kisses. 

 

‘’Seriously, let me go.’’ That was not happening in her head. 

 

The weight on her shoulder had disappeared and no one was holding her hand anymore. She shook her head and wiped the remaining tears off of her eyes. Momo was standing in front of her, the sad smile back on her face, Pip sitting next to her. 

 

‘’It’s been too long already. Stop holding onto me, Sana. I promise everything will be better once you let me go.’’ 

 

Outside, the sun was already setting up. How long had she been on the train ? She felt herself began to pant as anxiety crept up on her. The train wasn’t on rails anymore but rather floating above clear water that was reflecting the stars high up in the sky. 

 

Momo reached for her face and gently her cheeks. Sana couldn’t move. She was trapped on the seat, unable to react ; all she could do was shake as the sadness kept sinking in. But the train came to a stop, and Momo stepped out, followed by Pip. 

 

‘’Wait, not yet ! There’s so much I want to tell you !’’ She finally managed to stand up, and reached for the already closing doors. Momo let out a little laugh and Sana sobbed again. ‘’So much we need to do together !’’ 

 

‘’No need to, Sana. You’ve already said a lot ! Remember that night when you said you loved me on the rooftop ? That was enough. And you might not realize yet, but you say already a lot when you don’t speak ! When you used to brought me donuts on Wednesdays, when you sent ridiculous pictures to cheer me up, or when you put up with all the crazy stuff the girls and I wanted to do !’’ Momo voice got louder as the train began to move again. ‘’Don’t forget, Sana ! Actions speak louder than words sometimes ! Hug the gang for me, pet all the dogs you see on the street ! Give flowers to that one lonely girl in the park ! It could change her life like you changed mine !’’ 

 

Sana promised. She would, she would, she would. Anything that Momo asked for was considered done. She shouted a last ‘I love you’ to her lover ; And as Momo’s voice began to fade away, she let herself slide against the closed door of the trains. She had done it. Let go.

 

Happy tears tainted her cheeks and t-shirt this time. She cried and laughed at the same times, it hurt her cheeks, her stomach, her back against the hard door. But she didn’t care. She was free, she had accepted it. Momo would not come back, and it was alright. People come and go, and you can’t just be and hope they’ll stay. 

 

The train sped up, and she felt herself faint as the sun suddenly set up high. 

 

— 

 

It took her a while to come back. The sound of ruffling near her and loud steps were what really woke her up. 

 

Pip was standing over her ; the first thing she felt were water drops falling from above, and she noticed how cloudy the sky was. It was raining and she didn’t mind it one bit. She pushed herself up with her elbows and blinked as a sun ray hit her face. She was back at the train station ; it was 4pm on her phone. July 17. 

 

She got up and shook her legs, still feeling a bit groggy. She walked through the building again, Pip nudging her, probably to tell her to go faster and avoid the rain. She took a last look inside and closed the door with a smile. She hoped to come back soon. 

 

Death is a stop we will all stop by along the way.