Beyond the Tracks

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The author of this work has not yet completed it and is still working on it. Please be patient and wait for the next update.

Content Warning

This page describes or alludes to topics that may be uncomfortable or upsetting to readers. Please avoid this page if you are sensitive to slavery, themes of manipulation, and violence..

I

*Click-clack. Click-clack*. The train pounded along the rails. Pistons pumping, wheels turning. Wind whirred past its dimly lit cars, sliding its cold fingers into any open window. In the raven-black sky above, the moon shone coldly, illuminating the silver track with a ghostly light.

Some of the moonlight filtered through the dusty windows into one of the battered train cars, the silver shafts landing onto one of the worn leather seats. In the seat sat a girl.

She wasn’t a particularly remarkable girl. Not especially pretty, but not necessarily ugly either. Just normal. Her unremarkable black hair cascaded around her shoulders, and she had unremarkable pale peach skin with unremarkable dark brown eyes. She was the unremarkable age of about fourteen, and perhaps the only remotely surprising thing about her was that she was alone.

She clutched a train ticket in her hands, so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, staring hard at nothing in particular. The small black dog on the seat beside her simply sat, his paw over his nose.

It seemed like hours before something moved on that train, before there was a sound beside the steady rhythm of the train’s wheels rumbling along, but in reality it was only a few minutes.

The car door slid open, and the conductor stepped in. He seemed as old as the train, in his white beard and wrinkled skin. He walked steadily down the aisle, asking for tickets and stops.

When he reached the girl’s seat, the dog that had been sitting so calmly beside her jumped to his feet, his stubby tail wagging. The conductor leaped backwards, gasping in shock.

Without looking over, the girl commanded, “Down, Shadow.”

The dog sat down obediently. The conductor still looked flustered, but he managed to splutter, “S-s-s-stop?”

“Station 7,” the girl replied. She still didn’t look at him.

The conductor seemed to regain his composure. “7?” he asked in surprise, adjusting his glasses.

“Yes.”

He peered at her. “Bit young to be travelling by yourself, eh?”

At last, the girl turned to meet his gaze. “I’m fourteen.”

“Bit young, right?” he asked again.

“I’ve done it before,” she responded. A lie. But she didn’t care. All she wanted was for the conductor to leave her in peace.

“I see.” He paused, as though expecting a reply. But when none was received, he continued, “What’s your name?”

“Nami.”

“Nami what?”

“Nami Osorio.”

He paused, as though wondering what to make of this strange girl. “Where are you going?” he asked at last.

“To see a friend.” At least that was the truth.

“They live near Station 7?” he blinked. “It’s in the middle of nowhere.”

“No. I’m changing trains there.”

“Hardly anyone gets off at Station 7,” the conductor remarked.

The girl turned away again, staring ahead.

The conductor sighed. He seemed to realise his feeble attempt at a conversation was useless.

“That’s the next stop. Give it five minutes.”

The girl didn’t move, so the conductor continued on to the other passengers. The girl, Nami, breathed a soft sigh of relief. The little dog looked up at her, his eyes wide and pleading.

“I know you don’t like it, Shadow,” Nami murmured consolingly. “I don’t either. But we’re getting off soon.”

Shadow settled down again. There seemed to be a mutual understanding between the two, a kind of trust that never would be broken.

Nami turned to the window. In the distance, she could see the soft yellow glow of a lamp, indicating the next station. *Almost there. Almost there.*

It wasn’t that she didn’t like the train. In fact, she was quite fond of the rhythmic sound of it chugging forward and its sweet whistling, like a lullaby. But she hated the staring. The way people looked at her like she didn’t belong. Like she was too young.

*I’m fourteen,* she fumed to herself, *and independent.* *Do they expect me to be a baby all my life?*

The train suddenly slowed, coming to a creaking halt. Doors clanked open, but no passengers exited. A speaker crackled to life.

“Station 7,” it announced.

*This can’t be right. Where are all the people?*

Nami shuffled to the door, peering around for the huge crowds that had congregated at every other stop. But this station was empty.

“Last call for Station 7,” the speaker drawled. The person talking seemed bored, as if he wasn’t expecting any passengers to get off.

“Come on, Shadow,” Nami hissed quickly, trying not to draw attention to herself. Of course, her efforts were in vain. People stared at her, blinking at the girl who was travelling with a small dog as her only companion who was getting off at Station 7.

Nami avoided their eyes, beckoning quickly to Shadow as she scrambled to collect her small amount of luggage.

“This way,” she murmured, and they stepped onto the empty wooden platform.

II
--

Nami stared at the platform. She refused to believe that this was the station she was expected to get off at.

There was only a single lamppost, casting a faint golden glow onto the rotting planks on the sidewalk. Nami snorted. Even the faintest stars could have been brighter than that lamp.

A rusty old bench creaked in the corner, and there was a path leading off from the platform into the dense woodland beyond. A cold, sharp breeze whistled through the leaves. Nami shivered.

*I should have known Mom was right when she told me not to wear shorts,* Nami thought, staring ruefully down at her bare legs. *But I thought the station would be inside.*

She pushed the thoughts from her mind. No, she had to focus on waiting for the next train to come. She wouldn’t have to wait long. Probably. Hopefully. Maybe. Nami didn’t know.

She settled down on the bench. Below, Shadow chased scattered leaves that rode the breeze, his tail wagging joyfully. Her only companion. She was alone. A fourteen-year-old girl in an old, empty train station, with only a dog to keep her company. Suddenly she wished that she hadn’t read so many chapters in her horror novel the night before.

*Snap out of it.* Nami shook her head, trying to clear her mind. *You* wanted *to be independent.*

Suddenly Shadow’s ears pricked. His eyes stared off into the woodland beyond the platform. Nami’s heart hammered. Had he seen something? What was it?

Before Nami could react, Shadow bounded forward. He paused at the edge of the platform, nose quivering, before leaping confidently down onto the path leading into the dense forest.

”Shadow!” Nami yelped. “Come back here!” But the black dog’s dark fur melted into the gloom.

No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. Shadow *never* ran away. Never in his life had he strayed from Nami’s side, or ignored one of her calls, and he’d been Nami’s companion for years.

”Shadow?” she called uneasily. “Shaaaadoooow!”

Nami paused. There was silence except for the faint chirping of crickets and the soft moaning of the wind that creaked through the trees. Her heart hammered.

What could she do? She trusted Shadow to come back. He could never stand being away from Nami for too long. And yet, he’d also never ran away from her before. She couldn’t rely on him to return. Besides, what if he got lost? Nami couldn’t stand the thought of her close friend wandering through the pitch-dark forest at night.

She would have to go after him. Nami knew it. But oh, *how* she wished it were a dream. Why did it have to be *this* station that she was switching trains at? Why not a nice modern station, full of people?

But fate is cruel. We are not blessed with simplicity and straightforwardness. Life is a formidable path. And Nami couldn’t leave without Shadow. Her only option was to head into the darkness.

Nami knew very well of the dangers of the forest, especially at night. What if she were attacked by a wild animal, or got lost, or tripped and broke her leg without anyone to help her, or…

*Don’t think, just do it!*

Nami walked determinedly to the path. Though her heart was nearly bursting out of her chest, she pushed forward between the trees.

*I should have brought a flashlight.* Nami’s already long list of things she had forgotten was growing.

As her eyes adjusted to the low light, Nami could make out the faint shapes of trees up ahead. Shadow couldn’t have gone *too* far, she reasoned. After all, he was only a half-sized dog in the middle of a dark forest.

*Is that light up ahead?* Nami wondered, peering at the faint glow in the distance. She shivered. As much as she hated the cold emptiness of the place, Nami wasn’t sure she wanted to meet anyone who lived in this damp, dismal forest.

*Come on, Shadow, where* are *you?*

The light ahead was growing closer. Nami’s heart pounded harder; blood rushed through her head.

A couple more steps. Now the light was just behind a couple of trees. But there was something off about it. If it really *was* a house in the middle of nowhere, shouldn’t she be able to see the faint outline of it silhouetted against the sky?

She shuffled a bit further. What was it? And where was Shadow?

Nami took a few more paces forward, and then gasped. Because at her feet, the ground fell away, revealing a sprawling expanse of bustling cobblestone streets and old-fashioned buildings. It was a hidden city.

## III

Still in awe, Nami peered down into the valley. Strings of lanterns hung across the streets, and the roads were lined with all manner of shops and restaurants. In the dim light, Nami could make out the shapes of people taking a nighttime stroll.

In what seemed to be the central plaza of the city, a huge building loomed up from behind the others. A long line stretched in front of it, and people milled about by the entrance, all manner of bags and luggage in tow.

But what Nami didn't see was Shadow. She knew the dog loved people and food, and the village seemed like the perfect spot for him to find both of those things.

*That must be why he ran away,* Nami realised.

But she had no idea where to start looking for him. He would be difficult to see in the darkness, even with the lanterns strung generously throughout the village. But she couldn't wait for morning. Her train would be coming soon, very soon, and she only had a limited window of time before she missed it. Once again, she was forced into the same dilemma. Of course, it was an easy decision. Nami couldn't possibly leave her faithful companion behind.

She started cautiously down the hill, alert for any sign of danger or the dog. *I hope he hasn't gone far.*