In a Hurry

On my way to new adventures I crossed paths with a mountain. As my destination was on the other side, I could either climb upwards or walk an easy mile through a train tunnel. The choice was obvious.

On one side of the tunnel hung a high-voltage power cable as thick as my arm and on the other side lay the decaying arches of burnt-out light bulbs, probably dating back to the tunnel’s original construction. The tracks were on an elevated platform, well above a stream rushing along both sides. The sounds of dripping water replaced birdsong, and the quiet peace of the underground hung in the air.

The tunnel’s cool interior was a welcome relief in the humid, southern weather and I couldn’t believe my luck in finding a passageway that made my trip so much more comfortable. With the light rapidly fading, I was rounding a corner when my relaxed stroll ended abruptly. From behind me came the piercing whistle of a train hurtling through the shaft. The quiet peace I had found was replaced by a life-or-death sprint through the uncompromising darkness.

I jumped from the tracks into the ankle-deep water and began to run. Pushing with every ounce, my feet pounded the water into a dirty curtain behind me. My jeans, drenched and clinging slowed my bounds, as in a nightmare where I could not escape. An arms-length away, the rails began to shake with the force of the oncoming machine. In the distance I could see the sunlight’s glow, but the train was at my heels. I couldn’t make it.

The train seemed to pass in the same instant that I was slammed inside a safety alcove, still moving in an all-out sprint. Speeding by, the train howled with a demonic violence while I curled into a protective ball only a step away. Even after it passed, the pounding roar still clanged somwhere deep inside my chest. I remained hidden and scared for a time before finally standing shakily and leaving behind this gaping hole.

Would I rather be sitting at home writing about having climbed another mountain instead of this? It’s hard to say, but I wish now I had captured a picture of the train’s thundering passage of light and sound…