Ding… ding… ding…
The rickety steam train echoed with chimes as clear as bells, chugging unsteadily on the rusted train tracks. The faded wooden seats were splintered and worn after years of use, squeaking with protest every time the carriage stumbled. In the distance, the evening sun sank slowly below the mountains to the west, dying the sky a brilliant yet warm shade of orange. Dust danced in the last rays of dappled sunlight, somehow making their way through the train’s windows.
The lone silhouette of a teenage girl sat on the old benches, quietly admiring the scene through polished windows. She was a small, delicate figure with pale yellow hair, her light cerulean eyes vivid with creativity.
This railway was the only one that crossed over from the city to the countryside, and since it was already sundown, the number of passengers had lessened considerably. This train was the final one returning to the countryside station today, and it would spend a night there before starting up at daybreak, transporting the early risers toward the city again.
In this particular moment, there seemed to be no one, only the girl, in the carriage and on the train. She moved her gaze away from the ever-changing landscape outside and was lost in her own thoughts for a short while.
Then Elizabeth Chosa rummaged through her bag, fishing out a violet-stringed dreamcatcher which she held gingerly in her hands. A sad smile sprung to her lips when her fingers touched the cool, smooth moonstone in the center. The dreamcatcher was woven by her lost sister Emiliana, who had vanished mysteriously one night. It had been a few months since her disappearance, and the only clue Elizabeth could find was the pearly white moonstone. So Elizabeth had carried the dreamcatcher to the city to get the moonstone fixed to the middle of the hoop, suspended by a web of strings, in memory of her sister.
Police couldn’t find a trace of the girl, though the verdict was that she had gone of her own free will. Though she had taken no belongings with her, there was no sign of a struggle anywhere, and no corpses were discovered. Eloped, they said. Or escaped to create a new identity in the cities. Elizabeth did not know what to believe.
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Missing persons in the countryside didn’t stay on the news for long, nor lingered on anybody’s mind. The case went cold. It seemed everybody had forgotten the twenty-one year old. Everyone except for her family. Elizabeth knew there had to be a reason behind her disappearance, and she would never stop searching for her sister.
The train sped by the hills and into the valleys, and when Elizabeth returned her gaze to the window - the glowing orb of fire had disappeared under the horizon, leaving just a dark sky splattered with pinpricks of light. A bright flash from one of the stars made Elizabeth drop her dreamcatcher in surprise. Momentarily blinded by the white light, she fumbled along the ground for the remaining memoir of her sister.
Suddenly the train lurched and she fell sideways onto the floor, jerking her arm when she grabbed the edge of the bench to steady herself. The train sped up to the speed of light, unaware of the single frantic girl in the midst of its swift flight.
Elizabeth’s vision blurred.
Time seemed to slow down when everything else accelerated, and Elizabeth soon calmed her nerves and resumed regular breathing. But that didn’t stop her from wondering where the train was bringing her. Not home, apparently.
The blinding light faded and the train slowed to a stop after what seemed like seconds. Elizabeth got back up onto her feet with a slight wobble. Still disoriented by the series of abnormal events that just happened, she forgot about the dreamcatcher and peered out of the windows.
It was like she was on the moon.
The magnificent scene stole her breath away. Stars. Jewels of light everywhere she laid her eyes on. The dark blue sky enfolded her in an infinite, comfortable void of darkness. Elizabeth blinked rapidly in astonishment then rubbed her eyes, not believing what she was seeing. She trembled with barely contained amazement. Then dizziness washed over her, her legs buckled, darkness blotting out her sight.