Fallen From the Train

by Chris Ward

  #

  Simon awoke again that night. I was sitting by his bed, having sneaked out of my own bedroom after my parents had retired, both a little drunk after an evening playing bridge over at a neighbour’s house. Father had earlier forbidden me to speak to Simon and locked his room. I, of course, had long ago located our house’s master key.

  He was still too weak to talk for long, but when I told him about Jess his eyes lit up with relief. ‘Where is she hiding?’ he asked.

  ‘There is an old shed at the bottom of our garden that no one uses. She’s sleeping in there. I took her some food.’

  Simon smiled. ‘Thank you, Carl.’ He shook his head. ‘She always was better at surviving than me.’

  ‘You didn’t fall, did you?’ I asked, knowing the answer. ‘You jumped.’

  ‘I tried to clear the fence,’ he said, and I noticed a little smile. ‘Thought it might be electrified. I must have caught the top of it.’

  ‘You were lucky.’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Why did you jump?’ I asked, though thought I knew the answer.

  ‘I went after Jess,’ he said. ‘She fell, about a mile back down the line. The train hit a loose rail and bucked. The fence was close to the line there as the train crossed an embankment. Jess cleared it but I had to wait for another spot to go after her. I should have known she’d be fine. She always was a better dismounter than me.’

  ‘A what?’

  ‘Shh! I hear someone outside.’

  I ducked down under Simon’s bed as someone crossed the landing outside, floorboards creaking. I heard a groan and then the bathroom door opening.

  ‘I’d better get back to bed before someone catches me,’ I whispered, grinning conspiratorially, and slipped out, leaving Simon alone again.

  Back in bed, I wondered about Simon and Jess. Where had they come from, and why? It was obvious they hadn’t intended to end up here, but here they were nonetheless. What were they going to do now?

  They hadn’t been in the train; that was certain. Quite how they’d been riding it was a mystery, but I was sure it had something to do with the strange wooden thing I’d found in the woods. Jess had taken it off me, but I knew it was important to them, and I wanted to find out why.

  #

  Over the next few days Simon’s recovery continued well. The doctor visited again and said that his ribs were almost healed, but his leg would still take some time. My father seemed frustrated; I sensed that he wanted Simon gone. Having a stranger in the house, and one from the city, made him uneasy. He’d managed to keep word about it quiet, but in the GFAs, with nothing much to do but gossip and spread rumours, news spread quickly. It was only a matter of time.