tales inside my head

The Neighborhood Train pt. 2

Slice of Life – (English) [ October 20, 2020 ]

"It was late September when Alicia enjoyed the soft sound from the wind. Her gentle sip of warm tea was perfect with the cold breeze with the afternoon sun.

The year was 1983. A cold Autumn wind was swinging by the twilight from the Western horizon. The radio wasn't transmitting any stations at the moment, and the phone wasn't too good either. She couldn't call anyone, and did accept the fact that she doesn't have anybody to call at all. And the poor connection was because of the weather, that everybody found bad, yet she actually found serenity in it.

Staring at the resting guitar, Alicia continued not to move in her comfy position in her rocking chair as the guitar stared back, not moving an inch as well. She hadn't had the mood to play it these days, maybe it's also because of the weather.

At the of 36, she saw love at first sight. As a woman without seeing love, she thought it was the one. Of course, she had met a bestfriend, yet peace recently came and met her as well. The only thing left from her was the guitar she left for her.

The lonely life she had, silently sipping tea from her terrace while watching the setting sun. She had just awoken up, sleeping all day. It has become her routine, sleeping while there's daylight, and waking up as twilight greets her.

She started accepting the fact that her body stared accepting her really weird schedule of sleep. The reason she does this wasn't only because of the busy streets and bustlings of the town that she found annoying, but there's also a small noise she once heard, and now found herself waiting for it.

Alicia once heard a faint noise from the neighborhood, and upon hearing it, found her ears and imagination playing with the sound.

From her sometimes untrustworthy mind, she didn't know if her ears were playing with her. So she waited once again for the sound to come back. It was 2:19 in the morning when she first heard it, inexact of the date.

The cycle span within weeks as she lived, and as she saw the present Autumn of 1983,

as the sound came in.

*huuuuuuuuuuuuuuung*

'Here it comes. The sound of the neighborhood train,' she says.

*huuuuuuuuuuuuuuung, huuuuuuuuuuuuuuung*

The story came short, as she also saw peace at the same Autumn of the same year,

but that's only when her mind was playing with her once again.

Just as the hearing the smooth sound, her imagination started to move. Her mind started to unknowingly write stories inside her head as she stayed up all night, listening to the whistle from the wind.

One simple sound had urged her imagination to move once again, and so was her feet.

After reminding herself of the reality, she realized that her story wasn't that short. And no, it was also no wasted love story, as it was no love story. It was another leap away from the bottomless pit she could have fell on anytime. Her mind thought she had just started gaining just to lose, but half of it knew she was wrong."

"'Ranny, love? Was that a love story? How about a little sprinkle of magic in it!"

"Yeah! Come on, we need romance! Hahaha!"

"Alright.

It started when she broke her long-time stare with her guitar. Alicia started to pick it up, and strum it once, before putting it back in its case.

The tea was now cold, and so was the horizon, staring coldly at her. She packed up her things, including her beloved guitar, leaving the comfort of her apartment behind. She lent it to the stars for them to watch over it.

Alicia went to her destination. The place was an old train station, not far from her home. It was the station where she constantly hears the greetings of the neighborhood train passing by at night.

Come to think of it, when she left her home, there was no whistling sound heard.

The train came as she heard the sound once again, and this time, it was near.

*HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNG*

Alicia stepped on her tracks and got into the train, leaving her home, her old neighborhood, and her solitary behind, and including the old numbers sticking under her phonebooth.

*HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNG*

The train started to move, taking Alicia to her new destination.

Yet, she thought, she still fell inlove with the first sound of the train.

And that's how I was taken here in Baton Rouge."

She looked at the children with mesmerized expressions painted on their faces as she wrote numbers on a piece of paper.

Her face gently painted a surprised expression, "Oops, I said that, didn't I?"

"What? Wasn't the story about a someone else? Why did you say that you–"

"Ohh, so that's how you met 'Ranpa! Hihi, I loved the story! It really is a love story, isn't it?"

The surprised look on her face calmly faded and smiled a warm smile to the child.

•••

*krrrrriiingg, krrrrriiingg*

"Hello? May I ask who are they?"

"Hello, late afternoon. Is this the house with the number xx?"

"Yes, it is."

"Can you hear the faint sound of the train from afar?"

"Yes, now that you mention it, I do."

"Alright. Thank you very much."

*toot, toot, toot*

_________________________

Ang susunod na istorya ay tungkol pa rin sa babaeng nakarinig ng ihip ng tren, isinalin sa Filipino.

The next tale will be about the same middle-aged woman who heard the train, translated in Filipino.