Chapter 8: The Journey Back
654 Words
Daniel watched the scenery outside the window.
Everything was moving in reverse.
Trees seemed to pull themselves backward.
Lights disappeared into the distance instead of approaching.
Even the sound of the wheels seemed different.
Daniel looked at the clock.
12:01.
He checked his phone.
The date had changed.
His hands began to shake.
The year displayed on the screen was not the current year.
It was a year from his childhood.
Daniel stared at the screen.
"No..."
A voice came from behind him.
"You wanted to know what happened."
Daniel turned.
The old man was sitting in the seat behind him.
Daniel stepped back.
"Where did you come from?"
"The same place I've always been."
"What does that mean?"
The old man looked toward the window.
"You're going back to the night everything changed."
Daniel sat down.
"I don't remember it."
"You were never supposed to."
"Why did you make me forget?"
The old man shook his head.
"I didn't."
Daniel stared at him.
"Then who did?"
The old man remained silent.
The train began slowing.
Outside the window, a familiar station appeared.
Daniel recognised it immediately.
It was the station from the photograph.
The train stopped.
The doors opened.
A much younger Daniel stepped onto the platform.
Daniel stared at himself.
The little boy was holding his mother's hand.
His mother looked worried.
Daniel stood behind the window, unable to move.
"This is a memory," he whispered.
"No," the old man said.
Daniel looked at him.
"It's more than a memory."
The younger Daniel suddenly stopped.
He looked directly toward the train.
Straight at the older Daniel.
Daniel's heart stopped.
The little boy raised his hand.
The older Daniel raised his hand in response.
His younger self smiled.
Then his mother pulled him away.
"Mom!"
The younger Daniel turned back.
But his mother was already walking toward the train.
The old man stood up.
"Stay here."
Daniel watched his mother approach.
She opened the train door.
But before stepping inside, she looked directly at the older Daniel.
"You finally came back."
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
"Why did you leave me?"
She shook her head.
"I didn't."
The train whistle sounded.
The old man grabbed Daniel's shoulder.
"We have to go."
"Wait!"
Daniel reached for his mother.
She stepped backward.
"Daniel, remember the promise."
"What promise?"
She looked at him sadly.
"That you would come back."
The doors closed.
The train began moving.
Daniel turned toward the old man.
"What promise?"
The old man looked away.
"You'll remember."
The scenery began moving faster.
The date on Daniel's phone changed again.
The year disappeared.
The station vanished.
And the train suddenly stopped.
Daniel looked ahead.
There was a sign above the tunnel.
WELCOME BACK, DANIEL.
The old man whispered:
"We've arrived."
Daniel looked at the dark tunnel.
"Where?"
The old man didn't answer.
From somewhere deep inside the tunnel came the sound of a train whistle.
Then another voice spoke through the speakers.
"Second journey begins now."
Daniel looked at the old man.
"What second journey?"
The old man slowly shook his head.
"The first one was when you were a child."
He looked toward the tunnel.
"This one is different."
Daniel swallowed.
"How?"
The old man answered quietly.
"Because this time, you remember."
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Author’s Note
Chapter 8 takes Daniel directly into the past.
Instead of simply remembering what happened, Daniel is now witnessing the events as they happened. He sees his younger self, meets his mother again, and discovers that she expected him to return someday.
The mysterious promise is another important piece of the story.
Why did Daniel promise to come back?
What happened during his first journey?
And why does the train call this his second journey?
The next chapter will begin revealing what happened on Daniel's first journey and why his memories were taken from him.
The past has opened its doors. Now Daniel has to walk through them.
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