Chapter 9: The First Journey
719 Words
The train remained completely still.
Daniel stared at the sign above the tunnel.
WELCOME BACK, DANIEL.
The words seemed to glow in the darkness.
He turned toward the old man.
"You said my first journey happened when I was a child."
The old man nodded.
"What happened?"
"You saw something you weren't supposed to see."
"What?"
The old man looked down.
"Your father."
Daniel froze.
"My father?"
The old man nodded.
Daniel had spent most of his childhood believing that his father had simply disappeared.
Nobody talked about him.
Nobody explained where he went.
"What happened to him?"
The old man looked toward the tunnel.
"He boarded the Midnight Train."
"Why?"
"To find your mother."
Daniel frowned.
"My mother was already on the train."
"Yes."
The old man paused.
"And your father went after her."
Daniel stared at the dark tunnel.
"Did he come back?"
"No."
The answer was quiet.
Daniel looked down at the photograph.
The family picture suddenly made sense.
His mother.
His father.
The old man.
And him.
All connected to the train.
"Why was I there?"
The old man sighed.
"Because your parents wanted to protect you."
"From what?"
"The truth."
Daniel stepped closer.
"What truth?"
The old man looked directly at him.
"The Midnight Train doesn't only travel through places."
Daniel waited.
"It travels through time."
Daniel stared at him.
"And sometimes, it takes people with it."
The train suddenly shook.
A light appeared inside the tunnel.
Daniel watched as another train slowly emerged.
It was the same dark train he had seen before.
But this time, the lights inside were on.
Daniel could see passengers sitting behind the windows.
Then he saw them.
His father.
His mother.
Emily.
And himself as a child.
Daniel stepped closer to the window.
"That's impossible."
The old man shook his head.
"It's already happened."
The dark train stopped beside them.
Its doors opened.
A younger version of the old man stepped onto the platform.
He looked exactly like the man standing beside Daniel now.
Daniel stared in disbelief.
"That's you."
The old man nodded.
"I was there."
The younger old man walked toward the younger Daniel.
He knelt down and said something.
Daniel couldn't hear.
Then his younger self began crying.
His mother appeared behind him.
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
Daniel suddenly remembered.
A flash.
His mother whispering:
"Whatever happens, don't follow us."
Another flash.
His father shouting:
"Take Daniel and go!"
Another.
The dark figure standing beside the train.
And finally—
Daniel remembered the promise.
He had looked at his mother and said:
"I'll come back for you."
The memory disappeared.
Daniel stumbled backward.
"I remember."
The old man caught him.
"What did you remember?"
Daniel looked at him.
"I promised my mother I'd come back."
The old man nodded.
"But you were never supposed to remember the promise."
"Why?"
"Because if you remembered..."
The old man stopped.
Daniel waited.
"Because if you remembered," he continued, "the train would know you were ready."
The train doors opened.
A voice came from inside.
"Daniel Mokoena."
Daniel looked toward the darkness.
"Your family is waiting."
The old man stepped backward.
"Don't go."
Daniel looked at him.
"You said I came back to finish something."
The old man nodded.
Daniel took a breath.
"Then I'm going."
He stepped onto the train.
The doors closed behind him.
The old man remained on the platform.
Daniel looked through the window.
The old man raised his hand.
Then the train disappeared into darkness.
Daniel turned around.
His mother was standing at the end of the carriage.
She smiled.
"Welcome home."
---
Author’s Note
Chapter 9 finally reveals one of the biggest pieces of Daniel's past.
Daniel discovers that his father also boarded the Midnight Train while searching for his mother. More importantly, Daniel remembers the promise he made as a child:
He promised to come back.
That promise explains why the train has returned for him years later.
But there is still a major mystery.
Why did Daniel's family need to hide the truth from him?
What happened to his father?
And why does the train believe Daniel is finally ready?
Chapter 10 will bring Daniel face-to-face with the people he thought he had lost forever.
But seeing someone again doesn't always mean you can bring them home.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD