My good friend Colin set me a challenge to write a short story, starting with the title of this blogpost. This is my effort:
The train stopped quickly and the man jumped out into the inky darkness...
He landed softly, and nimbly crossed the tracks, hurdling a wooden fence, disappearing into a grove of trees in what appeared to be someone's back garden.
His train was late. Even more than usual. The toilets were blocked, and he was dying for pee.
Before privatisation, he could have got off the train earlier, but that station was closed years ago, despite rumours that it would reopen. It was a pub now.
So he pulled the emergency cord and did a runner. He sprinted up the garden towards the house, seamlessly avoiding obstacles despite the darkness.
Approaching the side of the house he tested the side door. Finding it unlocked he entered silently. All was dark inside except light from a wee window looking down on what appeared to be a laboratory. Below, a dog lay unconscious on a metal slab with an older man leaning over it. A knife in his hand.
He suddenly looked up...
"Ah, you're here! Come down, you'll find this interesting."
anyone in particular in mind...i always preferred looking through the rectangle window from afar! kitx
ReplyDeleteThe cord puller was me I think, since I used to travel on that line a lot from Bath. I always loved being able to sneak into the side door and walk around the house to find someone.
DeleteIf I recall the operations were actually done in the room next to the dining room, not downstairs. But as I've learned, memory is a bugger for accuracy
Clearly you pulled the cord on the London-Bristol line, somewhere just past Lyneham Banks. Like it, Colin
ReplyDeleteWell done, though an easy one for you. It always annoyed me that I passed your house and had another 40 minutes before getting home.
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