Photo from Alpharetta, GA

As usual I have been inspired to stretch my overworked creative brain to participate in Linda Hill’s #JusJoJan writing prompt by none other than our good blogging friend Dan Antion of No Facilities . In years past I have started the month out but fallen off. Since my first book has been published and the second more than half completed, I am willing to give it another go.

So, from the deep recesses of my strange imagination, I give you a brief but endless tale…

Trainscaping

At the start of another mind numbingly tedious day, Noni picked up her phone when she heard the familiar strains of the X-Files theme. Not only had it been one of their favorite shows to watch together, but they’d already decided in one of many diversions from tradition to have it played as their wedding march on the big day. The best thing about Dechlan was his ability to know her soul and accept the things about Noni that others in her life found… well, odd. For starters she wanted her flower girls dressed as faeries and the ring bearer to somersault down the aisle with their rings in a leather pouch tied to his waist, not unlike a jester at a Renaissance Fair. Then there was to be the releasing of butterflies instead of throwing rice and a Native American wedding prayer in lieu of the traditional vows. Every wildly fantastic idea she’d come up with never shocked the dark haired Irishman, although her best friend was bound to abandon her title as Maid of Honor post haste.
“Dech?” she answered the phone and waited for the sound of his voice to slip into her brain. The deep calm tone he always had calmed her on even the worst of days, and this morning she dreaded going into the clinic to face her cocky coworkers and disconnected managers while catering to the whims of the too handsome doctors who passed their hours placating their patients without offering much in the way of genuine care.
“Hello Noni,” the voice soothed. “How is my favorite sprite this morning? Have you nipped anyone yet, or are you wearing your moonbeam muzzle?” He laughed. His laugh… the most perfect thing she could imagine.
“Now that’s not nice,” she scolded, “but fairly accurate. The truth is I’m not at work yet. I dreamt of a ticket just before I woke up, a pink bit of paper with numbers written boldly on it.”

”Oh no,” he teased, “not a bad omen or a change to our wedding date I hope.”

”No, silly, you won’t get out of marrying me that easily.” They both laughed. “No, I want to get a lottery ticket. It never hurts to not ignore the nudge of fate, now does it?”
“Oh, absolutely not,” he answered, the thick curl of his accent wrapping around her heart. What had she done to deserve such a one as he? “Well be safe and try not to let the bastards get you down. Remember you’re smarter than the lot of ‘em, even the ones with certificates on their walls.”
“Thanks, I’ll see you for lunch then. Bye now. I adore you.” Noni was coming up on the newsstand where she always picked up her favorite travel magazine on the day it was released each month. Then, she and Dechlan spent their weekends dreaming of the places they would visit. But today all she needed was a daily newspaper and a that lottery ticket. The paper was for their Chief Medical Doctor who had never come into any of the last three decades enough to get his news from an internet source. He wanted to hold that paper in his hand and smell the print, listening to the pages crinkle when he turned them. He was actually Noni’s favorite of the doctors, and she understood his inclination for the familiar. She and Dech both felt that way about books. Nothing like holding a thick heavy classic in your hands and curling up in the old puffy chair with a hot cup of coffee to read on a Saturday morning.
“What can I do you for, techie?” The stand owner always called her that because of her scrubs. He knew she was a technician, although in three years she’d never told him where she worked and he hadn’t asked. “Just the dailies?” he asked.

”Yeah, but I’m wanting a lottery chance today, Len.” She fumbled through her jacket pocket for a crumpled bit of paper and opened it, looking at the magical numbers from her dream. When he shoved the ticket and a nub of a pencil at her, Noni stepped aside to shade out the matching ovals and let the next customer through. As she completed each one she murmured, “Be the miracle we need.” Neither of them made enough money to pay for much other than living, but they had a decent life. Still, there were so many brilliant places to be seen and she wanted to realize at least one of those dreams before she was too old. When she was finished, she cross checked the numbers and paid Len with a hopeful smile. When she stepped from under the awning she nearly ran into a tall, ragged looking man in tattered clothes.
“Oh, excuse me,” she mumbled and tried to go around him, and she gasped when he grabbed her arm. Noni had compassion for the homeless in the city and helped out when she could, but she also knew the streets could be a dangerous place for a woman on her own. When she looked at his face, she was instantly pulled into his amber gaze. His eyes glittered like gemstones and she hardly felt him sliding the bit of slick paper into her hand, folding her fingers around it. Before she could think of what to say he leaned in, pressing his head against hers and whispering in her ear.

”You should have saved your money for the journey,” his voice was hoarse and hot against her neck. She pulled back and tried to return the paper but he held up his hands and backed away, smiling. “Do not doubt the power of desire, Nonita,” he said. “It has already brought you a traveling mate, and now you both must fly.” Then he turned into the crowd and pushed away from her. Noni stared, open-mouthed, after the stranger for a few moments, feeling as though the world was fading from her view. The sounds of the traffic and voices were muffled as she opened her hand and looked at the rectangular paper he’d forced her to take. As she read the words neatly printed on the sunset background she heard them echoing in her head.

Passage: Two Adventurers

Destination: Unspecified

Paid in full: Expires today 6PM

Bentley Station, Old Dimension Rd

Suddenly the street sounds assaulted her senses and she groped for something to hold onto. Noni leaned against a street lamp while she caught her breath. Her eyes flew to a waste barrel and she hurried over to it, ready to be rid of the strange ticket. She dropped it in and turned back toward the street. Just then a strong gust of wind slapped her in the face and she put her hand up. When the ticket blew against her palm, she gasped. The wind died instantly and she watched the ticket floating slowly toward the cement. Without another thought Noni snatched it up and clutched it to her chest. When her hands stopped shaking she looked at the words again, and this time they were printed in colorful block letters, like a circus pass. She turned the paper over amd knew in that moment that every belief she had ever held about the great mysteries was true. There in print was her validation. Right beside the words Confirmation were the numbers from her dream. Noni knew she wouldn’t be going in to work that day, or perhaps ever again. She went straight home and packed a duffel bag with sensible things and portable snacks. Then she lit her meditation candle and sat on the rug, waiting for Dechlan to come home.

When Dechlan stepped into the dark apartment he was expecting a disaster. Not only had she not shown up for their lunch date, but his beloved Noni hadn’t made it in to work and didn’t answer his calls all day. He tried not to worry because a few times her days had been just too overwhelming to escape, and they had a pact not to mistrust or smother each other. But for her not to text him at some point was way off the mark for even her worst days.
“Noni?” He asked and peered into the candlelit shadows. “What are you doing there?” he hurried over and sat beside her, putting his hand on the duffel and then touching her arm. He expected… well, he wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t her brilliant smile and shining eyes. She didn’t say a word, simply handed him the mysterious ticket. He read the front then turned it over and saw the numbers printed on the back.
“I don’t understand,” he said, “is this a new style lottery ticket? It’s pretty cool, but it seems too expensive to be disposable.” She grabbed his hand and shook her head. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Do you know how worried I’ve been?” Dechlan felt the irritation rising in his chest and fought to keep it at bay. They simply never bothered being angry with each other. So when she got up and tugged him to his feet he pulled her close for a moment, feeling her heartbeat against his chest.

”Come on, I’ll explain while you pack your bag.” He followed but was utterly confused. She’d already put his bag on the bed and piled a bunch of his clothes beside it. “ I wasn’t sure what all you’d want to take, but hurry. We only have two hours to finish and get across town to this station.” Her voice was tinged with excited panic.

When he looked at her with uncertainty Noni pulled on his shirt and looked into his eyes. “This is it, Dech. This is the big win we’ve waited for. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. Hurry now and I’ll explain on the way. Have you ever heard of this road?” He shook his head as he obediently packed his clothes, his toothbrush… what else does one take to an unknown destination?
“No matter, the taxi driver can find it for us.” Noni was serious for a moment, touching his arm. “Dech, are you sure you want to go with me?” He looked at her blankly at first. It sounded like she was going whether or not he agreed to the journey, and that was all the confirmation he needed that this was the right choice.

Neither questioned the fact that a taxi was waiting by the curb outside the apartment building or that the driver never blinked an eye when she gave him only the vague address from the ticket. While they rode Noni relayed the events of her early morning that were changing the course of their lives. Dechlan just smiled and put his hand in hers, not even bothering to tell her that his supervisor at the electronics store had pushed him so hard, accusing him of poor performance and failing leadership, that he’d cursed the inept idiot out, quit and thrown his keys at the mouth breathing checker when he stormed out of the door. None of it mattered now. Neither noticed the driver smiling at them in the rearview mirror with dazzling amber eyes. He was cleaned up and wearing nicer clothes, so Noni didn’t recognize the ticket pushing stranger from the morning.

“Here we are!” he announced cheerfully. “All out.” Dechlan opened the door and helped Noni out, looking around at the eerily deserted platform. Swirling mists enveloped the tiny station where only a single lamppost illuminated a window where the shadow of a ticket master could be seen.
“How much do I owe…” but the driver nodded and tipped his cap before puttng the taxi in gear and moving away slowly.

”Watch out for dragons and gladiators!” he called through the window. They looked at each other wide-eyed and turned towards the station.
The night attendant took their ticket in silence, even when Noni said thank you. They never heard the train pull into the station, but when he nodded towards it, they turned around to find a sleek gray engine idling in front of what looked like endless cars with blacked out windows. The door to the first car opened and they climbed up the shiny silver steps. The dusky light inside the car revealed no other passengers so they walked to the middle of the car and took two seats there.

”Seems comfy enough,” he said, pressing his body back against the crimson colored leather seats. Noni felt suddenly tired and thought napping would be imminent. They could see nothing through the windows until the train started moving. Suddenly there was bright light, and as they looked out of them, magnificent images flew past. There were white capped oceans surrounded by golden sands, then majestic snow capped mountains overlooking emerald valleys. Strange looking cities zipped past, and at one point Dechlan would swear he saw a… no, it couldn’t be. They were so mesmerized that they fell asleep. Noni dreamed of the numbers, gigantic and tumbling around her while Dechlan saw only her face, floating in front of him.

“Time to get off, kiddies!” The harsh cracking voice boomed. Both of them started and groped for consciousness as a dark form loomed in the isle ahead of where they sat. “Didn’t ya hear me?” The threatening tone of his voice struck terror into their souls. Dechlan gasped when he saw the man’s arm go up and realized he was holding an axe. “Yer ticket expired at 6! Time to get off, ya two!” Noni grabbed her bag and tumbled into the aisle while Dechlan did the same, helping her up and pushing her to the back of the car. Suddenly the entire side of that car faded into a white blur. Wild wind rushed at them, pulling at their bodies.
“Go on with ya!” They looked back at the man who was running at them with axe held high.
Dechlan grasped her hand, ready to jump for their very lives. As the images began appearing again she looked at him and smiled. “This is it, now.” He nodded and they turned toward the unknown. As they leapt from the train into the void they heard the axe man shout, “ Don’t let go of each other. Wouldn’t do for ya ta end up in different destinies!”

Cheryl Pennington copyright 2024