Train Travel

Texas, Fall 1955

Alejandra Gonzalez sits on a bench in the middle of a busy train station. It’s been an unusually hot autumn causing her to regret her choice in wardrobe that morning, a black, long sleeved shirtwaist dress, tights, and a small fascinator perched on top of her messy curls. She has both feet propped up on a suitcase and her elbows resting on the typewriter case on her lap. She is reading a newspaper sporting a look of disgust that intensifies the longer she reads. She sits still, moving only to adjust her horn rimmed glasses or to blot sweat from her face with a handkerchief from her breast pocket.

A few feet away the train conductor calls for her train to board.She stands, snatches up her luggage, and takes one last look at her newspaper. The title reads ‘La Llorona Strikes Again!’ She crumples it up and throws it in her handbag. “What a crock of shit.” She shakes her head and walks over to the train. A gust of wind blows her dress up slightly before she can catch it, a tall blonde man with a felt hat whistles at her. After giving him a nasty look she smooths her dress back down. Alejandra faces the conductor and gives him her ticket. He offers her his hand to help her board. She declines and steps up on her own.

Once on the train Alejandra surveys her surroundings and looks for an empty cabin. She finds one by the end of the car and sets her luggage in the overhead compartment. After sitting for a moment she takes her newspaper out of her bag again only to fall asleep a moment later.

Alejandra is alone walking through an unknown house. She walks down a long hallway past a portrait of a crying boy to a door that opens before she touches the knob. Standing outside she finds herself in a moon lit yard while a harsh wind whistles around her. She continues walking down hill to a river. Once at the river bed the wind howls louder sounding almost like screaming. A figure in the river moves closer to her whistling, screaming?

The train’s whistle sounds and Alejandra snaps awake. She looks around frantically while still clutching her newspaper. Both her hat and glasses are askew. There is an old woman sitting across from her holding a chicken in a cage on her lap. The woman blinks a couple times then stares at her. Alejandra raises her eyebrows at the woman and pulls a small mirror out of her bag. She checks her reflection and adjusts her glasses then her hat. After snapping her mirror shut she looks at the woman who is still looking back at her completely nonplussed. Alejandra shifts uncomfortably then pulls her newspaper back out hiding behind it hoping the woman will get distracted and look away.

The chicken starts squawking and shuffling loudly. It gets louder and louder, the noise puts Alejandra on edge so much that she crumples her paper back in her bag and runs out of the cabin.She stands outside the compartment and clutches her chest for a moment then pulls out her hanky once more, blots her forehead, sighs loudly, straightens herself up and decides it’s time for a cigarette.

Alejandra makes her way to the outer deck of the car relieved to find no one else there. She pulls out a black slim line and lights the end. Taking a deep drag and exhales letting the smoke billow around her. She leans against the guard rail and listens to the sound of the train on the track growing calmer, relaxing her body slightly.

Her calm only lasts a moment until a tall man in a business suit and felt hat makes his way onto the deck. Alejandra looks over at him realizing he is the one who whistled at her at the station. He stands right next to her, hip to hip, and asks in a heavy southern drawl “You got a light?”

Alejandra side eyes him, takes a step to the left, and pulls out a book of matches from her pocket. He lights up then hands them back to her pausing a moment to rest his hand on hers. She snatches her hand away and takes another puff of her cigarette.

He laughs and asks,“Thanks sugar. So, what’s a gal like you doing headed out to Nowhere Ville, Texas? Look at ya, all dolled up. You should be headed out to somewhere more metro-politan like New York or Los Angeles. What gives?” He asks, looking at her expectantly. Alejandra turns to him “I don’t see why that’s any of your business, buster, but I’m working on a story for The Herald. Read much?” He smiles “Are you really? I’m a photographer, sent out from The Star. Looking for a crying woman out killing kids or something” Alejandra scoffs “Oh yeah, you know she’s supposed to be a ghost, so good luck photographing that.”

He drops cigarette ashes off the side of the rail and leans closer to Alejandra. “My contact tells me it’s actually some unstable woman blaming it on some bull shit urban legend but either way I’m just here to shoot the crime scene, not the culprit, so thanks anyway sugar.” Alejandra makes a face and flicks her ashes over the rail. He continues “Now, don’t be such sourpuss! I’m sure you’ll have plenty to write about. There have been seven attacks so far, four this month, and it’s only Friday the fifth.” He winks at her then takes a drag. He exhales and smiles. “They keep getting worse and worse, but I’m sure you know all about that.”

Alejandra tosses her cigarette onto the tracks and stashes her holder back into her purse. She pulls her mirror out again to check her face, shuts it, and looks at him. “My contacts keep me informed. It’s all classified until printed of course, so I won’t be sharing anything with you if that’s what you were looking for. Especially not with a rival paper, no hard feelings of course mister…?” Alejandra looks him up and down then walks to the door back into the train. “Williams, Luke Williams.” He says while following her over as she opens the door to go back into the train.

“Goodnight Mister Williams.” She turns to leave and Luke puts his hand on her elbow. She looks up at him in shock. “I didn’t get your name.” He says as he leans in a little closer to her. Alejandra pulls away and wipes at her elbow with her hanky then looking back up at him “ I didn’t give it.” Then walks away leaving him on the deck alone and dumbfounded.

Alejandra goes back to her seat in the cabin and sits stiffly with her lips pursed tightly, staring down the old woman across from her. The woman takes the last few bites of a sandwich she is holding and stares back at her. Alejandra coughs loudly and the woman looks around as if searching for someone. Her mouth moves up and down silently as if trying to form words. She grasps the corners of the cage and looks directly at Alejandra again then speaks in broken English. “Is someone there?”

Alejandra looks at her confusedly “Yes, I’m here right across from you. What are you blind? Oh.” Alejandra makes the realization and hurries to apologize. “I am so sorry.” The woman laughs lightheartedly and Alejandra’s expression softens. “It’s alright. Do not worry, have you been there long?” she asks Alejandra. “Yes, I was here earlier and I just came back a moment ago.”

The old woman pets the chicken through the slats in the cage. “Oh, very good, is the woman you were traveling with here as well? She was in here earlier looking for you. She sounded upset. Alejandra looks at her in confusion. “No, I’m traveling alone. She must have been looking for someone else.” The woman shrugs and asks “Are you not Alejandra?” Alejandra purses her lips again and straightens up. “I am. How did you know?” She pulls her handkerchief out again and pats her forehead. The old woman tilts her head to the side slightly and replies “She told me she was looking for Alejandra. Are you sure she’s not with you?” Alejandra’s eyes get wide and she fidgets nervously. “No, I’m sure. This is Texas after all. I can’t be the only Alejandra on this train. Excuse me.”

Alejandra grabs her luggage and rushes out of the cabin. She looks back for a moment and sees a figure in the compartment along with the old woman. She blinks in disbelief and does a double take. The woman is alone. Alejandra laughs nervously and walks to the opposite end of the train. She opens a compartment that looks empty and shuts the door behind her. She stores her things and sits down. In the overhead compartment across from hers is a suitcase and camera bag that she pays no mind to. She settles herself in a corner and takes a nap.

Alejandra is asleep in a dimly lit room. She tosses and turns restlessly in a small bed. A tall male figure emerges from the shadows. He has long arms and hands that seem to grow the closer he gets to her. One of her feet hangs slightly over the edge of the bed, exposed. He extends a finger ending in a long nailed tip and runs it down the bottom of her foot.

Alejandra jerks awake and sees Luke poking her shoe with his. He is sitting across from her reading her crumpled copy of the Herald. “Oh, Alejandra, you’re awake. Now you can tell me who you pissed off to get you on the ghost story.”

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