BeNaCom - Beginners’ Narrative Compilations

It was evening at the train station. Liz looked around for a particular bench. It was wet and it would ruin the white skirt that she was wearing but she sat down anyway.

A couple sat beside her. They were holding each other in their arms and kissing passionately. This annoyed her so she screamed at them. “FUCK OFF! SIT SOMEWHERE ELSE!”

The couple turned to look at Liz, and realized that she was seriously angry, so they got up and moved to another bench. Others had also distanced themselves from her. She liked the space she was getting but not the attention. People were staring curiously at her.

“Bitches.” She muttered under her breath.

Dusk became twilight and the dimly-lit station became quieter and quieter as more commuters boarded their respective trains. Soon, Liz was alone except for the young girl behind the ticket counter.

The station’s PA system announced: Next train arrives in 2 minutes.

2 minutes. That was how long she had left to live. She never thought that she would look forward to death that much. She was more than just eager to depart from this world and leave her miserable life behind. It was a good day to die.

Next train arrives in 1 minute.

Perfect, she thought, there’s nobody around to witness it. She couldn’t possibly do it with people watching. She got up and straightened her stained skirt. She wanted to look her best in whatever place she was about to go, whether it would be Heaven or Hell, she didn’t care.

She could see lights in the distance. The train was approaching. She moved slowly, one step at a time, until she was at the edge of the platform. The train got closer. And closer. And closer.

Those 10 seconds were the longest in her life and they would be her last.

The ticket-seller’s shouts of “Stand back!” and “You’re going to fall in!” fell on Liz’ deaf ears.

She closed her eyes.

She jumped.

Suddenly, her mind began to fill with thoughts of her life. What a joke, Liz thought, life flashing by only happens in movies. She saw her younger self standing in between her arguing parents. They divorced but neither wanted custody of her. She was sent to a wealthy aunt who didn’t appreciate Liz’ intrusion into her family.

She was treated badly for many years, so she ran away from the house after having stolen enough of her aunt’s cash and jewelry during her stay there. She pawned the valuables and had more than enough money to start a new life. She wanted to go somewhere far, far away.

At the train station, Liz encountered some difficulty. She had never gone outstation before and didn’t know where to go. She looked at the maps on the walls of the station for hours but couldn’t make any sense of them. It was during then that she met him for the first time, when he approached her.

“Do you need help?” he asked. Not only was his voice soft and gentle, but he was also extremely handsome and well-built.

“Not at all,” she replied coldly and moved on to another map.

From the corner of her eye, Liz could see that he was still watching her and smiling. She got irritated. “Why are you staring at me? Don’t you have anywhere to go?”

For a brief moment, his smile vanished as he gazed at the sky and said, “I have nowhere to go. I’m always here.” And then he turned his attention to her and grinned. “But more importantly, where do YOU want to go? I am very familiar with the maps.”

“I want to go somewhere far, far away.”

He shot her a quizzical look. “You sound just like one of them.” He glanced over at her overstuffed trolley bag and asked, “You don’t happen to be running away from home, are you?”

Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

She turned away in embarrassment. “How.. how did you know?”

“I told you. I’m always here. I’ve seen a lot of others like you.” He patted her head. “You shouldn’t run away. Your parents will miss you.”

“FUCK MY PARENTS! THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT ME!” she burst out in anger.

“Huh?”

And so she explained to him as they sat on a bench.

“So that’s how it is,” he said when she finished. He folded his arms behind his head. “Well, you shouldn’t have told me that you stole stuff from your aunt. It’s a crime, you know, and I might have to report you to the police.”

Liz stared at him in shock. “You.. wouldn’t do that.. right?”

“Of course not. But from now on, don’t go telling strangers that you steal. It’s not a good idea.”

She nodded her head. “I won’t.”

“Anyway, it’s getting late and I’ve got to go. The furthest place from here is Ilto City. Good luck with your new life!” He got up and left. Liz wanted to follow him, she was strangely attracted to him. But he was gone, nowhere to be found when she chased after him.

Liz decided to hang around that town a little longer. She got herself a room at a local motel. Everyday, she went to the train station, hoping to meet with him again. But he never came, even though he said he was always there.

Three months went by, and she still hadn’t left town. Only a few hours ago, Liz arrived at the motel and found a few police officers questioning the motel owner, providing a description of her. The owner nodded, and proceeded to open her room for the officers to search. The police had found her at last, but she didn’t have any money with her to escape. All of it was in the room. It would only be a matter of time before she was apprehended.

But Liz would rather die than go to jail. She ran all the way to the train station. Yes, she thought, I’ll commit suicide and leave my sorry life behind.

And here she was jumping in front of an oncoming train, ready to die.

Liz thought she saw the light at the end of the tunnel when she felt something pull her. She fell back onto the platform. She opened her eyes and got a shock. It was him.

The train roared past them but slowly came to a halt. The doors opened but nobody came out. It was empty.

“WHY?? WHY DID YOU STOP ME?” she shouted and began to slap him furiously.

He caught hold of both her hands. “It’s not worth it!”

“YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!” She struggled against his grip but he wouldn’t let go.

“It’s not worth it,” he repeated and he hugged her tightly.

Liz was taken aback but she let him hug her, while she cried freely in his arms. She felt so helpless.

“I’ve been waiting for you at the station for the past three months,” she said in between her sobbing.

He wiped the tears from her face. “And I’ve been here, watching you wait for me.”

“I.. I think I love you.” Liz blushed. “But I don’t even know your name.”

He smiled. “My name is Tom. I’m very happy that you love me. But I cannot stay with you much longer.”

“Why?? Stay with me forever, Tom!”

Tom shook his head. “I cannot stay. I’ve stopped another person from repeating my mistake, so now I can move on. It’s time for me to go.”

She couldn’t control her tears again. “I.. I don’t understand..”

“I’ll always be here,” he said and he placed his hand on her heart.

They closed their eyes and kissed for the first time in the train station. The moon had come out from behind the clouds and it lit the night sky beautifully. The train moved off silently, away from them.

When Liz opened her eyes, he was gone. Where he had stood, now had a couple of dollar notes instead. She looked around the station frantically and only saw a worried-looking ticket-seller.

The girl asked Liz, “Are you okay?”

“Y-yes.”

“Thank God. For a moment, I thought you were going to fall in. Another incident like that would..” the girl stopped herself from saying anything else.

“Another incident?”

The girl hesitated. “Yes, about a year ago, a young man had committed suicide here.” She shuddered before continuing, “It was terrible. He jumped in front of a train. I heard he did it because his parents pressured him too much. Anyway, I’m just glad you’re safe. Don’t stand too close to the edge next time.”

“I.. I understand..” Liz replied. I understand it all now, Tom, she said to herself.

She took the money on the ground and went to lie down on that bench and soon fell asleep.

It was the next morning. “One-way ticket to Ilto City please.” Liz pocketed her ticket and stepped onto the train. This was the beginning of her new life.

As the train moved off, Liz glanced out the window at that bench. She smiled. On the bench, was a small hand-drawn heart with the words “Liz” and “Tom” in it. Thank you, dear Tom, she quietly whispered.

Written by Adrien