The Train North

Ida arrived at the station twenty minutes early. The rain was falling on the glass roof and everything sounded far away. She bought a coffee, sat down on a cold seat and looked at the board above the doors.

The train to the north was on platform four. She was sure of it. She had read it twice at home, and she read it again now. Then a voice said something over the speakers, but she did not understand a word of it.

At ten past eight she walked to platform four. The train there was going south. A man in a blue jacket was closing the doors. "Not this one," he said. "Yours is on six. They changed it ten minutes ago."

Ida ran. Her bag was heavy and the coffee was still warm in her hand. She reached platform six as the doors were closing, and a young man held one open for her. "Thank you," she said. She was out of breath.

The young man was called Tomas. He was going north too, to see his sister. They sat by the window and watched the town become fields. The rain stopped after an hour. Ida drank her cold coffee and did not mind.