The Last Train

The concert ended later than Elif had expected. By the time she got to the station, it was ten to twelve. She ran down the stairs to the platform just in time to see the red lights of the last train disappear into the dark.

She looked at the timetable on the wall. The next train back to her hotel was at twenty past five in the morning. Her phone battery was almost empty, and the station was getting cold.

An older man with a guitar on his back was sitting on a bench nearby. "You missed it too?" he asked. Elif nodded. "There is a night bus," he said. "It takes longer, but it goes into the centre. I am going the same way. I can show you."

Elif was not sure at first. But the man explained that he played in the band that she had just seen, and he showed her the poster with his picture on it. They walked to the bus stop together and talked about music for the whole journey.

At half past one Elif was finally back in her room. Before she went to sleep, she wrote in her travel diary: "Missed the last train. Met the guitar player instead. Best evening of the trip."

The concert ended late. Elif got to the station at ten to twelve. She ran to the platform. But the last train was already leaving.

She looked at the timetable. The next train was at twenty past five in the morning. Her phone battery was almost empty, and the station was cold.

An older man with a guitar was sitting near her. "You missed the train too?" he asked. "There is a night bus. It takes longer, but it goes into the centre. I can show you."

At first Elif was not sure. Then the man said that he played in the band from the concert. He showed her a picture. They went to the bus together and talked about music all the way.

At half past one Elif was in her room. She wrote in her book: "I missed the last train. I met the guitar player. Best evening of the trip."