The Final Act

The Final Act

“Hello my dear sister… do you remember me?”

“Sarah?”

“Oh! She remembers!!Thank God!! I thought I would’ve to introduce myself to my own sister”

“Sarah…. Why did you call?”

“Why-? Do I have to find a reason to call my own sister?  Oh!!”  Mrs. Phillip closed her eyes and touched her nose bridge, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Anyways, I had called to officially invite you to my daughter’s birthday party”

“Your daughter?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Yes! I have a daughter”

“Our Eevie?”

“Yes”

“She’s… one year’s old???”

“Yes”

“Already?”

“YES!!”

“I mean… it was just yesterday, when I had held her in the hospital…. and she had peed on you…. ”

“Thank you, for reminding me about that….”, Sarah said making sure the sarcasm showed in her voice. Mrs. Phillip laughed. “Stop laughing… and be there… and bring Ron too, please…”.

She cut the line.

“Muuuuuuuuuuuummmmmm….. We’ll be late… The train doesn’t wait for us, you know, even if they notice that you are boarding the train today”, Ron called on top of his voice.

Mrs. Phillip hurried from one room to another.  

“I know…. Put your shoes on, will you? Do this one favor to your mother” She called back. Ron rolled his eyes.

They reached the train station, with 20 minutes on the clock for the train’s departure. Mrs. Phillip crashed on an empty seat, with Ron taking the window seat next to her. He placed his toy train on the window.

“Where did you get that?”, asked Mrs. Phillip.

“A woman gave it to me”

“What woman?”. Ron pouted his lips and shrugged.

“Ron!! How many times do I have to tell you, not to accept gifts from strangers!!”

“She was a nice lady.... She said it was her son’s birthday today and she gifts all the kids on his birthday. Did you want me to refuse and break her heart?”

Mrs. Phillip tried to control her smile. Kids……

“That’s not the point-“

The point is she was nice”

“Fine, but here onwards you are not taking anything from anyone. Do you understand me?” Ron nodded an ‘OK’.

She looked at the toy once, then turned and laid her head back to take a nap, just when the train jerked forward.

That’s odd. There’s still 15 minutes on board.

The train started to move slowly. Mrs. Phillip looked outside to check on the time. Ron was playing with his toy, imitating the train’s movement. The clock read: 5:44 P.M. The train was scheduled for 6:00 P.M. departure.

Something was wrong. Well, at least they’ll reach her sister’s house early.

Mrs. Phillip smiled at her luck. The train gathered speed at a steady pace. Mrs. Phillip fell back on her seat to continue her nap.

“Mum… Mum… look at this”

Mrs. Phillip opened her eyes. They were halfway around the city.

Already?

She looked at her son. Ron rode the toy train on the glass and brought it down on the window sill and stopped it. After a second or two, the train, they were traveling in, came to a stop. Everybody rushed to the door. But it remained closed.

Ron started moving his toy again. He stopped it. He moved it once again. He stopped. The train outside started having troubles in moving too. 

“Mum, I can control this train!!”, Ron said in an ecstatic voice. Mrs. Phillip seemed to understand what was happening.

How’s this possible?…. How is this train imitating Ron’s toy? Can Ron really…? Rubbish….

“Ron, you can’t control the train. Looks like the driver’s drunk or something…” Mrs. Phillip tried to disagree.

Ron moved his train slowly against the window frame. He drove along the edges increasing its speed gradually. The train mimicked the Ron’s toy. Mrs. Phillip tried to look outside the glass. Everything passed in a blur. She looked at her son. He was moving his train faster than ever. If he didn’t stop, he was likely to lose its control. People inside the train panicked and started to scream. Ron, on the other hand, continued to play with his toy, blind to reality. Mrs. Phillip told him to stop playing, panic clearly visible in her voice. . Ron turned the train sharply on the window sill. But the speed of the train was too much for him to control the turn. Ron lost his grip and the train fell over front seat, where it did a somersault and fell on the floor, breaking into pieces…. All the compartments had been dislodged and strewn apart…..

It is unknown as to what has caused this disastrous incident. Further investigation is yet to be made by the police. But, harsh as it is, we regret to inform that all the passengers who boarded this ill-fated train are dead.

A woman, far away in the city, smiled at the TV screen.

She finally, had got her revenge…. even though it had asked for a few sacrifices...