it was too hot to sleep. I had to get out of my suffocating

apartment. there was no air-conditioning, & the fan had

decided to retire that morning.   I walked thru the dark

stillness of the town. the moon appeared briefly from

behind thick clouds, & then hid again, not wishing to reveal

her secrets. as I approached the train station, I saw her. a

slender figure, not overly tall. she wore a trench coat, odd

in this heat. a scarf in grayish tones over her head.

I could make out auburn bangs gracing her forehead. she sat

on a bench in the station, & I needed to get a closer look. I was

able to see the deep walnut of her eyes, before the sadness there

knocked me back. sadness that had no place in that beauty.

but those eyes also spoke a firm warning:

~*~  Don’t talk to me.  ~*~

so I sat on another bench, stealing glances, like a love-sick kid.

the train pulled in thru a billow of smoke & fog. The 3 or 4 other

people moved toward it slowly, trance-like. then she boarded.

I decided to board also, maybe I still had a chance. but like a

phantom, the conductor appeared, blocking the door.

he spoke calmly but firmly:

  )  You are not booked on this train  (

I stood there, & watched the train departing,

picking up speed, the clickety-clack echoing…