Author: Mark Renney

Carter travelled to the end of the line purely by accident. After drinking with friends he had fallen asleep on the last train. He awoke in the early hours of the morning, cocooned in his overcoat. The lighting in the carriage had dropped to an energy saving low level, but thankfully when he hit the button the doors slid open.

As he stepped onto the platform Carter could tell instantly that something was different. As he walked along he tried to make sense of the place he had suddenly become a part of. Carter struggled to find a word with which to describe it and the best he could manage was an ‘approximation’. It was, he decided, an approximation, and for the first time in years Carter realised that he felt unburdened and light on his feet. He imagined he was an extra on a film set being filmed from above, a series of long shots, necessary to drive the narrative but not really important to it.

When he reached the Station House, Carter spotted a vending machine standing in front of the chain link fence. As he moved closer, he noticed there was no key pad or coin slot and he suspected there weren’t any drinks or snacks inside the machine. Surprisingly he wasn’t hungry or thirsty and did not have the expected hangover.

For the first time Carter glanced up at the sign above the Ticket Booth and again he was baffled. It was merely a jumble of letters thrown together haphazardly and was indecipherable. Carter turned his attention to the posters on the walls and the maps and information on the notice boards, and all of it was gobbledygook and not intended to be read, for someone to stand up close and study it. Carter couldn’t help himself and started to laugh. He sat on one of the benches, facing the line and, gazing up at the sky, Carter thought about those who were watching. Carter supposed he was little more than a speck to them and wondered what, if anything, they could learn from him? What would they determine? Was his behaviour typical? Had the others also lingered, reluctant to leave?

Eventually Carter stood and moved across the platform and when he pushed against the barrier it began to move but he wasn’t ready to leave, not just yet. Carter intended to stay for as long as it was possible.