Member-only story
The Last Train Home
image by ideogram
Outline of the Story:
Opening Scene (0:00 - 1:00)
A few hurried young men, Ethan-striding in dismal light, manage to hop onto the last train of the night.
He seems exhausted, gazing blankly across things into his phone—ignored messages from his mother.
The train doors close, sighing lost in thought.
Inciting Incident (1:00-2:00)
An old man across him observes and after some short moments, he says, "Going home?"
Ethan does not reply immediately, so he adds, "Then go home."
Ethan hesitates, then finally says, "I was supposed to. But it's been years."
And then the aged man smiles knowingly and starts telling Ethan a story of a past mistake: missed chances or broken relationships.
The Turning Point (2:00 - 3:30)
A whole tunnel passes between the train, the lights flicker, and suddenly the old man is gone.
Ethan discovers an image on the seat-a younger version of the old man with a woman cuddling a child.
Something clicks. The child looks just like Ethan.
