Paul J Penton – Songwriter

Express Train – Daily Object Writing Sept 27

I have a strange belief about trains, going fast that is. I believe that if you sit with your back to the direction of travel then you stand a greater chance of survival when the train crashes – note WHEN not IF. Most forms of transport involve a series of worst case disaster scenarios for me. The spectacular plane crash plunging into a cold green sea, the acrobatic train derailment, etc etc. So, today I’ll just mutter some mantra about arriving at the destination as the train pulls out of the station.

Even though it is allocated seating and my allocated seat is facing the wrong way I have swapped sides, until asked to move. My back pack is sitting somewhere further forward in a luggage nook wide enough to park a Mini in. The first few miles as we crawl out of the city are informed by a series of rickety track crossings and noisy bells and flashing lights that quickly dissolve into the back ground hum of train. The clickety clack of the wheels on the tracks begins to get faster and faster and then becomes imperceptible as we climb on welded rails, then there’s a just along slow scream, a whine as we hurtle through middle England at one hundred and fifty miles per hour.

A cart comes by full of delights and surprises. I take the option for tea and a Cadburys chocolate bar…… I jiggle the tea bag up and down while watching a flash forward world slipping by outside. Fence-posts, lamp-posts, sheep and cattle blur together and walls of tunnels almost don’t seem to exist as we seem to accelerate into infinity. A woman is having some trouble controlling her son – Johnathon – I wonder about the story…. where is hubby….?