THE EXPRESS TRAIN

Jack stood on the subway platform awaiting his express train. It had been a long, arduous day at work, as usual, and he could think of nothing else but getting home to his loving family, having a warm supper and a good night’s sleep. His wife, Jill, despite being loud and shrill, was always there to greet him with a hug and kiss. And his three daughters, eleven, thirteen and fifteen, despite often sounding like a gaggle of honking geese, were always happy to see him. 

Leaning against a subway post, he allowed himself to drift into a semi-conscious reverie, dreaming of the one thing he never experiences: a moment of solitude and peace. As the senior manager in a high-energy financial firm in Manhattan, his work was intense and relentless. He reported directly to the president of the firm, and as such, was required to be constantly in command and totally abreast of all aspects of the business. He was expected to arrive well before the stock market opened for trading, so he was usually at his desk by 7:30 AM. It was rare for him to leave the office before 6:00 PM, still facing a 90-minute commute home. At 48 years old, he had been working at this pace for more than 15 years, never having had time for a vacation.

Jack closed his eyes and let his imagination take him to a park, a beach, or a mountain top, where he could unwind and relax while listening to the silence and stillness. He saw fireflies wafting about, performing their luminescent ballet in the quietude of a summer meadow. He imagined the soft caress of a gentle ocean breeze, and the distant susurrus of rustling leaves.  

And he prayed, Dear God, here I am, overworked, exhausted, and frustrated. I can’t stand it anymore. I need some peace and quiet in my life. It’s the quiet times that give life meaning, but I never get to experience it. All day long, I’m surrounded by yelling, arguing, phones ringing, people blabbing, engines roaring. Please, God, give me some quiet in my life.

As his mind wandered, Jack didn’t notice the very unusual appearance of the train that slowly wound its way into the station. Startlingly sleek and futuristic, the train came to a stop with barely a whisper. On the front screen, instead of the expected Express or Local notification, the monitor said “Ursa Major.”

Jarred awake by the opening of the doors but still half-asleep, Jack absentmindedly staggered into the train and looked for a seat. He immediately noticed that the interior of this train was nothing like he had ever seen.

Rather than the usual seating against the outer walls of the train car, there were highly cushioned captain’s chairs sparsely positioned, all facing forward, with perhaps only 12 or 13 chairs in the entire car. Jack chose one in the middle and sank into the soft but supportive cushions, impressed by the comfort they provided.

Jack glanced around at the other passengers. They appeared fairly ordinary: a typical, weary bunch of commuters all looking eager to get home, just like him.

The doors closed, and the train pulled out of the station. Jack was very surprised to find that his seat allowed him to recline into a very comfortable position. He pressed his head into the cushions, his eyelids once again growing heavy, and drifted into a light sleep, without perceiving the gentle, protective force field that had enveloped him. 

About two hours into the train ride, Jack was awakened by a soft, feminine voice on the overhead speakers. At first, the announcement seemed nonsensical, and he didn’t quite gather its meaning. He hoped it would repeat, and, sure enough, after a short pause, the announcement came again.

“May I have your attention, fellow travelers. Our craft has now traversed the Kuiper belt region of the Sol star system, and has reached interstellar velocity of 0.5L. You may now move about the cabin freely, as artificial gravity has been activated. The food synthesizers have completed their preparation of velzor, and you are welcome to access your portion. Suspended consciousness will take place in 30 minutes. Our next stop will be the exoplanet within the Lalande star system. At our current velocity, we will arrive there in exactly 24.86 years.”

Jack sat quietly in his seat and tried to comprehend what he had just heard. At first, he thought it was some sort of malfunction or joke. He looked over at the fellow sitting to his right and shrugged his shoulders in an obvious sign of confusion. The fellow smiled, appearing calm and relaxed, without any sign that he was equally perplexed. 

Then the man, in a friendly voice, commented, “It’s good to be going home after so much time away. Don’t you agree?”

Jack nodded, assuming he was referring to his own family. “It sure is! I’m heading to Bensonhurst. Where are you going?”

“Bensonhurst? In Brooklyn?”

“Yes, Brooklyn! Isn’t that where this train is going? I didn’t really understand that announcement on the PA system. I have a weird feeling I may have gotten on the wrong train.”

The fellow traveler, looking concerned, inquired, “Excuse me, but are you an Alioth?”

Jack quickly answered, “No, I’m not an Alioth, whatever that is. I work for Goldman Sachs. I’m the general manager of the equities division. We do the investment research for some major players. If you’re interested in having professional management, I’ll give you a card.”

The fellow traveler responded, “What is your name, friend?”

The man seemed quite concerned and was looking at him rather critically, Jack thought, puzzled by his expression. Nevertheless, he answered, “Jack Simmons.”

“Nice to meet you, Jack. My name is Jjjz3rsbt Jjjz4qqrr. Jack, I think you did get on the wrong train. We’re not going to Brooklyn. Our next stop is an exoplanet in the Ursa Major constellation, in the Lalande star system.”

Jack, astonished, stammered, “What are you talking about? This is just a subway. How could we go to another solar system?”

“Jack, the vehicle you apparently accidentally entered was not a subway. It was a transit vehicle which then met up with our interstellar ship orbiting Earth. We’re from the Alioth star system, one of the stars in what you refer to as the Big Dipper. We come to Earth frequently for research purposes, but we are on our way home now.”

Jack scrunched his face in disbelief. “Come on, whatever your name is. That’s a load of horse crap. I’m going to get off at the next stop. I’ll probably just grab an Uber.”

“Jack, what I told you is true. This ship is already beyond the orbit of Saturn. We’re all heading home to the fourth planet in the Alioth system. That’s our home. We are moving at 0.5 the speed of light. At that speed, we’ll arrive in about 160 years.”

Jack laughed. “160 years? That’s funny. How in the world are you going to do that?”

“We enter a state of extreme hibernation. It allows us to tolerate extended space voyages. If we didn’t have that ability, such voyages would be impossible, as you might surmise.”

Jack, feeling a sense of panic growing within himself, stammered, “How do you do that? With some sort of freezing chamber?”

“No, that’s not necessary for us. We have the ability within ourselves. We don’t require any equipment, although we do use some technology to make it easier.”

“But I don’t have that ability,” Jack said. “What am I supposed to do?”

Jjjz3rsbt gave Jack a helpful look. “You don’t have to stay on the ship all the way to Alioth.  You can get off at the next stop, at the transit station on Lalande 21185b, and take the return trip back to Earth. There are shuttles leaving every few years. You’ll be at the transit station about 25 years from now, so you’ll be back on Earth in just 50 years.

Jack’s face involuntarily twisted into a look of horror and shock. He thought, fifty years? How could that be? I would be almost 100 years old by the time I returned to Earth. Would I ever see my family again? What would the world be like? Would I even be alive then?

“Now, Jack, if you’ll excuse me, I must prepare for my hibernation. It’s going to be quite a relief finally to get out of these costumes.”

With that, Jjjz3rsbt and the other 11 fellow travelers began removing their outer “human” shells, revealing their true appearance. Jack descried large, cylindrical heads which seemed very much like inverted highway cones, jet black in color, but with at least four pairs of eyes, each set 90 degrees apart, providing a comprehensive view of their surroundings. Each individual had two pairs of arms, with hands branching into eight intricate fingers or small tentacles, suggesting extreme dexterity and fine motor control.  

Jack, through quivering lips and a pounding heart, managed to squeeze out one or two additional questions. “But I’m 48 years old. How can I wait 50 years to get home? That means I’ll be 98 years old. I don’t have the ability to go into hibernation. What am I going to do here in this ship and the return trip for 50 years?”

“Jack, everything on board this ship is automated. There’s no one piloting or operating it. You’re free to use the food synthesizers as much as you wish. They’ll produce any food or drink you might desire. There are instructions in our language but also in English alongside the device. So, your sustenance shouldn’t be a problem. The climate in the ship is maintained as it is right now, at a comfortable temperature for most Earthlings. There are also bathroom facilities on board that you can use. So, your journey should be rather pleasant.”

Suppressing a torrent of despair, Jack thought, No! This can’t be true! I’m being torn away from everything I love, my family, my job, my entire life… my entire world! Please, stop this ship! Let me wake up from this terrifying nightmare! 

“Well, it’s been my pleasure meeting you, Jack. But I must now enter my extended hibernation. I hope you enjoy your trip to Ursa Major.”

As the travelers from Alioth quietly entered hibernation and protective domes surrounded them, the spaceship became totally silent. Because the ship had reached its cruising velocity, it seemed to Jack to be standing still. One could hear a pin drop. There was no perceived motion, sound or movement. There was only absolute silence.

Jack sat down on his reclining captain’s chair and closed his eyes. The stillness tore through his mind like a lightning bolt. Jack thought of his wife, Jill, and his three beautiful daughters, who would now have no way to know whatever happened to their husband and father. In desperation, he glanced at his cell phone, hoping against hope for a connection, but to no avail. By this time, Earth was just a distant point of light, blending into the vast milieu of space.

In his stilled and soundless new world, Jack prayed, Dear God, please give me the opportunity to hear the shouting and laughter of my children, the tumult of my office, and the din of traffic. Let me once again experience the vibrancy of life. This silence is killing me.

As he and his fellow travelers passed Neptune and approached interstellar space, Jack could no longer control himself. He gripped his own head with fingers driven by the deepest panic and despair, and from the depths of his soul, he screamed, “Please, somebody help me! Get me out of this nightmare! I beg you, get me back to Earth!”

Just then, Jack felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He opened his bleary, tear-filled eyes only to see the concerned face of an older man staring at him. “Mister, do you need help? Would you like me to call an ambulance?”

Jack looked at the man, then quickly scanned all around him. For a moment, he remained disoriented, but soon recognized his familiar subway platform.

“Pal, I don’t need an ambulance,” he screamed, pulling the older man in for a bear hug, laughing and crying hysterically at the same time. “I just need to get home. I can’t believe it! I’m not going to the Big Dipper! I’m on the Earth!”

Just then, a sleek new train wound its way into the station, the doors opening invitingly, its illuminated front panel announcing, “Express.”

Jack stood for a moment, staring at the open door, then turned to the older man and said, “You know what? I think I’ll take an Uber.”