southern cross

catefrances

for her the day started the night before, sitting cross legged on the bitumen platform waiting for the train home. reading the last few chapters of a book she started the week before she ate her salad wrapped in flat lebanese bread and tried not to ge any mess on the pages. it was a library book afterall. then the announcement came... due to a freight train coming apart on the track in front of it, the train will be delayed. why they always waited til the train was due to share this information shell never know. she sighed. it was going to be a long trip and this was not a good start...

catefrances

... waking uncomfortable in her economy seated bed for the night she stared out at the blackness. dawn hadnt broken yet and shed just about run out of patience for this trip. mile after mile sped by... sometimes the sulphur lights of some two pub town lit the predawn. eucalyptus trees stood sentinel...silent. it was all around her. she shared space with people she didnt know and never would. as the sun began its climb she wondered if this was what death was like.... beautiful silence and cool shadows in the dark...

Godfather.

It felt like I was in the train with her I could see everything, very cool poem/story I like it.

Godfather.

the wolf

I love these.

catefrances

where was she? she didnt really know. daylight savings had ended a couple of days before and the change was screwing with her internal clock. she didnt wear or even carry a watch so she coudnt even figure out how far she was from her destination. there were towns she knew that when the train passed through them shed be able to work it out. but for now she watched the countryside blur past and tried to sleep some more. yeah. no. that wasnt gonna happen. she was awake for the day and desperate to get off this train. she felt trapped and this was made worse knowing the carriage doors were locked. they didnt used to be. but a few years back a young boy fell from the train during a nocturnal wander and it was recommended that the train be made more secure so that the tragedy wasnt repeated. her only amusement was watching the smokers gauge whether they could jump off at the next stop for a quick ciggie. and how many seconds literally theyd have to indulge. the conductors were wise to this and did everything they could to discourage this practise. the train was already nearly two hours overdue.

alivegirl

Then what happened?

catefrances

she looked for familiar landmarks and seeing the monstrosity that was the shopping centre she started to gather her things together. she slid a book into her bag. balled her rubbish and slipped that into her bag too. she folded her shawl and yep you guessed it... as the railway employee carpark rushed by she stood. reaching up she pulled her bag off the rack and dragged it behind her down the aisle lined with seats occupied by sleeping travellers. even though she was still 20 kilometres from home as she stepped onto the platform she felt like she was already there. shed catch her suburban connection here and step through her front door within the hour. she made the mistake of blindly walking onto the train sitting at platform #1. a man asked her if the train went to the airport and she said no. a few minutes later she realised her mistake and alighting from the train told the man the train did in fact go via the airport. he thanked her and she stood in the light rain waiting for her train home.

Godfather.

what a story ! is this a book you are working on ? at any rate I can't wait to read whats next.

Godfather.

catefrances

there was nothing quite like a quiet house for bringing up mixed emotions. she loved the quiet but not all the time and not when she needed to not be alone. she dropped her bags where she stood and slumped onto the sofa. she looked around revelling in the familiarity of her books lning the shelves... of the pile of music magazines sitting underneath the television... of errant shoes and unwashed dishes. the light that broke through the clouds shone through the kitchen window illuminating dust bunnies. she remembered what shed heard dust bunnies were made of and screwed up her nose. she sighed closed her eyes momentarily and thought of the things that needed doing. but first what she needed was to wash the travel off her body and out of her mind.

Godfather.

XLNT ! keep it coming.

Godfather.

catefrances

stepping out of the shower she shivers and quickly wraps herself in her robe. she pads out to the kitchen filling the jug and dropping a teabag in her mug. her mug. her blue mug. she has another for soup, but this one is for tea alone. shed bought it last year and for a while it lived in the kitchen of a guy she was fucking... cause in the end thats all she could see it was about. when he decided he wanted to quit the relationship, she gathered her stuff and brought it all home in her satchel. now of course sometimes when she pulls the mug from the cupboard, she thinks of him. but not in a melancholic way. god he was fun to fuck. she could hurt him, as she did, and hed love it. the more she hurt him, the more he loved it. and the more they both got off. shame that her riding crop now lies wrapped and unused in her knickers drawer. shes not ready lose herself like that again, but she will be... one day... and shes sure itll be sooner than later.

Godfather.

catefrances wrote:

stepping out of the shower she shivers and quickly wraps herself in her robe. she pads out to the kitchen filling the jug and dropping a teabag in her mug. her mug. her blue mug. she has another for soup, but this one is for tea alone. shed bought it last year and for a while it lived in the kitchen of a guy she was fucking... cause in the end thats all she could see it was about. when he decided he wanted to quit the relationship, she gathered her stuff and brought it all home in her satchel. now of course sometimes when she pulls the mug from the cupboard, she thinks of him. but not in a melancholic way. god he was fun to fuck. she could hurt him, as she did, and hed love it. the more she hurt him, the more he loved it. and the more they both got off. shame that her riding crop now lies wrapped and unused in her knickers drawer. shes not ready lose herself like that again, but she will be... one day... and shes sure itll be sooner than later.

I think I just had a flash back..or fantasy.
awesome Cate !

Godfather.

DopeBeastie

riding crop, eh?

hubba

catefrances

the more time that goes past, the more she wonders if its all worth the effort. as much as she loves the silence it gets oppressive at times... usually times when she needs not to be alone. this is one of those times. her mind is going a mile a minute.. the kitchen fills with steam from the jug and the drawer is full of knives. she sighs heavily then fills her mug. she looks around her for something that she knows she wont find. it doesnt matter how strong she is, or how strong she fools herself to be.

Godfather.

we're waiting........

Godfather.

catefrances

she sat quietly. her hands wrapped tightly around her tea mug. its warmth lulling her into a calmness she liked but felt disurbed by. the silence of the house enveloped her as she thought of how easy itd be. she could just slip away into the unknown space... itd be so easy. there was nothing stopping her... not really. she told herself that. sometimes she believed it.... other times she silently begged for there to be something. she wanted the strength to be rid of this life but every time she thought she had it within her grasp, it slipped away. if only she could.