#1st STORY: [antarctica9255] Close Call

[antarctica9255]

Here I am, as this is my first story here. As a (non English mother-tongue) free-time writer, I try to keep an eye on the work as it goes on through the days, but I’m also sure you will comprehend if there will be any error. So, the characters in my stories are almost NOT real, they live in my thoughts (and I hope in yours, at least during the length of the story): any similarities with real world are to be intended as involuntary. I’m afraid it will take time to finish it, because I’m doing that in my very spare time (a couple of hours spread on the week). I really hope I will be able to finish it sooner or later.

And, last but not least, enjoy this story!! Comments and critics are always well accepted!!

[antarctica9255]

CHAPTER #1 – An unexpected close call.

It was a Saturday morning in a foggy day, like most in this season, here in the Italian-speaking Canton Ticino, southern Switzerland. The day had started like many others, with the alarm waking me in the middle of the night, a hot coffee and a few crackers with cheese. I didn’t really like waking up this early, nobody loves going to sleep in the middle of the afternoon while the sun is still high in the sky, but I’m obsessed with my job and I’d do (almost) anything for it. My name is Arne Koppen, half Swiss and half Italo-norwegian, and I’m a train driver.

As I was saying, it was 3:00 am when the alarm rung and awoke me. Outside, fog, high humidity and a disheartening temperature of about 5 degrees. I dressed up with the most comfortable and warm clothes I could get in my not-so-tidy room, took my high-visibility vest and got to my car. It was not too long until I reached Chiasso rail station, and picked my train in the depot. The day seemed to pass slowly but steady, the weather was still bad and that didn’t help at all: spotting signals is no easy task in those conditions, especially when you are at the front of a train moving at over 100 km/h.

“Here it is, the most troublesome part of the morning” – I was telling myself, the sun dazzling straight at eyes level. – “It is almost a nightmare driving in this conditions”. Curve after curve, the position of the sun kept changing, and I was starting being uncomfortable about the stressing situation, constantly leaning my head to find a small portion of shadow that might help me getting knowledge of the signals ahead.
“Announcement 60 km/h, finally!” – I was really relieved to take notice of the distant signal, as I knew I was coming to stop in Mendrisio both for passenger service and for an overtaking with a late EuroCity to Milano. Right hand on the power controller, gently pulled into “brakes” position.
“Green over green, execution 60 km/h, caution, I’m almost in…” – now that’s something! I started thinking that it was almost done, that once the shift was over I could have a nice cup of coffee, I just had to wait a few more minutes to reach the final destination. Here are the switches, with their characteristic clattering sound and then, just over there, the platform, packed with passengers longing to get on the train, where they won’t be exposed to the biting coldness and, after them, the Alps. A slight curve to the left and… “Damn, not again!” – the sun dazzling again right in my face. The train was still running as I stood up, right hand on the brakes, trying to get the front sun visor a bit down. As I sat back to the seat and I raised my eyes again, still a bit blinded by the sun, I distinguished some shadows waving hands near the platform. “What the heck…?”.

Just past them, a young girl was on the tracks, turned on one side, probably wounded. It was then that I realized. “Shit!” – I screamed, while I furiously applied the emergency brakes. Those were the longest seconds in my life, my palms sweating, my heart racing, my mind begging for the miracle… The train came to a sudden halt, as I got up and stood, dumbfounded, in the middle of the cab. I ran back and opened the door the separates the cab from the passengers’ compartment, my face completely pale. The passengers obviously knew that something was wrong, but I kept silent as I manually opened one of the doors. A crowd formed in and around the train, ambulance sirens in the distance. I had to wade through the people to see by myself. She was still alive. Had I applied the brakes one single second later, and she would have been dead. My knees suddenly went weak, and I felt nothing.

[antarctica9255]

CHAPTER #2 – Hospital encounters.

My eyes opened, again with light disturbing my eyesight. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was in a room in the local hospital. As a nurse came in, I mumbled her – “Please, the light is bugging my eyes”. The nurse smiled and said – “Good morning… Mr. Koppen!”. She then explained me that I fainted right at the sight of the poor girl on the tracks and we were taken to the hospital with two ambulances. The girl. Where was she? What happened to her?
“Relax, Mr. Koppen! You’re still too weak to get out, you’ll be here until tomorrow.”
I saddened all of a sudden. She was right. I hadn’t eaten but the breakfast early in the morning, and still I felt a bit shocked. I surely didn’t want to leave the room and then fall down or, worse, pass out again in the middle of a hospital hallway. But I felt the urge to see that girl by myself.

“Anyway,” – the nurse continued, while leaving the room – “Miss Høie is at the 3rd floor, room 20; she’ll be here for three-four more days for observation under painkillers”. Miss Høie? That surely does not sound Swiss. “Now, that’s interesting” – I thought to myself. This was probably getting weird. Or intriguing, for that sense. The rest of the day flew away, parents and friends came visiting, even though my head was on a very different planet, and soon enough I was safely tucked up, asleep. It was not a painless night, a bad headache struck me in the middle of the night, but I thought it would be kind of ‘normal’, considering what I had witnessed the day before.

Morning came, and I started packing the few things I had with me and, without thinking it, I went to the hall like nothing happened, like if it was just an accident. Then something came up in my mind: “3rd floor, room 20”. Damn, I almost forgot about her. I wasn’t having second thoughts, it was simply an unintentional reaction, I thought. I turned myself and started running up the stairs. I was panting quietly, when I reached the 3rd floor, and then I started looking for that room. She must be already awaken. I knocked at the door, but I heard no reply, so I decided to peek inside, hoping not to bother the occupants. To my surprise, she was still in the bed, alone. I, then, slowly came in and sat on the bed next to her, and started reading a book I had with me in my rucksack.

After about an hour, she started moving and decided to wake up. She turned to my side and smiled. My age, slim, long brown hair, big blue eyes, honest and direct, she had the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, though on a swollen face. “Who are you?” – she asked, in a very Scandinavian accent. “I’m… uh!” – I couldn’t reply at first, I got embarrassed. She closed her eyes and smiled again.
“I didn’t want you to wake up alone” – I said. “I am the train driver that…”.
“Thank you” – she said.
Then, things were getting pretty much weird, as I stood there confused and blushed like a kid at his first crush. I thought about her surname, Høie and asked her: “You are not Swiss, are you?”.
“No, no…” – she giggled and smiled again – “I’m Norwegian”.
“Hva heter du?” – (What’s your name?) I asked, innocently laughing.
Her eyes went big. She didn’t expect that… “Snakker du norsk?” (Do you speak Norwegian?)
“Ja, litt!” (Yes, a little) – I smiled at her.
“Jeg heter Solveig” (I’m called Solveig) – she enthusiastically said – “Og du?”
“Jeg heter Arne!” (I’m called Arne). “Hyggelig å møte deg!” (Pleased to meet you!).

Over the next couple of hours, we continued talking together. So I found out she was here in Switzerland on holidays and that she got mugged by a stranger that pushed her on the tracks. Now she had several bruises and a sprained shoulder and ankle, and you could see that surely it was not painless.

[Jaguar]

Hi Antarctica, a very good start.  You're English is clear and easy to understand, don't worry.

If you are still around I would love to read more.

[phil123]

"En god start " (good start)

"Vennligst gå på " (please go on)

[antarctica9255]

Hey there, thank you for the comments. Unfortunately I haven't been able to write at all for the past months, but here is the third chapter of the story. I just hope to find enough time, and inspiration, to finish it someday. I don't quite have everything in my mind right know, so I am discovering the story myself as I'm writing.

[antarctica9255]

I know there isn't still much action in it, but don't worry and be patient: someday muscles are going to come in the story... That's the promised third chapter!

CHAPTER #3 – The second meeting.

We kept talking for a while and she didn’t mind having me on her side at the hospital, since she was all alone in a foreign country. You could see she appreciated a lot the attentions I gave her, because every gesture I made, every little courtesy, she smiled me back. It was oddly beautiful, giving the overall circumstances.

Now, a few day passed since that day. I started working again, albeit with a bit of discomfort and Solveig was out of the hospital, still finding a way to get the best out of her holidays, despite the tragedy she almost ran into. We kept in touch – as we both exchanged our numbers – sometimes with a couple of text messages, sometimes with an odd and short call. On a mild afternoon, as I was coming back home, I received an SMS. ‘Hei Arne, it’s me Solveig. Tomorrow I’ll be leaving Switzerland and I’m going back home. I was thinking if we could meet together again…’ – she was her. And she was asking me out?! “Damn yeah” – I thought, and I replied her back, suggesting we could have dinner together in some fancy restaurant. It had been too long since the last time I hung out with a girl, more than a couple years, and at 23 I was still in search for my first serious relationship. Of course, Solveig and I were living in two different and far countries, this wasn’t going to be something serious, was it? ‘Hei kjær, that’s a splendid idea! How about having dinner together? Just tell me where are you, and I will come get you’.

I instantly started looking around, searching for something nice to wear, and after that I took the car and started driving along the cantonal road, my mind at her. What was going to happen, nobody knew. After twenty minutes I reached the place where she was staying, got outside the car and waited there until she was ready to come. I was so nervous that I immediately had to light a cigarette, not that I am an assiduous smoker. It wasn’t too long and she appeared. You could see she still was recovering from the bruises, and she still had trouble walking because of the sprained ankle, but she was doing OK. I immediately put out the cigarette, and run to greet and help her. She was wearing a lapis lazuli colored, sleeveless evening gown, which was in tone with her blue eyes. Supposedly she didn’t mind the temperature, which was not freezing, but was cold enough for me to have a woolen gilet. She was simply beautiful and she knew it. I offered her my hand so she could have a bit of relieve and then we got back in the car, ready for our dinner.

The place, luckily enough, was everything but full of people. We sat at a table which was pretty much cozy and safe from prying eyes and we ordered some wine and some local specialties. Than we started talking, first with a bit of uneasiness, than more and more confidentially, as the wine helped me to get a bit loose. We talked about ourselves, essentially, what we were doing in life, what we were looking for in the future, you know. Typical stuff to get the ball rolling. Then, inevitably, we diverted the discussion to the accident, and what happened that day.

“I was going for a nice ride to the northern part of the country, and since I don’t have a car here I decided to take the train in Mendrisio; I was waiting on the platform and then I decided to take my camera out and shoot some photos to the surrounding scenery, when I felt something pulling my purse. I immediately turned myself back, and the pickpocket first got my purse. Then, with his other hand he grabbed my other wrist, and also robbed my camera, than pushing me back. I don’t remember too much about it, but apparently I lost balance, made a step backwards and fell on the tracks…” – she said, her eyes clearly showing sadness – “No one even cared to help me, or to follow that delinquent!”. A tear started running on her cheek, as I took her hand into mine.

“Everything turned out to be OK, luckily for you. It could have ended in a much more dreadful way…” – I reassured her – “…luck was on your side.” – I smiled at her, and she made a honest laugh, still wiping the tears that started to stream.

“You are right,” – she said – “I will never thank you enough, Arne.”