Ollie watched the train pull into the statin from behind a column. A man in a gray cap paced the platform, eyeing it. No one debarked. A woman stood in front of the first car, wringing her hands. A hulking man climbed on board, shoulders sagging, face set in a scowl. A slim person bounded between the nervous man and the waiting woman and onto the train.  

The intercom announced, “Please do not attempt to board with bodies attached.”

The nervous man removed his cap, twisted it in his hands, then ducked back into the station. The woman gave Ollie an encouraging smile then released her body, letting it drop to the platform. A whistle announced another train approaching fast. The wheels of Ollie’s train began to turn.

Hands clenched tight, Ollie took a deep breath, ran, and leapt aboard as the train picked up speed.

Inside, a hulking purple figure with horns sprouting behind its ears scowled from a bench. A furry bobcat-faced form curled beside it. A gelatinous substance swelled and collapsed into bulbous shapes. And a five-foot-tall bouquet budded, bloomed, and wilted in a continuous cycle.

A brilliant light bobbed down the aisle stopping in front of Ollie. “No bodies on the spirit train, little one. Let it go.”

Eyes wide, Ollie snuffled, nodded, and dropped the remembered human form carried since the fatal accident. It fell into dust and flew out the window. In its place, Ollie’s freed spirit exploded into starbursts of light and laughter.  

Photo by PublicDomainPictures