Scenes and fragments of imagination kept playing in her mind. There was this train coming from the north bound. Carriages full of white, floating blobs. She felt the ground beneath her feet shook in a steady rhythm. The horns and bells hollered over the loud forest.
Unconsciously, Auden stepped into the platform. A big sign that says 'Middel Station' flickered above the rundown shed. This was the place where seekers arrive and go.
Her imagination was muddled by the boisterous cawing of the crows. they flapped there with in an attempt to avoid something. Soon, the cawing turned to rustling of dried leaves. It was the sound of peace and quiet.
It was not hard to get here, but it wasn't the easiest either. Luckily, all locals know the way. She just followed the almost gone trail.
Auden sat on the sturdiest seat she found around the debilitated station. Fragments of the story once again overwhelmed her. Her eyes started watering as she looked around the station. She imagined souls being boarded. In her mind, she can see the seeker entering an old steam engine. On the other hand, the keeper is held by the local crowd, stopping him from running towards the departing train.
Her heart clenched.
Slowly, Auden lifted her hand to touch her chest where her heart is. She whispered goodbye to the keeper and shut her eyes tight in tears. When she finally calmed down, she stood around the edge of the broken platform and spread her arms as if catching the wind.
It was this blissful moment she dared to withhold forever. The breeze was caught between her fingertips as her light brown hair, almost ash, danced through every whisper of the passing wind. She felt the soft tingles through her skin, and she smiled.
Once she opened her eyes, she had a clear view of her surroundings. There was wild forestry around her, a perfect sign that civilization had never entirely touched the place.
A broken screen showed the schedule of the next seeker to arrive. It was flickering like the sign. She couldn't read anything of it, but the time stamps were clear.
Auden decided to walk away. With all her heavy heart, she trod back to the trail leading to the town center. She picked twigs on the way and stuffed them inside her bag. She could use it in some projects of hers when she gets home.
"Auden?" A voice called within the deep end of the holloway. Her heart pounded heavily against her ribcage. She didn't take the strange intrusion lightly. She tried her best to see the person from the far end, but the bright sun rays made it impossible.
"Who's in there?"
Torn between running away and walking forward, Auden shivered in sudden fear. The fallen leaves were crippled on the ground as the motion of somebody approached her.
"Who are you? Show yourself." She picked the nearest fallen stick and darted it towards the origin of the voice.
A loud thud followed her sudden adrenaline rush. She didn't even bother to look down.
"What was that for?" The voice once again spoke. This time, the voice reeked of annoyance. "That old Marquise told me that you'd be here. What are you doing here in the middle of nowhere?"
"Noah? Why are you even here?" she asked in distress before helping Noah up, who apparently she managed to tackle down with a dried stick. "And who's Marquise?"
Auden helped Noah shake the dirt off his dress shirt. Surprisingly, he's not in his usual attire; instead, he's wearing a white button-up shirt, pants, and loafer. "You a have a date to attend to?" she asked curiously. Or perhaps she's trying to avoid the fact that she just tackled Noah with her bare hands.
Noah took a deep breath and fixed his stance. "I thought you'll be leaving town."
Auden's forehead crease at his remark. "And where would I be going?"
"The reality. Only passing souls for reincarnation uses this station, Aud. You can't just leave now. It's only been a week since you died and came here." Noah's face was filled with unmentionable fear. His eyes started to water, but he managed to hide them, and it confused Auden.
Silence filled in between them. Auden can't understand what Noah was going for. And Noah just wished to take back all he said but can't. Soft melodies of the falling leaves enveloped them.
"So, who's Marquise?" she tried opening another conversation.
"The old Marquise, the one you talked to at the diner."
Again, Auden was confused. "What were you doing there, and why did you ask about me?" The town might be small, but people can't snicker about her whereabouts to some random stranger if not known that they know each other, right?.
"No, Marquise knows that I know you. I just happen to grab lunch from his diner and he mentioned you and that you're going here for an unstated reason." A flicker of annoyance reflected in Noah's eyes, but Auden was not yet done taunting him.
Luckily, the atmosphere came back to normal. Auden continued teasing him while poking his waist. "How does he know that you know me? You talk about me to other people?" Noah opened his mouth but zipped it again and squinted his eyes in response instead. "No, don't answer that. So, who's your date?" she quipped. Auden motioned his clothes in a teasing manner.
"There. Is. No. Date."
"Then, what's with the outfit?" Unconsciously, Auden looked at her own clothes. She's wearing her usual work uniform with a dress coat from this morning when she went to work without knowing that it was her day off. Comparing both attires, she was drastically dressed shabbily than Noah.
Before answering the question, Noah walked towards the opening of the forest trail. Auden followed his lead with no choice. She didn't plan on staying alone in the station anyway.
"There will be a dance at the plaza later this evening. You should come."
"A dance? Are we celebrating anything?"
"Just a simple common gathering among locals." Auden nodded and walked faster to match his pace. Suddenly, she felt something moving in her coat pocket. She took it and let the crane fly by its string.
"Where did you get that?" Noah asked once he noticed the flying paper crane above their heads. Its golden hue reflected the closing sun.
Auden almost forgot about the paper crane. She offered the crane some twigs from her collection, and it danced mid-air.
"I bought this from the market. The vendor told me to whisper my wish and free it by the river. Is that river he's referring to far from here?" She really should come by the river. "By the way, I named it Tea." The crane hovered and twirled by the mention of its name.
"The river is just by the other path. We can go there before the sundown."
They both trekked the deep forest. The fallen leaves glistened under the sun, and it radiated orange and yellow hues all over the forest. A few more turns before they reached a clearing. It was a comprehensive long clearing with dried sticks and pebbles.
"Now, we wait for the sun to reach the horizons." He announced when they stopped by a dry piece of land.
Baffled by Noah's statement, she didn't bother asking. They settled on a big sharp rock and waited.
Soon, the night's cold breeze blew, and the moon appeared just above where the sun was sinking. Migrating birds flew above the purple sky as crickets started chirping. Nature sounds filled music to their ears. As the sun fully folds, a crystal stream flowed through the shallow clearing. Droplets of water glistened under the darkening sky.
Astonished was an understatement to what Auden felt. Water flowed, and bright fluorescent flowers sprung. Butterflies and bees buzzed and fluttered.
"This place is amazing," she mumbled under her breath.
"Make a wish," Noah said, smiling while looking at her intently. She closed her eyes and whispered her wish before freeing the paper crane from its string.
Auden watched the crane fly until she couldn't see it anymore. Her smile never left until she noticed that there were no other people except them. "The vendor told me that people would be here tonight. Where are the others, Noah?"
Noah just smiled and offered his hand, which she accepted instantly. "The person who gave you that crane is the hope bearer. Once a year, he chooses one new soul to free a crane of hope. He picked you this year, Aud."
"So, I'm the only one who saw his stall this morning?" Noah nodded while smiling. "How do you know about this? Have you had one before?"
"I haven't. I just read it from the library." Noah jumped down from the big rock. "Come on, let's go. You don't want to miss the dance."
Auden fell silent as she watched the river vacate back into a clearing.
"I wish to break the curse. May they love truly and love freely," Auden whispered her wish once again before she followed Noah back to the now dark forest.