It was noon.
The melodic sound of chirping birds resonated throughout the bustling train station, painting smiles upon the faces of the stressed commuters.
Amidst the uptight and anxious people waiting for the train to arrive, one man stood out.
His shoulders were droopy, and a bitter and complicated smile covered his face.
The colorful Hawai'ian shirt and swimming shorts he was wearing were conspicuous due to the mass of black-and-white suits and business attire.
'Lucas, you've done the right decision...here goes nothing...' The man wasn't as carefree as his appearance hinted at.
'The train to Hokkaido is coming soon, and there, I can finally begin anew...' He nervously fidgeted with his fingers.
Lucas, was, as his name hinted, not from Japan.
He was originally living in France, but after years of failure in his friendships, relationships, career, and family, he no longer felt a sense of purpose or hope for the future.
Back then, as he looked at the strong currents of the Seine river, thoughts that he would have dismissed a few years ago now seemed like the only way out.
Even now, he could vividly remember as he felt a hand on his shoulders.
When he turned around, he saw a familiar face.
It was his personal trainer at the gym he often worked out in.
The man had a similar background to him, having had a strenuous and turbulent family situation in Brazil.
However, he made the most difficult decision in life, and he let go of everything he had built over his adolescence and early adulthood and moved to Paris.
When Lucas saw the man's hopeful eyes, and his immense happiness and optimistic outlook towards life, he couldn't help but feel motivated.
"Want a cigarette? I'll allow you this one time," The man laughed, and his face did not have the slightest bit of pity, even as he perceived the dull expression on his face.
"Was it hard?" Lucas asked the man with a serious tone and face.
The man replied, "The hardest challenge of my life, yes, but I have not regretted it one bit..."
Later that day, Lucas went on the internet and searched for a fitting destination for his 'reincarnation'.
Snowy, far-off, and beautiful, Hokkaido immediately resonated with him.
Nonetheless, he did not want to forget everything immediately.
Because of that, he chose to gradually travel throughout the way on trains and buses instead of taking a single flight.
And thus, here he was, in a train station in Hiroshima, waiting for the ride that would symbolize the final step before he would shed his old life away.
Lucas inhaled the clean air deeply.
The global climate disaster was miraculously avoided, and the ecosystems of the world were slowly restoring themselves to their old peak.
Suddenly, the birds flew off of the station.
At that moment, an androgynous voice announced the arrival of the maglev train.
Lucas stepped back and held his chest while feeling his heart, throb like never before.
Yet, when he stepped back, he felt a counterforce push him to the front.
An abnormally strong gust of wind came by in a flash, and he lost his footing and fell.
"AAAAARRGGH!" Lucas heard a scream and opened his eyes to see what they were screaming about.
He found himself on the magnetic platform of the train.
Then, he stood up to evade the oncoming train.
"That was clos-
________
"Why does it feel so warm?" Lucas felt something grainy and warm cover his entire body.
It felt like sand.
"Did I sleep on the train?" He opened his eyes, and instead of seeing the slick wagon of the train, or the snowy scenery of Hokkaido, mounds of sand stretched out in all directions.
Gigantic dunes of dark-beige sand covered his entire vision.
"I'm pretty sure that train led to Hokkaido, not the Sahara Desert?" Lucas rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
However, no matter how many times he slapped himself or rubbed his eyes, only the warm sand on the soles of his feet and the endless desert were in front of him.
And thus, Lucas got what he wished for.
A new life.