Thameslink Girl

Bedford - Three Bridges. As Always.

The wind howled on the platform as Carson waited for his train. He was heading for Gatwick, like everyday - working long hours as a luggage porter at the well-known airport. The pay wasn't great, but hey. Planes are pretty cool, if you know what I mean.

As the new year came around, things started to change.

Back to the platform, Carson's train screeched to a halt in front of him. There was the usual hiss of escaping air as it stopped. The doors slid open, awaiting for its passengers to board. Carson hastily moved forward - only to be pushed back by a small girl. He blinked in surprise; that little girl had just pushed him! Like him, the young girl was poor: Untidy hair in a glossy shade of ebony, second hand clothes. Shaking off his surprise, Carson let her in first, then stepped on as the doors slid shut. The brief interval of seating the new passengers commenced. Unfortunately for Carson, the cart he'd entered was crowded, with only two seats remaining. A pregnant woman took the priority seat. Now, Carson may have been poor, but he wasn't rude. He let the young girl take the last seat. The announcement began as Carson grasped an overhead handle: 'The next station we will be stopping at is, Flitwick.' The female voice announced like it always did as the train slid into motion. Carson was no paedophile, but he couldn't help looking at the girl. After all, they looked roughly the same age. If she wasn't going to work, she must've been a year younger than him - he was only just old enough to work.

There was something interesting about the girl... and he wanted to know what it was.