Chapter 78: Light
To describe him with words would be an atrocity. Between the snow and the cloudy sky, among the dots of humanity in his vision, it was he who was most endless. His eyes. His eyes were a hazel colour, subtly shifting from green to light brown to gold. Beautiful? Stunning? Were there words to describe such a pair of wonderous colours? Every aspect of him was flawless in a way that it shouldn’t have been. His wavy jet black hair glimmering in the dark meager world and his eyes that lit the world up.
"Paul? Is that your name? I’m Kazi. Are you afraid of trains maybe?"
Looking up at him was mesmerizing. His smile was so warm it melted the chill running down his back. A dimple on his right cheek. A slight tilt of his head, innocent and beaming.
Paul answered before he could stop himself, "I-I’ve never been on one..."
"Ah, understandable! Don’t be scared. It’s a steam engine train. I think the model is post 1928 judging by the classification, so we should be fine. No explosions or huge bumps."
He put a hand on his shoulder and gently walked him forward. He didn’t stop talking though and that—to Paul’s confusion—actually helped with simmering down the nerves in his stomach.
"Did you know in Bangladesh we have a train that’s sort of like a Japanese bullet train? And if Bangladesh can do it, anyone can build a half-decent train, trust me." Stepping onto the train, a waft of smoke entered his systems. This time, he didn’t break. Paul breathed.
To the right, there was a door with a circular window labelled as the kitchen. Through it, he saw a dining cart and what was...another tanuki?
Was he going high? Or was this the theme of the gate?
To the left was the section for the passengers. Padded orange seats and tables in between. The smell of smoke and steam was present but not overwhelming. The walls were made of warm wood and the windows were large, allowing the passengers to view the scenery outside.
Kazi kept moving forward, despite there being plenty of open spaces. "My friends said they’d find the best seats."