“The train is coming! The train is coming! The train is comingggg...! Please start queuing. Love Your Ride!”
“Ding Dong!”
I woke up with a start, and my textbook went thumping on the floor. I picked it up frantically before rushing to the platform, but it was the other train. And it didn't help matters when someone else used this chance to take my seat.
I could almost hear my textbook complain about my clumsiness, but of course it didn't.
Three minutes to the next train, the screen above me showed. Not too far away, not too near. But not exactly enough to read anything meaningful from my textbook. So I stood there, and stared into space, thinking about random things, since it's more difficult to think about nothing than to think about something because more energy is needed to prevent our neurons in the brain from firing, activating action potential which will in turn produce electric currents that form thoughts and actions. Textbook stuff.
“Hey! Quit staring at me!” the occupier of Once-My-Seat called out.
“Huh?” I was staring nowhere near him during my whole thought process of how neurons work. I could imagine the disruption of my neural pathways by that sudden intrusion from my aural receptors that interrupted my thoughts. I apologised to the occupier of OMS and tried to look as embarrassed as possible since studies have shown that the look of embarrassment during awkward events helps to ease the apparent anger of the other party. I couldn't stand the sight of that guy so I turned my back towards him after my apology.
“I said, Stop, Staring, At, Me!” I turned around and met his raging, bloodshot eyes. I could explain the phenomenon of his bloodshot eyes, but I shouldn't bother since it was more important to find out how I got into this 'staring mess' in the first place. To make sure that he was indeed directing his rage at me and not the empty space in front, I took a side step left.
His eyes followed.
I took another step left. Yup, he was referring to me.
I executed my evasive move immediately to the other end of the platform. He followed. I moved again. He followed.
“Why are you following me?” he asked in a matter-of-factly angry manner.
“Erm, I am not?” I tried to look around for help, but there was only the full moon seemingly having fun spectating my plight.
“Who sent you?” He got more agitated.
“Erm, my school? I am just going home?”
“Seriously, I know where you are from. You are here to bring me back to that dreaded place again right? That damp, dirty, detestable place so f**ked up even the rats moved their family and their extended family and their extended family's extended family out of that cell...” The more he spoke, the more agitated he become, though I noticed his good amount of effort exerted to calm himself down.
“So why would anyone send you back to that place?”
“Why? Why?? You know the reason. You surely know the reason since they sent you here. All because I said something in front of your puppet masters, and it was just a 'something', that I had to go through all these f**king shit...” He began to mumble incoherently while pacing left and right near the OMS, biting onto his right fist every few seconds.
I looked nervously at the display screen. One more minute before the train arrives. I would be dancing with my textbook in joy if not for the extremely high chance of him boarding the same train, then claiming I was pursuing him. I would have hit him with my book if not for the CCTV that's spying at us from all corners... And why weren't the MRT staff coming to help me out? Could they be part of this too?
“You have mistaken,” I acted calm in front of him, “I am not here to take you away. I am here to protect you.”
“You are what?”
“Yes, you hear me right. I am your bodyguard. I am here to protect you from them.”
“Re... really? How do I know I should trust you?”
“If I were to be one of them, I would have sent a bunch of guys with their batons and handcuffs to get you already, instead of talking to you here. Make sense?”
“Hmmm... indeed...”
“But I cannot stay here for long. I will need you to follow what I tell you to do, so that you can be safe. Are you ready?”
“Ye... yes... please.”
“I'll need you to stay here, wait for the next train and board it when it arrives, alright? I will board this coming one so that I could distract them away from you. Alright?”
“The train is coming! The train is coming! The train is comingggg...! Please start queuing.”
“Love Your Ride!”
I was so loving my ride.
***
“You are receiving a telephone call. For the sake of those around you, please acknowledge it. Failure to receive this call in time shall result in an unsatisfactory mark on your test report, followed by death...”
That ringtone woke me up and my textbook went thumping on the floor again. This time, it couldn't be bothered to complain. I looked at the caller display: Private Number.
I switched off my phone. They are not going to track me down, even though I never understood why they would want me in the first place. For my superior intelligence maybe, like how I dealt with that madman some minutes ago. Heh.
I leaned against the glass panel again, and closed my eyes while the Dim Sum Dollies danced in the screen above me.
I could still hear the moon laugh.
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