The Train

The Train Life had never been easy for an old man like me. I never had a spoon full of gold and I never hold a silver bell in my hand. Sometimes, I felt that this life is unworthy but somehow my daughter strengthen me. Her sweet smile always wiped away my sadness. My wife? She went to meet the creator since my little daughter was born. I had a difficult time, trying to accept the truth that she was so far away. “Dada! I want that ice-cream!” Oh, there she was, standing right beside an ice-cream stall. I put my hands into my torn pockets. Feeling very disappointed that I got not even a penny, I called  my little angel. “Angel! Dada is sorry. Dada got no money.” ‘Dada’, a name that she used to call me. Deep inside my heart, I hope that she would understand my situation. Her tears would be a knife for me. “Em.., Dada. It’s okay”. Angel smiled, with her eyes fulled of tiny droplets of pure water. She was so sad, but I had to ignore both of our feelings. I held her little hand. She was a very clever girl and it was enough for me to take another step in my life. “Dada, where’s the train? The big-big train?” Angel’s eyes were clear again as she looked for her favourite vehicle, the train. I knew, I was not supposed to bring her with me to the railway station. But I had no choice as I had no one to look after her at home. She had no one but me. “The train will be coming soon, Angel. Dada had to do some work first. The automatic program of the railway is not functioning. Dada has to go to the main manual pulley. Stay here, Angel”. I let go of her hand. “Okay Dada. Papye!” Angel waved her hand. She gave me such a heaven smile. I nodded my head and walked faster as I knew I got work to be finished. “Dada!” Suddenly, she spoke again. I turned my head. “I love you, Dada!” Then she waved her hand again. My heart felt something different. It beat faster than ever. Despiting all of the bad whispers, I continued to walk. Everything was too noisy. The smoke of the trains cover my senses. This lung felt hard to breathe. “Hm, this can’t be right. Huh, I got to go to the office to see what’s wrong with the pulley.” I could not run so I walked slowly to the office. I knew that I got not much time as the train will be coming in five minutes. I just knew that I had to leave my daughter on the other side of the railway station. “Ah. No wonder. I guess it will be okay now.” The sound of the train seem to be nearer. I got to the pulley a minute before the train will get through the railway where I was incharged of. But wait, where was Angel? “Angel! Angel, where are you,dear?” Nothing but the whistle of the train reached my ears. “Angel! Where are you?” The train was about 30 seconds to come. Angel seemed to be nowhere seen. “Dada! The train! Yay!” I turned my head to the source of the voice. Angel.. There she was, on the railway of the coming train. “Angel! Get out of there!” I got my body shivering. God, save my daughter! “Dada, train!” Angel still playing on the railway. She waved her small hands to me as she smiled. I hated to make a choice, but this was the worst of all. Between my daughter nand a thousand of other people lives in the red train. 15 seconds to go. Choice had to be made. “Sorry Angel. Dada loves you.” I pulled the pulley. For 15 seconds, I felt like I was not a human. I did something that a human would never do. If a miracle was able to be bought by a rich man, I would never hesitate to try my best to buy it, even with my own life. I watched my only daughter eaten by the smoky train. She was no longer to be seen anywhere. None of her body part can be seen but blood. Skreech! The train stopped 30 seconds after it hit my little angel. I paused my breath. What happened? “Angel!!!” I rushed to the train. I bent down to look for Angel. “Angel!” No answer. Where are you Angel?” “Excuse me, sir. You are not allowed to be on the track. The train will continue its journey in 5 minutes.” A man suddenly spoke right behind me. “Who do you think you are? Idiot! My daughter was crushed! Do you hear me? My only daughter is under the train!” I tried to make him understand but his face was emotionless. “Still. In 5 minutes.” Then he entered the train. “Angel! Where are you, dear?” I tried to reached under the train. I caught something. It was my daughter’s body, with some missing parts. I tried my best to pull her out. “Angel! Why are you dead? Dada still did not buy you the ice-cream. Why do you walk away? Talk to me, Angel. Say my name!” I hold her cheeks. Her face seemed to be so calm. “1 minutes left!” There, the yell went on. “Nevermind, Angel. Dada is so sorry but Dada swear, Dada loves you so much. Dada didn’t intend to hurt you.” The people in the train were staring at me. I cuddled up my little angel’s body with a broken heart. I stepped backward from the track with the incomplete body of my angel. The people in the train still watched me crying alone. Why did they just stare and did not even drop a tear for my dead daughter? “You people are saved! But I lost my only daughter! I sacrificed her for you!” I cuddled my daughter firmly and looked at her sweet face. “Dear Angel. One day, Dada will find you. We’ll live together again. Go, Angel. Rest in peace with your mummy up there in heaven. Dada’s gonna miss you.” I brought her home and all the way back, I just kept thinking. Is she happy up there? But there were no regrets after all.