Engineering Hours... (Part 1)

I found this sitting in an archive... (I intend to do something with it - If you have ideas PM) :


Monday, After the tide. Colors swirling and a the rumble of distant emotion as a city moved in unison dispersant.

Yet, that tide was now hours past as I sat on a platform deserted, deserted that was apart from the distant hum of
a fluorescent tube, and the low breeze of forgotten longing. I was tired and the train could not arrive too soon to aid
this departure.

Deserted apart from the tick tick of a clock...
A clock ticked it's visual minutes with what must be paced regularity. I was still at least 2 hours from 'home'.

It had been an interesting day, if not also one that I had enjoyed. The day had started asas an excursion to the musuem at Covent Garden. Old buses, the loco of old and a tram the 'elephant' will never forget. Interesting, but rotuine.

What fascinated me was the social history and effort behind the system the museum was for, a system as vital to the jeweled city as the blood making my thoughts possible I wondered.

Tick, Pause, Tick, Pause, Tick, Pause.

There was also the plans that never came to be, the dead end routes, the lines unbuilt,
stations that have never seen a friendly face. My mind wandered and my head dipped...

Tick, Pause, Tick Pause, Tick Pause, Tick.

Something had changed, and I move my head back up. The station was as it had been
a few moment before but something had changed. If anything the station seemed
as though a bright glow had extinguished the background hum of the lights. Yet the
station seemed brighter than before.

Tick, Pause, Tick, Pause, Pause , Pause, Pause, Tick,

It was as if things had slowed, although in a sense I was not concerned, Alone at night on an empty platform
your mind plays tricks. Yet the hand on the clock was definitely moving at a slower pace.

Tick, Pause,pause, pause, Tick , Pause, pause, pause, pause, Tick..

I stood up as I heard a rumble, a train I thought. Yet my thoughts disagreed, for this rumble was not the train it expected. A rumble seemed to coming from within the air in the station itself..

Tick Pause...

I waited for the tick but it never came and I began to wonder what was going on, for a clock to stop is not unusual but to slow and seize as a rumble overtook it..

The rumble deepened, and a metalic clang rang mournfully through the tracks. Obviously a train. And still the clock did not sound it's beat for the clock still not sound it's beat...

My thoughts agreed, for as I stood on the deserted platform a train came out of tunnel. Yet even this was not the train expected. For no train expected had 5 lights on it's cab frontage and a dark red finish.....

Alex that's fascinating... great stuff! Maybe you could write a 'stream of consciousness' novel, something like 'Memoirs of a Lost Tube Station Detective' (seemingly in the style of Hugo Manniing's "This Room Before Sunrise") - I'm loving your narrative style

p.s. this means a detective of lost tube stations, not a tube-station detective who's lost