Tunnel Vision

The sudden swerve of motion jostled her from a deep sleep. Darkness. She was moving. Her head felt as if it were entombed in a mass of cotton wool. She felt sick. She opened her eyes, but her vision only provided a blur of watery haze. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head to remove the grogginess that seemed to have overtaken her. She opened her eyes again. A sudden brightness filled her dilated pupils, shooting adrenaline through her body. She turned her gaze to the right. Tiny pictures flashed like an old film reel projecting images on a screen. Frame...by frame...by frame. She was on a train! A fast-moving train! What in the hell was she doing on a train? More importantly, HOW did she get on a train and WHY?

She surveyed the compartment as the flickering images of trees and landscape passed. There was a man slumped in the seat opposite her. His head rested on the bolster cushion that leaned against one of the windows. He looked as though he was sleeping. At least she hoped he was asleep. She stood, steadying herself against the motion of the train. Still woozy and disoriented, she grasped the handrail fastened on the wall. She glanced once again at the man opposite her. She could see the rise and fall of his chest and hear the faint murmur of his breath. Okay, so he was breathing. And, yes, he was sleeping. He was also strikingly handsome from what she could see of his face.

Taking her eyes away from the stranger, she looked more carefully at her surroundings. A small but elegant table stood underneath the middle window of the three large ones that occupied the compartment. She observed that, rather than seats or chairs, there were two settees that were comfortable enough for two people. Each appeared to have the option of being converted into a lay-down bed. To her left was the door to the compartment that led to what she assumed to be the corridor. To the right of this door was another. She steadied herself and stepped to open the second door, revealing a small but well-appointed washroom complete with a shower. She was in a sleeping compartment – a very spacious and elegant sleeping compartment, she observed. But why? And why was HE there?

She looked again at the sleeping man. She felt as though she had seen him before, but the fog that still occupied her mind clouded her memory. In some vague way, his countenance gave her a feeling of recognition. “Have we met before?” The thought tinkered. She shook her head at the absurdity of it all, sat back down on the settee, and closed her eyes.

After collecting her thoughts for a while, she felt slightly less disoriented and was determined to get answers as to why and how she was there. She glanced around for her purse. It was nowhere in sight. She turned and groaned at the glimpse of her disheveled reflection in a full-length mirror, which hung between what appeared to be two wardrobe lockers. She opened the first. Hanging inside were some articles of men's clothing. A man's shaving kit and briefcase were on a shelf above the clothes. Behind the second door, she found some women's outfits that, although appropriately sized, were not hers. She found her purse and a small cosmetics case on the shelf above. She took the two items from the shelf and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Rifling through her purse in search of some clue as to what was going on and why, her efforts produced nothing...not even a train ticket. Angry, frustrated, and confused, she tossed her purse and the cosmetics case back onto the shelf in the wardrobe. Looking again at herself in the tall mirror, she smoothed the wrinkles in her cocktail dress that she was still wearing from the night before, tousled her hair, and stepped out of the compartment.

The corridor outside was empty; besides the steady droning and clacking of the train, there was no other sound. She began to move down the corridor toward the train's heading. She passed through the gangway connection leading to the next car...empty. It occurred to her that the first car where she had awakened and this one were sleeping cars. She counted the number of compartments in the second car. Ten. There were five on either side of the corridor, each separated by large windows showcasing the quickly passing landscape of thickly wooded forest. She continued toward the next car, a sense of bewildered anxiety building through her.

As the door to the third car began to open, she heard, for the first time on this train, the sound of people's voices. She stepped into what she presumed to be the lounge car. There, she found people gathered in small groups; some were mingling about the car, while a couple of men were seated in lounge chairs and staring blankly out of the windows. The clacking sound of the train's movement was suddenly replaced by lively conversation, laughter, and ice tinkling in cocktail glasses. A familiar jazz tune played in the background. As a matter of fact, some of the faces in the small crowd appeared familiar as well. She stepped further into the lounge car, grateful for the ambient noise of actual people rather than the monotonous droning of the train. But that music...what was it? It was lively but, in a way, hypnotic.

"Dave Brubeck!" She exclaimed, causing a few people near her to cast a surprised look in her direction.

"Oh... you know...Dave Brubeck and his famous 'Take Five' number? I love this piece." She said nonchalantly to the group. They nodded, smiled, and returned to their conversation.

"Isabella? Isabella Russo? Is that you? Oh good. It IS you!" An excited female voice called out.

Isabella turned to see a well-dressed woman in her late fifties approaching her, a broad smile on her face and a Bloody Mary in her hand.

"Oh good! I'm so glad to have caught up with you finally! I wanted to chat with you at last night's reception, but you know how those meet-and-mingle things go. There's always someone grabbing onto you, trying to introduce you to someone or another." She waved her hand in a dismissive motion while accompanying the gesture with a roll of her eyes and a sip of her drink.

"Oh! Hello, uh, yes. I’m sorry, but have we m..." Isabella's startled response went unnoticed as the woman continued.

"But now, finally, maybe you and I will be able to have a decent conversation with fewer people around. I'm Deanna, by the way. You know, I've been wanting to..." Isabella returned Deanna’s interruption with a soft touch to the woman's forearm.

"Yes, that would be wonderful, I'm sure. But first, can you tell me when the next train stop is? I seem to have misplaced my schedule." Isabella tried to keep the desperation from her voice.

"Next stop?" The woman laughed. "The next stop is our final destination, of course! Surely you saw that on your invitation? It was included in your conference welcome packet. Oh well, no matter. I gather that there are only a few of us who were invited. And we just happen to be among the lucky few! So, there are only twenty or so of us, and there are no stops aside from that of the final destination, and no one knows what that is! So, I suppose you could call it a surprise! Or a mystery? The Mystery Train! Isn't it a thrill? Cheers to the Mystery Train and to those few who have been invited on board!" She raised her glass to her lips and finished the remainder of her cocktail.

“Oh! Look! There’s Everett!” She squealed, pointing at a tall, thin, gray-haired man in a slightly disheveled suit.

“Everett? Oh, Everett? I’ve been wanting to chat with you.” She trailed after the man, leaving her cocktail glass on a nearby table

Now even more confused, Isabella began to try to piece things together. The mystery man, the mystery train, the chosen group of people invited on some lunatic trip to an unknown destination, the inexplicable reason for her presence here...

A single chime interrupted her thoughts, followed by a pleasant but automated female voice.

"Attention, dear guests, we hope you have enjoyed your brunch. Please be advised that we will approach a tunnel in approximately 10 minutes. As per safety requirements, we remind you that all guests must return to their compartments until the train has passed safely through the tunnel. Two chimes will indicate that it is safe to move about the train once again. While between tunnels, we encourage you to take advantage of the wonderful on-board amenities. These include an exercise car, a spa car, a bistro car, and a two-story observation lounge where you can enjoy the magnificent scenery.

Please remember that three chimes will sound at 6 o'clock, indicating the beginning of our evening dining service. Pre-dinner cocktails will be served in the lounge at 6:15, and dinner will follow at 7 o'clock in the dining car. Please indicate your choice of entree and place your menu selection placard outside your compartment door. Thank you."

The pleasant female robot's voice was punctuated by the last saxophone notes of Take Five as the occupants of the lounge car exited through the gangway connection.

**********

Isabella followed the last of the so-called guests through the car connection and observed as each approached their respective compartment door, opened it, and disappeared inside. The sound of mumbled words and softly closing doors reminded her of a 'lights out' policy at summer camp. She passed through the connection to the second sleeper car and found the compartment door she had exited a while ago. She glanced at her watch. It was 1:15 in the afternoon.

She opened the compartment and sighed as she rested her back against the compartment door. She was turning to fasten the lock on the door when a second door from within the compartment opened abruptly. A startled gasp escaped her lips as she swung around, nearly crashing into the man emerging from the washroom. Both stunned, they stared incredulously at one another.

"You!" They said simultaneously, each pointing a finger at the other.

"Isabella!" His exclamation came out as a loud whisper. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, whoever you are. As for me, I have no idea what I'm doing here, nor do I know how I got here! Unless you had something to do with it!" She hissed a suspicious whisper, her eyes narrowing to an angry stare.

"Unless I had something to do with it?" He tossed his towel back onto the wash basin with a snarl.

"Yes! YOU!" She raised her voice. "How else would I have found myself in this place...on this train! You were the last person I spoke with last night at the reception! And then, suddenly, I find myself on this train, in a sleeping compartment, with a man I had just met! I think you might..."

"Shhh. Lower your voice!” He put a hand to her mouth, cutting her tirade short.

“I don't know why you’re here either, but I have a feeling I know why I’m here! Now, if you will shut up for a little bit, maybe we can come up with some answers with a little less hysteria?”

She pushed his hand away from her face and hissed. “Fine! I’ll whisper! Is that better? And don’t you ever touch me again, Mr. … Mr. …”

“Kovaleski.”

“Ok, Mr. Kovaleski. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Kovaleski?” She plinked out each syllable of his name.

“Yes. But it’s Doctor.” He corrected. She rolled her eyes and made a pfft sound with her lips.

“It’s Doctor Alexander Kovaleski. For now, anyway.” The melancholy in his voice stopped her before she could offer another snarky comment.

“For now?”

Two chimes sounded, and the pleasant female automated voice indicated that they had emerged from the tunnel and that it was safe to move through the train again.