All Sixteen Stops

Cinder Yard · EveningCarriage two is held while a foil tray of jollof is declared unclaimed or shared.A woman in scrubs under a coat has lifted her bag off the seat beside her.She says nobody has asked if it is free since the hospital doors.Ngozi Udeh Take the seat Marrow Street · Last trainQuiet carriage: a black scarf, a cinnamon bun, and a very low voice.She says she prompts singers who forget their lines, and she has the whole opera in her head.Lean closer, she says. It carries better that way.Clara Lindgren Take the seat Lamp Court · Wet nightWet floor near the doors. A yellow jacket is the cause.She cycles all year except when it rains, and tonight it rains.So the train is all you get of her, she says. Make it count.Sabela Ferreira Take the seat Signal Hill · DelayedWe apologise for the wait. The cause is known and will be shared in part.A woman in a uniform cap is eating a rice ball in the quiet carriage.She knows why the train stopped and tells you only the part she likes.Saki Hirano Take the seat Orchard Depot · First trainThe first train smells of bread. This is not an error.A paper bag of warm rolls sits on the rear seat, and she has been up all night.She offers you half and asks what you did with yours.Winifred Byaruhanga Take the seat Tannery Gate · Last trainPlease keep used tickets: some are being written on.A woman with a pencil stub works through a stack of them, line by line.She tears one off and hands it over, and it is already about you.Jadwiga Ostrowski Take the seat Bell Junction · EveningThe hum of this train is in the key of B flat. She has checked twice.She stands at the back with headphones around her neck and a small recorder running.Hold still, she says. You are an interesting overtone.Ayelet Barak Take the seat Low Gardens · Small hoursA head has lifted from a shoulder and is blinking at the map.Her cheek has a crease from a hoodie sleeve, and a cream puff survived the nap.She asks how many stops she missed and whether you stayed on purpose.Maelle Gautier Take the seat Foundry Row · EveningSunflower seeds may be eaten in this carriage if the shells are kept in a paper cone.A retired cab driver names each district as it slides past the glass.Ask her what happened on the street above, and bring a spare hour.Ljubica Pavlovic Take the seat Rook Square · Small hoursThe next station is the end of the line. Nobody has moved.An apron is stuffed in a bag and a stack of index cards names fish in two languages.Her shift ended an hour ago, and she says home can wait another stop.Mercedes Aguirre Take the seat Pale Lane · Last trainPlease do not lean on the viola case. It is not a seat.The carriage is empty and the case is open across her knees.She plays the opening bar softly, and then asks what you thought.Anneliese Krug Take the seat Kettle Cross · DelayedA woman is typing with both thumbs and deleting every other sentence.The paragraph about a stranger in the next seat has been rewritten twice.She reads the third version aloud and asks if it is accurate.Ronit Cohen Take the seat Old Mint · EveningFlowers are allowed on board but not on the floor, and these are on a lap.An armful of mixed stems is in a green coat's keeping.They are for nobody, she says. Then she slides one across to you.Brigitte Moreau Take the seat Hollow Quay · Small hoursCaution: a driver is travelling as a passenger and does not like it.Twenty years in the cab, and tonight she grips the rail in the seats behind it.She says the line looks different from the back, and so do you.Tanvi Kulkarni Take the seat Ninth Siding · Last trainAfter midnight mass the last train carries a faint Gloria.A flask of ginger tea warms her hands while she hums under her breath.Sit, she says. It is the only hour I get to hum in public.Rosemary Nnadi Take the seat Terminus · Small hoursStage crew are reminded that a coil of cable is not a scarf.She wears it anyway, and has a verdict on every show in the city.Tell her what you saw tonight, and she will tell you what it should have been.Mairead Nolan Take the seat