Okay time to get rolling. coffee is on and the day is starting. So it is prompt time before anyone wakes. Let’s get to it.
Somehow I see this leaning in a steam punk sort of direction. Not quite why, but I think it might work with an idea I had a while back…
Tuesday, October 10th: He waited for hours.
He waited for hours. There were no details with the letter. The letter merely stated that Aunt Elenor would be coming by train on the 8th and that someone needed to be at the station to meet her. That someone proved to be Michael.
With the letter the train schedule was looked up and he was dutifully sent to the station. There were several trains coming into Morrisville and coming from places where his Great Aunt could have boarded. There was no direct line so she would have to transfer. Michael was sent to the station with the list of possibilities and told to wait.
The first train came in and he stood, brushing himself off. He studied every face on every person leaving the train. None were his great Aunt. The train emptied, he sat down. He tried not to think of the plans he had to set aside for this task.
The next train came in and again he stood and dusted himself off. There was no actual dust but there were wrinkles from sitting too long in one position. Again, Elenor was not among the passengers exiting the train. Again he sat back down to wait.
When the letter came in he told the others to ring her and get a time at least, even if a train number wasn’t possible. He was told not to worry about it. He knew why. There were three main reasons in fact. The first was that they were not the ones sent to the station. He was. The second was that no one valued what he did. All of the things he spent his time on were considered hobbies, things to simply fritter his time away on. They weren’t important. He snorted to himself and shook his head.
He had plenty of thoughts regarding what they did think was important.
They were best kept to himself at the moment.
The third reason was quite simple. Elenor held the money. She administered the trust funds that they all loved off of and made sure that they received their interest. Anything they wanted to do outside of the normal scope of work required submitting the plans for her approval. They didn’t want to ask for details for fear of upsetting her.
He frowned as the third train came in. Once again he rose and waited. He was disappointed and sat.
The process continued until the final train came into the station. He stood, brushed himself down, making peace with the set in wrinkles and lost day. This time Eleanor did appear. She looked out of the door, saw him and smiled.
‘Good, you waited. Come,” she said. To his surprise she got back on the train. He followed the elderly woman onto the train thinking she brought something with her that she needed help carrying. This proved not to be the case. She settled herself back in the seat and motioned to the seat opposite herself.
As no one was boarding the last train out of the station, they had the carriage and indeed much of the entire train to themselves.
“I figured they would send you if if I was vague enough,” she said. She looked satisfied with herself.
“Vague?” he repeated as he sat down.
“You don’t think aby of them were going to wait in the station all day for half a dozen trains do you? There was the possibility they would be with you for the first one or two but after that I’d assumed they would leave. I planned on the third one but circumstances…” she waved her hand in the air. “Well. It’s done now. And now you are here. Let me look at you.” The train pulled into motion and he frowned.
Ten til Midnight 