Where The Tracks End

Chapter 5

I began swimming over to the exit. I looked over my shoulder and was relieved to see Suzie paddling after me. Once I reached the hatch, I began pushing against it, trying to get it open. The water was so deep that my toes couldn't touch the bottom of the train anymore.

"Come on, come on..." I muttered as I rammed my shoulder into the metal. I spied Suzie chasing more fish. "Suzie!" I cried. "Help!" She stopped at once and swam over to me. Now she seemed to know what I was doing. Suzie slammed herself into the door of the hatch, and now, with both of us pushing, I heard the hatch give a squeaky reluctant sigh as it opened slowly.

But the water was right up to my chin now, and in a few more minutes, the whole ditch would be underwater. "Push!" I gasped.  I closed my eyes and held my breath as the hatch opened enough for Suzie and I to get through. I hooked one hand over the edge of the door frame and the other one around Suzie's middle. Then I hauled us out of the water and into the train.

I put Suzie down and slammed the door shut, so that the water couldn't get in. The force of the heavy door vibrated the cabin. Suzie whined. She hated loud noises. "It's okay." I told myself more than her. "Um...we just need to get to the back of the train. Then we can get out through the door, instead of going through a window and jumping from the roof. Come on, Sue." She padded after me, dripping wet, as we made out way along the side of the train. It looked like such a Topsy-turvy world, with the seats growing out of the side, and the baggage compartments on the other. Most of the glass we walked over was shattered, but still in place. It looked to me like I was walking on a pretty spider web. 

But some of the glass was in good condition, and Suzie and I took this as a chance to stop and peer at the flattened grass that had been squished under the train's weight. Then I noticed something. Hanging out of the baggage compartment, I could make out a small, red figure. It was my bag! I moved faster, with Suzie behind me, and made it to my old backpack. I picked it up and looked it over. Amazingly, it was unharmed. I looked inside. The same could not be said for my phone. It's screen was shattered and it was broken in half. Different coloured cords lay stretched out between the pieces, and some of the green chips had fallen out. 

"Looks like we can't call for help." I sighed, looking at the remains. I didn't dare touch it. I knew that broken things can electrocute you. I looked out the window above us. It was getting dark, and there was no way we could get out in pitch-black darkness. Luckily, I brought my blue torch, but I knew that it would be difficult trying to juggle Suzie and a torch and try to climb out of a flipped train. I turned on the light, mounted my back pack on my  back and gestured for Suzie to follow me. I sat down in the corner between a chair and the wall and turned out the light. "We just have to wait." I murmured as Suzie stretched herself out beside me.

Suzie sighed into her paws. Her mistress was sitting here, and Suzie knew it was because she could not see. But she had brought the light-maker, surely they could continue with it? But Mistress must have her reasons, Suzie thought. She suddenly straightened up. What was that? Someone was moving towards them. Suzie could hear them. She stood up and moved in front of her Mistress, growling softly. Mistress sounded worried as she spoke. Suzie couldn't understand her, but she knew that Mistress was asking what was wrong. Suzie stepped forward in the direction of the footsteps. But she stopped growling at once when a tiny girl holding a large teddy bear appeared around the seat. Suzie could smell that she was frightened.