Read, Write, English!

It was a cold winter evening when Ella found herself stranded at a small, dimly lit train station. The snow outside had fallen in thick, heavy sheets, and her train had been delayed for hours. Inside the waiting room, a quiet hum of chatter filled the air, but the warmth of the room couldn’t shake the chill from her bones. She pulled her coat tighter around herself and gazed longingly at the door, wishing she could be at home by the fireplace with a cup of tea, far from the cold and uncertainty of the evening.

The station was crowded with weary travelers, some pacing, others hunched over their phones, trying to pass the time. The sound of a distant clock ticking seemed louder than usual, and the fluorescent lights flickered intermittently, casting a cold glow across the room. As Ella leaned back against the bench, her eyes wandered across the room, taking in the various faces and their quiet frustrations. Then, something caught her attention.

Sitting alone on a bench near the far wall, an elderly man looked out the window, his expression distant and thoughtful. He wore a worn-out coat, frayed at the edges, and a faded scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. In his hands, he clutched a battered suitcase, its leather peeling at the corners. The man’s gaze was soft but sad, and something about him felt… out of place, as though he had been there far longer than anyone else, like a fixture of the station itself. Ella couldn’t quite place it, but she felt drawn to him.

After a moment of hesitation, curiosity won over, and she stood up, making her way across the room. The noise around her seemed to fade as she walked toward him, her footsteps muffled by the carpeted floor. When she reached the bench, she hesitated again, unsure if she should disturb him. Finally, she gathered her courage.

“Excuse me,” she said, her voice gentle. “Is it all right if I sit here?”

The man looked up at her, his eyes warm but tired. He smiled faintly, nodding. “Of course,” he said, his voice gravelly but kind.

Ella sat down beside him, and they both fell into a comfortable silence. The sound of the train station announcements echoed in the background, but it felt distant and irrelevant in the quiet bubble the two of them had created. Time passed slowly. Ella glanced out the window at the swirling snowflakes and then at the man again, who seemed deep in thought.

After a while, she decided to strike up a conversation. “Are you traveling far?” she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

The man’s faint smile never wavered. “Not far. Just to the next town. I’m visiting my daughter,” he said, his voice carrying a quiet sense of pride. “She doesn’t know I’m coming. It’s a surprise.”

Ella smiled back, her heart warming at the thought. “That’s sweet. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”

The man nodded, but there was a heaviness to his response. He didn’t say much else, and Ella noticed how tightly he gripped his suitcase, as though it held something far more precious than mere belongings. There was a look of anticipation in his eyes, but also a deep sadness, as if he were waiting for something he couldn’t quite reach.

Before Ella could ask about the suitcase or anything else, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: her train was finally arriving. She sighed, gathering her things, and stood up.

“Thank you for keeping me company,” the man said as he slowly stood to leave. His voice was soft, but there was a depth to it, a gratitude that lingered in the air between them.

Ella nodded and smiled, giving him a final glance as she turned to board her train. She waved, and the man waved back, his hand moving slowly in the dim light. She took a seat by the window, watching as the train began to pull away from the station. As the train picked up speed, she glanced back one last time, expecting to see him still standing there, watching her leave.

But there was no sign of him.

Ella’s brow furrowed in confusion. She looked all around the station, searching for the elderly man, but she didn’t see him anywhere. The platform was empty. Had she imagined it? No, she remembered his kind face too clearly—the warmth in his smile. He had been there, sitting right next to her. But as the station disappeared in the distance, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Weeks later, Ella found herself passing through the same train station on another trip. As she waited for her next train, she couldn’t help but think back to that strange encounter. She went up to one of the station workers, a man who had been there during her last visit, and mentioned the elderly man she had met.

She described him in detail: the worn-out coat, the old suitcase, the quiet, kind demeanor. The worker’s face softened as she spoke, and when she finished, he nodded slowly.

“That sounds like Mr. Hargrove,” he said, his voice filled with quiet reverence. “He used to wait here every week, hoping to see his daughter. But… he passed away years ago.”

Ella felt a chill run down her spine. The world seemed to tilt slightly, as if the ground beneath her wasn’t quite as steady as it had been moments before. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of what she had heard. Mr. Hargrove? Had she really seen him? Or had it been something else?

The worker’s voice brought her back to the present. “I’m sorry to tell you this, miss. But Mr. Hargrove was an old man, a kind soul. He came here for years, waiting for a daughter who never arrived. He always hoped for that reunion, but it never came.” The worker’s gaze softened. “He’s been gone for a while now.”

Ella stood in silence, her thoughts whirling. She never saw Mr. Hargrove again, but she would always remember his kind smile, the warmth of their brief conversation, and the way he had spoken of his daughter. Whether he had been a real person or a spirit, she couldn’t say for sure. But the encounter left a lasting mark on her heart.

Sometimes, Ella thought, even a stranger could leave a lasting impact on someone else’s life—whether through a kind word, a shared moment of connection, or simply being in the right place at the right time. And in the cold, silent world of the train station, she had learned a valuable lesson: that kindness and love often transcend time and place.