The Train of Discovery: Part 1

“One-way ticket to Haybale, Trout, please,” Tyler Golding said calmly to the cashier at the train station. After all these years, he would finally get an answer. 

The cashier, an old man with a scowl plastered on his face, gave Tyler his change. “Next!” he barked. Tyler said a quiet thank you and went to wait for the train. 

It was only eight in the morning, but it was already a scorching ninety degrees Fahrenheit. Tyler was glad to be taking a train with air conditioning. Feeling something leaking from his backpack, he discovered that the oil and steam from the beef and vegetable kebabs he bought were soaking through its paper takeout bag. The fourteen-year-old boy cursed under his breath, his chestnut-colored eyes scanning the surroundings for something to wrap his food in. His gaze settled on a stack of newspapers on a bench near him. Until he could transfer the kebabs to a container or get a plastic bag, they would have to do for now. 

A whistling sound began to fill the underground tunnel, signaling the arrival of the train. Smiling, Tyler knew that this was his chance to set things right and discover the truth. 

When Hazel Golding went to fetch her younger brother for breakfast, an empty bed greeted her. The covers were perfectly made, and Tyler’s school backpack was gone from its usual perch on the shelf near his desk. Fearing for the worst, Hazel ran throughout the house, looking for Tyler. There was no sign of her brother anywhere. 

“Dad! Tyler’s missing!” Hazel yelled. Mr. Golding ran out of his office into Tyler’s room. 

“Where is he?” he asked. Hazel gave an exasperated sigh. 

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be yelling for you!” 

This wasn’t the first time Tyler was discovered missing, but something about this moment was wrong. A note! Ty would always leave a note explaining where he went, Hazel thought. 

Mr. Golding ran down the hallway, picking up his keys from the fruit bowl that was situated on the cabinet next to the front door. “Did Tyler leave a note?” he asked. 

Hazel shook her head sideways. 

Mr. Golding’s annoyed look faded into a bothered gaze. “I’m driving around the neighborhood. He may not be that far off. Will you join?” 

His daughter nodded, and the two immediately exited out the door to search for Tyler. 

At the exact moment that the father-daughter pair stepped foot out the door, Tyler was preparing to board the train to Haybale. At the entrance, the conductor, whose name tag read Davey Summings, gave him a weird look. 

“Young man, aren’t you supposed to be in school?” asked Mr. Summings. 

Tyler froze. He hadn’t realized how out of place he would be when he took the train. “I’m older than I look,” Tyler flubbed. He was too close to the truth to be sent back home. 

To Tyler’s relief, Mr. Summings didn’t continue to pester him. No, the conductor’s attention was directed to a passenger behind Tyler. She had been carrying some Vieux-Boulogne, a type of strong-smelling cheese. Resisting the urge to gag, Mr. Summings told the passenger that she would need to throw it away or leave the train. By the time the issue was resolved, Tyler had already slipped into the compartment. 

Back at the house, Mr. Golding was worriedly pacing around. “I’m calling the cops,” Mr. Golding said. “Tyler normally leaves a note, but he didn’t this time. Did Tyler say anything to you before he went missing?” 

Hazel bit her lip. She had a feeling she knew the real reason why Tyler was gone. Could it be true? Hazel was sure that nobody would kidnap Tyler--besides, he would’ve made a racket if he was. But by the time the police had been notified and dispatched to their house, Hazel was twitching with unease. Could Tyler be finding her? 

Their mother, who abandoned them when they were barely two?