The old train station had been silent for years.
Trains used to run here every day. People got on, got off, said goodbye, came back. But now everything was different. The tracks were rusty, the station building half decayed, and the clock above the entrance had been stuck at 14:37 for a long time.
Jonas had known this place his whole life.
He lived with his mother just a few streets away. As a small child, he had often been here with her when she had to pick someone up. Back then, he found it exciting to watch the many people. Today it was quiet. Too quiet.
“Don’t go there,” his mother had always said. “There’s nothing left.”
But Jonas didn’t believe that.
That afternoon he stood again in front of the old fence. It was now so rusty that some bars were missing. You could simply slip through.
Jonas hesitated briefly.
Then he did it.
The gravel crunched under his shoes as he slowly walked across the grounds. It smelled of damp wood, dust, and a little oil. The wind moved a loose sheet of metal on the roof, which rattled at irregular intervals.
“Just a quick look,” Jonas murmured quietly.
He didn’t really know why he was here himself. Maybe out of boredom. Maybe because he wanted to feel that there were still places not completely planned out.
The entrance door of the station was ajar.
That was new.
Jonas stopped and looked around. No one was there. No footsteps, no voices. Only the wind.
Slowly he pushed the door further open.
It squeaked loudly.
Inside it was darker than expected. The light came only through some broken windows. Dust lay everywhere on the floor, and old, faded timetables hung on the walls.
Jonas stepped cautiously inside.
The room was bigger than he remembered. On the left had been the ticket counter. Now the glass was cracked, and scattered papers lay behind it.
He stepped closer.
On one of the notes was still a time:
14:37 – Platform 2
Jonas frowned.
The clock outside…
It showed exactly that time.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
“Coincidence,” he said quietly.
But his voice didn’t sound very convinced.
Suddenly he heard a noise.
A dull clicking.
Jonas spun around.
It came from the back part of the building, where the offices had been.
He held his breath.
That noise again.
Click.
This time a bit louder.
Jonas knew exactly that he should leave now. Any normal person would have left.
But he stayed.
Slowly he put one foot in front of the other and walked down the narrow hallway. The floor creaked with every step.
At the end of the hallway was a half-open door.
Behind it was almost completely dark.
Jonas pushed the door open carefully.
The room behind was small. Maybe it had been an office. An old desk stood in the middle, next to it a tipped-over chair.
And on the desk lay something.
A single key.
It was made of metal, somewhat tarnished, but clearly recognizable. A small tag hung from it.
Jonas stepped closer.
His heart beat faster.
He leaned forward and read the inscription.
Platform 2 – Maintenance
At the same moment he heard a sound outside.
A deep, distant rumble.
Like a train.
Jonas froze.
That couldn’t be.
No train had run here for years.
The rumbling grew louder.
Very slowly he turned toward the door.
And without really knowing why, he reached for the key.