The Train That Stopped in a Field

Danae sits by the window on the afternoon train. She has a book and a small bag of nuts. Outside, the fields are green and quiet.

Suddenly the train slows down and stops. It stops in the middle of a field. There is no town and no station, only cows and grass.

A voice comes from the speaker. "A tree is on the line," it says. "We need two hours to move it. We are sorry."

Some people sigh. Others look at their phones. Danae eats a few nuts and looks around. Nobody has much food. The man across from her has one apple. A woman near the door has half a sandwich.

"We will all be hungry soon," the man says.

"Maybe we can share," Danae says. She stands up and puts her nuts on the little table. "Let's put everything here."

The man puts down his apple. The woman brings her sandwich. A boy has a bag of grapes. A tall woman has bread and a big piece of cheese.

Then a man called Radek opens a box. Inside is a birthday cake. "It is for my sister," he says. "But the party is tomorrow. She will understand."

Everyone laughs. Soon the table is full of food. People from other seats come to look. They bring more things: crackers, oranges, a bottle of juice.

Danae finds a knife in her bag. She cuts the cake into twelve pieces. She gives the first piece to the boy.