Midnight Train -Shahin Reza

The clock struck midnight as the last train of the day pulled into Ravenwood Station. A thick fog blanketed the town, and the station was eerily silent. The few passengers who boarded the train had no idea that this journey would change their lives forever.

Thirteen-year-old Adam and his younger sister, Sara, clutched their tickets tightly as they stepped onto the train with their Uncle Ray, a historian with an interest in mysteries. Their parents had sent them to spend the holidays in Silverwood, a small town a few hours away. But little did they know, this train ride would take them on an adventure unlike any other.

The siblings settled into their seats near the window. Outside, the fog grew denser, and soon, the platform disappeared from view. The train whistled and lurched forward. Adam and Sara watched as Uncle Ray flipped through an old leather journal, scribbling notes. He had been talking about a strange legend—the Midnight Train Mystery—for days.

Legend had it that exactly fifty years ago, a train disappeared while crossing the Ironclad Bridge, never to be seen again. No wreckage, no survivors, no sign of what happened. Just gone, as if swallowed by the night. Uncle Ray believed the train was somehow connected to a secret hidden deep in the hills beyond Ravenwood.

As the train picked up speed, Adam leaned back and listened to the rhythmic clatter of the wheels. But soon, something strange happened. The train jerked suddenly, the lights flickered, and a chilling wind blew through the compartments. The overhead lamps dimmed, casting long shadows.

“Did you feel that?” Sara whispered, gripping Adam’s arm.

Before he could answer, the train screeched to a halt. The passengers murmured nervously. Outside, the thick fog swirled, but the most unsettling thing was—there was no station, no tracks, just endless mist.

The conductor, a tall man with piercing eyes, stepped into their compartment. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced, “we seem to have encountered… an unexpected delay. Please remain in your seats.”

But Uncle Ray didn’t listen. He stood up and signaled Adam and Sara to follow. “Something isn’t right,” he muttered. “Stay close.”

The trio crept toward the front of the train. The air felt heavier, as if the train had entered a different world. The farther they walked, the stranger things became. The walls seemed older, rusted, and the seats were covered in dust—as if the train had been abandoned for years.

Then they saw it. A nameplate, hanging crookedly above a compartment door. Adam wiped off the dust and read the words aloud: Silverwood Express – 50th Anniversary Special

Sara’s eyes widened. “The train that vanished fifty years ago?”

Uncle Ray’s face turned pale. “That’s impossible.”

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the empty carriage. “Help us…”

Adam spun around. There was no one there. Just rows of empty seats.

“Who said that?” Sara asked, her voice trembling.

The whisper came again, clearer this time. “Find the pocket watch… before it’s too late.”

A cold shiver ran down Adam’s spine. Uncle Ray dug into his coat pocket and pulled out his journal. He flipped through the pages until he stopped at an old newspaper clipping. It was about a conductor named Mr. Callahan, who was aboard the missing train. The article mentioned a golden pocket watch that was said to control time.

Sara gasped. “Do you think that’s the key?”

“Only one way to find out,” Uncle Ray said. “We need to check the conductor’s cabin.”

They rushed toward the front, but as they reached the door, a shadow loomed over them. A man in a faded conductor’s uniform stood there, his face hidden beneath the brim of his hat.

“You should not be here,” he said in a hollow voice.

Adam mustered his courage. “We just want to help.”

The conductor slowly raised his hand—and in his palm lay a golden pocket watch. “If this watch strikes one… the train will vanish again, forever.”

The watch’s hands were moving unnaturally fast. They had only minutes left.

Thinking quickly, Sara remembered something she had read in Uncle Ray’s journal. “The legend says the watch was a gift… and that only the rightful owner can control its power.”

Adam looked at the newspaper clipping again. There was an old photograph of Mr. Callahan, wearing the same uniform as the ghostly conductor before them.
“You’re Mr. Callahan, aren’t you?” Adam asked. “This was your train.”

The ghostly conductor nodded solemnly. “I was the guardian of this train. But I made a terrible mistake. I turned the watch too soon, trapping us between time.”

Uncle Ray stepped forward. “Then you must set things right. Turn the watch back.”

Mr. Callahan hesitated, then slowly twisted the watch’s dial backward. A deep hum filled the air. The train shook violently, and a blinding light engulfed them. Adam shielded his eyes, gripping Sara’s hand tightly.

When the light faded, the train was back on its tracks, speeding toward Silverwood Station. The fog had lifted. The passengers were all safe in their seats, unaware of what had just happened. There was no sign of the ghostly conductor or the eerie, abandoned train.

Uncle Ray checked his watch. “It’s exactly midnight. As if nothing happened.”

Sara let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Did we really just… save the train?”

Adam smiled. “I think we did.”

As they stepped off at Silverwood Station, Adam noticed something in his pocket. He pulled it out and gasped.

It was a golden pocket watch, its hands frozen at midnight.

The legend was real.

And they had been a part of it.