Mistica Chronicles


Welcome to Issue 47

Theory Winning Entry

Slam. The crashing sound of luggage in the compartment overhead of Bea awoke her from dreams of sunny days and beach parties. A moment ago she had been sipping on lemonade and watching white-tipped waves lick white sands. Now, she was staring out a rain-smeared window, slightly smudged from where her forehead had rested upon it, watching the winding train tracks disappear into the darkness of night.

"Next st-Bzzz… Ban-Bzz… Swamp…. Please, take-Bzz luggage and watch the g-Bzzzzzz." Announced the train guard over a broken intercom system. Bea liked to think of train announcements as a foreign language. Not everyone could understand them, but spend enough time traveling, and you eventually learn to make sense of the static and fragmented words.

There was rustling of feet and squeaky seats at the back of the already almost empty car, as the train rounded another turn and began to slow. Bea stood, stretched, and grabbed her tote bag out from the overhead luggage compartment, just as the train came to a screeching stop.

The doors slid open, and the train car unloaded onto the damp and dark platform. Bea hopped a puddle, and stepped beneath the platform overhang to escape the downpour. Finding a slightly wet bench seat, she slumped down on it and dug through her bag to find her phone. As she pulled it out from beneath a pair of socks, a message lit up the screen, "Running late. Be there in ten. ~Aunt Molly"

Bea sighed loudly, though there was no longer anyone around to hear. The platform had already cleared out, leaving only her, an overfilled trashcan, and a flickering lamppost.

Bea took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the wet air. She hated Banshee Swamp. She hated the wetness, the darkness, and the emptiness. She hated spending every Fall with her aunt, unable to go for a walk outside without getting muddy and bug bitten.

As she sat on the platform, wallowing in self-pity, Bea’s phone lit up yet again.

"Hey, Bea!!! You here yet? Have you seen the new stores on Banshee Lane already? I can’t wait to see you! Call me whenever you get settled back at your Aunt's, and we can go hiking or shopping or whatever you want!!! ~Your BFF, Terra"

As Bea read the long message from her childhood friend, she smiled. Another train screeched up to the platform, but Bea hardly noticed. She was too busy thinking about how much she loved being back at Banshee Swamp.