... One day, you’ll board the right train, and it will take you to a place where you’ve long been awaited... NN
Prologue
Thump-thump... Thump-thump... Thump-thump... The wheels of the train clatter rhythmically as they carry me away from this city. I’m lying on the top bunk, a pillow tucked under my chest, my chin resting on it. Tears pool in my eyes, and inside, everything tightens with longing and pain.
My compartment neighbors—an elderly couple—have already settled down for the night. The old woman tried to feed me some fragrant cabbage pies. Out of politeness, I took one, but I couldn’t swallow even a bite. There’s a lump stuck in my throat.
I couldn’t imagine how to go on living, what to do next. Tonight, I just bought a ticket for the next train out. I didn’t care where it was headed, as long as it was far away from here, out of this city, out of this country!
If I had the chance, I’d go somewhere with no one around, or maybe even to a city that doesn’t exist on any map in the world. At the ticket counter of the small train station in our little town of Karasun, perched on the banks of the Black River, I asked for a one-way ticket on the earliest train. The young, dark-haired woman behind the counter gave me a mysterious smile and, without asking anything else, printed my ticket. Placing it in front of me, she said:
– "Karasun to Debren. Car 7, Seat 12, departure at 9:00 PM from Platform 1."
I didn’t even ask where this Debren was. The name was unfamiliar, and honestly, I didn’t care where I’d end up. I’d figure it out when I got there. If a train goes there, people must live there. I handed over the money for the fare, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and headed to the platform she’d mentioned...
...Heavy raindrops slide down the windowpane. Trees and buildings flash by outside. Memories of happier days swarm in my mind, days when everything was good, when I was content. What’s next? What else does cruel fate have in store for me? Why did I have to endure the loss of the man I loved, who betrayed me and took everything I had?
I have nothing left. And no one... My heart is shattered, my soul torn to pieces. But I still hold onto a sliver of hope that in this strange town of Debren, I might be able to start a new life. Music plays through my headphones, but I don’t register the words. I just stare out the train window into the night, watching the rivulets of rain trickle down the glass...