by Drew Martin
It rained so hard last night, I thought the world was coming to an end. The rain was so intense that it flooded my dreams. I dreamed that I decided to take a train from California to Malaysia. The train started on land but quickly moved out into the stormy ocean. At first the tracks were just beneath the surface, and the train maintained traction, but then the tracks dropped off and the train whipped around in the twisted waters like an eel. The ride was harrowing and just when I thought we were goners, the train pulled into a station. The port was called Bonn but even though it seemed like a modern, German place, how could it be? It was nighttime when I stepped off the train. A light was on in a small house across the street, and a second-floor window revealed a young, naked, baltic couple taking a shower together. They turned out to be a scene playing on a large plasma television. I did not want to continue on the trip. I wanted to return, with hopes of making it back before midnight so I spoke to the conductor. She agreed to my request and offered to refund my ticket. She began to fumble rectangular coins in her purse but could not find the right amount. I expressed fear of going farther and she spoke about fatal voyages on this way that had earned special names. She recalled "The Flame" a train of homeless men, which caught on fire and sank. A young American woman also wanted to return, and it seemed certain that we would.