Taey Iohe
The latest arrival
Silence.
Zero How long since we’ve been waiting here?
Fall Hm. 45 minutes.
Zero Why?
Fall Crossing borders. They change the engine of the train.
Zero End of the train?
Fall No, engine. The engine and the driver.
Zero How would you know?
Fall I’ve been here before.
Zero I see.
Zero steps out into the platform to walk from the front of the train to the other end. Zero sees people asleep inside the carriage, some others climbing down too. Zero spoke to some people who wore uniforms. There were two different kinds.
Zero also sees two men across the platform, lying on the cement floor, closed eyes, relaxed arms. They must be basking in the heat. Zero looked about himself for a moment, and got back on board the train.
Fall Well?
Zero It’s not moving.
Fall No, we are not.
Zero What do we do?
Fall Wait.
Zero I know, but what if someone attacks us? Someone walking through the tunnel? All sort of people try to come through this way, you know.
Fall Train’ll move.
Zero You don’t find this tedious?
Fall We wait.
Zero But we are on their territory. They checked everyone’s papers already.
Fall You never know.
Zero Idiots.
Fall I need some sleep. It will move eventually.
Zero I mustn’t drift off. I’d better be awake to see what’s happening.
Fall It doesn’t matter, we are already on our way.
Fall closes his eyes.
Zero I can’t tell if we’re moving.
Silence. The bell of a church rings twice in the far distance. Fall stands up to stretch.
Noise.
Turn How long are we waiting here?
Moss 45 minutes.
Turn Why?
Moss On the border now, they change the head of the train.
Turn Head of the train?
Moss Yes, with engines and driver.
Turn How do you know this?
Moss I crossed the borders before.
Turn What happened then?
Moss I failed.
Turn tries to follow Moss closely, but playing on the tip of the rail. Turn thinks if he continues to walk without falling from the tip, he will make this journey. Turn puts his finger into his nose. Black gunk comes out. Two people he left behind, he tries to shake his head off to forget about it. By the end of this tunnel, there will be light, there will be a pond, there will be a trash with fresh fruit in it, there will be a large fabric I can cover myself at night, he thought.
Moss Come on.
Fall I can’t hear.
Moss Stop.
Fall It’s not moving.
Moss No, we are not.
Turn What do we do?
Moss Wait.
Turn I know, but what if someone attacks us? Someone tries to stop us to live?
Moss We will have dinner somewhere.
Turn You find it not tedious?
Moss We wait.
Turn I am hungry, I am tired, I am angry, I am sleepy.
Moss I know.
Turn (frown) idiots.
Moss We better carry on. We are not going back.
Turn When can I go back to my room again? I left my notebook there.
Moss We will never go back there, Turn.
Turn (following Moss closely again)...
Silence. The bell of church rings twice in far distance. Moss puts his dusty hand to Turn’s shoulder. A hint of light started to shine somewhere on the front. Not knowing whether that’s the threat or hope.
[end]
It is 50km to cross the channel between France and Britan through the tunnel, the train goes in 100 miles speed. Each year, a number of immigrants who attempt to cross the channel died.