train

“And this is how you found them?”

“Yes, Sir. All 24 cars. Just like this.”

“Do we know the cause of death?”

“Oh, they’re not dead sir. They’re asleep. Or in a coma. We’re not quite sure. We just can’t wake them up.”

Ian Black surveyed the scene before him. It was eerie, even for him. Hundreds of passengers falling asleep at the same time, they said. No wonder they had called for him.

“They say you’re a specialist,” the chirpy young thing beside him said. “They say you deal with this sort of stuff all the time. Supernatural stuff. Magic.”

Ian ignored him, inspecting one of the passengers.

“Is this going to be like in the fairy tales? Are we going to have to kiss them awake or something?”

Ian raised an eyebrow at the kid, who shrugged, embarrassed. They were getting young these days.

“Well, kid,” Ian said. “If it comes to that, I’ll know who to call. In the mean time, make yourself useful. Go--"

Then everything went dark.

sent October 2012

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