Delighted
The seat’s plush, velvet cushion fit perfectly into the curve of her back. Seeing everyone else dressed so nicely filled her with concern until she realized she was also wearing a cream-colored, silk jumpsuit with a plunging neckline.
“Would you like some chocolate?” A cart covered in various hues emitted scents of cinnamon, orange, and mint. Ellie picked a square, light green chocolate and smiled when she tasted matcha.
She didn’t remember how she got here, but the only reasonable explanation was that she was dead or in limbo. Her chest tightened thinking about everything she didn’t have the chance to do. Scuba diving in a coral reef. Hiking in Prague. Eating authentic pasteis de nata.
At that thought, the creamy egg tart appeared on a plate in her hands, complete with powdered sugar on top. Yep, this was heaven. Or something like that. Powdered sugar had fallen on her chest, but when she went to brush it away, it was already gone.
Stars lit the pitch black sky, and a series of stucco apartments lined a road to the left of the tracks. She always loved trains. Driving made her insane, which was part of the reason she moved to New York when she could finally afford it. Oh, god, did I die in public?
She was a writer, so her schedule was different every day, and her shit memory meant she rarely remembered anything, including what she ate for breakfast. Was this lapse in memory the train or her brain? She didn’t know.
Another attendant pushed a cart with beverages towards her. Sparkling waters, sodas, champagne, and juice were some of the available options. She asked for a vodka cranberry and sipped it while trying to remember what led to her untimely demise. Upturned eyes admired the art on the ceiling of the car. Gold paint cradled scenes of gods and monsters in cloudy skies, not unlike the Italian frescoes she had also wanted to see someday.
Fingers of frost began to sprawl over her window. She pressed her hand to it, wondering if she could still feel the cold, and the seal on her memory tore as she touched the glass.
“No, no, no, no, no!” She groaned. No one on the train seemed to mind.
The wind had picked up and temperatures had dipped after a big snowfall, but that didn’t stop her from going out. She had a new pair of fashion boots to break in. Were they practical? No. But they were cute.
There was so much snow but the sidewalks seemed clear. She only meant to step off the curb, but the hidden ice sent her superman-ing in front of a sedan.
Well. The train was bigger than her apartment, and her favorite foods appeared out of nowhere. Was it wrong to feel delighted about being dead?
