The Last Train Home

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Speaker 1 Welcome to bedtime stories for everyone,

Speaker 1 in which

Speaker 1 nothing much happens.

Speaker 1 You feel good,

Speaker 1 and then you fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I'm Catherine Nikolai.

Speaker 1 I write and read all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens.

Speaker 1 Audio Engineering is by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week.

Speaker 1 And this week we are giving to Greyhound Pets, Inc.

Speaker 1 They work to find responsible, loving homes for greyhounds, to acquaint the public with the desirability of greyhounds as pets, and to help them adopt. You can learn more about them in our show notes.

Speaker 1 For an ad-free and bonus-filled version of this show, and to support the work we do, all for just a dime a day, we hope you'll consider becoming a premium subscriber.

Speaker 1 There's a link in our notes, and Spotify and Apple users can click the handy join button right on our show page. The first month is on us.

Speaker 1 Knowing a bit about how this works can help it work even better.

Speaker 1 So know that by listening to the steady sound of my voice, by attending

Speaker 1 even with just a small part of your brain

Speaker 1 to the shape of the story, We are giving your brain a job to do, and that keeps it from wandering and lets you drift off.

Speaker 1 I'll tell the story twice and I'll go a little bit slower the second time through.

Speaker 1 If you wake later in the night, don't hesitate to turn an episode back on.

Speaker 1 Over time,

Speaker 1 you'll find yourself falling asleep within seconds.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called The Last Train Home.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about a few moments at the end of a long day.

Speaker 1 It's also about dogwood flowers and sodium lights, a seat on a bench, the long summer twilight.

Speaker 1 a yawn that resets your system,

Speaker 1 and some soft, quiet time

Speaker 1 settled in with your fellow passengers

Speaker 1 it's time

Speaker 1 turn out your light set down anything you've been looking at or working on

Speaker 1 feel how good it is to be in bed

Speaker 1 to be at the end of your day

Speaker 1 you are safe

Speaker 1 you have done enough for the day

Speaker 1 and nothing remains but rest.

Speaker 1 Draw a deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh from your mouth.

Speaker 1 Again, breathe in

Speaker 1 and release it.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 The last train home

Speaker 1 It had been a long day,

Speaker 1 and it felt good to be nearly at the end of it.

Speaker 1 The bag slung over my shoulder

Speaker 1 felt a little heavier than it had when I set out this morning, though it was actually lighter,

Speaker 1 since my lunch pail was empty now,

Speaker 1 and my water bottle only had a few sips left in it.

Speaker 1 The air was cooling off

Speaker 1 as the sun slid further down the western sky.

Speaker 1 On the way into the station,

Speaker 1 I noticed the dogwoods in full bloom.

Speaker 1 Their star-shaped white flowers

Speaker 1 were just starting to drop petals.

Speaker 1 And when the breeze blew, a few showered down on the sidewalk below.

Speaker 1 I took the steps up and into the station.

Speaker 1 There were just a few others,

Speaker 1 and all of us carried the same energy.

Speaker 1 That end of the day quietude

Speaker 1 the morning zip converted into a lived in rhythm

Speaker 1 that had us ambling rather than rushing to the platforms.

Speaker 1 I found a bench near the tracks

Speaker 1 and set my bag down beside me.

Speaker 1 A long sigh left my lungs

Speaker 1 and I clasped my hands in my lap,

Speaker 1 looking out past the platforms

Speaker 1 and into the field beyond.

Speaker 1 Whipperwills gathered on a distant rooftop,

Speaker 1 and their calls echoed in the evening air.

Speaker 1 On a bench further down the platform,

Speaker 1 a man sat with a boy dressed in soccer gear, a ball on his lap.

Speaker 1 The boy leaned against his dad,

Speaker 1 who shifted to put one arm around him.

Speaker 1 He murmured some small joke that made the boy smile,

Speaker 1 and the smile turned into a long yawn.

Speaker 1 His eyelids drooped as he tipped his head on to his dad's shoulder.

Speaker 1 His yawn became my own,

Speaker 1 and I stretched my arms overhead,

Speaker 1 flipping my palms inside out

Speaker 1 and feeling my joints creak and pop.

Speaker 1 Pandiculation,

Speaker 1 I thought to myself, as I rolled my shoulders and settled back in

Speaker 1 to wait for my train.

Speaker 1 I'd looked it up a week or two before

Speaker 1 that kind of

Speaker 1 long

Speaker 1 and often involuntary stretch

Speaker 1 that makes you yawn and shiver and sometimes twist your face into funny shapes.

Speaker 1 I'd learned it had a name

Speaker 1 pandiculation

Speaker 1 and a purpose

Speaker 1 that it eases tension

Speaker 1 and helps your mind and body to sink back up after a period of inactivity

Speaker 1 which is why it hits us most in the mornings.

Speaker 1 It was also one of those things

Speaker 1 that our bodies did

Speaker 1 to help us close out stress cycles

Speaker 1 and return to neutral.

Speaker 1 Our bodies did a lot

Speaker 1 to protect us each day

Speaker 1 and learning about pandiculation

Speaker 1 made me even more grateful to mine.

Speaker 1 In the distance, the train whistle blew

Speaker 1 when I looked down the tracks

Speaker 1 to see the headlight of the front car rounding a bend.

Speaker 1 Vibrations rumbled up through the pavement

Speaker 1 and into the soles of my shoes.

Speaker 1 I sat,

Speaker 1 waiting a moment before I stood to board.

Speaker 1 Even though taking the train

Speaker 1 was a regular part of my day,

Speaker 1 I still felt a little thrill

Speaker 1 when the rush of air passed over me

Speaker 1 and the cars came to a stop.

Speaker 1 There was a soft hiss

Speaker 1 as the doors unlocked and slid back.

Speaker 1 I stood and reached for my bag

Speaker 1 and climbed aboard.

Speaker 1 The train was nearly empty.

Speaker 1 Just me,

Speaker 1 a few other commuters, and the soccer star and his dad.

Speaker 1 I settled into a window seat and propped my chin in my hand.

Speaker 1 The doors closed,

Speaker 1 and I felt the train rock backward

Speaker 1 and then forward

Speaker 1 as we set off.

Speaker 1 The tracks ran along a row of shops and cafes,

Speaker 1 and as we picked up speed

Speaker 1 I saw people shopping,

Speaker 1 talking on street corners,

Speaker 1 and eating at outdoor tables.

Speaker 1 There must have been a group bike ride happening.

Speaker 1 A dozen or more cyclists were riding with lighted helmets

Speaker 1 and flags on their baskets.

Speaker 1 Twilight was so long this time of year

Speaker 1 not like in winter

Speaker 1 when day turns to night, like a light switched off.

Speaker 1 There were angles that accounted for such things,

Speaker 1 but I'd also read that in summer

Speaker 1 the warmer air holds more particles,

Speaker 1 more moisture,

Speaker 1 and they scatter the remaining light,

Speaker 1 so that summer evenings feel brighter and more colorful.

Speaker 1 I thought it made sense.

Speaker 1 In the summer, I too wanted to stay up later.

Speaker 1 I smiled at the angled reflection of my face in the glass.

Speaker 1 I was looking out at the world through the faint image of myself.

Speaker 1 I remembered that that was nearly always the case,

Speaker 1 even when it wasn't so literally true as in this moment.

Speaker 1 We see the diners at the cafe,

Speaker 1 the shoppers in the window,

Speaker 1 our fellow travelers, all of them, refracted just a little

Speaker 1 through our own hopes and history.

Speaker 1 I leaned back in my seat

Speaker 1 as we passed through a short tunnel.

Speaker 1 I closed my eyes and felt the brief flash of each passing light on my face.

Speaker 1 The tracks curved, and I let the momentum rock me in my seat.

Speaker 1 My stop was coming up.

Speaker 1 I was so used to this stretch of road that my body knew it before my mind did,

Speaker 1 and I found myself taking a few deep breaths

Speaker 1 and reaching for my bag

Speaker 1 before the train began to slow.

Speaker 1 Almost home, I thought,

Speaker 1 as the station came into sight.

Speaker 1 I nodded to the soccer player and his dad

Speaker 1 as I stepped off the train,

Speaker 1 hoping they only had one more stop to go.

Speaker 1 I passed through the station and came out on to the street in the purple light of dusk.

Speaker 1 A patch of lilies grew in the flower bed at the corner,

Speaker 1 and their scent stood out in the night air.

Speaker 1 So sweet I imagined every honey bee within five miles was in love with them.

Speaker 1 A row of street lamps turned on overhead as I made my way up the block toward home.

Speaker 1 The faint buzz, an orange glow

Speaker 1 of their sodium light

Speaker 1 made warm pockets on the sidewalk.

Speaker 1 From inside the houses on either side of the street,

Speaker 1 I heard the laugh tracks of TV shows,

Speaker 1 the chorus of music, and the low voices of conversation.

Speaker 1 A calico cat watched me from the top of a porch pier,

Speaker 1 her tail wrapped around her ample body.

Speaker 1 The lights were on in my house,

Speaker 1 and I smiled in the dark.

Speaker 1 I hoped there might be a plate in the oven for me,

Speaker 1 and a place waiting at the table.

Speaker 1 Another day was done,

Speaker 1 and I was home.

Speaker 1 The last train home.

Speaker 1 It had been a long day,

Speaker 1 and it felt good

Speaker 1 to be nearly at the end of it.

Speaker 1 The bag slung over my shoulder

Speaker 1 felt a little heavier than it had when I set out this morning,

Speaker 1 though it was actually lighter,

Speaker 1 since my lunch pail was empty now,

Speaker 1 and my water bottle

Speaker 1 only had a few sips left in it.

Speaker 1 The air was cooling off

Speaker 1 as the sun slid further down the western sky.

Speaker 1 On the way into the station,

Speaker 1 I noticed the dogwoods in full bloom.

Speaker 1 Their star-shaped white flowers

Speaker 1 were just starting to drop petals.

Speaker 1 And when the breeze blew,

Speaker 1 a few

Speaker 1 showered down

Speaker 1 onto the sidewalk below.

Speaker 1 I took the steps up

Speaker 1 and into the station.

Speaker 1 There were just a few others,

Speaker 1 and all of us carried the same energy

Speaker 1 that end-of-the-day the day quietude,

Speaker 1 the morning zip

Speaker 1 converted into a lived in rhythm

Speaker 1 that had us ambling rather than rushing

Speaker 1 to the platforms.

Speaker 1 I found a bench near the tracks

Speaker 1 and set my bag down beside me.

Speaker 1 A long sigh left my lungs

Speaker 1 when I clasped my hands in my lap,

Speaker 1 looking out past the platforms

Speaker 1 and into the field beyond

Speaker 1 Whipper wills

Speaker 1 gathered on a distant rooftop,

Speaker 1 and their calls echoed in the evening air.

Speaker 1 On a bench further down the platform

Speaker 1 A man sat

Speaker 1 with a boy dressed in soccer gear,

Speaker 1 a ball balanced on his lap.

Speaker 1 The boy leaned against his dad,

Speaker 1 who shifted to put one arm around him.

Speaker 1 He murmured some small joke

Speaker 1 that made the boy smile

Speaker 1 And the smile turned into a long yawn.

Speaker 1 His eyelids drooped as he tipped his head back

Speaker 1 onto his dad's shoulder.

Speaker 1 His yawn became my own,

Speaker 1 and I stretched my arms overhead,

Speaker 1 flipping my palms inside out

Speaker 1 and feeling my joints creak and pop

Speaker 1 pandiculation,

Speaker 1 I thought to myself

Speaker 1 as I rolled my shoulders

Speaker 1 and settled back in

Speaker 1 to wait for my train.

Speaker 1 I'd looked it up a week or two before

Speaker 1 that kind of long

Speaker 1 and often

Speaker 1 involuntary stretch

Speaker 1 that makes you yawn and shiver

Speaker 1 and sometimes twist your face

Speaker 1 into funny shapes

Speaker 1 I'd learned it had a name

Speaker 1 pandiculation

Speaker 1 and a purpose

Speaker 1 that it eases tension

Speaker 1 and helps your mind and body

Speaker 1 sink back up

Speaker 1 after a period of inactivity,

Speaker 1 which is why it hit us most

Speaker 1 in the mornings.

Speaker 1 It was also

Speaker 1 one of those things that our bodies did

Speaker 1 to help us close out stress cycles

Speaker 1 and return us to neutral.

Speaker 1 Our bodies did a lot

Speaker 1 to protect us each day,

Speaker 1 and learning about

Speaker 1 pandiculation

Speaker 1 made me even more grateful to mine.

Speaker 1 In the distance,

Speaker 1 the train whistle blew,

Speaker 1 and I looked down the tracks

Speaker 1 to see the headlight of the front car

Speaker 1 rounding a bend.

Speaker 1 Vibrations rumbled up through the pavement

Speaker 1 and into the soles of my shoes.

Speaker 1 I sat,

Speaker 1 waiting a moment longer to stand and board.

Speaker 1 Even though taking the train

Speaker 1 was a regular part of my day,

Speaker 1 I still felt a little thrill

Speaker 1 when the rush of air passed over me

Speaker 1 and the cars came to a stop,

Speaker 1 there was a soft hiss

Speaker 1 as the doors unlocked and slid back.

Speaker 1 I stood and reached for my bag

Speaker 1 and climbed aboard.

Speaker 1 The train was nearly empty.

Speaker 1 just me,

Speaker 1 a few other commuters,

Speaker 1 and the soccer star

Speaker 1 and his dad.

Speaker 1 I settled into a window seat

Speaker 1 and propped my chin in my hand.

Speaker 1 The doors closed

Speaker 1 and I felt the train rock backward

Speaker 1 and then forward

Speaker 1 as we set off.

Speaker 1 The tracks ran along a row of shops and cafes,

Speaker 1 and as we picked up speed,

Speaker 1 I saw people shopping,

Speaker 1 talking on street corners,

Speaker 1 and eating at outdoor tables.

Speaker 1 There must have been a group bike ride happening.

Speaker 1 A dozen or more cyclists

Speaker 1 were riding together with lighted helmets and flags on their baskets.

Speaker 1 Twilight was so long

Speaker 1 this time of year,

Speaker 1 not like in winter,

Speaker 1 when day went to night,

Speaker 1 like a light switched off.

Speaker 1 There were angles that accounted for such things.

Speaker 1 But I'd also read

Speaker 1 that in summer

Speaker 1 the warmer air holds more particles,

Speaker 1 more moisture,

Speaker 1 and they scatter the remaining light

Speaker 1 so that summer evenings feel brighter

Speaker 1 and more colorful.

Speaker 1 I thought it made sense.

Speaker 1 In the summer, I too

Speaker 1 wanted to stay up later.

Speaker 1 I smiled at the angled reflection

Speaker 1 of my face in the glass.

Speaker 1 I was looking out at the world

Speaker 1 through the faint image of myself

Speaker 1 and I remembered that

Speaker 1 that was nearly always the case,

Speaker 1 even when it wasn't so literally true

Speaker 1 as in this moment,

Speaker 1 we see the diners at the cafe,

Speaker 1 the shoppers in the windows,

Speaker 1 our fellow travelers,

Speaker 1 all of them

Speaker 1 refracted

Speaker 1 just a little

Speaker 1 through our own hopes and history.

Speaker 1 I leaned back in my seat

Speaker 1 as we passed through a short tunnel.

Speaker 1 I closed my eyes

Speaker 1 and felt the brief flash of each passing light on my face.

Speaker 1 The tracks curved,

Speaker 1 and I let the momentum rock me in my seat.

Speaker 1 My stop was coming up.

Speaker 1 I was so used to this stretch of road

Speaker 1 that my body knew it before my mind did.

Speaker 1 And I found myself taking a few deep breaths

Speaker 1 and reaching for my bag

Speaker 1 before the train began to slow.

Speaker 1 Almost home,

Speaker 1 I thought,

Speaker 1 as the station came into sight.

Speaker 1 I nodded to the soccer player and his dad

Speaker 1 as I stepped off the train,

Speaker 1 hoping they only had one more stop to go.

Speaker 1 I passed through the station

Speaker 1 and came out onto the street in the purple light of dusk.

Speaker 1 A patch of lilies

Speaker 1 grew in a flower bed at the corner,

Speaker 1 and their scent stood out in the night air.

Speaker 1 So sweet, I imagined every honey bee

Speaker 1 within five miles was in love with them.

Speaker 1 A row of street lamps turned on overhead

Speaker 1 as I made my way up the block toward home.

Speaker 1 The faint buzz, an orange glow

Speaker 1 of their sodium light

Speaker 1 made warm pockets on the sidewalk.

Speaker 1 From inside the houses on either side of the street

Speaker 1 I heard the laugh tracks of T V shows,

Speaker 1 the chorus of music,

Speaker 1 the low voices of conversation.

Speaker 1 A calico cat

Speaker 1 watched me from the top of a porch pier,

Speaker 1 her tail

Speaker 1 wrapped around her ample body.

Speaker 1 The lights were on in my house,

Speaker 1 and I smiled in the dark.

Speaker 1 I hoped there might be

Speaker 1 a plate in the oven for me,

Speaker 1 and a place waiting at the table.

Speaker 1 Another day was done,

Speaker 1 and I was home.

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams.