The Lady On A Tuesday

Every Tuesday they met on a train .
She always wore the same red dress and black high heel shoes . He always wore the same grey suit with a white shirt and a red tie .
They always sat beside each other on their journey to the city and never spoke . Sometimes their eyes would briefly meet for a moment before the train pulled into their destination .

One Tuesday morning as she got off the train a man wearing a dark blue sports tracksuit stepped out of the crowd and produced a semi automatic machine gun and without any warning started shooting people at random .
The girl in the red dress was hit a number of times a fell to the ground . There was nothing anyone could have done and she died on the platform with 29 other innocent people . The man in the grey suit stood their in shock and watched as the gunman ended it all by the taking his own life .
Police and ambulances ascended on the scene all too late . The man in the grey suit walked away that day from the nightmare a changed man . He would never recover and even after numerous therapy sessions he could not cope with what had happened on that Tuesday morning .
A year after the incident he threw himself in front of a train and committed suicide .
There his body lay beside the railway track .
He looked at his remains from outside his body . He watched the as an ambulance arrived and placed his body in a bag and zipped it closed .

There he stood in silence as he saw a young lady approach from a distant half light pillar behind him . As she drew near he saw that she wore a red dress and black high heel shoes .
He was greeted by two other people an Aunt who had previously died in a car crash and a guy in a dark blue tracksuit .
The lady in the red dress came and spoke ,
“Hello , there’s never an easy way out you know .”

”Who are you ?”
He asked and she replied .

“ My name is Michelle and my time on earth has expired . When my life was taken away on the railway platform that morning , it was planned that way . But the same can’t be said for you . You choose to end your life before the allotted time was up and now you remain here in the shadow world until you are called to pass over . “

He was a little unsure what to say . His Aunt approached and placed her arms and softly spoke .

“My darling Sean, its so good to see you again . I have been send as you guide for a little while until you get used to your surroundings . You also have been given a companion that will share some time with you here .”

The man in the dark blue track suit approached . He had chains on both legs and each step he took was made with difficulty .

“Hi my name is B 30 . I will be spending an eternity here in this shadow world I am never to leave this place and I have been given the job to keep an eye on you here until you leave .“

Sean took one look at him and felt a rising anger begin to erupt and during this process about thirty people emerged from nowhere . They also were consumed with rage . A vortex appeared in front of them and its energy force began to suck everything in its path .

The lady in the red dress placed both her hands on the top of Sean’s head and began to utter strange words that brought peace and tranquillity back to his being . Then she said ,
”Here in this place your thoughts produce energy . You must control them otherwise they will bring dark forces that will consume you and become a part of everything you are . You must learn to be at peace here in this place until your time is finished ?”

Sean asked,
“Can you tell me when my time will be finished ?”

“No that knowledge is kept within the courts of the Kingdom of light and can only be accessed by the highest being who has created all life .“
She replied and Sean continued .

“Well then can I speak to that person ?”

His Aunt said ,
“Sean because you ended your life before he was to call you back there is now a void between you . Within that void you cannot talk to the creator until he calls you .“

The man in the tracksuit said ,

“Consider yourself fortunate for I will never be able to speak to the great being of light as I am chained here to the dark world forever .”

Suddenly there was this beautiful music that echoed all around .
The lady in the red dress was surrounded in a bright light .

“I’m sorry to say but its time for me to pass over now “
She said in a soft voice .

“No big issue here with me Michelle .“
Said the man in the blue tracksuit .

Suddenly a pillar of bright light appeared and as it did a number of people emerged from the dark shadows and tried to step into the light . Other ghost like figures appeared on the scene and it was then the man in the blue track suit began to combat them with superhuman strength . The lost souls all left without any further provocation .

Michelle smiled from the light and said ,
“I’ll see you on a Tuesday .“

Then she made the transition .

Sean stood there and watched as the pillar of light ascended to the sky above and then out of sight . His Aunt Rhonda took him by the hand and said ,

“I know how strange all this must seem to you Sean but after a while you’ll get used to the afterlife and the dimension you are in .”

The three walked into a busy street where one side of the road was darker than the other .

Rhonda said ,
" You must always stay to the lighter side Sean , for the other side is demon zone territory and not a very nice place to see . They cannot trouble you here as long as one of their own accompany you .

Sean looked all around .
“So where do I live and what can I do in this place Aunt Rhonda ?”

She said ,
“Well you are to live out the remainder of the life you would have had . You will see everything and experience that you would have done . So try and live here as best you can otherwise my life on the other side will become difficult because it will mean I will have to travel back and forward between worlds and it is not a pleasant experience Sean .

“Ok Aunt Rhonda , I’ll try not to worry you . I think I’m beginning to recieve some insight and understand more now .”

She replied ,
'That’s good . To assist you while you are here you’re being allowed some insight of what you have to do .”

“So nothing has really changed then ?“
Sean said and she replied .

“Correct . Your job is the same , your flat is the same,even the friends you had are there with you. The only difference is they can’t see of talk to you even though you can see and talk to them .“

“Now what about a train trip ?”
Said the man in the blue track suit .
“I don’t think so .“
Said Sean but his Aunt Rhonda replied ,

“Its not up to you in this world . The entity you have to protect you is kind of in charge of things so you’ll have to trust him in this world .”

“That’s not going to be a nice experience for me Aunt . “

The man in the tracksuit lit up a cigarette and stood by as his Aunt Rhonda said goodbye to Sean .

“You really must calm down now Sean.The train to your new level is about to arrive ."

‘What level are you talking about ?"
He said as a very long train rolled in and pulled up in the street where they stood .

A loud gravely voice shouted out ,

“Its the first train to Hell , level one . All aboard .”

Sean started to panic and as he did dark forces gathered around but again they were driven away by the man in the tracksuit who said .

“ Hell for you is a place of anxiety and grief . You will have to await here until it is time for you to leave . Count yourself lucky to be on level one . Here there are many levels to Hell . The higher you go the worse they become . Some like me will have to live here forever .

Sean fell on his knees and screamed out .
“Dear God help me . Please forgive me . I don’t want to be here “

As he did that hundreds of other lost souls echoed out the same words ,
“Dear God help me . Please forgive me . I don’t want to be here “

“The thing is Sean , nobody want to be here and God hears no one in this place . So get used to it and things will get better .”

As the train opened its doors Sean got in but the man in the tracksuit stayed where he was .

Sean said,
“Aren’t you getting on ?“

“No you’re on your own now , I’ll be there when you need me .“

Sean watched as the train closed its doors and proceded on to its destination on level one .

When the train pulled in to the platform Sean got out and it was the same platform and the same Tuesday back when it all had gone wrong .

He watched Michelle get off the train and saw the gunman and looked on as the incident occurred again .

Then after it all happened again he knew what he had to do and so he walked off to the office where he worked and took the place at his desk and did all he was required to do in his job .
He argued the same with people he worked with but they never heard him , he ate lunch with people who never saw him and he even had to listen to the horrible music they piped through in the building where he worked .

When the day had finished he took the train home to his small flat in the suburbs where he sat and watched the same TV shows he always did .

The only thing was there was no night or day ,
it was always the same shadowy light that surrounded him in this world.

He got into bed but sleep would not come .
Then suddenly in the corner of the room the guy with the dark blue tracksuit appeared and said

“Well what did you expect Sean , Sweet dreams ?
No ,not here so get used to it . Well are you ready for a little trip now ?“

Sean replied
“What trip , like a holiday ? “

“Here come with me .“
B30 reached out his right hand but Sean refused to take it and so with the left hand the dark entity grabbed him and led him through a corridor where a number of rooms were closed .

“Where are we ?”
Said Sean and the answer came .

“These are some of the doorways to Hell and behind those doors are people and experiences you must see while you’re here . I will bring you here at times where you must make a visit before you’re transition to the other side . “

Sean replied ,
“Well , what if I don’t want to see what’s behind those doors ?”

“Trust me Sean , you don’t want to be difficult . Its not up to you . You’re soul is under a kind of contract here until you’re released .“

“I don’t know what you’re saying . Its my life and I don’t have to do anything that I don’t want to do . “

“No Sean,the thing is it’s not your life anymore as you had decided to end it and by doing so you broke that contract that was signed by you before you were born.Now a new contract has been made and you must do what you’re told while you’re here .“

“ Well I’m not going inside any of those doors so just forget it Demon Dan or who ever you are .“

“ I told you my name is B30 . It was given to me because of the number of people I killed on the railway station . Sean you must do as I ask or you will have to answer to other entities who are stronger and more powerful than I am . I get my orders from a higher level in this place and if you do not do as I ask then others will be sent . If you don’t come with me these dark forces will come for you and there will be nothing I can do to protect you .“

“How many levels to Hell are there?”

“As I understand it no one knows . I’m told there are miles of corridors on each level and the higher we go the more evil they become . You’ll never see them all so don’t worry too much . Now will you agree to do as I ask or would you like to increase your stay on another level in a place where you really don’t want to be. “
“Ok . Ok I’ll do it B30 . So what’s in this first room ?”

As the door opened there was a naked girl asleep on a floor . Steam rose from the floor and it was extremely hot and there was no place else for her to go .

“Who is she and what did she do ?”
Asked Sean .
“In life she always slept around and was responsible for the break up many marriages . For her there is no reprieve and she must spent an eternity lying down on the floor of this room .“

Suddenly Sean was back on the train that was pulling into the station just before the shooting started . He saw the lady in the red dress get off and could do nothing to stop her death . He again made his way through the crowd to the place where he worked .
After work he went to dinner with some friends and sat in their company but was unable to be recognised by them .
That evening on the way home on the train he sat beside a girl who smiled at him . Something very strange and admirable about her . She took a sheet of paper from her handbag and gave it to Sean . B30 suddenly made an appearance and said
“Sean its time for you to go . The contract on your soul is renewed . “
The train pulled in to a stop and everyone began to get off .
Sean looked at B30 and tried to touch his hand but was unable to . All he could do was watch as B30 was taken away by a number of dark shadows . He stood there for a while and saw commuters from all walks of life . The platform resembled a league of nations with people from other cultures wearing different clothes . He stood and quietly watched the passers by until he saw his Aunt by his side .

“Come Sean , it is the morning of a new day “
She took him by the hand and they walked half way along a platform to a tunnel of light where another train arrived . They both got on the train and Sean took a window seat beside his Aunt .
She smiled and said ,

“Michelle has been asking how you are ?“

“So where are we going now ?”

“Sean if you had not stepped in front of a train, you would have only lived a short time afterwards. You were supposed to have had a heart attack at work in front your boss who as you’re aware worked you too hard . Anyway it doesn’t matter we are heading for the other side where its all very beautiful so just sit back and enjoy the ride .“

The train pulled into a station where a large number of people were on the platform . Most of them held a sheet of paper in their hand and they all looked happy .

On the platform Michelle stood waiting and Rhonda spotted her . She stood there and waited for them to get off . Rhonda was also met by her husband who was Sean’s Uncle Clive .
They had a wonderful reunion and after Seans contacts was handed over there was a short court appearance before they were allowed to continue their journey .

Michelle joined Sean and his relations where they waited until a beautiful horse and carriage arrived to bring them all on another part of their journey through a world where there was no pain or worry .
Everyone was so happy and they all laughed and everyone seemed young and so healthy .
As time passed Michelle told Sean all about life in eternity and her own experience so far .

“Sean you’ll love it here , there are so many things to see and do and all the time in the world to do it .There are no problems here and you feel better everyday . Its like an endless holiday “
Michelle said .

Rhonda cut in and said .
“Come now Michele , you must give him time to get settled .“

As the carriage stopped outside a beautiful big house , Rhonda said .

“This is where you are to live Sean and right bedside is where we live . Michelle is also on the other side of us so we are all neighbours. If we can assist you in any way just knock on the door."

At that moment Sean became aware that his mind was being opening up and new knowledge was being poured into his being . All the questions he had ever had were being answered in split seconds .

Just then the ticket collector on the train gently nudged Sean and said ,

“Tickets please .“

Sean pulled the weekly ticket from his wallet and gave it to the ticket collector and realised he had been fast asleep on the train .
He had dreamt everything on the way to work and right there next to him was the girl in a red dress .

Sean looked at her and asked her out to dinner .
She accepted and gave him her phone number .

After that day they regularly went to dinner once a week but never on a Tuesday .

Life is a series of new beginnings and if we attempt to claim them , love is a beautiful thing that can advance us towards appreciating life with new and better perspectives .

The End

By Paul McCann