Summer Memories: Canal Pitstop
An unexpected delay in a town host to a web of waterways
BGM while writing: NieR Re[in]carnation - Sleep
-passengers could alight here for the train crew to-
Awoken by a tannoy announcement for presumably the next stop, I looked around at the other travelers in my coach, curious at the number of them
appearing to gather their things in a confused manner. I had thought Misthallery was a small tourist town, rather than the bustling
destination the passengers were making it out to be. Glancing out the window, I spot a growing number of canals and rivers
interconnecting each other in the horizon, with walkways and roads criss-crossing them. I had heard of the town in passing; host to a
bizarre anomaly of riverways that attracts summer and autumn holiday-goers every year, but regarded to be a medium-sized town when
considering only its permanent residents. It’s a place I had thought to visit one day, but not today.
Although, you never know....
Beginning to shut my eyes again, I listened in to the tannoy announcement which had begun to repeat its earlier declaration.
I repeat, could all passengers alight here for the train crew to make repairs to the couplings. We apologise for the inconvenience,
and as the delay will last for around 3 hours, we would direct you to our website to make refund requests. Thank you for-
I looked at my phone, reading the large 13:36 numbers on my lockscreen. Understanding now why quite so many passengers were
shuffling around each other to grab their belongings, I took another look outside, now aware of quite how slow the train was moving.
I was also taken slightly aback by how built up the town seemed. By no means did it have vastly tall glass towers or concrete behemoths,
but for a tourist town it had a variety of moderately-sized brick and sandstone buildings, though was perplexed by such a combination.
A byproduct of the spider web of waterways perhaps?
While I ponder the town’s architecture, the train slows further as it approaches the station, which only adds more intrigue. Seeing a
surprising amount of sunlight for an indoor station, I peer upwards to see a curved glass ceiling protecting the classic brick
structures underneath, with some helping to keep the glass in place as if it were a symbiotic relationship between the eras. A gorgeous
first impression to be sure, and the bright sky above certainly helped: no wonder the town is a magnet for tourists and sightseers. As
I look out I see people alighting the carriage, and turning back to inside the train I begin to grab my bag from the luggage rack above.
Hoisting it down and around my shoulder, I follow my fellow delayed passengers into the aisle, and we penguin-march our way through to
the doors leading outside.
Small gaggles of people surround some of the crew members, some confusedly enquiring into the delay, others
frustratedly pushing for alternate travel options, and variations in-between. I overhear one formally-dressed woman answering questions
regarding the town from a tired-looking pair of men with three children tugging at their arms. As the family begin to turn to the gates,
she reminds them to return to the train by four thirty, and waves them off, giving a look of “good luck” to one of the exhausted men,
who in turn nods in thanks. The woman looks at me, giving me a similar deadline to explore the town, before a huddle of teenagers grabs
her attention. I adjust my bag on my shoulder, and make my way out of the glass-tinted station.