Platform 14
The squeaking brakes of the approaching tube jolt you awake as a blast of polluted , warm air hits your face , ruffling your hair . Turning towards the “ click clack ” of high heels behind , you notice a woman pushing a stroller enter the platform just as the wind comes through the tunnel , blowing off her blonde wig . Almost like clockwork , laughter ensues , filling the station with mirth . She scrambles to grab her wig , but it has now floated down to the tracks . With a look of desperation , she covers her face with a hoodie , grabs the stroller in one hand , and is laughed out of the platform .
As the train departs , a group of teenage boys hurdle onto the platform ; overly loud and disoriented . You notice the obvious bottle lid jutting out of the brown paper bag , located in the fair-haired boy ’ s breast pocket . Continuing to approach , a mother drags her child away and a low hiss of disapproval and disappointment ensues among the future passengers . The group turn from the platform exit to a lone girl – no older than 16 – and begin to slur and groan incoherently in their drunken attempt to communicate . As the conversation proceeds , their deepening voices grow louder and louder until another train arrives , which she eagerly jumps into , evidently unsure of where it leads .
Eventually , the commotion dies down , as the natural ebb and flow of the station resumes . The odd lost bag or awkward interaction , the only interruption to this surprisingly calm atmosphere . That is until rush hour . The gentle stream of the occasional family or tourist soon transforms into a roaring tsunami of businessmen and investors struggling to escape to the sanctuary of home . You notice a man feebly attempting to fit into the cramped
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