By Kevlin Henney

A few words—no more—before his stop. Working on the story the story worked on him. It overshot its intended destination; he missed his station. Scenery and characters changed with every stop, every dash, every comma. Every junction added a twist. Story became quest became epic.

The train reached its depot; he’d reached the end of the line.

He unpicked sentences as the train retraced its journey, putting words to rest with each passing sleeper, tinking the plot down the line to reach his intended destination once more, leaving him with little more than a drabble of a tale.