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Storystream Shorts #2
The Last Train: A Short Story
Stevie has just died, but that’s not the problem.
The problem is, where is she? And what is she doing here? And what is the mysterious Last Train, anyway?
A strange and fantastical short story to journey with into the night...
The problem is, where is she? And what is she doing here? And what is the mysterious Last Train, anyway?
A strange and fantastical short story to journey with into the night...
43 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 18, 2018
8 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Brindle
64 books29 followersJamie Brindle has been writing stories for almost as long as he can remember. Occasionally they are even published.
Sometimes, he wonders if this has had any lasting deleterious effect on him, such as perhaps being responsible for the habit he has of writing about himself in the third person. At other time this seems not to matter.
He was raised by ex-hippies in an apple orchard, and had to chase around a hedge maze for pocket money. When he grew older, he was deemed to have passed the "maze" level, and so graduated to selling boomerangs at Covent Garden Market.
He was home educated until the age of fourteen, then went to Bedford College, where he essentially didn't speak for two years. Near the end of this time he was questioned by a careers advisor, and revealed his desire to be a writer. Once she had stopped laughing, she suggested that a career which was more "financially viable" might be advisable. This resulted in him taking science A-levels, and then going on to study Biochemistry at the University of Sussex in 1998.
On graduating, Jamie realised the main problem with this was that he found biochemistry rather boring. Around this time he found out that a handful of universities offered graduate-entry medicine courses. Unfortunately, he did not have much relevant experience, a problem which he sought to rectify by doing various forms of work experience.
Amongst the work experience he undertook, Jamie was grateful to be offered the chance to spend some time in a school for deaf children. He went for two weeks and ended up staying for three and a half years. This was a good thing, as it gave him a chance to get over his home-educated prejudices about the school system, as he really liked the school and began, more generally, to feel that perhaps school wasn't such a bad thing, after all.
This period came to an end, however, when he was offered a place at the University of Warwick to study Medicine in 2006. He enjoyed medicine greatly, and met lots of nice people on the course. He now works as a GP trainee, and finds that writing is a wonderful way to ground himself after long shifts working in the bizarre fantasy world of the NHS. He is currently writing a thinly-veiled autobiographical book about his experiences as a junior doctor. He is still wondering about whether or not to put dragons in.
During this time he has written a fair few short stories which have appeared online and in various anthologies. His first novel, "The Fall of the Angel Nathalie" was published in 2013 by Necro Press, and can be found here or at amazon here.
Sometimes, he wonders if this has had any lasting deleterious effect on him, such as perhaps being responsible for the habit he has of writing about himself in the third person. At other time this seems not to matter.
He was raised by ex-hippies in an apple orchard, and had to chase around a hedge maze for pocket money. When he grew older, he was deemed to have passed the "maze" level, and so graduated to selling boomerangs at Covent Garden Market.
He was home educated until the age of fourteen, then went to Bedford College, where he essentially didn't speak for two years. Near the end of this time he was questioned by a careers advisor, and revealed his desire to be a writer. Once she had stopped laughing, she suggested that a career which was more "financially viable" might be advisable. This resulted in him taking science A-levels, and then going on to study Biochemistry at the University of Sussex in 1998.
On graduating, Jamie realised the main problem with this was that he found biochemistry rather boring. Around this time he found out that a handful of universities offered graduate-entry medicine courses. Unfortunately, he did not have much relevant experience, a problem which he sought to rectify by doing various forms of work experience.
Amongst the work experience he undertook, Jamie was grateful to be offered the chance to spend some time in a school for deaf children. He went for two weeks and ended up staying for three and a half years. This was a good thing, as it gave him a chance to get over his home-educated prejudices about the school system, as he really liked the school and began, more generally, to feel that perhaps school wasn't such a bad thing, after all.
This period came to an end, however, when he was offered a place at the University of Warwick to study Medicine in 2006. He enjoyed medicine greatly, and met lots of nice people on the course. He now works as a GP trainee, and finds that writing is a wonderful way to ground himself after long shifts working in the bizarre fantasy world of the NHS. He is currently writing a thinly-veiled autobiographical book about his experiences as a junior doctor. He is still wondering about whether or not to put dragons in.
During this time he has written a fair few short stories which have appeared online and in various anthologies. His first novel, "The Fall of the Angel Nathalie" was published in 2013 by Necro Press, and can be found here or at amazon here.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 27, 2021
This is a 3.5 star read.
December 15, 2018
A fantastical short story about dying and the journey afterwards / during; about accepting your past in order to be able to go on. It honestly does make you wonder what's waiting for us after this life we're living.
It's a very short story - barely 41 pages - but I did enjoy it and it touched me in a way I didn't expect from a novella like this.
4 / 5
It's a very short story - barely 41 pages - but I did enjoy it and it touched me in a way I didn't expect from a novella like this.
4 / 5
April 21, 2022
What a different story. Different from most anything I've read in quite some time.
We all know that Stevie has died.. It's the opening line , what's intriguing however, is/ will be her journey from that point.
This is not a long story that'll take you days to get thru, but you may find yourself rereading it just to catch ALL of it and perhaps actually taking an imaginative walk with Stevie.
I found this to be enjoyable and suspect you will too. So go ahead and get comfortable, get a small snack and a beverage and spend an hour with yourself reading!--P/
We all know that Stevie has died.. It's the opening line , what's intriguing however, is/ will be her journey from that point.
This is not a long story that'll take you days to get thru, but you may find yourself rereading it just to catch ALL of it and perhaps actually taking an imaginative walk with Stevie.
I found this to be enjoyable and suspect you will too. So go ahead and get comfortable, get a small snack and a beverage and spend an hour with yourself reading!--P/
November 11, 2019
You live your life and you die.
But what if there is more to it than that.
Here is a short story to make you think again. Not just about quantity; Stevie here is 102 going on 103 when she’s ready to finally let go. But not ready before, when perhaps the ‘grim reaper’ may have tried to get her attention.
I always enjoy stories that come at things in a new and thoughtful way. It asks a few questions and leaves a few matters open to more consideration.
Does death happen and post death brings about a time to weigh up our existence and inherit a reward or exile us to a disenfranchised new reality. Or can we only face the door to the other side. beyond taking our last breath if we have reflected fully on our time on earth?
I liked the shared values of confusion in an afterlife; broken memories and a lightness. The desire to make sense and the concept of what is or was real.
The idea that Stevie can’t continue, move forward beyond death is an interesting one. The struggle then in returning to her old body to facilitate release. No longer feeling a sense of life but trapped in a failed shell perpetuating life while wishing to embrace death properly, in the terms demanded for her release. If we knew what our existence was like beyond the grave would that change anything. If we got a chance to see ‘heaven’ would we grasp an opportunity to have another 20 years.
What is death and how does one’s passing on reflect the reality of your spent life; the legacy you leave behind.
So many ideas and thinking time provoked by excellent writing that tells a compelling fiction. What good writing should achieve this short story delivers.
But what if there is more to it than that.
Here is a short story to make you think again. Not just about quantity; Stevie here is 102 going on 103 when she’s ready to finally let go. But not ready before, when perhaps the ‘grim reaper’ may have tried to get her attention.
I always enjoy stories that come at things in a new and thoughtful way. It asks a few questions and leaves a few matters open to more consideration.
Does death happen and post death brings about a time to weigh up our existence and inherit a reward or exile us to a disenfranchised new reality. Or can we only face the door to the other side. beyond taking our last breath if we have reflected fully on our time on earth?
I liked the shared values of confusion in an afterlife; broken memories and a lightness. The desire to make sense and the concept of what is or was real.
The idea that Stevie can’t continue, move forward beyond death is an interesting one. The struggle then in returning to her old body to facilitate release. No longer feeling a sense of life but trapped in a failed shell perpetuating life while wishing to embrace death properly, in the terms demanded for her release. If we knew what our existence was like beyond the grave would that change anything. If we got a chance to see ‘heaven’ would we grasp an opportunity to have another 20 years.
What is death and how does one’s passing on reflect the reality of your spent life; the legacy you leave behind.
So many ideas and thinking time provoked by excellent writing that tells a compelling fiction. What good writing should achieve this short story delivers.
December 20, 2018
This is a lovely short story about an elderly lady called Stevie, who, at 102, is nearing the end of her life - again. She has had opportunities to die before – when she was 70, then again at 83 – the Last Train had been ready to collect her, but Stevie had not been ready to go. Now, she is – but the train driver cannot take her, as she has become ‘entangled’ – “She’s gone and got too invested in it … Existence … Started thinking it was real”. “Stevie woke up, and life went on”.
Stevie is now desperate to escape the “much more terrible prison: the prison of age. The prison of flesh … a prison of life. She was done with life. She wanted out”. But, first she has to search through the memories of her life to discover when she became entangled, and why. Only once she has identified and confronted the memory that she supressed so many years ago, will she be able to move on and take “The Last Train”
I loved this story – it is much more quirky than my synopsis reveals. The quirkiness as well as the underlying story line of a well -lived life coming to an end, make it a treasure to read.
Stevie is now desperate to escape the “much more terrible prison: the prison of age. The prison of flesh … a prison of life. She was done with life. She wanted out”. But, first she has to search through the memories of her life to discover when she became entangled, and why. Only once she has identified and confronted the memory that she supressed so many years ago, will she be able to move on and take “The Last Train”
I loved this story – it is much more quirky than my synopsis reveals. The quirkiness as well as the underlying story line of a well -lived life coming to an end, make it a treasure to read.
November 18, 2021
A haunting and emotional short story
One of the great things about ebooks is that there is no need for particular sizes or lengths of books. A story can be as long or as short as it needs, in this case that is a little over 8000 words. That’s enough to pack in a thought-provoking, dreamlike, tale of love, loss, imagination, death and what might come after.
Stevie died. That’s not really a spoiler, as it happens in the first sentence of the book. After dying, though, she finds herself aboard the train of the title. What follows is a layered exploration of the interconnection of all people and what it means to let go. I found the book initially mysterious, then charming, then a bit sad, and finally delightful. It’s not like anything else I have read, which is good in itself, but the writing is also excellent, and gave the whole story a kind of dreamlike luminosity.
Definitely worth reading!
One of the great things about ebooks is that there is no need for particular sizes or lengths of books. A story can be as long or as short as it needs, in this case that is a little over 8000 words. That’s enough to pack in a thought-provoking, dreamlike, tale of love, loss, imagination, death and what might come after.
Stevie died. That’s not really a spoiler, as it happens in the first sentence of the book. After dying, though, she finds herself aboard the train of the title. What follows is a layered exploration of the interconnection of all people and what it means to let go. I found the book initially mysterious, then charming, then a bit sad, and finally delightful. It’s not like anything else I have read, which is good in itself, but the writing is also excellent, and gave the whole story a kind of dreamlike luminosity.
Definitely worth reading!
November 2, 2020
very short and strange. You have no idea what's happening throughout most of it but it does come together in the end. Have patience.
January 9, 2019
I'm not 100% sure what I just read, but I do know that it was rather amazing.
Life, death, regret, the nature of reality, the possibility of life beyond, what pineapples really mean... It's deep, surreal, at times humourous, but otherwise a strongly emotive piece of writing about a woman's long life and the secrets buried so deep in her past even she's chosen to forget them. For those of you who need it, it may require some kind of trigger warning because of one of the unexpected issues it deals with . It does however deal with it with great sensitivity and heartbreaking clarity.
A short read with an open to interpretation ending, but beautifully written.
Life, death, regret, the nature of reality, the possibility of life beyond, what pineapples really mean... It's deep, surreal, at times humourous, but otherwise a strongly emotive piece of writing about a woman's long life and the secrets buried so deep in her past even she's chosen to forget them. For those of you who need it, it may require some kind of trigger warning because of one of the unexpected issues it deals with . It does however deal with it with great sensitivity and heartbreaking clarity.
A short read with an open to interpretation ending, but beautifully written.
December 3, 2018
What a unique story! I found it sad, but yet touching and definitely worth a second read. We follow Stevie as she looks at her past and finds all endings are really beginnings. If you stumble upon this, give it a chance. It really is a quick and thoughtful short story.
Final Rating: 5 Stars
Final Rating: 5 Stars
August 29, 2019
Life...
It is a beautiful way to see life, after soo much death in this world this really makes you see it in another way. A well written story that really gets you invested and if you have read any of his other works shows ties to that in some ways also. I love his work and regret having waiting this long to read this book.
It is a beautiful way to see life, after soo much death in this world this really makes you see it in another way. A well written story that really gets you invested and if you have read any of his other works shows ties to that in some ways also. I love his work and regret having waiting this long to read this book.
April 23, 2019
Really enjoyed this
This is a unique look at death and a great story line to encompass it. Definitely loved it and want to see more from this author. It’s a quick read and well worth it.
This is a unique look at death and a great story line to encompass it. Definitely loved it and want to see more from this author. It’s a quick read and well worth it.
November 24, 2019
I had trouble categorizing this one: it's mysterious, adventuresome (sort of) and deals with what happens after death. Very nice, quick read. The writing was beautiful and I did tear up a bit. Makes you think a little bit differently than normal.
December 16, 2018
A very elderly woman dies but is "entangled." She can't move on until the entanglement is resolved.
December 17, 2018
This short story revolves around the concept of what happens when we die. I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different to read.
December 20, 2018
Delightful and otherworldly
I really enjoyed this short story. It seemed to go in and out of reality, from one age to another. Very well written and a pleasure to read.
I really enjoyed this short story. It seemed to go in and out of reality, from one age to another. Very well written and a pleasure to read.
December 28, 2018
Ok
This short story was just ok and I only read it because I had nothing else to read at the time.
This short story was just ok and I only read it because I had nothing else to read at the time.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews