Chapter Seven: Last Train to London

People on the queue become inquisitors and spectators, as they observing the tantrum from the other party. Enrico’s heartbeat pounds enormously like a fast forward counting of a digital clock in a detonator ready to explode at any moment. However, he stood up calmly, firming against them even though his knees shiver constantly for a bit of fear wrapping into his heart. Fortunately, a voice at their back interrupts the occurrence of the tantrum. He realises that it's the train inspector when he halted next to them. The commotion became weaker upon his presence, and they thought about a peaceful, easy feeling.

"What's happening here?" the train inspector bridging his eyebrows.

"Ah─ um… nothing sir… nothing… We've got to go, sir, thank you." Enrico hooks them up the by his hands as they stepping back to leave.

"Well. I hope it's ─ nothing." Inspector corners his sight to both parties back and forth whilst warning them.

"Yes, signore… nothing… its nothing." the other guy answers and pushes back his partner.

"ANNOUNCEMENT! Platform thirteen will return to operation shortly. Thank you!" The train station’ speaker interrupted.

Its thirty-seven minutes before five in the afternoon. The long queue shortens gradually, but the train interval still time-consuming. Enrico bought them some snacks in a store nearby in the station. Upon arrival back to the passenger's waiting area. He once perceives their weary postures, impatiently waiting for the last train under platform thirteen. He approaches them and handing over some snacks and cold drinks. As Enrico seating beside Mira, she inching him closer and clasping his right hand whilst she keeps on thanking him for what’s happened a few hours ago. They chitchatting to avoid growing impatience, discussing the awful Italian terms he used to say to those strangers. They laugh so constantly except Elizabeth who stays silent whilst hunching and gripping her right hand on a bench they seated.

"You spoke Italian, Enrico. That was excellent, huh!" Mira startled as she chuckling from Enrico’s shaming facial expression.

"Oh─ dear, that’s awful! I'm not so sure of those words I said unto them. I just learned those few Italian terms during my stay in a Catholic Orphanage before when I was six." he grinns and his face changing into red.

"Really…? Wow! You've nailed it, sire. Very well done! Ha-ha-ha…" Mira giggles constantly. Enrico unconsciously misses those words from Mira as he staring Elizabeth next to her. She seems quiet and serious, but her face painted the irresistible beauty of all. He’s hesitant to disturb her, but he can't help himself to ask her if she's alright or was there anything he could help.

"Hey─ the train’s here! Let's hurry!" Elizabeth alerts and glaring unto them. Her fascinating joyful face altered by the prolonging frown of her face. Her seriously pissed off expression conquers her since travel from Harrogate until the station. He believed something wasn't good for their accompaniment, or perhaps her mood swung and changing her demeanour.

"Miss Elizabeth, Enrico, I've got to go," Mira whines as she looking back and forth to them.

"Bye Mira. Have a delightful trip!" Enrico waves his right hand.

"Bye Mira. Take care…" Elizabeth wraps her arms to her.

They embrace each other so tightly, like a closest friend's farewell. Afterwards, he carries Mira’s luggage metre away towards train entrance. However, as Enrico lowering down her luggage, he startled when she left a warm kiss to his right cheek before leaving him unattended. He pauses for a few seconds whilst watching her walking inside the train. He smiles, throwing a waving hand into the train until the engine chimes up, which signalled the time for departure. Until, it faded away from their sight.

As Enrico turning back at Elizabeth's position, she instantly vanishes from his sight. He startles like going back to his consciousness from his astral projection form. He chants her name repeatedly looking to each corner and side of the station. But unfortunately, there's none. He chases quickly her trail into the passage and thought she's heading towards the parking lot. Upon reaching the building corner, he directs his sight into the parking lot. He spots her seated next to the driver's seat, pointing her sight against the facade of a certain inn. He immediately walks towards the lot and entering into the car. After he seats and tucking in his seatbelt, he immediately asks her if she's alright. She nods instead to him and falls into deep silence. His head scrambles with so many things about Elizabeth’s demeanour.

He chimes up the car and rolling over the manoeuvre, so they could go home as soon as possible. The time worn-out dramatically and they talk no more like a dead plant’s sprout of conversation. He just barely focuses on driving whilst Elizabeth leans her head in the car window. He drives averagely in speed so that Elizabeth could sleep a bit. He chews some dark chocolates and candies placed at a compartment near the driver's seat to quench the boredom and drowsiness without someone to talk to.

An hour later, he notices the gas metre turning to low, showing by an arrow pointing in a red bar of it. In a few moments of driving, he stops over in the petrol station for a refuel. He unconsciously notices Elizabeth wakes up and glaring at him as he unlocking the gas cover. He looks at her back and forth. He’s disturbed by her adorable face disfiguring by her bridging eyebrows and sharp stare at him.

Upon starting up the car, Enrico notices it malfunctions, and the engine didn't respond. He eventually sighs at the moment and trying it repeatedly. However, still, the car not working at all. As Enrico squeezing the key into the engine’s ignition, Elizabeth glares her sight sharply unto him. She corners her eyes and sometimes rolling it on the other side. She offers him help, but he refuses her offer as a sign of stubbornness until he pisses off and slams the manoeuvre.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he sighs and narrowing his sight into the roadway.

"Fine─ any help?" Elizabeth asks bluntly.

"Can you please hold the manoeuvre for me?" he scratches his head and evading his sight unto her.

"Fine… get off." She gasps.

Enrico consumed by the total guilt maddening his mind since it's the very first time he requested her to do a favour for him. He forcefully pushes the car so he could let it move and shouting to her to switch on the car engine like a way of jump-starting the vehicle. Still, it's not working. At that moment, they halt and give a break for a minute or two. Elizabeth insists to buy something to eat in a little store so that Enrico could fix the car and they could go home as soon as possible since it’s running late of the nightfall.

Its late twenty-five minutes before eight in the evening. Enrico still stuck in trouble of checking every problem of the car. He once again takes a break for a moment, sits down into a large root of a tree and concentrates his mind on figuring out the problem. Despite the situation, Elizabeth seats beside him and continuously purrs. Henceforth, as the silence pressing against the place, they simultaneously mutter. The moment starts to be awkward for both of them. Each of them sense carefully each pulse to speak, but they fail as their sight colliding and uttering words simultaneously.

"I'm so ─sorry ma'am. I'm… I'm trying to figure─" he says as Elizabeth cuts him off.

"It's fine. Actually… it's my entire fault. I convinced granny to accompany you so that─" she halts.

"Nope─ it's my responsibility to follow orders, but… but I failed." he sighs and lowering his face unto the ground.

Enrico couldn’t explain the sequence of events as Elizabeth taps his shoulder, and silently leaning her head to him. He feels so preciously honoured and his heartbeat pounding indefatigably fast enough like running in a marathon. He fastidiously stares at her lovely innocent face shaded by the light of the waning moon. Her eyes closing like the eyes of a literal princess. He wishes, he could marry a sleeping beauty like her, but this is just his desire and not hers.

A few moments later, a sound of an old lady disturbs them whilst raising an old lamp in her left hand. Her face seems familiar to them. But they’re not sure when. The old lady wearing an old craggy dress partnered with an old pair of a flip-flop. Her uncombed white hair covering slightly her face that made her looked creepy, but her hallowed gentle voice is enough for you to pity her.

"What are you… doing right here?" she asks as she inching the lamp unto their faces.

"Um─ ah… actually… I have to fix the car." Enrico mumbles.

"Hmm… what's going on?" Elizabeth disfigures his face as she awakening from a nap.

The old lady offers them her hospitality whilst they leaning on the old oak tree to have a break for a few moments. At first, they refuse, because they don’t have any clue of this strange woman they spoke of. However, she persuades them with no sign of any ill intention. So, Elizabeth decides to follow her, and she heads them into an old inn. As they approaching towards the inn, this place conquers by ghost-quiet except for the sound of nocturnal species roaming anywhere and the creepy growling of dogs or some pack wolves, perhaps.

Enrico pushes the car a little closer towards the small building and locks it safely. Enrico feels something elusive. He spots on a big dusty signage in the facade of the old building wrapped with some vines of unidentified plant and it has bold letters “NN” painted in colour fading red with a shadow colour of yellow. The weird thing is that the other missing letter is covered by a by this silly creature known as gecko in a vertical position. Now, you might read this as INN, “INN” by its aid.