what if you held the world in your arms?

she stands at the edge of the tracks, her chest aflutter with the thought:

what if.

rusted and warped, the tracks are nearly choked by the weeds that have taken up residence over time. they are lonely in this place. as the tall grass whispers its secrets to the choir of crickets nestled in its fortress, the tracks groan quietly and the earth listens.

there is a train coming. its light cannot yet be seen, but the earth knows, and now the tracks. they can feel the rumble. there is life after all.

she breathes in sharply and glances up at the lightning bugs in the forest. they twinkle like stars in the darkness and for a moment, she imagines their excited chatter. imagines? surely anything is possible tonight. a train is coming.

possibility enshrouds the night like a fog. what if she were to accept? what if her heart were to give in? what if she allowed herself to hope?

feeling a slight tremor beneath her feet, she blinks slowly and turns her head in the direction of its source.

what if.