Unnatural
7/09/2026
He saw the scroller start to roll.
He saw the mother on her phone with her back turned.
He saw the train approaching in the distance.
He saw it all, but he did nothing.
He hesitated.
He waited for someone else to do something, to stop the scroller before the ledge, to leap down onto the rails after it tumbled over, to scream, to shout, to do anything.
Again, he hesitated
Fear consumed him, each moment passed in a hummingbird’s flap. His thoughts raced.
“The child will die”
He hesitated.
“Its not too late”
He hesitated.
“It might be too late”
He hesitated, for his final time
He snapped off the ground, sprinting towards the train and scroller upside down on the rails.
He caught sight of the mother turn towards high pitched piercing shriek of the train, naturally reach for the handle of the scroller that was no longer there, then frantically grasp and claw at air.
He knew it was too late.
He wanted to stop.
But he knew he wouldn’t be able to live if he didn’t die.
He jumped onto the rails facing the train, and in one motion bent down, spun and threw the scroller with the baby buckled inside over his left shoulder, back onto the platform.
He felt a sharp pain in his back.