Kats

Two coyotes sat in their seats, plotting. Today would be the day. The grand Aqua Sub Train would make its big run today. No one noticed a thing as they boarded the train. Their long black coats and black hats were a great help. The people were still boarding. One coyote looked at his watch.

“Thirty minutes until departure,” he said. His partner nodded.

“Don’t chicken out,” he said.

“I won’t,” the first coyote said. They kept their heads down. Everything had to go perfectly for their scheme to work.

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Meanwhile, Anna Jane looked out the window of the train. She tried to piece together what was happening up to this point. That panada army kept talking about Chronus. Now that it was in her head, she had to know what it was. George’s head touched the ceiling of the car.

“Nervous?” Anna Jane asked.

“Meep,” George said.

“First time on this train?” someone asked. Anna Jane lifted her head. An old lady sat in the seat across the aisle. She wore all green. Her handbag sat on her lap.

“Yeah,” Anna Jane said.

“Oh! You’re in a for a treat,” the old lady said. “Where are you headed?” The little girl took a minute to think.

“Chronus, I guess,” she said. The old lady whistled.

“Wow,” she said. “That far away?”

“Yeah,” Anna Jane said, nodding.

“Meep,” George said. Anna Jane smiled.

“And where are you going?” she asked. The old lady smiled.

“I’m going to see my granddaughter,” she said.

“What’s her name?”

“Ella. She’s your age.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Attention passengers!” a voice said over the intercom. “We will be departing from the station in ten minutes. I repeat, we will be departing for the station in ten minutes.” The old lady smiled to herself.

“Here we go!” she said. Anna Jane turned to George. That was the first time she saw him smiling.

“There, there,” she whispered.

“Meep,” the creature said. Anna Jane tried to picture where this next adventure would take them.

“Did you buckle up?” the old lady asked.

“Hm? Oh,” the little girl said. She buckled up as fast as she could. George tried to do the same.

“Here, let me get that for you,” Anna Jane said. She reached over and buckled up the creature.

“There,” she said.

“Meep!” George said. Suddenly, they heard the engines start up on either side of them. Anna Jane sat back as fast as she could.

“Here it comes!” the old lady shouted. The train took off like a rocket. Anna Jane clinched her teeth and shut her eyes. The train grew faster and faster as it started to dive.

Splash!

Once things got settled, the train’s movements became more stable. Anna Jane opened her eyes and relaxed.

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Sometime later, Anna Jane got up to explore the train. When she looked out the window, her jaw dropped. The train went underwater. Literally under the water. She could see the fish swimming by. Anna Jane couldn’t believe it.

“Why are we underwater?” she asked.

“Of course, little lady,” a man’s rough voice answered. Anna Jane turned around and gasped. A man sat in the hallway she was walking in. His clothes were in rags from the 1930’s. His brown newsy cap hung over one eye. His black gloves had no fingers.

“Yo,” the man said, waving. Anna Jane tried not to look at his teeth.

“Why are we underwater?” she asked again. The dirty-looking man shifted into place.

“You’re on the Aqua Sub Train,” he said. “It’s a train that rides under the ocean.”

“Okay…” the little girl said, blinking. The old man held out his hand.

“Oh, I’m Kats, by the way,” he said. “And you are?”

“Uh… Anna Jane,” Anna Jane said. Kats grinned.

“Nice to meet you, AJ,” he said.

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The coyotes looked up from their watches.

“Now,” the older one said. He and his partner stood up and started walking to their mission.