The Mountain Railway: Climbing through pines as the valley lights fade

Isla Merriweather

The train climbs slowly, and the valley below grows smaller with every bend. This is a quiet ride through darkening pines, the rhythmic clack of wheels on track, the hush of steam against cold air, and the last scattered lights fading into distance below. There is nowhere to arrive, nothing to solve, only the steady climb upward into deeper dark. Gentle, unhurried, and easy to rest inside.