.
.
.
I stand motionless on a moving stairway as it carries me down, down, down.
A gaudy tunnel taunts me, envelopes me. To my left and right, behind and before me, a silent hoard stands motionless like a museum of statues seemingly unaware of others around them.
The stillness is disturbed by a sudden rush of wind. A distant rumble becomes a roar as an enormous silver snake shoots from the tunnel and then rattles to a halt. A row of doors hisses open, like so many hungry gaping mouths. I watch as a surging mass makes its escape, buffeting me in its frantic bid for freedom.
‘Mind the gap’ commands an echoing voice.
‘Mind the gap’
A throng carries me forward, seemingly eager to be swallowed up. We cram against each other like sardines in a can. A jerk. I grip a post. We sway as one, this way and that. Nobody speaks.
We are hidden in darkness deep underground. My body’s down here but my mind is up there in a bustling street where folk are going about their lives oblivious to what is happening beneath them. I was there not an hour ago. I break into a sweat.
Is this what it’s like? Is this the end?
‘We are now approaching Angel’ shrieks an amplified voice. ‘Mind the gap’
‘Mind the gap’.
.
Thanks to Jenne Gray and CEAyr for hosting The Unicorn Challenge
© Ayr/Gray
*I’m travelling on the London Underground tomorrow – I hope this doesn’t come back to haunt me!
Keith's Ramblings 
I like how you’ve captured the different experience of travelling underground, Keith.
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Thanks so much CE, despite what I wrote, I actually enjoy it, and went on 4 of them in London yesterday!
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it all sounds so mechanical, and the human factor is missing. such a loud absence
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…like so many robots! Cheers, Beth.
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Oooh! An intriguing story Keith.
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Frrom the mind of a metrophobe! Thanks Sadje.
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You’re most welcome 🙏🏼
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Oh, a touch of Danté here! Yep. Riding the subway is just like that.
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For some, it is!
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Well, that took a spooky turn, Keith.
Such a true to life description of travelling on the underground, but is this the end?
‘Approaching Angel’ gives me hope!
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I’d like to think that it offers hope, but who am I to say?
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It’s been years, but I remember. Approaching Angel does sound at once a bit ominous and hopeful, may it be a good destination, temporary or permanent.
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There is a station called Angel in London, but is that the angel he’s approaching? No good asking me!
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Nicely and concisely detailed, Keith. Excellent mood-setting with repeated ‘mind the gap’. You made me think of the years I spent riding the subway and how much I detested it, especially when it broke down in a tunnel and lost power. That’s when the perverts come out.
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Fortunately, a breakdown’s not something I’ve experienced! I travelled on several really packed tube trains yesterday, but I have to say, I quite enjoyed it – I was of course very careful to mind the gap!
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err… much as I ‘probably’ (lol) won’t be given a choice, but going to stand before Final Judgement in a crowd… nah… (Milton said it best ‘Non cum vulgo’ lol)
fave line: “We sway as one, this way and that” totally can see the movement of the crowd
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Thank you for taking the journey with us!
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Brilliant, Keith! The underground – back in the day for me. That’s exactly how it feels and sounds… and smells.
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The sounds and smells certainly are unique!
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Unfortunately we have no undergrounds in Detroit. But I love them. In Moscow I thought we would never get to the bottom. A descent in to hell….
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I’ve travelled on quite few abroad, but not Moscow. My favourite has to be the Beijng subway system. Fast, clean and very efficient!
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I loved listening to you read your tale, Keith. Your voices are perfect, especially the mechanical imitation of the loudspeaker voice. Great story.
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Thanks so much, Sally, mind the gap!
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Love it! I enjoyed riding the tube in London; it was like almost 40 years ago.
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Very atmospheric. ‘Down, down, down … ‘ as if into the inferno, and the imagery continues to create a feeling of suffocation and despair – monsters and horrible noises. Then it’s over. ‘Angel’! What a great name for a station. Good one, Keith.
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