I crouched down, doing my best to sound calm. \u201cHey there, sweetie. I\u2019m Maya. What\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sniffled, rubbed her nose on her sleeve, and mumbled, \u201cElla.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, Ella. Are you okay? Where are your parents?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t answer. Just hugged her teddy tighter and looked away.<\/p>\n
I could tell she was scared out of her mind. And not just the kind of scared kids get when they\u2019re lost in a supermarket. This felt deeper. Like she\u2019d been running from something. Or someone.<\/p>\n
I glanced up and down the empty hallway. \u201cAlright, Ella, I\u2019m going to help you, okay? But we can\u2019t sit in here all night.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated, but when I held out my hand, she finally stood. She was so small. Barely came up to my waist. She had on a puffy red jacket that was clearly too big for her and mismatched socks under little pink sneakers.<\/p>\n
I took her to the small staff area at the back of the train and sat her on a stool. I poured her some water and handed her a biscuit from my lunch bag. She took it without a word.<\/p>\n
As she nibbled, I said gently, \u201cYou\u2019re not in trouble, I promise. But I need to understand how you got on the train. Were you with someone?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get through the gate?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up at me, finally locking eyes. \u201cI followed a group of people. Nobody saw me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat back, heart twisting. We were at least an hour out of the city by now, speeding through the countryside. There was no easy way to just turn around or call someone to come pick her up.<\/p>\n
I alerted my colleague, Tom, and together we contacted the authorities at the next station. But I couldn\u2019t just leave her to wait with strangers.<\/p>\n
As the train rattled on, I stayed by Ella\u2019s side. I told her funny stories about weird passengers and showed her how the intercom worked. Slowly, she started to relax. She even smiled a little when I showed her how to make the \u201cding-dong\u201d sound with the announcement bell.<\/p>\n
Then, out of the blue, she asked, \u201cAre you a mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked. \u201cNo, I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talk like a mom,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cNot like a stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hit me right in the chest.<\/p>\n
We sat in silence for a while, just the hum of the train and the occasional bump of tracks beneath us. I didn\u2019t push her for more. But eventually, she started talking.<\/p>\n