The Book on Seat 14

Mara takes the same train to work every morning. One Tuesday, she finds a book on seat 14. The book is old. She looks for the owner, but the train is almost empty.

She opens the book. There are pencil marks in the margin. Someone writes small comments next to the words. Next to a sad scene, a comment says: “I cried here. Don’t tell anyone.” Mara smiles.

She keeps the book for a week, but nobody asks for it. Then she takes a pencil and writes: “Your secret is safe. I laughed here.” On Friday, she leaves the book on seat 14.

On Monday, the book is there again. Mara’s heart beats fast. There is a new line in pencil: “Seat 14 is lucky. Do you read the end first?” She laughs out loud.

For three weeks, they write to each other about the story and the weather. Mara never sees the other reader. Then, on the last page, she finds a message: “I leave this train tomorrow. I have a grey scarf.”

The next morning, Mara looks at every passenger. A young man by the door has a grey scarf and a pencil behind his ear. He looks at the book in her hands and smiles.