The Bottle

The Bottle

I sat in the light rail elevated train car near the back. In Chicago you call it the "EL." The train cars I ride are in three sections. Two sets of double sliding doors on opposite sides of the car divide the three sections. There are two short end sections, one long middle section and an aisle that runs down the middle of the full length of the car. The cars are made to go forward or backward so half the seats face one way and the other half the other. The end section seats face the other end section and the middle section seats face opposite directions on either side of the aisle. There are a few seats near the four doors that face sideways.

I noticed this empty plastic bottle on the floor at the far end of the middle section. I was actually surprised to see it on the floor because the trains are usually very clean. Of course, with all the stopping and starting, things have a tendency to move around, especially standing passengers. Everybody had a seat this time and it was fun watching the bottle move. The train started and the bottle came rolling back toward me. About half way there it stopped as we had stopped accelerating. Then, as we slowed for the next stop, it rolled back. We started again and it rolled toward me again. It stopped when it gently rolled against a man's shoe and stayed there. We started and stopped but it didn't move. The man was reading the newspaper and he didn't notice.

Then for some reason it rolled away again. I swear the car didn't move! This time it went all the way to the other end of the car. I was surprised it did not turn. It just went all the way right down the aisle. I glanced up and nobody else was looking at it. I watched, amazed, when just before my stop it rolled all the way to me stopping in the aisle right beside my seat. It was a miraculous roll! I could read the label, "Dole Apple Juice." I got off the train and headed toward work. On the way I thought how it might be a cute story to fill the time if I was chatting with anybody, but I forgot about it.

On my way home, at the platform where I change from one train to another I saw the bottle down between the rails. I was sad that such a talented bottle should come to such a fate. Some transit worker who didn't realize it's amazing past was probably just going to throw it away.

Addendum: On the third day, the bottle was still there. On the fourth day, it was gone.

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