Waking from a train nap

Meeting at the club after an absence...

Paul: Yeah, well, there’s been some hospital visits.

Olaf: Something major?

Paul: A bit. Radiotherapy.

Olaf: Oh. Sorry to hear that. Takes it out of you a bit?

Paul: Mornings are OK, pretty much a box of birds. But then there’s a train ride to the hospital, the treatment and then the ride back.

Olaf: Is it far?

Paul: Hour and a half. Each way.

Olaf: You can sit on the train?

Paul: It’s off-peak, so there are seats. Usually I fall asleep, but when I wake up the people sitting in the opposite seats seem like demons and devils.

Olaf: Radiation induced delusions?

Paul: I don’t think radiation causes delusions, it could be just sleepy brain or foggy eyes.

_________

Voice-over

 

Radiotherapy can cause fatigue and for some, a train ride can bring on a sudden nap and an abrupt wakening. And it might take a moment for the shapes of nearby passengers to reset.