Train Station - By Hasanah Shakoor

Written By: Hasanah Shakoor

Category: Flash Fiction

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Hasanah Shakoor brings us "Train Station," a compelling entry in the Creative Writing category of the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This flash fiction piece takes readers into the seemingly mundane yet poignant world of Amilee and Dabeet, set in a closed cafe. The narrative captures the essence of human interaction, missed opportunities, and the subtle humor that arises from everyday encounters.

About the Work

"Train Station" elegantly explores the nuances of silent communication and the humorous undertones of human connection. Through Amilee and Dabeet's interactions, Shakoor paints a vivid picture of the emotions and thoughts that swirl beneath the surface in moments of unexpected companionship. The setting of a quiet, closed cafe provides a perfect backdrop for this introspective and relatable tale.

Train Station

Original Submission by Hasanah Shakoor

Amilee is always the last one in, the first one out. A nearly empty cafe isn't usually what greets her when she arrives at work, but today is different. Seated at one of the booths is Dabeet, who looks up from his phone and coffee as Amilee enters. Her perplexed face prompts him to nod at the big whiteboard that, on any other day, would have the daily specials scrawled on it, but today “stove is busted cafe closed wait for repairman” is scribbled in increasingly small letters as the writer crams in more information. Amilee knows it's three hours to noon, which is alright since she'd been meaning to catch up on new Abbott Elementary episodes.

She takes off her coat and joins Dabeet at his booth. He watches her, seemingly uninterested, but silently wondering how he'd pass this time with her. He's not boring by any means, he's truthfully quite funny, but he’s begun to notice that Amilee brings that out of him, and is beginning to doubt that he even has enough substance to start and lead a conversation. She doesn't appear to have any intent of speaking, as she props her phone up on the centerpiece and connects her earphones. Dabeet leans back in his seat, feeling somewhat relieved, somewhat something else, as if he'd just missed his train and the next one won't be along for ages.

Instinctively, he raises his phone once more to tune out his thoughts, when Amilee starts fiddling with her earphones. She takes the left one out, listens, then puts it back in and takes the right one out. He watches her face shift from confused, to suspicious, to frustrated and she yanks the earphone jack out of her phone. At this point she catches his gaze and pauses for a moment, brows furrowed and lips pouting. She feels like she might laugh, as Dabeet's face is expressionless, just looking at her over his phone screen. It's almost strange that she'd find this funny amidst the anger from buying $20 earphones only for them to break after two uses, but she had begun to notice that she laughs a little harder around Dabeet, he's simply hilarious. So a smile starts to form on her face, but she breaks eye contact to press play on her video, lowering the speaker volume so as not to disturb her table mate. Dabeet quickly looks down at his own phone as well, wishing he had made a snarky comment or said anything, but another train passed him by.

He checks the time, surely it's been a half hour by now, what with the mental laps he's been running. No, it's still three hours to noon, take a few minutes. He listens to the audio playing from Amilee's phone, though he can't see it. A well-crafted joke causes him to smile, and he immediately becomes aware that she's looking at him. He raises his gaze to hers once more, and her eyes are so kind, half smiling, eyebrows half raised as if to ask, “are you enjoying this show?”. And somehow, with that look in her eyes, Dabeet manages to catch the next train. He pockets his phone and stands up, moving to her side of the table to watch the show together. She rewinds to the very beginning, and they sit contentedly in silence, only the sounds from Amilee's phone, occasional laughter, the odd snort to be heard in that nearly empty cafe, closed for the day.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a distinguished platform celebrating diverse and innovative literary voices from around the world. This competition seeks to inspire and showcase outstanding talent in poetry and creative writing, offering participants a chance to share their unique perspectives and stories with a global audience.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Hasanah Shakoor for sharing "Train Station" with us in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This engaging piece of flash fiction leaves readers reflecting on the beauty of fleeting moments and human connections. We look forward to seeing more of Hasanah's work in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.