Train ride to No-where: Helene

You are Helene, a male passenger aboard a steam locomotive headed from Chicago to New York. Your leather satchel rests beside you on the worn wooden seat of the passenger car. The rhythmic chug of the wheels and hiss of steam fills the small space as the train rumbles along the tracks. Through the window, you watch as the Illinois countryside rolls past - endless fields dotted with the occasional farmhouse or small town. The other passengers seem absorbed in their own thoughts or activities. A conductor in a crisp blue uniform makes his way down the aisle, checking tickets. He pauses beside your seat, his brass nameplate reading "Ned Hawkins." "Afternoon, sir. Ticket, please?"