The departures board blinked DELAYED in red. Theo checked his ticket: Vienna, Platform 9. The woman next to him checked hers: Venice, also Platform 9. "That has to be a mistake," she said. An announcement crackled: both trains were stuck, no new time given. Theo laughed. "Looks like we're both going nowhere together." She smiled. "I'm Mara."
Theo offered to grab coffee while they waited. Mara hesitated, then nodded. They found a little cafe across from the platform. Over two terrible cappuccinos, they swapped stories. He was an architect heading to a job interview. She was a violinist chasing a festival audition. Both trips, suddenly, on hold.
The cafe owner overheard them and grinned. "Stranded travelers? I have a back room with old board games." They spent the afternoon playing checkers and losing badly to the owner's grandmother. By evening, the trains still hadn't moved. "Same time tomorrow?" Mara asked. Theo nodded fast. "Same time tomorrow."