During the summer, my friend Robin went mountain climbing. He lost his footing and fell down a steep cliff. Luckily, he landed on a ledge and this saved his life. However, he was badly injured and had to be rescued. The fall hurt his head and when they brought him to the hospital, he was still unconscious.
When doctors examined him, they found swelling in his brain. He had to undergo immediate surgery. He was in the operating room for hours and they managed to reduce the swelling, but he was still in a coma.
After a few days he recovered and I went to meet him in the hospital. He told me that, when he was unconscious, he had a very strange dream.
In the dream, Robin found himself standing at a deserted railway station. No one else was visible there. When the train stopped at the station, he boarded the train.
There were no other passengers in the train. Robin was all alone. After a long time the train started slowing down and stopped at another station. He looked out the window and saw that the platform was deserted.
Just then, he heard a low, raspy voice over the intercom: "Next stop, last stop. Next stop, end of the line."
Something about the announcement sent a shiver down his spine. He jumped from his seat and managed to get off the train just as the doors were closing.
This was the moment when he woke up from the coma.
Doctors told him he was lucky to survive. He said, he was swinging between life and death for some time.
When Robin told me about his dream, I noticed that he was getting upset and his face was turning pale.
I asked him why it bothered him so much and he said, "What if I didn't get off at that train station? What would have happened if I had stayed on the train until the end of the line?"
