This is a ghost story. It is 1861. The place is the Southeast of England.
There were no cars at that time.
The people could travel with a railway train between towns and cities.

I stand at the top of a slope. Down by the slope are railway tracks.
One of the railway tracks was going to London. the other one disappeared into a tunnel.
There is also a signalbox. A signalman was standing by the signal box. He was holding a red flag.
There was another flag near the tunnel entrance. The flag was white.
There were also two lamps on the ground. The lamps were not lit.There was a metal ladder too.
The signalman looked around and walked back to the signal box. I looked at him. I shouted at him. The man was very frightened. I shouted again. "Hello! Hello! The signalman looked at me, but he did not reply.
Then the ground started to shake. There was a train coming to the tunnel. It was going to Dover.
The signalman was watching me. He was watching and waiting. He was unhappy. Why?
"Good evening". I said to the signalman. "Do you like visitors?"
The man did not reply. I smiled at him. He didn't speak to me. He was looking at the entrance of the tunnel. Was he waiting for somebody?

The job of a signalman was to care of the flags and the lights.
The train to Londen has to wait here. Then comes the train to Dover and when he passed, the train to Londen goes on again.
Two trains must not be in the tunnel at the same time.
A red signal is a warning signal. The white signal means: go through the tunnel.
The flags are the daytime signal; the lamps are the nighttime signals.
The signalman was afraid.
We were going to the signalbox.

There was a fire burning. On the desk was an electric bell. There was also a telegraph machine. They bring messages and they send messages.
Some wires are going from the signal box to the next station. I can receive messages and I can send messages.
When the bell rings once that means there is a message for you.
Sometimes, the bell rings three times. The man in the signal box at the other station is saying: there is a train in the tunnel.Stop all other trains.
With the telegraph machine can I send longer messages.When I ring the bell six times I send a telegraph message.

The next evening, the signalman tells me a story.
"Sometimes...








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