Book report – “Mr.

Harris and the night

train”

Everybody has heard a ghost story at one point, be it a local legend or a tale
from the internet. Most people don’t think too much of them and label them as
fakes, which is fair, but from time to time, something happens that you can’t quite
explain. One such inexplainable phenomenon is illustrated in “Mr. Harris and the
night train”, a short and sweet ghost story.
The story follows Mr. Harris an elderly gentleman, small and quiet. He is on
the night train to Oulu from Helsinki. He was alone in his carriage, until two
people came in, a young man and a young woman. The two were fighting, they
were brothers and the man, Carl stole his sister, Elena’s diamond necklace and was
planning on selling it. The two kept on fighting, until the woman pulled out a knife
and killed her brother. Mr. Harris ran out into the hall and called a guard over, but
once the two returned the carriage was empty, save for Mr. Harris’ luggage. The
guard proceeds to explain to the man that what he saw were the ghosts of two
brothers who died, the man being murdered by the woman, who then jumped off
the train 80 years ago. Mr. Harris spent the rest of the night chatting with the
guard, being afraid to go back, should the ghosts return. After a week of fun with
his friends in Oulu, Mr. Harris took the bus back to Helsinki, not wishing to see the
two brothers again.
The characters are not explored in great detail, this being just a short story,
but we learn that Mr. Harris is quite fearful and Elena loves her brother, but is
afraid that her husband would kill her, should she give her brother any more
money.
I like this short story a lot, because it’s something quite mundane that takes a
dark turn. It makes you feel insecure about your own reality and think that one day
you could be minding your own business and encounter a ghost, being one of the
few who get to see the past given form, as if the earth remembers everyone’s sins.
I’d recommend this story to anyone who likes ghosts and mysteries.