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chuckles.

"No worse than the rest of this city, I imagine," he says, settling back again and closing his eyes.

Orient Heights Station. The small young woman rises from the floor and wanders out the door, still mumbling. A young man in doctor's scrubs boards the subway, his mind drifting towards the patients awaiting him at the hospital.

"Do you work at the hospital?" Davis asks.

"Yeah," he replies, "I'm a surgeon."

Davis reflects on this profession, on the ability to play God.

"Have you ever seen someone die?" he presses on.

"Yes," says the surgeon, and he falls back into silent thought.

"Was it ever your fault?" Davis continues. The surgeon turns to look at him this time, studying the stranger's face, thinking back over the countless procedures, the complications, the successes, the failures, the life. The death.

"Yes," he replies.

"I imagine everyone has an equal chance of living or dying," the old man suddenly concludes. Davis nods his head in agreement and looks ahead at the young boy. He is more somber now, the fresh new feeling of the subway having worn off, replaced by a certain uneasiness and unfamiliarity.

Wood Island Station. The mother hurries her young boy off the subway, and the young surgeon also departs, off to play God for another day. Now the old man and Davis sit alone.

"So what do you do?" Davis asks the old man.

"I ride the subway," the old man replies.

Davis decides this is beautiful, and he sits and listens to the scrape of the subway through the tunnel. He watches as the flickering lights outside melt into a single stream. He feels the silence of the subway car, a single pod of noiseless bliss rocketing under the bustling chaos of the Boston streets. Do they know what's beneath them?

Airport Station. Milton Davis rises and prepares to exit.

"Enjoy your ride," he says to the old man, and he exits the subway, headed for the airport terminal.

He checks his one bag of luggage, boards the plane, and takes his seat; and as the rest of the airplane population arrives and the ride begins, Davis sits and observes the passengers.

Learn more about this author, Armen Changelian.
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