I think I can safely say that you have, at some point in your life, wished to be somewhere you are not. You may lay on your bed dreaming of adventures, or stare out the car window longing to be elsewhere - maybe even in a special someone's embrace, feeling their heart beat in synchronisation with yours. At some point you have wished for an escape from the often tedious and mundane experience known as life or you have simply wished not to be alone. If that is the case, my friend, I have a solution for you. You may or may not have heard of The Dream Line, and you may or may not have experienced its magical qualities. Either way, I believe this is a story for you. This is a story of adventure and love; of magic and joy; it is a story where wishes come true. But please tell me, would you want your wish to come at the expense of something far greater - something possibly irreplaceable? You see, the danger in wishing for an escape is losing your chance to appreciate what you have in the ​here and now. Are you willing to risk that?

It is 11:01pm as you escape out the back door, trying to drown out the sounds of a family at war as your pounding feet match the beating of your heart. You doubt they will even notice that you are missing. They don't care about you, even though they say they do. It is all just a lie - an act. If they really cared about you, they would find a way to make your house less like a war zone and more like a home. But you have to admit: out of all their lies, "I love you" is your favourite. And no matter how many times you try to convince yourself of the contrary, you will always love them. Love is painful, you realise, as your lungs begin to ache and your legs begin to buckle. But one simply has to heal the wounds love delivers and move on. You're not sure if you'll go back at this stage. You're not sure if living in a war-torn house for another five years is really worth it. All you're sure of is that you need an escape - at least for tonight.

After you have run three blocks, you come to a sudden stop. You are at an intersection. (If you turn right, you will be able to walk for hours under the stars as your town gives way to countryside. If you turn left, you will walk for two minutes before stumbling upon the train station. But you do not know this -- narrator's privileges, my friend -- since you are a girl, and girls are not allowed to walk by themselves because of the world we live in). You do not know which way to go. It is now 11:05pm. You are just about to turn right when you hear a train whistle coming from your left, and you instinctively turn towards it.

Once you turn right, you see a cluster of people walking in the same direction as you, and you decide to follow closely behind them - maybe you'll be safe if you seem to be with a group of people. You jump and barely restrain a yelp when a stray cat suddenly sprints out of a bush and across your path. You are on edge. It is now 11:08. You don't know where the group of people is headed, but you continue to follow them, not really caring where you end up anymore.

You can here the soft hiss of a train on perfectly maintained tracks. Every person in the group ahead of you quickens their pace, and you automatically do the same, as though you all are one. You follow the mass of people up the ramp to platform seven. You look to your left, but all you can see is a bright light in the distance. You glance around to see if all the other people see it, but suddenly there's no one there. You're all alone. It is now 11:11pm. Glancing back at the train tracks, you leap back, for the train has appeared right beside you in the blink of an eye. What is this magic? You think to yourself.

The doors open soundlessly. An electronic screen lights up, instructing you to step inside. Once you have done so, the doors slide shut. You begin to panic. But before you are thrown into hysterics, a calm voice comes through the speakers. "Welcome, Weary Traveller, to The Dream Line. Please stay calm. This is not a kidnapping, but rather, it is a rescue. We all have dreams - Some bigger than others. But I can guarantee you that at some point in every person's life, they have dreamed of being somewhere they are not - whether it be to a who or to a where. So tell me, weary soul, where would you like to go? Perhaps to the Beaches of Spain or a bakery in France? Maybe you would like to explore an African jungle? Or perhaps it is a special person you seek? Wherever it may be, tell me, and you shall be there shortly." 

The voice stops speaking and you are left standing dumbfounded as The Dream Line - as she called it - waits impatiently (if a train can, in fact, wait impatiently). You have no idea what to say, and even if you did, you would not trust your voice. So you stand in silence, waiting for something - anything - to happen.

The voice emerges again, "Perhaps this is too much to take in. Perhaps you do not trust your voice". (What was that? Did she just read your thoughts? Is that possible?). "Don't worry. This happens all the time. And we are always prepared for anything". A keyboard pops up beside you, with every possible choice of a place to go. "Choose," The voice says simply. Glancing over the array of choices, you settle on the one that interests you most: Venice. "Thank you," the voice says as the train begins to move.

You run to the tail-end of the carriage, and burst onto the balcony-like platform, expecting to see the shrinking train station, but instead you see a deep void of darkness. Well, that's not entirely true. You see blackness, yes, and never-ending night, but the main thing you are seeing is nothing. For it has been said that there is no such thing as blackness; there is only an absence of light. Similarly, there is no such thing as hate; there is only an absence of love.

With this thought in your mind - The Dream Line seems to have the power to plant thoughts in its passengers' minds - you sprint to the front end of the train and burst through the door to the driver's room. You are so caught up in the sight that meets your gaze that you don't even notice that the train is devoid of a driver and is, in fact, driving itself. The view that you are met with is entirely captivating. There is an infinite amount of light. However, the light is anything but blinding. (In any other circumstance, it would be impossible to look at it, but since this is magic we're talking about, anything is possible). At first you think that the light is coming from nowhere, but you soon realise that you are moving along it. The Dream Line is travelling on tracks of never-ending light.