A Strange, Unwelcoming Place - Merchant Taylors’ School 11+

The gate screeched when I pushed it open. Beyond it stood an abandoned railway station, its windows boarded up and its sign hanging crookedly from one rusty chain.

I had come with my uncle to photograph the old building from the public footpath, but even in daylight the place made me uneasy. Weeds pushed through the platform cracks, and a cold wind carried scraps of paper along the ground. Somewhere beneath the roof, a loose sheet of metal banged again and again.

“Strange, isn’t it?” my uncle murmured.

I nodded. The station seemed to be waiting for passengers who would never arrive. Through a broken pane, I could just make out the ghostly outline of a ticket counter. An abandoned timetable clung to the wall, its faded numbers still promising journeys that had ended years ago.

Suddenly a sharp rattle came from behind us. I spun around, my heart leaping. A blackbird burst from a bush, scattering dead leaves into the air. My uncle laughed, and I laughed too, although my hands were shaking.

As we walked away, I looked back once. The station was silent again, but I could not forget the feeling that we had disturbed a place which preferred to be alone.