My 8:16 was chugging into Grand Central, slowing down in the tunnel around 50th Street.
I got up to put my coat on and prepare for my spot on the happy hamster wheel that is commuting in New York.
The train appears to hit a bump, and suddenly, the window is filled with a flash of light–a lovely cascade of yellow sparks on the tracks outside. Hundreds of them flying up in the air and then tumbling down, like a convention of fireflies.
Eyes go wide on the train. A mumbled “holy shit!”, a few “wow!”s. There is some concern, if not low-level panic; collectively, we know track fires are Bad.
The train keeps a-rollin’. It docks a moment later and we get off.
[image: flicker]