This story by Sait Faik Abasıyanık describes a man’s thoughts as he watches an unkempt boy make his first trip on the Tünel (Istanbul’s Beyoğlu – Karaköy funicular railway). The boy, who is clearly from a poor family, tries hard to supress his feelings of excitement and wonder. His joy turns to discomfort when he senses the man and other passengers taking notice of his faint smile. Themes include 1) how things some of us take for granted can create magic moments for others; and 2) how, as we age, society conditions us to hide our feelings in public.
Interestingly, the man’s observations of the boy take place over a very short time. The brick-enclosed Tünel is only 555 meters long, and the entire trip on the then steam-powered, cable-drawn cars took around 90 seconds.
Original Text / PDF (1400 words)