On the night train, conductor Elise moved through sleeping cars with a lantern, checking tickets and lowering shades. She thought of journeys as lines on a schedule until a storm stopped the train between towns. A student shared phone chargers, a farmer passed around oranges, and Elise found blankets for a family with a baby. When the train moved again, no one had reached the destination on time, yet the car felt less stranded. Elise understood that journeys matter not only because they carry people forward, but because people carry one another through them.