I heard this story in one of the towns of the Nizhny Novrogod Region. We had come there to attend a church-affiliated social event, which also included a luncheon. Once seated at the table, the participants of the event, among them the believers, the church well wishers and probably some who had little to do with church—struck up very interesting conversations. The conversation went from Metropolitan Nikolai (Kutepov), as our meeting was dedicated to his honor, to Russia, St. Seraphim (since Diveyevo was within an easy reach), and to miracles. That’s when an employee of a local administration named Natalia (she gave me permission to use her real name), an energetic lady who at first seemed like an absolutely worldly person, uttered: “Now, I saw my own Guardian Angel!” and shared the following story.
Farewell at the railway station. Artist: Mikhail Vyacheslavovich Aldoshin
It happened in September of 1994. She was about to go to Italy through youth exchange program, but before that she had to go to Moscow and get a visa, because that’s how it was done at that time. So, Natalia and another young woman went to the capital. They spent a whole day waiting in line at the embassy, received their visas, and were about to travel home. They arrived at the Kazan railway station a half an hour before their train’s departure.
“We were tired and hungry,” Natalia recalls, “as we had no time to eat during the day. We settled into our compartment. Not much time was left before the departure, but we were starving. I volunteered to rush to the station and get us at least a few pies or cookies at the station’s kiosk. I left everything on the train—the money and the documents, all I had with me was some change to buy a few pies. And this was in the days before cell phones.
Suddenly, the train started moving! And so, I took off running…
I dashed off to the kiosks. And I vividly remember—the first kiosk was selling books and magazines, the next one was closed, but the third one was where I bought food. And all the time I was watching my train out of the corner of my eye: it was still standing. But then, it suddenly started to move! And I started running.
Our train was standing on the right side of the platform and on the opposite, left side (I remember it well!) there was a train heading to Tashkent. I remember it probably because there were people dressed in traditional clothing boarding it. Their Tartar skullcaps and pants… And they were all carrying these huge plaid shopping bags. I jumped over them like a veteran sportswoman: I had a real-life obstacle course there… I was running like mad… I didn’t catch my train.
At that moment, the room fell silent. Everyone at that luncheon was listening intently to Natalia’s story, expecting a happy ending.
“At that moment, my whole life flashed before my eyes,” she continued. “Here I was, standing all alone in Moscow, with no money and no identification documents. All I had was some change, just enough to take a metro ride, but then I’d have to dodge the fare to get to my aunt’s (I had an aunt who lived in Moscow at the time). Then, a thought suddenly came to me… But I simply must return home today to pack my suitcase and come back here again tomorrow to go to the airport! My Lord, it’s just terrible! I was frantically thinking whether there were other trains scheduled to go in our direction today, since ours was leaving in the evening, at 6 pm… But where would I get the money to buy a ticket? It took sometime for me to tell you all this, but in reality all these thoughts probably went through my head in a fraction of a second. I simply stood there stunned… And then, suddenly…
Someone tapped me on the shoulder:
“Hey, young lady, aren’t you going to the Silver Keys?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“But here it is, standing there.”
I was running for the wrong train! I am looking at mine and then I see that its engine snorts and it begins to move. What am I to do now?! I won’t have enough time to go around the platform, as I’ve run too far… Then I decide to run straight, and so I try to jump on the tracks… But he catches me by my belt:
“Where are you going? Here’s the crossing.”
And he points to an underpass in the middle of the platform. I have never, ever run so fast in my whole life. I jumped into the last carriage.
I have absolutely no memory of what my helper looked like. I don’t remember his face, age, even his hair color or clothing—nothing! Not even his voice!
My first thought was—I’ve caught up with the train! Then came another thought—I absolutely can’t remember what my helper looked like. I can’t remember his face, his age, his hair color, or the clothes he had on—nothing! Not even his voice! I tried to remember, but it to no avail. Then came a third thought. How did he know that I needed this particular train? And how did he end up at arm’s length from me? You could explain it somehow if I was, say, a famous personality or had such an appearance that he couldn’t help but pay attention. But no, I was just an ordinary girl.
Then, there was another mystery… Not much time had passed since that incident, when I found myself back at the Kazan railway station. I found the place where he had touched my shoulder. As for the underpass, it wasn’t there! You’d think I was simply looking for it in the wrong place, but the trains going to our town always come in on the same track and there aren’t many options. I checked everything.
Many years have passed since then. I still regularly visit the Kazan railway station in Moscow. And I still look for that underpass. It’s not there. But I did run through it! I also sprained my ankle and had to walk with it wrapped in an elastic bandage… I think it was my Guardian Angel. I saw my Guardian Angel! I can’t remember his face, or his clothes, or his voice. But his words lodged in my memory: “Young lady, aren’t you going to the Silver Keys? There is your train, over there,” and “Where are you going? There’s the underpass.” That was word for word.
Remembering Natalia’s story, I think about how the Lord holds us all in the palm of His hand. And how He gives each of us the best circumstances to find salvation and to strengthen our faith.
