Elaine Batchelor at age 22.
Batchelor family photo
hide caption
toggle caption
Batchelor family photo
This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It highlights experiences of people whose acts of kindness had a profound effect on others.
Back in 1980, Elaine Batchelor embarked on a European backpacking adventure to commemorate her college graduation. At just 22 years old, she ventured solo for the first time. Her journey took an unexpected turn on an overnight train to Greece from what was then Yugoslavia.
Once on board, Batchelor observed she might be the only woman present, with no fellow passengers speaking English.
“I thought, ‘Well, this doesn’t look like a good idea.’ But at the time, when things weren’t good ideas, I did them anyway,” Batchelor said.
Settling on an unoccupied bench, her solitude was interrupted an hour later when two young men abruptly seized her by the arm.
“At first, I thought I must be in the wrong seat. Then I realized that they were trying to harm me,” Batchelor recalled.
The men attempted to drag her toward the train’s rear bathroom. Batchelor’s efforts to resist proved futile.
In a swift turn of events, two older men intervened, rescuing Batchelor from the assailants.
“These two older men took me to the back of the train, sat me on a bench and proceeded to stand guard over me for almost 12 hours.”
The pair shielded her throughout the night, sharing their food and water, and occasionally offering a reassuring pat.
“They didn’t know any English and it was just looking into each other’s eyes that I knew I was safe,” Batchelor said.
Upon reaching Greece, Batchelor disembarked, profoundly grateful for the men’s protection.
“If I saw these two men today, I would thank them for doing what good humans do in moments like that — take care and protect each other. And that’s exactly what they did on that night train in 1980.”
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
