The Night Train: Pioneer Read online
Page 2
The sack inside. The two cans and the spoon, inside the sack.
After an hour of traveling the conductor announced that the next stop will be Nashville and everybody going to Nashville should check around seats.
He also said, "There will be two doors open for leaving at Nashville. Nashville is the first smoke break. So whoever wants to leave the train for a while should go to the lower level of the fourth coach car from the front of the train. Stay around the door. The train will be leaving as soon as the new passengers have boarded."
Matt and Kim went to the fourth car and stood outside the train while the passengers boarded. There was a younger man, probably in his early twenties, talking with a small group of passengers about how he was in the army and had a fierce looking eagle tattoo on his back. He said his army unit symbol was a fierce looking bird. And his tattooed bird was fiercer then that.
A middle age man with another group about twenty feet away was listening. He walked over to the former army man and held out his hand and said, "I like to thank you for your service."
The former army man did not shake the other man's hand. Instead he said, "Don't thank me, I spend two years working in an office in Texas."
The middle age man return to his group. The Former army man continued talking, saying he has been out two years and has not been able to find a job in Texas. He said he grew up about 125 mile northeast of Cincinnati and he was going to Frankfort to look for a job. That he had passed through there once while he was in the army and thought he could find a job there.
Then the conductor shouted that the train was leaving and everybody should get onboard.
The train ride through north Tennessee was a pleasant journey. The train reached Kentucky. The clouds started moving. A rain storm was in the distance. Lighting blots were hitting the ground. The thunder was not heard as the distance storm approached. Suddenly the storm was on the train. The heavy rain, thunder, and lightning.
The storm caused a strange feeling in Wanda. Wanda's reaction was strange and frightening. She spoke to Kim, "I don't like this. This is not good."
Kim replied, "It's just a passing storm. Should go by soon. A quick moving storm. Should be over as quick as it arrived."
Wanda, with a removed look, said, "No it's the cheese, in the café car, prediction."
The train moved threw a thick woods and curved into a tunnel. It was black outside. Wanda and, Matt and Kim, sat waiting intensely to see the end of the tunnel. Finally there was a light and the train emerged into a rocky, treeless area with a creek of rushing water running beside the train. The rain continued. There was a bolt of lightning that hit the ground a quarter mile away. The clap of thunder reverberated in the train. Then it disappeared. Everyone looked around. Everything seemed ok. The rain continued. The thunder and lightning became more distant.
A conductor walked by. Wanda asked, "Where are we?"
The conductor replied, "We're going through Gopher pass."
Wanda, "Does it always rain like this. Cause the creek to rise like this. It's out of its banks."
The conductor, "There's a dam upstream about a half mile. When it rains a lot they let the water out. In a little bit will be going through another tunnel and will be out of the pass."
A lingering flash of lightning hit the ground about one half mile up the creek."
The clap of thunder was louder and different. The vibrations of the thunder persisted longer.
Wanda glared at the creek as water rushed by, "It's the dam. That's what it was, it's the dam."
Matt and Kim sat there stunned and speechless.
Wanda watched the creek waters rush above the banks. The train curved to the right and entered the second tunnel. The train curved to the left. The tunnel continued. The train continued on the curve.
Wanda looked into emptiness, and audible, under her breath, spoke, "Get off the train."
Kim looked through their car door to the first car. The passageway, between the cars, was filling with passengers. The aisle in the first car was filled with passengers pushing toward the back of the car. A conductor ran down the aisle towards the front car.
A young man, seated toward the front, said, "We’re getting off." and stood up.
The conductor running forward shouted, "Nobody gets off this train. Stay in your seats."
The conductor opened the door to the passageway and shouted, "Nobody allowed in this area. Get back to your seats. Everybody, get in your seats."
The train curved right. The woods reappeared. The rain was falling. The thunder and lightning were in the distance."
The passengers returned to their seats. There was silence on the train. A few miles down the track people began speaking with each other and began walking to other cars. No one spoke of the storm or the tunnel.
The Evening
As the clouds cleared the sun was just setting below the tree tops in the west. The trees were almost bear with only a few yellow and orange leaves still on the branches. Matt and Kim sat on one side of a café car table and Wanda sat on the other. The mood the storm had left on the train had been slowly disappearing.
A middle age lady sat by the window across the aisle at another table. The café car was getting crowded. A second middle age lady with a young man, who looked the age of someone recently out of high school, came to the table. The lady asked the setting lady if they could sit down. She said it was ok. The lady sat with the other lady and the younger looking man sat across from her.
The lady by the aisle glance across the aisle at Wanda and said, That was a scary storm we went through back there. And going through those tunnels made it worst."
Wanda said, "Scary it was."
The lady asked," Where are you from?"
Wanda answered, "I'm from West Virginia now. I've lived in Kentucky for 7 years. before that. Where are you from?"
The lady answered pointing at the much younger man, "We're from California. We've been on the other train from Los Angles to Memphis for two days. It seems like forever."
Wanda, "That's a long way. Where are you going?"
Lady, "We're going to Cincinnati."
Wanda, "Well. It shouldn't be too much longer now."
The lady turned to the lady sitting by the window and said, "We've seen people going to a lot of places for the last two days. Where are you going?"
She replied, 'To Orlando. I need to change trains at Washington."
The lady by the aisle asked wondering, "Why are you going there?"
The lady by the window replied, "To sit by the pool."
At the next table Kim watched a very young looking male, maybe 15, and a younger looking female, maybe 14 or even 13. Kim though, from their clothes, that they were both Amish. There was a very young child, perhaps a few weeks old, in a carrier on the table. The attention they were giving to the child caused Kim to feel they were the parents of the child.
Once they felt relaxed Wanda and, Matt and Kim, left the café car. Wanda and, Matt and Kim, entered the lounge car. Amy was sitting in the observation car and asked a conductor if lights in the hallway of the sleeping cars after 10 pm. The conductor answered that they would be, but there are lights at the edge of the floor so the hallway can be easily seen for walking.
After the conductor left, Wanda, not knowing she would get an answer, "I have been wondering about the prices for the sleeping cars. Are they very expensive?"
Wanda was a little surprised that Amy was happy to answer and said, "They usually are. They can cost two to three, maybe even four times the coach price for a ticket. It all depends on the time of the year you are traveling and where you are going."
Wanda was surprised by the answer and said, "I never knew they were that much."
Amy, "Most people don't. I've been riding trains for most of my life. The sleeping car prices have increased over time. My parents introduced me to riding on trains. A lot of people no longer use trains. but I just continue to ride them. Our parents introduce them to us. Everybody in the family would
rather take a train then a plane. It just got started and continued."
Wanda listening asked, "Mind if I sit down?"
Amy, "That's fine go ahead."
Wanda sat in the chair beside Amy. Matt and Kim sat in the two chairs beside Wanda.
Amy continued talking, "Of course it has gotten more expensive as the years go by. But if I have the time I always use the train. I never been bother by the expense or time. I was born into money. It was passed down through the family. When your life is like mine you do things different than others. Today someone needs to take a plane just because of their working time limits and the time that have for the vacation is limited. When you don't work you can go at any time you want and stay any amount of time you want.'
Matt, not sure of what answer he would get, but just had to ask, "How did your family ever get money like that."
Amy, "It started with my great-grandfather, Henry Majors. He started the business in Memphis. In the shipping area. Back then the Mississippi had a lot of cargo going up and down it and he was there and got into it at just the right time. Today you would not be able to do that. So now the company is in the food production industry as the main source of income. Also, the company concentrates on investing in other companies And the investments made can really take off and get the large money everyone's running after. Most of them will get in after it's popular which is too late to make the real money. It's better to invest time to predict the future trends in companies before making investments."
Wanda, heard to
After an hour of traveling the conductor announced that the next stop will be Nashville and everybody going to Nashville should check around seats.
He also said, "There will be two doors open for leaving at Nashville. Nashville is the first smoke break. So whoever wants to leave the train for a while should go to the lower level of the fourth coach car from the front of the train. Stay around the door. The train will be leaving as soon as the new passengers have boarded."
Matt and Kim went to the fourth car and stood outside the train while the passengers boarded. There was a younger man, probably in his early twenties, talking with a small group of passengers about how he was in the army and had a fierce looking eagle tattoo on his back. He said his army unit symbol was a fierce looking bird. And his tattooed bird was fiercer then that.
A middle age man with another group about twenty feet away was listening. He walked over to the former army man and held out his hand and said, "I like to thank you for your service."
The former army man did not shake the other man's hand. Instead he said, "Don't thank me, I spend two years working in an office in Texas."
The middle age man return to his group. The Former army man continued talking, saying he has been out two years and has not been able to find a job in Texas. He said he grew up about 125 mile northeast of Cincinnati and he was going to Frankfort to look for a job. That he had passed through there once while he was in the army and thought he could find a job there.
Then the conductor shouted that the train was leaving and everybody should get onboard.
The train ride through north Tennessee was a pleasant journey. The train reached Kentucky. The clouds started moving. A rain storm was in the distance. Lighting blots were hitting the ground. The thunder was not heard as the distance storm approached. Suddenly the storm was on the train. The heavy rain, thunder, and lightning.
The storm caused a strange feeling in Wanda. Wanda's reaction was strange and frightening. She spoke to Kim, "I don't like this. This is not good."
Kim replied, "It's just a passing storm. Should go by soon. A quick moving storm. Should be over as quick as it arrived."
Wanda, with a removed look, said, "No it's the cheese, in the café car, prediction."
The train moved threw a thick woods and curved into a tunnel. It was black outside. Wanda and, Matt and Kim, sat waiting intensely to see the end of the tunnel. Finally there was a light and the train emerged into a rocky, treeless area with a creek of rushing water running beside the train. The rain continued. There was a bolt of lightning that hit the ground a quarter mile away. The clap of thunder reverberated in the train. Then it disappeared. Everyone looked around. Everything seemed ok. The rain continued. The thunder and lightning became more distant.
A conductor walked by. Wanda asked, "Where are we?"
The conductor replied, "We're going through Gopher pass."
Wanda, "Does it always rain like this. Cause the creek to rise like this. It's out of its banks."
The conductor, "There's a dam upstream about a half mile. When it rains a lot they let the water out. In a little bit will be going through another tunnel and will be out of the pass."
A lingering flash of lightning hit the ground about one half mile up the creek."
The clap of thunder was louder and different. The vibrations of the thunder persisted longer.
Wanda glared at the creek as water rushed by, "It's the dam. That's what it was, it's the dam."
Matt and Kim sat there stunned and speechless.
Wanda watched the creek waters rush above the banks. The train curved to the right and entered the second tunnel. The train curved to the left. The tunnel continued. The train continued on the curve.
Wanda looked into emptiness, and audible, under her breath, spoke, "Get off the train."
Kim looked through their car door to the first car. The passageway, between the cars, was filling with passengers. The aisle in the first car was filled with passengers pushing toward the back of the car. A conductor ran down the aisle towards the front car.
A young man, seated toward the front, said, "We’re getting off." and stood up.
The conductor running forward shouted, "Nobody gets off this train. Stay in your seats."
The conductor opened the door to the passageway and shouted, "Nobody allowed in this area. Get back to your seats. Everybody, get in your seats."
The train curved right. The woods reappeared. The rain was falling. The thunder and lightning were in the distance."
The passengers returned to their seats. There was silence on the train. A few miles down the track people began speaking with each other and began walking to other cars. No one spoke of the storm or the tunnel.
The Evening
As the clouds cleared the sun was just setting below the tree tops in the west. The trees were almost bear with only a few yellow and orange leaves still on the branches. Matt and Kim sat on one side of a café car table and Wanda sat on the other. The mood the storm had left on the train had been slowly disappearing.
A middle age lady sat by the window across the aisle at another table. The café car was getting crowded. A second middle age lady with a young man, who looked the age of someone recently out of high school, came to the table. The lady asked the setting lady if they could sit down. She said it was ok. The lady sat with the other lady and the younger looking man sat across from her.
The lady by the aisle glance across the aisle at Wanda and said, That was a scary storm we went through back there. And going through those tunnels made it worst."
Wanda said, "Scary it was."
The lady asked," Where are you from?"
Wanda answered, "I'm from West Virginia now. I've lived in Kentucky for 7 years. before that. Where are you from?"
The lady answered pointing at the much younger man, "We're from California. We've been on the other train from Los Angles to Memphis for two days. It seems like forever."
Wanda, "That's a long way. Where are you going?"
Lady, "We're going to Cincinnati."
Wanda, "Well. It shouldn't be too much longer now."
The lady turned to the lady sitting by the window and said, "We've seen people going to a lot of places for the last two days. Where are you going?"
She replied, 'To Orlando. I need to change trains at Washington."
The lady by the aisle asked wondering, "Why are you going there?"
The lady by the window replied, "To sit by the pool."
At the next table Kim watched a very young looking male, maybe 15, and a younger looking female, maybe 14 or even 13. Kim though, from their clothes, that they were both Amish. There was a very young child, perhaps a few weeks old, in a carrier on the table. The attention they were giving to the child caused Kim to feel they were the parents of the child.
Once they felt relaxed Wanda and, Matt and Kim, left the café car. Wanda and, Matt and Kim, entered the lounge car. Amy was sitting in the observation car and asked a conductor if lights in the hallway of the sleeping cars after 10 pm. The conductor answered that they would be, but there are lights at the edge of the floor so the hallway can be easily seen for walking.
After the conductor left, Wanda, not knowing she would get an answer, "I have been wondering about the prices for the sleeping cars. Are they very expensive?"
Wanda was a little surprised that Amy was happy to answer and said, "They usually are. They can cost two to three, maybe even four times the coach price for a ticket. It all depends on the time of the year you are traveling and where you are going."
Wanda was surprised by the answer and said, "I never knew they were that much."
Amy, "Most people don't. I've been riding trains for most of my life. The sleeping car prices have increased over time. My parents introduced me to riding on trains. A lot of people no longer use trains. but I just continue to ride them. Our parents introduce them to us. Everybody in the family would
rather take a train then a plane. It just got started and continued."
Wanda listening asked, "Mind if I sit down?"
Amy, "That's fine go ahead."
Wanda sat in the chair beside Amy. Matt and Kim sat in the two chairs beside Wanda.
Amy continued talking, "Of course it has gotten more expensive as the years go by. But if I have the time I always use the train. I never been bother by the expense or time. I was born into money. It was passed down through the family. When your life is like mine you do things different than others. Today someone needs to take a plane just because of their working time limits and the time that have for the vacation is limited. When you don't work you can go at any time you want and stay any amount of time you want.'
Matt, not sure of what answer he would get, but just had to ask, "How did your family ever get money like that."
Amy, "It started with my great-grandfather, Henry Majors. He started the business in Memphis. In the shipping area. Back then the Mississippi had a lot of cargo going up and down it and he was there and got into it at just the right time. Today you would not be able to do that. So now the company is in the food production industry as the main source of income. Also, the company concentrates on investing in other companies And the investments made can really take off and get the large money everyone's running after. Most of them will get in after it's popular which is too late to make the real money. It's better to invest time to predict the future trends in companies before making investments."
Wanda, heard to
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