The tired, exhausted men of Company A of the New Orleans fire
department sat around a large wooden table in their small kitchen. The
smells of frying bacon and sausage, combined with eggs, and biscuits browning
in the oven was almost too much to bear to the starving men. Six out of
thirty men were sipping strong hot black coffee from red mugs. Captain David
Ross sipped his coffee, deep in thought as he looked at the bright red mug
with Company A on the side, with their shield, a black circle with crossed
fire axes and the words 'A grateful thanks from a grateful family'. He
remembered that night when his department saved that family and their home
with only minor damage. They were proud men that night, doing their jobs to
the fullest. 'What went wrong last night?' he asked himself over and over,
taking slow sips of the coffee.

        "Captain Ross, food's ready," called the cook. "Captain Ross,
Captain!" The cook walked over and placed a plate in front of the captain.
Captain Ross looked up and nodded to the cook and placed his hands over his
face. The other men just looked on and understood the thought that their
captain was feeling at the moment, one of failure. Jeff walked down the
stairs after showering and cleaning up. He looked to the head of the table
and knew the captain was weeping. Captain Ross was a strong, brave man but
sometimes the job got to him, especially if they lost a child in a blaze.
Last night they lost almost an entire family; the sole survivor was now
sleeping upstairs in a bunk.

        Jeff walked over to the head of the table and placed his hands on
the captain’s shoulders. "David, we did our best, every man here put out his
all to save that family. We’re all hurting at the loss. Remember what you
told me when I first joined, 'If we save one, it is a victory.'" David
looked up, his eyes still red from the smoke and fire last night. "Thank you,
Jeff, sometimes I forget. I know that sleeping lad is proof of what we did
last night. And men," he looked at all who were sitting around the table
slowly eating, "I am proud of each and every one of you for a job well done.
We now have a task to perform. I want to know why that damned ladder failed
last night! Once we find out why, we’re going downtown to city hall and I am
personally going to jump me some ass and demand six more ladders for our
company. We all saw last night that we need them. I am going to call Captains
James and Andrews and tell them both to check all ladders to make sure this
does not happen again. Once we find out why we are short of ladders and men,
I am going to propose we all go to City Hall and demand proper equipment and
more personnel." The men smiled and nodded their heads in approval, then all
at once, "YES, SIR, CAPTAIN ROSS!"

        "Jeff and Sims, please go upstairs and check on Sean for me while I
make this phone call."

        "Yes, Captain." The men walked up the stairs to the sleeping quarters.
Jeff and Sims entered the sleeping area where rows of bunks were lined up
against the walls. Over in the far right corner was where Sean was sleeping.
The two men walked over to the sleeping boy, the covers pulled tightly around
his small muscular frame, his brown hair in disarray, streaks of dirt and
grime on his wondrous face, and the clear lines where the tears had run down.
He was safe. The two firefighters walked back out of the room and back down
and reported all was well with Sean to Captain Ross. Captain Ross was on the
telephone, the earpiece pulled tightly against his ear in order to hear the
scratchy connection. "Yes, sir, I understand the cost of a proper funeral. I
don’t give a damn what it is going to cost, you understand me. The men here
at the station and the other stations said they would pay the expenses. I
want the child to have a proper burial along with the interment of the
parents’ ashes. Yes, I understand. Tomorrow at 2 PM will be fine. I will have
some of the men to bathe and dress Sean. May I ask who will be ordaining the
service? Ah yes, the Reverend Manchester of the First Baptist Church. That
will be fine, Mr. Parson. Good day, sir." Captain Ross hung up the earpiece
of the box telephone. "Williams, Sims!"

        "Yes, Captain Ross," both men answered.

        "Go upstairs and awaken Sean. The undertaker has agreed to a proper
funeral for the Davis family. It is at 2 PM tomorrow. I need to return home
and grab one of Peter’s suits. I know they are both about the same size, so
it should fit Sean fine. I want you two to go awaken him and bathe him and
keep him company. Do not, I repeat, do not leave him alone."

        "Yes, sir, Captain Ross. The two firefighters headed upstairs to
awaken the sleeping boy in the corner bunk of their sleeping quarters. As
the men headed upstairs, Captain Ross walked outside, beside the firehouse,
and opened the driver’s door of the 1923 Model T Ford. He set the starting        ?
lever inside and walked around front to the iron crank handle sticking out
right above the front bumper. He grabbed the handle and gave it a hard spin.
The car coughed and sputtered. He gave the crank another turn and the engine
fired. He ran back to the driver’s seat and set the lever to the run
position and climbed inside. The car began to putt and sputter down the
brick street toward the Ross home on Magnolia Drive.

        "You know, Williams, Sean is such a handsome boy. I just wish we did
not have to meet him this way."

        "Yeah, Sims, he is a cute boy for damned sure, but he has lost so
much in so little time. I wish we could get to know him better," Williams
added, with a slight smile, then mentally slapped himself for thinking that
way at such a time. The two men walked into the sleeping area and over to
the corner where Sean was still fast asleep. The two men looked down on Sean
who was curled up into a ball with a thumb in his mouth like a small child.
Any other time the two firefighters would have ragged someone Sean’s age
about such a babyish act, but not this time. The covers were down around his
knees and the beautiful boy lay there in his prime olive skin, with a light
sheen of sweat shining on his body from the sun coming in above through the
high arched windows, the tip of his member poking out of the elastic waist-
band of his briefs, head shiny with boy juices. Sims and Williams both let
out a sigh at the sight before them, a handsome prince asleep, so peaceful
after such an ordeal, that neither of the men wanted to wake him up. Sims
reached down first and pulled the sheet away from Sean’s lower body
until it was hanging off the end of the bunk. They both smiled once again
because they loved looking at the sleeping boy who was only four years
younger than they were. Sims and Williams both were 19 years old and had
only been members of the company for a year now. The main thing was not
really their age, but all the men of the company knew they loved each other
more than anything and they were never scorned or harassed about their love
for each other, which made them welcome. Williams reached over and gently
pulled Sean’s thumb out of his mouth so he would not be embarrassed when
they woke him. The boy was in enough pain, no need to embarrass him in the
process. Williams smiled at Sims and gently rolled Sean onto his stomach.
Sims and Williams stood on opposite sides of the bunk, looking down on the
olive-skinned boy sleeping. Sims and Williams both sat down on the sides of
the bunk gently and quietly, not to awaken Sean, not just yet anyway. They
reached out with their smooth hands - they had not been on the fire
department long enough to have yet received badges of courage like some of
the veterans. Both of the young firefighters began to slowly massage Sean’s
back. Sean moaned in his sleep as he felt the gentle hands on his naked
flesh, rubbing the soreness out, from lying so long, passed out in the damp
grass the night before. Sims and Williams smiled at each other as they
rubbed the sleeping boy, letting their hands brush against each other’s
every now and then. The two older teens loved the duty their captain had
given them, to look after the younger teen. Sims and Williams were the
department jesters, sometimes playing jokes and pranks on the other men but,
the minute the alarms sounded, their attitudes were those of veteran
firefighters. Sean continued to moan as the soft hands of the older teens
rubbed his damp flesh. Sims smiled as he began to rub Sean’s lightly hairy
legs, kneading the calf muscles and enjoying the feel beneath his fingers.
He rubbed from knee upward toward the round buttocks and the edge of the
tight briefs. Williams looked at Sims and winked at him as his own hands
began to rub Sean’s lower back, letting his hands brush the tight cotton
fabric of the briefs covering the two rounded buttocks of their young
charge. Sean’s eyes slowly fluttered open. He slowly turned and looked and
saw the two young firefighters that helped save his life the night before
rubbing his back and legs. Sean smiled at this honor he was receiving and
began to understand that life did go on and all his joys in life had not
been lost in that terrible fire. Yes, he missed his family, but with him
living they would not be forgotten. As long as he lived he would remember
his family  but he would continue to live life to the fullest. A full circle
in life as the wheel of time began to turn again.  Sean closed his eyes
again and enjoyed the massage he was receiving and he noticed the two
bulges in the thin work pants of the two older teens. Neither of the two
older teens had noticed Sean when he briefly opened his eyes and looked at
them but they did notice the slight smile on Sean’s face now. The two older
teens felt emboldened to continue their innocent massage of the sleeping
boy as they rubbed a little harder in places, causing moans to escape from
Sean as he tried to pretend he was still asleep. Sims began to rub higher
up on Sean’s legs to the area right below the edges of the briefs and the
inside of the teen’s legs and lower thighs. Sims let his fingers ease up the
tight band of the briefs and eased his fingers beneath it. Sims noticed the
youth did not mind one bit and he could tell by now that Sean was 'playing
possum' and pretending to be asleep when he wasn’t. He could tell these
things. Sims had lost count of the times he had tried to play the same stunt
as the one Sean was playing now. Sean moaned deeply as the smooth fingers
eased under the tight band, feeling the smooth flesh of Sean’s butt.
Williams smiled and Sims nodded for Williams to look at Sean, and he turned
and looked. He noticed the smile and the ragged breathing and knew at once
Sean was awake and no longer dreaming. He smiled back at Sims. Sims made a
roll over motion with his free hand. They rolled Sean over onto his back and
noticed the boy’s face; it seemed to turn a little redder. They looked down
and saw Sean’s manhood tenting the briefs. Williams softly whistled and Sims
smiled and nodded. Williams started to rub Sean’s chest and nipples, which
already were hard as pins and pointing skyward. Sims started to rub Sean’s
feet and legs again and soon found that their young charge‘s toes and feet
were ticklish. Sims smiled broadly as Sean jumped and his eyes flew open.
"Ah, I told you, Williams, he was awake, didn’t I?"

"Yes, you did, Sims. He was trying to play possum." Williams let a
hearty laugh as his fingers flicked over Sean’s hard right nipple.

        "I was not playing possum, guys, I was sleeping until he started
tickling my feet," and Sean pointed to Sims.

        "Aww, now, Sims, why you go and tickle the little boy here while he
was sleeping?" and a broad grin flashed across his face.

        "I don’t know about little, now, Williams," and pointed to Sean’s
briefs and the head of Sean’s cock sticking out of the top of them. And
winked.

        Sean was blushing crimson red when he looked down and noticed the
head of his cock exposed to both Sims and Williams. He tried to lean up and
cover himself, and Williams held him down to the bunk.

        "No, my little friend, you're not going to cover it up, not after
all that hard work of massaging your back and legs and chest. No siree, and
we knew you enjoyed it. We knew you were awake when Sims slipped his fingers
under the leg opening of those tight little white briefs you're wearing. The
most important thing is this, we know you know about us as you can tell just
by looking at the state we're in also. Another thing, we love each other
freely." Sean’s eyes lit up. "Next thing, everyone in the department knows
it. The next most important thing is we are not going to hurt you or cause
you pain. We know what you went through last night and we are sorry we could
not do more to save your family. Captain Ross is tore up on the inside over
it. We want to try and help you to ease that pain and show you, my friend,
that we care for you, and show you there is still enjoyment and fun in life."
Williams saw the tears forming in Sean’s eyes. "Aww, my friend, I did not
mean to make you cry."

        Williams bent over and kissed Sean’s forehead and Sims came up from
the end of the bunk and placed another kiss to the boy’s forehead and they
both sat down on the bunk. As Sean tried to sit up, they helped him and
turned him to face them. The two older teens wrapped their arms around the
boy and hugged him as his hot tears began to flow down his face. As the
tears flowed, he found himself thinking, here were two other boys showing
their love for him. Maybe he wasn’t alone after all. Sean’s face was pressed
hard into Williams' bare smooth chest and he could smell the strong scent of
the teen, and then there was Sims pressing hard against him, the smooth skin
of the other boy brushing against his back. Sean was confused; he was happy
and sad at the same time as the two boys embraced him.

        Sims pulled out of the embrace. "You feeling better now, my boy?"

        Sean mumbled, "Yes." It was hard to speak, being pressed so close to
Williams.

        "Williams, baby, don’t smother our boy now," and Sims smiled.

        "So sorry, Sean, I did not mean to pull you so close into my sweaty
chest."

        Sean smiled. "I actually was enjoying it, Williams, sir."

        Williams smiled, "Call me Williams, no 'sir' needed. I am only four
years older than you are, my friend."

        "OK, Williams." Sean smiled and buried his crimson face back into
Williams' chest to hide his blushing cheeks.

        "Williams, you know we got to give blushing boy here a bath before
Captain Ross returns, but I know we have several hours or longer. He is
seeing his wife and boy."

        "Yes, I know, it is soon bath time." He tousled Sean’s brown curly
hair.

        Sean was feeling better, just listening to these two teens pick on
him and showing their love for each other and him. Sean also felt playful
and, when Williams tousled his hair, it gave him a chance to play back. Sean
stuck out his tongue and licked Williams’ sweaty chest. 'Hmm, the taste was
not bad,' so he licked again.

        Williams smiled and winked at his lover when Sean licked him the
2nd time.

        Sims eased up behind Sean and lightly began to rub Sean’s butt
through the fabric of the briefs, causing Sean to lick Williams’ chest a
little harder. Sean started to lick upward toward Williams’ left nipple, and
he found it and started licking around it.

        Williams let out a low moan and he started to rub Sean’s slick back
while Sims continued to rub Sean’s butt through his briefs. Williams nodded
to Sims and Sean felt the fingers slip under the waistband of the briefs and
ease down over the rounded ass cheeks and down his legs to his ankles. Sims
lifted Sean’s legs one at a time and removed the briefs from the now naked
boy.

        "Williams, take Sean into the bath and shower room, and fill one of
the large soaking tubs full of hot water, while I look among my stuff and
find our boy a fresh pair."

        "Yes, you're right, we want to have him clean before the captain
returns or we might wind up in deep shit." Williams pulled Sean away from
his chest. "Come on, my sweet boy, and my other baby will be along in a few
minutes."

        Sean smiled at Williams for calling him 'his sweet boy' and walked
beside Williams as they headed out toward the shower/bath room located at
the end of the sleeping area.

        Sims smiled as the two walked past his bunk and saw that Williams
had wrapped his free hand around Sean’s waist right above the curved round
globes of Sean’s cute butt. He walked over to his bunk and reached for the
latch on his footlocker and pulled it open and dug out three clean pairs of
briefs. He heard water running into the large zinc soaking tub. It was big
enough for four grown men, but ever since the Department had installed
showers, most of the men preferred to use them instead of the tub. He and
Williams preferred the tub when they had the chance to bathe alone. Also,
right now, Sean needed to relax some more to help ease his pain. He knew
what Sean was going through. He had gone through the same thing six years
before. Jeff saved him that cold December night. He picked up the pairs of
briefs and headed to the shower room to join Sean and Williams. He walked
inside the room and saw that his love had stripped off his boots, socks, and
pants. He now stood naked, his pale white body sticking out in comparison to
Sean’s dark olive skin. Sims laid the briefs on a bench and he to began to
strip. He sat on the bench and pulled off his heavy boots and stood and
slipped his red suspenders from his shoulders and unbuttoned the clasp on
the front of his dark blue pants and slid them, along with his briefs, to
his ankles, then sat again to finish pulling them off. Now all three of the
naked boys headed over to the zinc tub and the steaming hot water. Williams
climbed in first and then helped Sean into the hot water, followed by Sims.
Sean sat in front of Williams with his chest facing Sims. Sims and Williams
grabbed bars of lye soap and began to lather washing cloths and began to
scrub Sean’s naked flesh. Sean grimaced at first at the hard scrubbing on
his flesh but it was soon replaced by a smile as the dirt and grime began
to wash off. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a real bath.

        "Why do you two call each other by your last names?" asked Sean.

        Both of the other boys smiled. "Because we both have the same first
name."

        Sean smiled, "The same first name?"

        "Yes," replied Sims, "both of our first names is Brent. To keep
from getting confused, the other guys in the department started calling us
by our last names and so it kinda stuck even when were alone together."

        Sean smiled, "Brent and Brent, and you two really are lovers?"

        Instead of answering Sean’s question with words, they moved closer
and kissed each other passionately on the lips. Sean stared at the display
of true love between the two boys. When they finished their kiss, they both
turned and kissed Sean on the cheeks at the same time. Sean blushed but felt
proud. They washed every inch of Sean’s body and his hair, then let him help
wash them. The three boys climbed out of the big tub and just grabbed towels
off the rack and were drying off when Captain Ross walked into the room.

        "Well now, it is always a pleasure to see clean sparkling young men."

        The three boys spun around. They did not hear the captain when he
walked through the door. "Thank you, sir," replied Sims.

        "I brought the clothes for our young charge here. Also, there has
been a change of plans. Sean, your parents' and younger brother’s funeral is
today, not tomorrow as planned. It seems that some rich bastard kicked the
bucket last night while sipping his brandy and fell over dead at the card
table. A Lord Oliver Cromwell from London, England, I believe was his name."

        Sean cast his head downward toward the floor as hot tears began to
flow. The other boys grabbed and pulled him into their embrace and comforted
the crying boy.

        "Sean, I am so sorry, my lad. I wanted to give you at least one day
free of sorrow."

        "Thank you, sir,"" Sean replied through his sobs.

        "Boys, once you get Sean dried off and dressed, please bring him
downstairs, and men, dress in your finest blues today. The whole department
is attending the service at St.Paul’s Cemetery."

        "Yes, sir," replied Sims and Williams.

        Captain Ross turned and walked out of the room. He had to wipe his
own tears forming in his eyes. 'What would my Peter do if I died while on
duty?' Captain Ross pondered this question as he walked down the stairs.

        Sims and Williams quietly dressed Sean in a clean pair of briefs and
led him by the hands, one on each side over to his bunk in the corner where
the starched suit of black lay. They quietly dressed the crying boy and sat
him on his bunk while they dressed in clean blue pants and shirts and placed
their company (A) caps on their heads. They walked back over to Sean and
gently pulled him up off the bunk and once again took ahold of his hands and
led him downstairs where the other men waited.

        The entire company greeted Sean, Sims, and Williams. Sean slowly
looked up at the 30 or so weeping firefighters and nodded his greetings and,
in a voice filled with sorrow, spoke his thanks to the men.

        Three horse-drawn taxis waited outside the door as the men in blue
walked outside the brick firehouse. The men silently boarded the taxis,
while Captain Ross, Sims, Williams, and Sean boarded the first one. Sims and
Williams placed Sean in the middle of them, balancing him on their knees,
and wrapped their protective arms around him while Captain Ross looked on
from the seat in front of them. The driver snapped his whip and the taxi
jerked into motion, headed toward St. Paul’s and the sprawling burial
ground behind the old church.

        The ride was brief, not anyone saying a word in the fifteen minutes
it took to traverse the route. The taxis pulled up in front of the church
and the men debarked. Sims and Williams helped Sean out of the taxi and they
slowly walked down to the open brick crypt where the Reverend Manchester was
waiting, along with the undertaker and about 20 men from the Railroad yards
where Charles had worked most of his life. They all nodded to the
firefighters and the weeping Sean as they approached the single plain pine
coffin with the remains of three people inside.

        Reverend Manchester walked to the head of the grave and everyone
removed their caps and bowed their heads in prayer.

        "Our Heavenly Father, Hallowed be Thy Name. We come here today to
say our last earthly goodbyes to two of your sons and one of your daughters
today, Lord. Lord, please meet these three fine people at the gates of
Heaven and welcome them home, your proud servant Charles and his wife Katie
and their young son, little Jon"

        Sean broke down in heaving sobs, then fainted as he fell to the
ground before Williams or Sims could grab him. They all had tears in their
eyes. Sims and Williams bent down and picked up Sean. Williams held Sean as
the Reverend continued the service as Captain Ross nodded for him to
continue. As everyone listened to the Reverend Manchester, Sean was having
a vision.

        Sean was standing on a small railroad platform with his family.
Charles held little Jon in his arms and Katie stood close by, holding his
hand. They were waiting on the train, but where? This surely was not New
Orleans, the area was so green and lush, mountain peaks poked over the
treetops as birds sang.

        A steam whistle louder and more musical than any he had ever heard
blew in the distance as he looked down the tracks. Then he noticed something
strange. The rails were gold, resting on laurel wood cross ties, and held in
place with silver spikes. What railroad was this? The steam whistle sounded
again as the big black steam locomotive pulled closer to the station. Sean
backed up on the platform as the most beautiful steam locomotive he had ever
seen in his life eased to a whisper-quiet stop, not even a squeak from the
brakes as the cars glided in. A handsome man stepped from the rear car,
dressed in a fine tailored suit of dark blue. Gold buttons ran up his jacket
in a double row, the cap on his head also a deep royal blue, covering the
man’s golden hair. Gloves of pure white covered the man’s hands.

        "All aboard," shouted the man in an angel’s voice and walked over
and helped his parents with their baggage. Sean bent to pick up his but he
had none to pick up. His father looked down and shook his head.

        "Sean, you're not going with us. It is not your time to make this
trip with us. I pray it will be many years before you join us at our last
destination at the end of the line of life. I love you, my proud son. Honor
our name." Charles leaned over and kissed his first-born son on the cheek as
the tears flowed down them as he realized what railroad he was standing at.
Then little Jon hugged his big brother for the last time as Katie kissed
his other cheek.

        "We all love you, son."

        "Bye, bye, big brother," waved little Jon as they walked toward the
brilliant yellow passenger car, and the angel conductor helped them aboard
as he punched their tickets with the sign of the cross. The angel looked
straight at Sean, "Make them proud, young man, and one day we’ll come back
for thee." The whistle blew a long blast and the silver bell began to clang
and slowly the big locomotive began to puff and chug as the cars silently
began to roll as if on air.

        Sean stood there and watched the train pull out of the station
'Bound For Glory'. He turned away from the track and disappearing train and
looked on the signboard of the little wooden station. The sign read Earth.
Sean broke down and cried, then screamed.

        Williams carried Sean from the graveside as Sims walked beside him
back to the waiting taxi. Captain Ross walked behind them as the
firefighters followed. Silence followed as they returned to the firehouse.
Once there, Williams and Sims carried Sean upstairs and undressed the boy
and laid him on his bunk while they moved two others together so there
would be room for them, and they lay beside him, wrapping Sean in their
protective arms.

        Sean slept exhausted for the rest of the day and all of that night,
Sims and Williams never leaving the boy’s side, they loved him that much.
They both slept lightly as every move made by Sean woke them up. They
counted the hours of the night by the lonesome whistles of the steam
locomotives in the freight yard, blowing their cries as they entered or
departed the yards.

        The next morning Sean was awake and dressed in some more clean
fresh clothes brought to him by Captain Ross, his gold pocket watch wound
and closed on top of the footlocker, along with his ten-dollar gold coin
and two others just like it that came from other firefighters. He ate a
hearty breakfast with the rest of the department men and drank coffee from
one of the bright red mugs. The day passed peacefully. He helped to wash and
shine the pumper and other equipment and played cards with Williams and
Sims, til supper time at 5 PM. He helped Sims and Williams to wash the
dishes afterward, and they all were just getting ready to relax when the
alarms sounded. Sean jumped back out of the way as the men scrambled to
gather their gear and Sims and Williams hooked up the horses to the ladder
wagon and pumper. He watched them pull out and head down the street with
the bell clanging.

        Sean had spent the last two days in the care of the firefighters at
the station. Finally now, he walked out into the sunshine. The firefighters
had left on another call and here was his chance to leave without explaining
where he was going to the men who saved his life but left him homeless and
alone. He could not blame them, they did their best. He pulled the heavy
gold pocket watch from his trouser pocket and clicked it open - 6 PM on May
15th, 1930. He was fifteen years old and alone in the world. He slowly
walked, then began to run toward the railyards and his place. He passed the
still smoking remains of the tenant building but he did not stop, he just
ran faster. He slipped through the high wooden fence and climbed to his hill
and sat in the green grass and looked over the I.C.R.R. yards. Then over to
the massive brick roundhouse and engine shops where his pa used to work
until that night two days ago now. Sean hung his head low as the hot tears
poured down his face. "Papa, I am sorry I failed you. Ma, what
am I going to do?" He cried and cried for his family and he prayed they were
safe in heaven, with little Jon in his father’s arms looking down upon him.
He sat there looking at the yards and the steam engines pushing or pulling
cuts of cars back and forth to different yard tracks.

        A lonesome whistle sounded from a main line Mikado, its two pilot
wheels flashing as they turned slowly, followed by the eight coupled driving
wheels, then the two trailing wheels which helped to comfort the ride in the
cab. Sean watched the big engine, bell clanging, headlight burning, steam
and smoke shooting from its stack, and the number 1200 on her builder’s
plate in the center of the smokebox. It had been one of the last engines his
pa helped to build before the fire took his dad’s and his family’s life. The
engine slowly passed, the initials ICRR on the side of the cab, then the
tender with 1200 painted large and bright in white. Sean let himself smile a
little as the engine passed by the hill. Sean got up and ran down the hill,
standing beside the track as the boxcars, tank cars, and flat cars rumbled
past. Then and there he saw his chance - a Western Maryland boxcar with the
door open. Sean took a deep breath and checked to make sure the gold chain
of the pocket watch was fastened around a belt loop. He ran beside the car,
timing himself, and he jumped, 'UMMPH', as he grabbed hold to the car floor
and began to pull himself up inside the car. Once inside, he sat down,
feeling the hot air rush past him and smelling the exhaust of the steam
engine. He found some old cotton bags that were strewn throughout the car
and piled them up in a corner near the front of the car, then removed his
shirt and lay back. Freedom from the past and a whole new journey lay ahead
as the steel wheels on iron rails rocked him to a peaceful sleep for the
first time since that tragic night two days ago. The steam engine sounded
her lonesome cry as the city slipped into the haze, the heavy black smoke
from the engine passing overhead, as the dust from the rails floated in.
Sean did not mind. He was asleep, dreaming of his past and what lay ahead as
the steel wheels hummed beneath the wooden floor.

*  *  *  *  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This Second chapter is dedicated to my great grandfather and my uncle. Both who have
seen the death of steam and the age of ultra modern diesels. My great grand father has
seen it all from forest fires to being trapped in rising flood waters in the Mississippi
Delta. Thanks to both of these proud men. My uncle told my parents when I was little and
received my first model train.  "He’s a born Railroad man." And he was right. I now ride
the rails in both of their foot steps and millions who have heard the calling of the sounds
of steel wheels on steel rails racing through the night with a lonesome whistle sounding
her warning. "HATS OFF TO YOU GREAT GRANDPA AND THE YAZOO
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY." I know you shook Casey’s hand when you rode that train to
the Promised Land.

I would like to thank Ed for his assistance on this chapter.
I would like to thank Willy and Chris for their support of the idea and
putting up with my BS about it sometimes.

Most of all, I would like to thank my readers for their support of me and my
other stories, No Greater Love in Historical and My Little Stowaway in the
Adult-Youth section.

Please E- Mail me your comments at Swarri1349@aol.com
Thanks,
Stephen