Will of Man - Part Two by William Scanlan Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: William Scanlan
the boxcar roof. The train steamed on into the darkness of the night. I was now alone.
Tyler’s Journal Entry: 353
Date: May 15
Day: Friday
Weather: Cloudy and cold
Days Since the LAST DAY: 2yrs, 10 months, 14 days
I woke to the smell of garlic and black licorice which emanated from a chunky kid sleeping next to me. His mouth was wide open and only inches from mine. He had drool flowing down his cheek and he was murmuring something about baseball in his sleep. I rolled over to my other side to find his even chunkier sister staring at me holding a Barbie doll which was missing an arm.
Not wanting to look at either, I rolled unto my back and stared at the roof of the swaying boxcar. It was dimly lit by a kerosene lamp and had a dusty coating all around it. It must have previously been used to haul animals, being the floor was covered by dirty straw strewn with clumps of what looked like animal feces.
Women and children filled the boxcar. Some were talking in small groups, some were sitting by themselves, and others were sleeping. I checked my wind up watch and it read 5:16 am. I estimated I must have been asleep for around eleven hours.
I quickly did the math and realized this train was not heading north towards Standish where my grandpa's cabin was, the place where I was to meet up with my family.
I thought about my math lessons in school and did the math again. If I'd been on this train for eleven hours traveling around 40 miles per hour, that would mean I'm a good 440 miles from home. Grandpa's was only about 120.
I jumped to my feet and asked a nearby adult, "Where is this train heading?"
She politely said, "Hudson, Tennessee."
"Tennessee! I need to go to Standish, Michigan!"
"Oh my dear, you're going in the wrong direction."
"No kidding!" I said realizing I was being a bit rude.
"Where can I...." I began to ask but then was interrupted by a loud CRREEEEEEKKKKK, SCCRRREEEECH, and then a BANG!
Before I could finish my sentence I was thrown to the front of the boxcar, along with the kind lady, the two chunky kids, and everyone else on board. We all collided at the front of the boxcar together. Screaming women and children were all flying around me, and I couldn't understand why. It all happened so fast.
We all fell to the floor of the boxcar in a huge clump. There was a quiet pause then the boxcar started to buckle and jump violently. One by one the boxcars following ours began to run into each other.
There was a loud series of banging and crunching, the boxcar tilted to one side and then went completely upside down. The kerosene lamp burst and the oil spread all over igniting the walls and some passengers into flames.
I know it only lasted a few seconds, but the ordeal seemed to last forever. We tumbled and tossed over each other. I caught glimpses of flames, feet, hands, hair, and then the feeling of falling was prevalent. For a brief moment we all were floating in a free fall, followed by a sudden crash and then a huge splash. We had fallen off a bridge into a raging river below.
Water poured in from the cracks and seams of the boxcar. People were screaming louder and struggling to get on their feet. Many were buried beneath a mound of squirming bodies.
The boxcar door was jarred open and a wall of water poured in. The car was filled with ice cold water. It turned over leaving the door opening towards the bottom. Everyone treaded water to the top fighting for space in the air pocket.
Rather than fight for a spot in the air pocket, I decided to take my chances and swim my way out the open door. I thought of Dad and our incident with the ice shanty.
To do this I had to swim down beneath everyone.
With my backpack securely on, I took a final deep breath and took the plunge. As I fished my way to the open door I found myself being kicked by numerous feet. I was kicked in the face, back, butt, everywhere.
It
Tyler’s Journal Entry: 353
Date: May 15
Day: Friday
Weather: Cloudy and cold
Days Since the LAST DAY: 2yrs, 10 months, 14 days
I woke to the smell of garlic and black licorice which emanated from a chunky kid sleeping next to me. His mouth was wide open and only inches from mine. He had drool flowing down his cheek and he was murmuring something about baseball in his sleep. I rolled over to my other side to find his even chunkier sister staring at me holding a Barbie doll which was missing an arm.
Not wanting to look at either, I rolled unto my back and stared at the roof of the swaying boxcar. It was dimly lit by a kerosene lamp and had a dusty coating all around it. It must have previously been used to haul animals, being the floor was covered by dirty straw strewn with clumps of what looked like animal feces.
Women and children filled the boxcar. Some were talking in small groups, some were sitting by themselves, and others were sleeping. I checked my wind up watch and it read 5:16 am. I estimated I must have been asleep for around eleven hours.
I quickly did the math and realized this train was not heading north towards Standish where my grandpa's cabin was, the place where I was to meet up with my family.
I thought about my math lessons in school and did the math again. If I'd been on this train for eleven hours traveling around 40 miles per hour, that would mean I'm a good 440 miles from home. Grandpa's was only about 120.
I jumped to my feet and asked a nearby adult, "Where is this train heading?"
She politely said, "Hudson, Tennessee."
"Tennessee! I need to go to Standish, Michigan!"
"Oh my dear, you're going in the wrong direction."
"No kidding!" I said realizing I was being a bit rude.
"Where can I...." I began to ask but then was interrupted by a loud CRREEEEEEKKKKK, SCCRRREEEECH, and then a BANG!
Before I could finish my sentence I was thrown to the front of the boxcar, along with the kind lady, the two chunky kids, and everyone else on board. We all collided at the front of the boxcar together. Screaming women and children were all flying around me, and I couldn't understand why. It all happened so fast.
We all fell to the floor of the boxcar in a huge clump. There was a quiet pause then the boxcar started to buckle and jump violently. One by one the boxcars following ours began to run into each other.
There was a loud series of banging and crunching, the boxcar tilted to one side and then went completely upside down. The kerosene lamp burst and the oil spread all over igniting the walls and some passengers into flames.
I know it only lasted a few seconds, but the ordeal seemed to last forever. We tumbled and tossed over each other. I caught glimpses of flames, feet, hands, hair, and then the feeling of falling was prevalent. For a brief moment we all were floating in a free fall, followed by a sudden crash and then a huge splash. We had fallen off a bridge into a raging river below.
Water poured in from the cracks and seams of the boxcar. People were screaming louder and struggling to get on their feet. Many were buried beneath a mound of squirming bodies.
The boxcar door was jarred open and a wall of water poured in. The car was filled with ice cold water. It turned over leaving the door opening towards the bottom. Everyone treaded water to the top fighting for space in the air pocket.
Rather than fight for a spot in the air pocket, I decided to take my chances and swim my way out the open door. I thought of Dad and our incident with the ice shanty.
To do this I had to swim down beneath everyone.
With my backpack securely on, I took a final deep breath and took the plunge. As I fished my way to the open door I found myself being kicked by numerous feet. I was kicked in the face, back, butt, everywhere.
It
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