Asleep in the Dark

This is a story (and it might even

be true) about someone i slept with one night. During the depression i rode on freight trains. I was looking for utopia where jobs might be found.

I crawled into a slow-moving box car just after the sun had set.

I heard someone sigh as i entered the dark car. It was not strange to find someone already there. There were many people traveling that way during the big depression. It was something to do when you found yourself unwanted.

We were able to keep from starving if we offered to work for a meal. In my case, as a teenager,

i had no skills or working expe-rience. The jobs i could find this way were not as large as my appetite.

I found a corner to lie down.

I could hear someone shuffling

towards me in the dark. Then i found a warm body leaning against my own. I felt a furry body and shortly i heard a snore. It seemed i had found a large dog seeking a companion. With the rhythm of rolling wheels i soon fell asleep.

During the night i was awak-ened by a whistle from the engine as we passed through numerous towns. Where we were going i didn’t know. We were headed eastward from Chattanooga when i boarded.

My companion rolled over putting his butt against mine. It started raining steadily as i went back to sleep At one slow-down two strangers entered and asked, “Anybody here?”

“Just me and a dog” i replied. ”What town was that?”

“Taylorsville, North Carolina“

After that we all returned to our dreams with the sound of the rain and rolling wheels as a lullaby.

When we all awakened as the train stopped, there was a faint sunlight coming through the box car door. I was surprised to see how large the dog was.

Someone outside said “You’d better skedaddle before the railroad dicks come looking.”

With that, two men, a boy, and large dog headed towards a nearby forest.

The rain had stopped or was left behind.

“what kind of dog is that?” one of the men asked. “That aint no dog; it’s a bear” the other man said.

The bear stood up and looked at us, startled. I guess no one had told him he was a bear. He dropped to four feet and strolled towards the forest.

Walt Abbott 4-23-2011