Off To War

Train

Chapter Two

Train

That night I can’t sleep, the world in my mind is to busy. Finally I roll over and look at the clock, the white hands click past the white numbers on the black background in a slow repetitive motion and I watch as it goes from nine to midnight slipping from the clock to my thoughts. Finally when I hear the down stairs clock chime midnight I feel like I’ve dropped suddenly and am back in my room. As if I had wondered off and just suddenly remembered that my body was still in the bed. Sighing I throw the sheets off and climb out of bed. My feet padding against the white carpet all the way to the floor length mirror. I stare at my reflection and take my hair out of its long braid. It falls in long wavy lengths all the way down my back.

I lean around the mirror and pull out the sword tucked behind it. Unsheathing it I pull my hair over my shoulder and place the blade to it, I lift the hair and place it over the blade and pull it away from my body. My hair falls to the back of my neck in short little waves itching at my ears. I hold the long black hair in my left hand and my sword in the right, staring I look back up at the mirror. Her hair is shortly cropped unevenly at the shoulders and up to the ears, her face has sharp edges that I hadn’t noticed before, and she looks more grown up. The purple t-shirt and yellow bed shorts she wears make her look more feminine but the brown knees and elbows show otherwise.

I look at the chunk of hair and walk to the door, the night breeze is strangely cool for once and I hold my hair out over the edge of the short balcony and slowly loosen my grip letting the strands of hair fly off with the wind.

I walk back inside and look at the girl; she doesn’t look like Mr. Nestler’s daughter, she doesn’t look like a ‘lady’, she looks like a woman who was in charge. I smile at the reflection and walk around the room collecting things I’ll need for when I leave.

Pajamas, shirt, pants, a dress, my boots, socks, under cloths, tooth paste, soap, tooth brush, wash cloth, towel, small blanket, small pillow. I stare at the small bundle of things I had collected onto my bed. Walking over to my dresser I pull out a green canvas bag, the front pocket has North West Georgia sown a top it. When my father and mother had gone across country they got patches for their favorite areas, and my mom’s was Georgia, right below the mountains where the trains all went through. I smile at the patch and run my fingers over the red and black stitching. I pack the bag and put it at the end of my bed with my sword and a note that I had made up for my father.

I sigh and finally feel myself yawn and my eyes begin to drop. I fall back down onto the bed and its soft cotton sheets for the last time.

The sun rises over the hill and I rise with it. Slipping on my boots and a pair of pants I grab my bag and sheathed sword. Laying the note on my made up bed I write a quick note to Mrs. and Mr. Morgan saying that I’m sorry I couldn’t tell them in person and not to worry. I silently I slide down the banister and stop myself at the end to avoid hurting my hip. My shoes hit the hard wood with a soft thunk and I check to hear if anyone has stirred. The entire house has an eerie feel to it. The front door is paneled with stained glass and it lets in streaks of purple, orange and blue, the rainbow of colors makes the house seem nicer and softer. I sigh softly at one final look at the house and slip out the door without another sound. As I walk down the path and over the hill I sit and wait for the first train to arrive.

I wait for almost an hour and hop onto the first train that is heading in the right direction. Getting on I sit down on the inside of one of the ladders. We speed away towards John’s house and I get ready in my head to wave goodbye forever. We get halfway to his house when a figure in the shadows hops on one train car after mine. I don’t take it as anything, people hop on the trains at all times. I sit and slowly the train collects more and more hitch hikers. I wind up sitting beside a young family, a young woman her husband and their little boy.