Echoes of Dark and Light Read Online Free PDF

just like life in general. My monthly cycle showed up about halfway through and I’d packed my strips of cloth to deal with that. Unfortunately, my lack of unlimited water supply while on the train kept me from washing them out for reuse, so I ended up tossing them out the door. I had no idea what I’d do for my cycle next month, but I’d deal with that later. My little house on wheels also lacked an outhouse, but I won’t go into how I coped with that challenge.

    I sat in the doorway with my legs dangling over the edge, my feet swinging with the rocking motion of the train, and just absorbed the changing scenery with an intense curiosity. As the steam engine continued south, I found it interesting the way the autumn season seemed to ease backwards in time the farther south we traveled. The sun shone brighter and warmed the air enough so that I stuffed my jacket away in my pack. The beautiful oranges and yellows and reds that had decorated the forest back home had not yet revealed themselves; the oak, maple, magnolias, dogwoods, and tulip poplar leaves shimmered just as dark green as the neighboring pines, spruce, and cedars. Late summer wildflowers, like blue chicory, Queen Anne’s lace, black-eyed Susans, and purple asters grew along the rail corridor, bobbing and waving in the breeze as the train blew by them.
    One particular morning had me breathless with awe. The rain from the night before had washed the dust from every surface, leaving the landscape sparkling in the bright reaching sunshine. I hankered to see more of the bright red cardinals that never fluttered up to the Upper Peninsula., and maybe I would even glimpse another bobcat returning from her nighttime hunt, or a lumbering black bear, fluffy and fat and ready for hibernation, so I grabbed my meager breakfast of one small golden apple and crawled across the rocking boxcar for my perch.
    But as I reached for the door rung, a loud explosion erupted. My heart skidded to a painful stop, but before I could react, the train lurched and I crashed to the floor, sliding into a pile of crates.
    “What the—”
    I struggled against the invisible force pressing me to the floor, managing to scramble onto my hands and knees, and crawled drunkenly back to the door. A loud screeching raked my ears, and as I forced the door opened, a fiery mist of sparks showered up from the friction of the wheels frantically braking against the rails.
    I peered ahead, scanning the train that traveled along a curving section of rail, leading up to a deep ravine crossing. Drifting black smoke trailed up from the blazing remains of the bridge now burning far below on the ravine floor. And despite braking with all its heart, the train wouldn’t be able to stop in time.



“Damn,” I whispered, my eyes wide with shock. My mind began to race as fast as my heart, and I had to mentally reach out and latch onto a thought in order pinpoint just one
. I have to get off this train!
    I spun around and grabbed a hold of my pack. I struggled back to the doorway, pulling on the straps as I went. Beyond the nerve-clenching screech of the wheels on rails, I could hear the frantic yelling and screaming coming from the passenger cars. I latched a steel grip on the door and glanced down at the rushing ground below me. In the train’s swaying shadows, I could see the brakeman running down the length of the train’s roof, stopping at each car to manually throw the brakes, futile though the effort seemed. My stomach lurched at the thought of leaping from the doomed train, but it didn’t appear as if I had much choice. I spotted a grassy bank quickly approaching, a relatively soft landing compared to the rocky ground we passed over now. Seconds remained, and I took the leap. I hit the ground hard, knocking the breath from my lungs, and jarring my muscles and bones. Sliding to a painful stop, I scrambled to my knees just in time to witness the massive steam engine reach the edge of the ravine. I watched