Chapter 136: Icebreaker on the Train

Tuesday, June 15, 1971

We made it back to the train without any further excitement. Serkia, Vie, and Pipiti kept up their vigilance all the way back, while Deedee tried to explain.

“We were shopping when Vie and Pipiti felt the magic. Then Serkia felt it too. When they all ran for you, I heard one of them tell Serkia it was like voodoo magic. Very powerful magic. I felt it as well, but did not recognize it at first. I’m sorry. I have not been around it as much as they have. But, whatever it was, I could feel its presence surrounding you when we got to you. Someone was using powerful magic near you. More powerful than any I have felt!” Deedee said.

I decided not to tell them about the Indian just yet, I wanted to wait on the others.

As we crossed the rail yard towards the train, the yard supervisor came out the door of the yard office.

“Mr. Palmer! Wait up,” he called as he and another gentleman walked toward us.

“Mr. Palmer, this is Mr. Newman. Harvey, this here is Mr. Palmer. He’s the one I was telling you about,” said the yard super.

“Howdy, Mr. Palmer. Harvey’s the name. I run a small freight line that’s mostly over the road trucks. But my pappy was a train man, and so I still run the occasional load from Westcliffe and Walsenburg once a week or so by rail. It’s cheaper, if’n you ain’t in a big rush to get something shipped out, since I only make the run once a week.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Newman. How can we help you?” Kip replied.

“Well, I was thinkin’ I might be able to help you,” Harvey replied. “You see, I just finished makin’ my southbound run, and was fixin’ to head back to Walsenburg. I’m pulling light, and was askin’ ol’ Kendall here, if he knew of anything else going my way. He said that you folks was aheadin’ to Walsenburg, or somewheres near there, and might be interested in hitchin’ a ride. Waddaya say?”

“Mr. Newman, that sounds like a good idea...” Kip started, but Harvey cut him off.

“Well, it’ll probably save ya a good seven or eight hours, and I bill at direct rates, without transfer fees,” Harvey told us.

“That sounds pretty good, but I’m afraid I can’t make that decision. You’ll have to talk to the man that owns the rail cars,” Kip told him.

“Well,” Harvey said, drawling the word out to at least three syllables. “When do you reckon I can meet him?”

“I’d say now might be a good time. Mr. Newman, this is Mr. Wagner, the owner of the Rowena,” he said as he indicated me.

He looked me over as if he were appraising livestock before he said, “Well, ya don’t rightly look old enough to own a purdy set of rail cars like that. But I’ve done seen stranger things. Well, what’d ya say there young fellow? Ya wanna hitch a ride with old Harvey?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Newman. Please call me Michael,” I told him. “What time are you heading out?”

“Just as soon as you say the word and I get you hitched. I’m ready anytime, and a hankerin’ to get back home to the little woman. She gets a mite lonely when I’m gone for long,” he replied with a smile.

“Mr. Newman, if you can wait a few more minutes, until the rest of my family gets back, I think we’d love to take advantage of your kind offer,” I told him.

“Well,” he drawled it out again. “I reckon I can wait a mite, providin’ you wouldn’t mind a lettin’ me take a peek inside one of those fancy cars. I don’t reckon I seen nothing like that last one there,” referring to the Observation Car with its distinctive vestibule, “since President Harry S. Truman came through Denver back in ‘48, stumpin’ the vote to beat ol’ Dewey.”

“Then Mr. Newman, I think you’re going to like what I’m about to show you,” I told him as I led the way to the train.

It turned out that Harvey Newman was a third-generation train owner, and he became enamored with me when he found out I was a fifth-generation train owner.

“Then you gotta know what I mean when I say it gets in your blood, don’t ‘cha?” he asked.

I agreed as I showed him into the Observation Car. Thank goodness Catherine had made everyone straighten up the cars before we left. He became even more impressed when he heard the story behind the rail car.

“I knew it looked familiar! I don’t forget a rail car. ‘Specially one that looks like this!” he said proudly.

I enjoyed showing Harvey, for he insisted we all call him by his first name, through the train, pointing out some of the leftover presidential options, including the armor plating, the bulletproof glass windows and doors, and of course, the two hidden escape hatches.

The girls were returning as I finished the tour and was offering Harvey an iced tea in the Dining Car. I introduced Harvey to everyone, but he was practically gushing to Catherine, pointing out that they were both third generation train people.

“Mr. Newman, I was born with trains in my blood and rocked to sleep by the sound of the metal wheels on the rails. And it is a very great pleasure to meet you. Would you care to ride with us to Colorado?” Catherine asked.

“Well, I reckon that’s about one of the best offers I’ve had in a whole month of Sundays,” he replied. “But I best be getting back on old Bessie and headin’ this train back up North. If I gets to talkin’ trains in this fine set you got here, there may be snow on the mountain before we get there!”

You couldn’t help but like Harvey Newman. He was old time railroad through and through. And he loved to talk. Finally, he pulled out an old pocket watch and flipped open the gold case. “I reckon, I’d best be getting you all hitched up. Where abouts you headin’ out of Walsenburg, if ya don’t mind me askin’?”

“We’re headed for the Twin Pines Ranch,” I replied. “It’s maybe twenty or so miles southeast of Walsenburg, I think.”

“Old man Carter’s place. I once tried to date his daughter, but she wasn’t interested in a train driver,” he told us.

“Harvey, I’d like you to meet Dr. Anna Carter. She is old man Carter’s granddaughter,” I said smiling.

Harvey just laughed, saying that he figured Jaye must have made the right choice by turning him down, if she had produced a daughter as pretty as Anna with someone else.

“Well, Aunt Jaye did produce a pretty daughter, but it wasn’t me. My daddy is Norman, Jaye’s older brother,” Anna explained. What followed was what my Grandma Brown called ‘Jewish geography’. One of her Jewish friends had told her that it was almost a religious requirement when you met someone, to find out how many people they were related to, that you knew.

Finally, he told us he had to get the wheels rolling.

“There’s an old siding not too far from where you turn off to the ranch. It used to be part of the mining operation, but it closed down after the war. If you’d like, I’ll be glad to park you there,” he offered. “I’ll warn you, there ain’t any services way out there. No hook-ups or nothing. But it’ll be safe there until you’re ready to leave.”

I thanked him for his generous offer, promising to let him bring his wife back to see the cars.

“She’ll get a kick outta this. She’s as big a train nut as I am,” he said. “And besides, she voted for Truman!”

Harvey wasn’t off the rail car good, when Jessica flew at me, slapping me on the arm. Hard! Then she fell into them, hugging me. “Just when did you plan on telling me we were going to a nudist colony, Michael?”

She was about half upset. I saw the concept interested her, but actually doing it frightened her some.

“Your Dad didn’t seem to think it would be a problem for you,” I told her.

“WHAT?” she cried, pulling back slightly. “You mean, he knew?”

“I actually thought he had discussed it with you,” I replied, grinning.

“Oh, I can assure you I’ll be discussing this with him, when I get my hands on him!” she stated.

“Oh? We didn’t know you had THAT kind of relationship with your father,” Nicky said.

Jessica blushed as she pulled away. “I didn’t mean it like that!” she replied to Nicky.

“Izzy, could I bunk with you?” Anna asked. “That way, Kathy Lynn and Sunny can have my stateroom.”

Jessica had her architectural table set up in her room, and Anna and Catherine were in the other two staterooms in the Observation Car.

“That’s fine by me,” Izzy replied.

“I could move in with Grace,” Catherine offered. “And they could have my room.”

“You stay right where you are. It’ll be nice having someone my own age to talk to for a change,” Anna said as she smiled at Izzy.

“We don’t want to put anybody out,” Kathy Lynn offered politely.

“Don’t worry; I think there’s enough room for everyone. Besides, we’ll be at the ranch in the morning,” Catherine told her.

“Just how big is this train, anyway?” Kathy Lynn asked. She was sitting in the booth across the aisle from Catherine and me, hemming little Sunny in. Karla returned just then with a plate of cookies for everyone and a small glass of milk for Sunny.

“I’ve got yours coming, I just didn’t have enough hands,” she told me. “Kathy Lynn, what would you like to drink?”

Kathy Lynn just wanted water. Nicky and Amy set about helping Anna get drinks for everyone else just as Kip entered the car.

“I called the ranch and they knew where the old mine siding was. They said they’d have someone there to meet us first thing in the morning,” he told us.

“I’ll bet Sandy was excited to hear you’re finally coming, Michael. Aunt Jaye said she’s been talking of nothing else since you left,” Anna said.

“They also said that both of the Sanders’ families were due sometime later tomorrow,” Kip added.

The Sanders were our cousins. Jeff and Debbie and their fourteen-year-old twin daughters, Candy and Mandy. And John and Sarah, and their daughters, Randi, who was seventeen, and Julie and Jennifer, who were fifteen-year-old twins. John and Jeff were brothers, although they were not twins, and Debbie and Sarah were twin sisters. Their mother, Liz, was Catherine’s twin sister. If you added Nicky and me to the bunch, you could see that twins really ran in the family, I explained to Kathy Lynn, Hanna and the others sitting around us.

“In fact, our father and Randi are the only non-twins in three generations,” Nicky told them.

“I wish Natalie, could be here,” Grace said wistfully.

“Oh yeah. Grace is a twin too!” I added

“Holy smokes! No wonder that old guy said I might have twins,” Jessica said. “Mikeya is pregnant with twins and Abby is supposed to have twins, as well.”

Abby popped out of her seat and dived for my lap, kissing me.

“Oh, goody! I KNEW you were the one. This just proves it. I really am going to have twins!”

Everybody laughed at her youthful logic.

“I hate to bring it up,” Kathy Lynn said, “but can you tell me what was going on back there. I nearly wet my pants when I saw all those guns. Are we in danger?”

“Yes, Michael. I think you owe some of us an explanation about that and this nude ranch!” Izzy added.

“Why don’t you start by filling us in on what happened outside the restaurant, Michael,” Catherine said.

I began to tell the story, without trying to share from my memories. I had learned that any time magic was involved, the memories wouldn’t work.

“So this ... Indian? He told you to listen to Sunny because Sunny could tell you how to defeat someone?” Kathy Lynn asked, with a mixture of skepticism for us and fear for her daughter.

“Kathy Lynn, I think you should experience the first part of the story,” Catherine told her. “And Michael has a unique way of sharing it. It’ll be faster this way.”

I laid my hand on hers, and began feeding her my memories.

“HEY!” she cried. “What are you doing in my head? I’m seeing stuff that’s not me.”

“Please, Kathy Lynn, I promise it won’t hurt you. It’s just that there’s so much, and this way is faster,” I told her as I shared calming feelings with her.

Finally, she agreed, so I started again. It still took a while, but I had connected everyone else so that they would have a common frame of reference with Kathy Lynn.

“So let me get this straight. You’re dead. But these ... uh, people from another world brought you back to life in this kid’s comatose body and expect you to save the world by using love?” Kathy Lynn asked, summing it all up in two sentences.

I just looked at her as I nodded.

“And this Indian says that my four-year-old daughter holds the key?” she continued seeking verification.

“Well, that last part we didn’t know until today,” I replied.

“Then either you all are as loony as jaybirds and I should get off of this train while I still can, or ... you may have just solved a big mystery for me,” Kathy Lynn said considering her options again.

“What do you mean, Kathy Lynn,” Izzy asked.

“You see, ever since Sunny got old enough to talk, I’ve been worried that something was wrong with her, because she never says much of anything. The doctors told me they couldn’t find anything wrong and that she was probably just slow. One doctor even had the gall to tell me she’s mentally retarded. But I knew better than that because she can do everything a normal four-year-old can do,” Kathy Lynn told us. “And there have been a couple of times lately, when I could swear that she was talking to me inside my head. But I just marked it up to wishful thinking by a momma.”

“Well, she seemed to communicate just fine after lunch,” Anna stated.

“That’s just it!” Kathy Lynn said excitedly. “When you talked inside my head today at lunch, afterwards, I realized that that was the way Sunny had talked in my head before. She even did it as we left the dining room.”

“ ... but mommy, he’s a nice man,” I repeated back to her.

“YOU HEARD IT? Then I’m not crazy? And my baby is not retarded?” Kathy Lynn asked quickly.

“I haven’t scanned you yet, so I don’t know if you’re crazy,” I said. “But I know for a fact, Sunny is not retarded.”

Kathy Lynn stepped into the aisle and hugged me tightly, crying in relief. “I knew it! I knew my baby wasn’t retarded!”

“Not only is she not retarded, it’s possible that she’s empathic,” Vickie said. “You’ll have to ask my momma to be sure, but I didn’t talk much when I was her age either.”

“Vickie, here, is a gifted empath also,” I explained to Kathy Lynn.

Kathy Lynn hugged Vickie, thanking her. Then she hugged a surprised Jessica who was seated next to Vickie. While her momma was on her crying-hugging rampage, Sunny sleepily climbed into my lap, putting her thumb in her mouth, and closing her eyes. She was sound asleep before her mom missed her.