Stranded Box Set

by Theresa Shaver

  More and more people piled on to the train until all the seats were taken and new passengers were forced to stand in the center aisle. Most of the standing passengers were men with only a few women. They were wearing work clothing and carrying small sacks. April wondered if they were travelling to other areas in the valley for work.

  A long piercing whistle screamed out, causing most of the students to jump or flinch in their seats. Seconds later the train gave a lurch making everyone sway as it slowly started to move. Liam and Jessica looked at April and the grins on their faces were contagious. April saw that a lot of people were smiling as they pulled away from the station. After six months of feet-power being the only form of transportation, it was thrilling to know that they were going somewhere in something close to what they had all travelled in their whole lives.

  The passenger car quickly became warm and soon passengers were dropping open windows to get the air circulating. By the time they were slowing to the first stop, everyone on board was sweating. Len had told them that the train stopped every ninety miles or so to take on more water and drop off and pick up passengers and goods. Some of the stops were at proper pre-crash stations but most were just wooden platforms where a water tower had been set up. Throughout that first day, passengers came and went and Albert came around with buckets of drinking water to refill bottles or canteens.

  Mrs. Moore had informed her students that in order to conserve their supplies, they would only eat two meals a day. They’d all had a wonderful breakfast supplied by Kathleen so their next meal would be supper and as the sun started to set, they were all looking forward to the train’s last stop so they could stretch out and eat their supper. As they pulled into their destination for the evening, April could see that it was a large camp similar to the first one they had been taken to. The fields along the tracks were crammed with more tents and camper trailers and once again, people were everywhere.

  Almost all the passengers in their car got off when they came to a stop leaving April’s group, the worn-down family, and six others to spend the night on the train. Albert came through and spoke quietly to each group while filling up their water. After he spoke to the family, April saw the father pass the sleeping girl to the mother and he got up and left the car. Albert came down to them and spoke with Mrs. Moore as he topped up their water. He started to shake his head.

  “Nope, sorry, you can’t cook anything on the train. Too much of a fire hazard! The platform is empty this time of night and there are plenty of soldiers guarding the train so it would be safe to cook out there and then bring your food in to eat. When you’re done with your meal, I’d lay out any blankets you have and claim this area of the aisle for sleeping. We start loading passengers back up at dawn so you’ll all have to be packed back up by then.”

  Mrs. Moore nodded her understanding and she and Mrs. Hardsky started to unload the two candle stoves and pots. They had Albert fill the two pots with water and along with a small bag, Mrs. Moore and Liam carried them down the steps to the platform where they got them set up to cook. Supper would be a simple meal of soup made from a bulk-sized powdered soup packet that had dried veggies and beef in it. They had quite a few of the packets from Disneyland and it was easy to prepare. Kathleen had given them some fresh vegetables and fruit as well as other supplies. Looking out the train’s window, April could see her teacher cutting up a zucchini that she added to the pots of soup. Mrs. Hardsky was setting out bowls and beside each went little piles of crackers, a handful of almonds and cut up melon wedges.

  Some of her friends were using the time until supper was ready to clean themselves up with damp washcloths and towels after which they hung them to dry over the open window. A few other girls had pulled out a deck of cards and were playing a game on the floor. April was feeling cooped up after being in the train all day so after letting Mrs. Hardsky know what she was doing, she climbed down onto the platform to get some fresh air.

  The air had the smell of campfire from all the fires in the nearby camp but it was still more refreshing than the inside of the passenger car. A scuffing sound above her had her looking up and she was a little surprised to see a soldier standing on the roof of the car. He was looking away from her but she could make out the rifle he held in his hands. Turning around, she looked down the length of the train and saw that there was a soldier stationed on top of every car. Turning back, she walked towards her teacher and Liam, feeling relieved that they would be able to sleep well that night knowing they were being well guarded.

  April caught the smell of their soup and her belly made a loud grumble causing Mrs. Moore to smile and Liam to chuckle. Movement caught all their attention as the father from the train stepped up onto the platform. He was staring down at the cucumber and half of a cantaloupe he had in his hands as he walked. He looked up just as he was a few steps away from them and it was clear to see the despair in his eyes. The man looked at all three of them before glancing down at the two pots of steaming soup before his face flushed red and he mumbled an, “Excuse me,” before going around them and climbing back onto the train. All three of them watched his stooped shoulders until he disappeared inside. No one said anything as they all looked back down at the soup. April finally couldn’t take it but all she got out was, “Mrs. Moore...” before her teacher said, “yes,” to the unspoken question.

  “We can’t feed them for the whole trip but we’ll share what we can. We’ve had too many people help us to not pay some of it forward.”

  April felt something unclench in her stomach and gave her teacher a relieved smile before she ran back to her car’s steps and jumped up them into the interior. She passed the family to go to her group’s area and whispered for them all to gather around. In a low voice, she explained what she wanted to do.

  “We’ve been very lucky since this all began and we’ve all had enough food and never had to go very long without a meal. There’ve been a lot of people who’ve helped us so far so I think we should pay it forward. I saw that man come back with one cucumber and half a cantaloupe to feed to his whole family for their supper. They already look half-starved so I think we should try and help them. We all had a good breakfast and we didn’t really do anything today but sit on this train so we should cut down on our meal and give it to them. I vote we all have our soup and crackers but give them the nuts and fruit and some soup that’s left over. What do you think?”

  Mrs. Hardsky winced and said, “Oh, April, sweetie, I know you want to help but…”

  All the other students stared down at their little pile of food silently until Jessica spoke.

  “Karma, people, karma. You give to get! We’ve been helped, so it’s time we did some helping back!” She pushed her dish of nuts and fruit into the middle of the circle and looked at April with a nod.

  April smiled in gratitude and pushed hers in as well. One by one the other girls added their dishes to the center. Just then Mrs. Moore and Liam carried in the two pots of soup and set them down on the floor. Mrs. Moore asked Mrs. Hardsky to get two more bowls and with a slight frown, she added them to the lineup of bowls. As the teacher filled each bowl, April explained what she wanted to do with the rest of the meal. Mrs. Moore looked at the dishes clustered together and shook her head.

  “Take back your fruit, girls, and we’ll give the family soup and crackers and all the nuts for now. They have some fruit already and after supper Mrs. Hardsky and I’ll make up a care package for them with items that will keep longer.” The older woman looked at each of her students in turn and told them, “I’m proud of you all for being willing to share. Just like the people who have helped us we must be thankful for how lucky we have been and try to help others when we can.”

  Once all her students had started eating, she rose to her feet with two of the bowls and an almost empty sleeve of crackers. She asked April to gather the nuts into a small Ziploc sandwich bag and carry it to the family. As they walked down the aisle some of the other passengers eyed them with curiosity and Ap
ril saw Albert standing near the back of the car watching them. When they stopped in front of the family, the father looked up from trying to tempt the small girl to eat a portion of melon and he squared his shoulders. Mrs. Moore held out the soup to him and his wife.

  “We had extra soup to spare and we can’t keep it or it’ll go bad so we thought your family might enjoy a hot meal.”

  The man looked from the bowls in her hand to his wife and seemed like he might refuse until his son made a small whimper. His shoulders sank and he nodded with downcast eyes. His voice was hoarse when he spoke.

  “Thank you, we’re very grateful for your kindness.” His wife had tears in her eyes as she took the bowl and immediately handed it to her son before taking the other one and using the plastic spoon to feed the little girl. Mrs. Moore held out the crackers and April the bag of nuts. The father reached for them and finally met their eyes.

  “We’re doing okay. We made it out of the city safely to the mountains and found a cabin. I know how to trap so we had meat and there’s plenty of wild foliage that’s edible if you know where to look. We were doing okay. Maybe not thriving, but we were surviving there until a fire tore through the area and we had to run with only the clothes on our backs. It took us four days to walk down the mountain into the valley. Some people who were working in the fields took us to a camp but we had nothing to trade for food or a tent. I’m originally from Oregon and my family is still up there. When they said they would radio up there to see if they had survived, I was shocked. Turns out they did and they promised the camp people to pay the fee for us to get up there on the train. We just have to make it one more day and then my folks will help us from there.”

  Mrs. Moore smiled kindly at him and patted his shoulder. “You did well, sir. You protected and provided for your family when many couldn’t. Well done.”

  The man’s shoulders squared up again at her words and he looked at his family with loving eyes before turning back to her.

  “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

  As they turned to go back to their group, April met Albert’s eyes and he gave her a slow nod before turning and leaving the car.

  April and Mrs. Moore settled back with their group and quickly ate their meal before passing the bowls to one of the other students to be cleaned and stored for another day. After everything was cleaned and put away, they all laid out the few blankets they had and spread out on the floor to sleep. Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Hardsky lay at the end of the group creating a wall between the students and the rest of the passengers. April was lying on her side facing down the length of the train so she saw when Albert climbed back aboard their car, his arms full of blankets. He quietly handed them over to the family they had helped and as he turned to leave, their eyes met and he froze for a second. A brief nod came from him before he turned and left again.

  As April closed her eyes to sleep, a small smile graced her lips. She fell asleep thinking that kindness was contagious.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The sun was just giving a hint of its arrival when a bell on the platform rang out, waking all the people in the passenger cars. It was the signal that the train would be moving on soon and the two adults of the group got their students up and moving quickly. All the blankets were rolled up and packed away as Mrs. Hardsky and her daughter, Jenny, quickly set up the stoves on the platform to heat water for instant oatmeal and fruit that would be the group’s breakfast. Two more bowls were handed over to the struggling family and shortly after that, new passengers started to board the train.

  April watched the scenery pass by and was again amazed at how many people were in the area. Every field they passed had workers bent over as they tended or harvested the food growing in them. Old-fashioned windmills had been erected all over the place to pump the water needed to grow the food and she dreamed of seeing the same effort around her own home. April tried not to think of her dad too often as the uncertainty of his fate caused her to fall into a deep depression. He was the only person left in the world for her since her mom had died, so when she did think of him it was of him working on growing food and waiting for her to come home.

  The day passed with starts and stops, people getting on and off and miles being eaten away. They had another quiet night sleeping on the train at the last stop it would have in California. The next day had the landscape changing as they climbed through a small mountain range. The tracks went over bridges of rushing water and there were almost no people in sight except for a few fishermen on the banks of rivers. The first time the train stopped in the middle of nowhere beside a lake, the students looked around anxiously and those with weapons feared they would have to use them. When they saw men dragging long hoses to the water, they calmed down and watched with fascination as the men took turns on a two-sided lever to pump it and force water from the lake into the train. They did this on two more stops that day before finally stopping for the night in a medium-sized town. They had passed the tent camps they were used to seeing on the outskirts of the town but the station was in the town’s main core.

  For the first time since boarding the train, the family of four stood up all together and made to disembark. The parents looked down to the end of the train that April’s group had claimed and the mother covered her heart before gesturing with that hand towards them. The father gave a half bow with a smile of gratitude and then they got in line to leave the train.

  April rushed over to the window and scanned the people on the platform. Many were coming and going but she finally spotted an older couple standing off to the side clutching each other’s hands. Their eyes were glued to every passenger that climbed down from the passenger cars. April couldn’t hear through the glass but it was clear from the older woman’s expression that she let out a sob of relief and covered her mouth with a shaking hand when her loved ones came off the train. The small family rushed across the platform and collided with the older couple in a huge clutching group hug. April turned away with a huge smile on her face. Her heart was light with hope. Hope for her and all of her friends that they would have their own reunion with loved ones.

  They fell in to their routine of setting up the stoves once the platform had cleared of all people and making their small meal. They all got off the train to stretch out their legs and to use the less smelly washrooms in the terminal. The water wasn’t flowing in the toilets but a bucket of water was beside each so that they would flush. After the small meal was finished, they again laid out their blankets and settled down with cards or books until the light became too dim for anything but sleep.

  April was staring up at the dark ceiling of the train. She wasn’t really tired after having not done anything other than sit all day long and the hard wooden floor didn’t make it any easier to drop off to sleep. She heard a voice call out on the platform and another sent out a challenge. A lamp came to life sending a touch of light through the windows. She could hear the murmur of conversation out on the platform, but not the words - so when the door to the car opened she sat up and stared in concern as the lantern came up the stairs followed by Albert holding it. He came towards her end of the car and when he saw her sitting up, he waved her towards him.

  April looked around at her sleeping friends and chaperones to see what they thought but they were all sleeping. Albert waved her over again. He’d been nice to them and she didn’t think he would do anything to harm her so she carefully stood up and stepped over her friends and teacher and made her way towards the man. He held the lantern up to better see her face and then nodded.

  “Someone here to see you. Follow me.”

  April’s mouth dropped open in confused shock. She didn’t even know the name of the town they were in let alone anyone who lived here who would know her but Albert had already walked away and climbed down the stairs so she was forced to follow. She hesitated at the top of the steps but her curiosity made her climb down to see who was there.

  Albert raised his lantern up higher so the other person’s face was
better illuminated and April recognized the older man that had been waiting for the family earlier when they had stopped. He had a serious expression as he searched her confused face.

  “You and your group helped my boy and his family. You gave them food for two days.” It was a statement, not a question and April stumbled over her words.

  “Um, well, yes. They needed a little bit of help so…” She didn’t know what he wanted her to say so she left it at that. He gave a sharp nod and reached down to pick up a basket that she hadn’t seen by his feet. He thrust it out towards her so she was forced to grasp it.

  “That kind of generosity in this new world is rare so take this as payment. We have a fairly large farm and we fared much better than a lot of people so we can spare this for your help. Good luck to you and your group in your travels.” With that, he tipped his head to Albert and turned and walked away.

  April stood holding the basket and staring after the man until Albert gave her a nudge. “Well come on then, open it up and see what he brought you!”

  April’s eyes widened in agreement so with one arm cradling the basket she used her free hand to flip open the lid. She sucked in a breath at what was inside while Albert took a deep smell. He closed his eyes to savor the smell and said in a reverent tone,

  “Freshly baked if I’m not mistaken. Two whole loaves, mmmmm hmmmm.” He opened his eyes and lifted the lantern higher. “That looks about two dozen eggs you got there. That’s worth way more than the one or two meals it would give your group. Let’s go wake up that lady you’ve been travelling with. I got an idea that she might like.”

  “The lady is awake,” came from the top of the passenger car stairs and they both turned to see Mrs. Moore standing there looking down at them. April held out the basket to her so the teacher climbed down and took a look inside of it.