Eldorado by Jay Allan Storey

doesn’t hit home. One of the blessings – or maybe it’s more like a curse – of getting older is that you can see how things got to be the way they are. You can see it because you lived through it.”
    Richard’s exhaustion caught up to him. He felt his eyelids falling shut, and finally gave in to fatigue and lay down on the floor. He thought that with the adrenaline rush of jumping the train he'd have trouble sleeping, but as soon as he laid his head down and closed his eyes, he was gone.
    He drifted into a dream. At a student picnic when he was still in University, he and his then girlfriend Laura strolled away from the crowd and off into the woods. A golden glow permeated the entire world, as if it had been drenched in honey, and an electric energy crackled through the air – birds hummed from branch to branch in trees vibrating with life.
    That electricity was infused into every part of their bodies. He felt Laura shudder faintly as he touched her cheek. The trees, the grass, the sky, the very earth underneath them disappeared as they were lost in each other, each obsessed with the other's pleasure. They made love for the first time, wrapped in the electric hum of their own senses.
    Suddenly the golden world fell away and was crowded out by the horrifying image of the mutilated jumper, his severed legs spurting blood beneath the roar of the thundering train. Richard flinched and began to shake and he was awake. Keller was shaking him.
    “You okay, son?” Keller said.
    It took a few seconds to remember where he was.
    “Yeah,” he said, “I’m fine.”
    Keller said, “Sorry to have to wake you, but we're going to have to make the jump pretty soon. I’ve got to make sure you're ready.”
    Richard rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He’d regained some of his strength, but every muscle in his body hurt like hell.
    “In fifteen or twenty minutes,” said Keller, “we'll hit a stretch that's perfect for getting off.”
    Richard nodded.
    Keller continued, “When we get to the right spot, I'll let you know. The method for getting off is sort of the reverse of the one for getting on. The jumping point is on a steep grade, so the train will slow down. When the time is right, I'll slide the door open just enough for you to get out.”
    “Okay,” said Richard, as once again his gut tightened.
    “Then,” continued Keller, “you'll have to climb back out on the ladder.”
    Richard must have made a face, because Keller said, “Hey, don't worry, it won't be that bad. I'll be watching your back. All you have to do is get onto the ladder. Stay on the bottom rung, as low down as you can get. When I give you the signal,” he pointed down at the ground with his right hand, “you'll have to jump off.”
    Richard closed his eyes, dreading the prospect of jumping from a moving train.
    “It's not that hard,” said Keller. “The important thing is how you land. The place where you're going to jump is covered with long grass. It'll break your fall, and hide you from the guards in case they're watching. Roll and keep your head down. I'll be right behind you.”
    Richard nodded resignedly.
    “As soon as you’ve cleared the ladder, I'll jump myself. Keep down and out of sight. There could be bandits watching the jump points. Once the train's gone I'll come and find you.”
    A few minutes later Keller leaned over and slid the door open. Richard swallowed hard. His muscles still burned with pain – he prayed they’d respond when he needed them. Keller nodded and he made his way to the door. The ladder seemed impossibly distant, but he found that he could lean out, holding the door jamb, and just reach the closest bar.
    With a push and a guiding boost from Keller he swung out onto the ladder and climbed down to the lowest rung. When he glanced back, Keller twirled his finger in a circle. To his horror, Richard realized that he was going to have to turn and place his back to the train. That process turned out to be easier