tried to jump in measured strides from tie to tie. It was easy at first but was soon hard to keep up. Eventually he chose to run on the rough gravel beside the rails, dodging scrub cactus and brush. At least there he wouldn’t trip and break his ankle.
Johnny ran. Sweat poured down his temples but he kept it up. Eventually, as he came around a tight curve, he could again see the train, going up the grade and beginning to slow.
Johnny estimated that he’d have to run another mile to catch up with the train, and soon he would be going uphill. He was already exhausted. If a steady dry wind had not been blowing on him he might not have gotten this far, he reasoned.
“I can do it!” he muttered as he pushed his legs to move faster.
The grade got steeper. Two hundred feet in front of him he saw the caboose slow to a crawl. Johnny put his heart into it, spurred on by hope.
Once again he fell but jumped up, his shirt sleeve torn on a broken tree limb. But he gained on the caboose. He could make out its red painted numbers.
“642,” huffed Johnny. “Gonna git you.”
Then a branch grabbed his waist and he fell. Hard.
Dazed, Johnny tried to get up, but he was already past exhaustion. His head was swimming and the hot summer sun baked and dizzied his brain so that he couldn’t see straight.
Sweat ran into his right eye, stinging mercilessly. And then, almost as a mocking gesture, he heard the train whistle shout to the next town. Johnny looked up in time to see 642 disappear over the hill.
He bowed his head. “Well, that’s the end of it,” he said, resolutely examining his knee.
On his feet again, he trotted to the top of the hill, but the train was gone. Nothing but the wind. Johnny wiped the sweat from his brow. Behind him he heard someone say his name.
Part II
JonNy find me take to Woman
womAn and gOod wolf
lost JonNy help find us tak to man hom
Blood roared in Johnny’s ears. It blended with the sound of the wind, the grasshoppers and the train as it rounded a bend and vanished in the distance. He was exhausted, drenched in sweat.
“John-neee.” The strange voice blended with the wind.
Beside the tracks the forest was thick and foreboding.
Johnny’s eyes strained to see into the shadows, but there was nothing.
“Whoozat?” Johnny called out.
He realized then that he was unarmed, except for a small pocket knife, and totally exhausted; an easy victim. His eyes searched the shadows.
“Who said my name?”
A shadow moved a few feet, then blended into the darkness.
“Hey,” Johnny called out again. “Who’s there?”
Jocko stepped from the shadows eating a handful of leaves. He walked cautiously a short distance into the clearing and stopped, looking up and down the tracks.
“I can’t believe it! Jocko!” Johnny trotted over to the ape-boy.
He was astonished. The only way that Jocko could be here, he realized, was for him to have been on the train, and somehow escaped.
“Whooo boy, Jocko, you sure are full of surprises,” said Johnny as he approached Jocko.
“Joh-nny,” said Jocko.
Johnny stopped. “But why didn’t you just go? Run away?
What are you hanging around for? Go!”
He knew that the longer Jocko stayed around people the more trouble he’d get into.
Johnny looked into Jocko’s eyes. “You can’t stay around here, Jocko,” he said. “You should go back to … whatever you got to go back to.”
There was something in Jocko’s eyes that touched
Johnny deeply. They stood facing one another; neither, it seemed, knowing what to do.
“Joh-nny,” Jocko repeated, then he reached out and touched Johnny’s hand.
When they touched, a link formed.
Jocko knew the human called Johnny was frightened and confused. But, by linking with him, Jocko could see through the human’s eyes The human saw him as the beast.
Frustration grew within the ape-boy. He wanted to tell Johnny about his kin; a family he needed to find; a family constantly on the move, traveling at
Johnny ran. Sweat poured down his temples but he kept it up. Eventually, as he came around a tight curve, he could again see the train, going up the grade and beginning to slow.
Johnny estimated that he’d have to run another mile to catch up with the train, and soon he would be going uphill. He was already exhausted. If a steady dry wind had not been blowing on him he might not have gotten this far, he reasoned.
“I can do it!” he muttered as he pushed his legs to move faster.
The grade got steeper. Two hundred feet in front of him he saw the caboose slow to a crawl. Johnny put his heart into it, spurred on by hope.
Once again he fell but jumped up, his shirt sleeve torn on a broken tree limb. But he gained on the caboose. He could make out its red painted numbers.
“642,” huffed Johnny. “Gonna git you.”
Then a branch grabbed his waist and he fell. Hard.
Dazed, Johnny tried to get up, but he was already past exhaustion. His head was swimming and the hot summer sun baked and dizzied his brain so that he couldn’t see straight.
Sweat ran into his right eye, stinging mercilessly. And then, almost as a mocking gesture, he heard the train whistle shout to the next town. Johnny looked up in time to see 642 disappear over the hill.
He bowed his head. “Well, that’s the end of it,” he said, resolutely examining his knee.
On his feet again, he trotted to the top of the hill, but the train was gone. Nothing but the wind. Johnny wiped the sweat from his brow. Behind him he heard someone say his name.
Part II
JonNy find me take to Woman
womAn and gOod wolf
lost JonNy help find us tak to man hom
Blood roared in Johnny’s ears. It blended with the sound of the wind, the grasshoppers and the train as it rounded a bend and vanished in the distance. He was exhausted, drenched in sweat.
“John-neee.” The strange voice blended with the wind.
Beside the tracks the forest was thick and foreboding.
Johnny’s eyes strained to see into the shadows, but there was nothing.
“Whoozat?” Johnny called out.
He realized then that he was unarmed, except for a small pocket knife, and totally exhausted; an easy victim. His eyes searched the shadows.
“Who said my name?”
A shadow moved a few feet, then blended into the darkness.
“Hey,” Johnny called out again. “Who’s there?”
Jocko stepped from the shadows eating a handful of leaves. He walked cautiously a short distance into the clearing and stopped, looking up and down the tracks.
“I can’t believe it! Jocko!” Johnny trotted over to the ape-boy.
He was astonished. The only way that Jocko could be here, he realized, was for him to have been on the train, and somehow escaped.
“Whooo boy, Jocko, you sure are full of surprises,” said Johnny as he approached Jocko.
“Joh-nny,” said Jocko.
Johnny stopped. “But why didn’t you just go? Run away?
What are you hanging around for? Go!”
He knew that the longer Jocko stayed around people the more trouble he’d get into.
Johnny looked into Jocko’s eyes. “You can’t stay around here, Jocko,” he said. “You should go back to … whatever you got to go back to.”
There was something in Jocko’s eyes that touched
Johnny deeply. They stood facing one another; neither, it seemed, knowing what to do.
“Joh-nny,” Jocko repeated, then he reached out and touched Johnny’s hand.
When they touched, a link formed.
Jocko knew the human called Johnny was frightened and confused. But, by linking with him, Jocko could see through the human’s eyes The human saw him as the beast.
Frustration grew within the ape-boy. He wanted to tell Johnny about his kin; a family he needed to find; a family constantly on the move, traveling at
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