The boy came upon an old man sitting on a rotting railroad cross tie.
The old man glanced at the boy, then gazed into the distance. “I ran away from home sixty years ago,” he said. “Just like you’re doin’ now. I rode the trains for a spell, then one day I slipped and fell under the steel wheels—and got cut all to pieces.”
“You’re joking!” laughed the boy. Then the old man dissolved into a shimmering mist and a breeze pushed him out of sight down the railroad tracks while the boy ran homeward before night fell.
The old man glanced at the boy, then gazed into the distance. “I ran away from home sixty years ago,” he said. “Just like you’re doin’ now. I rode the trains for a spell, then one day I slipped and fell under the steel wheels—and got cut all to pieces.”
“You’re joking!” laughed the boy. Then the old man dissolved into a shimmering mist and a breeze pushed him out of sight down the railroad tracks while the boy ran homeward before night fell.
