Aaron Winn

Stacie Weatbrook
English 1010
4/28/16
The Train
Lucas, time for bed. called his mother
Lucas sauntered down the hall toward his bedroom where his mother sat waiting for him in the rocker.
Your turn to pick the story tonight. She said.
Yes! exclaimed Lucas with excitement.
And of course he ran to the book shelf and plucked his favorite book from the shelf and ran back to his
mother and climbed up to sit on her lap. He wiggled around till he was comfortable and could see the
book as well as his mothers face. No story was complete till his mother made faces at him at the scary
parts or smiled at him during the funny parts. When she squeezed him hard he knew the story was
going to get exciting.
As Lucas and his mother finished the book and closed it for the second time he climbed down
sadly and slowly. He walked over to his bed and turned around before getting in.
Mom, do I have to go to bed? Can't we read it one more time? Please!? He asked with his best smile.
Yes, sorry honey train conductors cannot drive a train while he is sleepy. Besides you miss what
happens next in our adventure. She said.
She helped Lucas climb into bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin. His mother kissed his forehead
and turned off the lamp next to his bed.
As Lucas slowly drifted off to sleep his dream started. Tonight, Lucas pulled his train into the
little town of Horseshoe Springs, Montana. It was a sleepy little town with few building. Only a general
store, bank, hotel and train station sat along the sides of the railway. As he slowly creeped the train up
to the station he was exhausted from a long hard day on the railway. He really wished he could stay the
night in the town hotel. He would have a nice warm and cozy bed to sleep in instead of the hard floor in
the steam engine.
This was a very important stop, this is where he picked up the secret package from Sheriff Joe
and deliver it to San Francisco. There was not time for stopping! He had to get the package on the train
as fast as he could and start off again on his journey.
As he stepped off the train onto the platform, it was empty. There was no one Lucas could see
even if he squinted into the shadows. He slowly sauntered his way to the sheriffs office. He could
barely see the office except for a small candle flickering inside the window. The door was old and full
of splinters around the edges. Center parts of the old door however, were worn smooth and shined in
the candlelight from hands knocking on the door through the years. The door was as shiny as the metal
painted parts of his engine house on the train. Thinking about his engine made him stand a little taller
with pride.
Lucas knocked.
Who is there? called Sheriff Joe.
Its me, Lucas. I am here for the package. he whispered. Lucas didnt know why he
whispered. The dark night made him feel like he should be quiet.
The sheriff opened the door and two deputies helped him drag out a heavy chest. Lucas helped
push and drag the chest onto a wagon. It was so heavy, everyone was huffing and puffing before they
were halfway to the wagon. By the time the chest was all the way on, everyone was breathing loudly

enough to be heard all the way down the street. They all climbed into the front of the wagon and
started down the street. The horses hooves stomping on the ground covered up Lucas loud breathing
while he rested on the bench.
Curious about what was in the chest, he started to ask the sheriff what was in it, but was
interrupted as he started to speak, as the wagon jerked to a stop in front of the train boxcar. The sheriff
got off first, jumping off on to the platform. Lucas noticed the deputies quickly looking around after
the noise of the sheriffs boots echoed off the sides of the loading dock walls. The two deputies got off
next leaving Lucas to climb down the wagon.
As they were struggling to get the box off the tail of the wagon and slide it over to the car floor,
Lucas decided to ask the sheriff what his load was going to be.
This is a very big and heavy package. Can I know what is in the chest that makes it so heavy?
Well, I suppose we can tell you now. We couldnt tell you in the wire we sent you for a pickup notice. The box contains treasure. It belongs to the rancher who started our town. He found his
treasure all the years he lived here. Its been buried out on the old homestead for a long time now. He
moved to San Francisco to live with his children. Now he has sent for his treasure. My two deputies
will go with you to guard it. Hope you have a safe trip. the old sheriff said softly.
We will! exclaimed Lucas. Nothing can beat my train. It is the fastest and best there is! All
aboardlets get going!
The train signals were set as Lucas started to load the coal into the firebox of his engine. He
carefully started the engine and puffed out of the station. His big beautiful engine puffed down the
train tracks faster and faster toward the big city of San Francisco. Between where they were right now
in Montana and the big city of San Francisco were big mountain passes and long flat areas of desert.
Lucas was certain his train would make the trip safe and sound.
His engine puffed steadily along passing streams and mountains, flowers, trees, and monkeys.
Monkeys chewing bubble gum. Lots of bubble gum. Big huge wads of bubble gum. Bubble gum
bubbles floated through the air. Bubble gum bubbles floated toward his engine. Bubble gum bubbles
floated toward the train tracks. Soon everything was coated with bubble gum. Lucas hoped the two
deputies had stayed inside the boxcar with the treasure and not opened the door to see why they were
slowing down. He didnt want the treasure to be covered in bubble gum!
The big engine started to slow down even though Lucas was shoveling more coal in the furnace
of the big steam engine. Lucas stopped shoveling coal and jumped up to see what was the problem.
Those silly monkeys have covered the train tracks with sticky bubble gum and now my train is sticking
to the tracks. Lucas shoveled coal as fast as he could. He made the train work hard to go faster and
faster and faster. The big engine slurped and slogged through the sticky mess and started to slide along
faster and faster, leaving the monkeys behind.
Lucas stuck his head out of the train window and waved good bye to the monkeys and their
bubble gum. His heart felt as though it were racing as fast as his big train engine. I have a treasure to
deliver and no monkeys with bubble gum can stop my train!
The train wound along the flat plains and headed toward the big mountains. It passed more
trees, flowers, small streams and one very big elephant squirting through his very long trunk. The
elephants trunk was so long Lucas thought it would hit the train, but instead the elephant started
spraying slimy oil all over the railroad track in front of the train. Lucas just looked with wide eyes at
the track. They started to slow down. Soon the trains wheels started to slip in place and the train
wouldnt move forward. The wheels just turned and turned until they were glowing red like the fire in
the fire box.
Lucas thought to himself If the train wont go forward then we can still go backwards. So he
put the train in reverse and started to move backwards until he thought they could get a running start at
the oily tracks. He then remembered the train car that contained anything you could ever imagine
inside. So he stopped the train and ran to the car to see what he could find. He looked around on all of

the tables and shelves covered with food, candy, cookies and better yet games and toys. He grabbed a
bag of peanuts for the elephants and cookies for the train tracks. Lucas ran back to the front of the train
with the two bags in hand. As he ran past the car with the deputies he gave them the bag of cookies.
Crush these up and throw them on the train track to help with the oil. He said out of breath.
He then ran back up to the engine car and opened the bag of peanuts for the elephants. He then started
lobbing a hand full of peanuts at the elephants in hopes that it would distract them from spraying more
oil on the tracks.
The elephants saw the peanuts flying through the air. They stopped spraying oil on the tracks and raced
towards the peanuts! Lucas hurried and put the train back in forward and started down the track racing
toward the oil. He out the side window to make sure that the deputies were able to get the cookie
crumbs on the oil.
If we can get enough speed and traction from the cookie crumbs we can fly through this slimy mess
and get back on schedule. They picked up enough speed to blast past the elephants oily mess. Lucas
and the deputies were relieved to get past the oil. Hoping to have the rest of the trip peaceful Lucas sat
back and relaxed with hands behind his head in the engine as it roared down the mountain around
curves and bends in the track. As they came down off of the mountain and were headed toward the
deserts of California Lucas sat up straight thinking he heard something outside. He poked his head out
the side window of the engine and looked around, but did not hear or see anything else. So he again sat
back and relaxed.
Not soon after he heard a noise like the sound of giant bird wings flapping. Lucas sat up and
looked out the window again and found out that it wasnt birds but purple dragons flying in fast and
furious toward the train. As they got closer Lucas could see that it was not just purple dragons, but they
had pirates riding on the backs with tattered and worn clothing, and long swords drawn.
To the train men. Find that treasure and a reward will be given. Called the pirate in front leading the
others to the train. And who else would be in the lead, but Pirate Drew. One of worse and meanest
pirates around.
You heard him men lets get that treasure! called another pirate as they set their dragons into a fast
and furious nose dive toward the train cars.
Lucas started to panic and wondered what he could do to lose the pirates or lead them so that
they could not damage his train or worse find the treasure. What would he tell the rancher when he got
to San Francisco if the pirates got to the treasure and Lucas could not find a way to stop them? With
determination he set out among the box cars to see what he had to stop them.
The pirates started attacking the train, slashing at the train cars with their swords and making a
terrible noise as their swords struck the train again and again. Lucas was in one of the box cars as the
swords hit and it made his ears ring. He grabbed his ears to keep it from hurting more. Outside the
pirates dragons started to breathe fire like powerful torches towards some of the train cars. Several of
the train cars caught on fire!
Blazing, the train went on and the pirates and dragons kept attacking. The fires kept spreading.
Lucas called out to the deputies to help save the train but they were afraid and were hiding with the
treasure. They would not come out to help. Lucas didnt know what to do even he started to become
afraid what could he do. The train cars were blazing with flames and the smoke was so thick he
couldnt see the rest of the train. Lucas went to go find the deputies if they were going to save the train
and the treasure they would have to work together.
Lucas asked the deputies if they knew what dragons and pirates were afraid of. The deputies
looked at Lucas and said, We dont know what they are afraid of, but we know what they lovethey
love cupcakesand ice creamand roasted marshmallows.
Lucas ran to the boxcar with all the food and grabbed every bag of marshmallows on the
shelves. Quickly the two deputies and Lucas roasted marshmallows by the dragon fires and threw the

roasted marshmallows in the air. And the pirate and dragons were so busy eating the marshmallows
THAT they forgot all about the train and the treasure and the train sped off.
When Lucas arrived in San Francisco, the rancher looked at his treasure chest and said, Why
does my treasure smell of bubble gum, and marshmallows?
Lucas was very happy to be back on his big shiny train.