TC82

Gabriel used handrails to climb one of the rail cars but he found only inch-thick sheets of steel stacked to within eighteen inches of the top. The next car back was the same. But the car behind that had two piles of rags huddled against the front wall that must have been the Zinter kids. Gabriel climbed back down and pointed at the correct vehicle. “They’re in that one!”

Hy sprinted toward the rolling stock and hoped he was right. There was only the light of a half-moon for anyone to see.

The train began to roll forward once more. Thinking fast, Gabriel took the Shahar Haruach in hand. When the gondola car with Ariel and Jael approached Gabe he laid the business end on the coupling and snapped it off. Much of the steel fitting and the associated cable simply disappeared. Then the forward half of the train with a locomotive continued to accelerate while the rear half, with the Zinters onboard, began to slow to a halt.

Jashen edged his station wagon forward to follow the half of the train that was slowing. His kids followed on foot. Already, Dory felt a great sense of relief. Events were still in play but no matter what happened her friends were no longer on a one-way trip into eternity by way of the Rockies.

Dory climbed to the top of the gondola car and saw it was indeed Ariel and Jael. She let out a single big sob: it had been months since she’d seen them.

Gabriel took a big bite out of the side of the car with the relic. A halfcircle of rusted steel ceased to exist.

“No, you’re too close,” Dory hissed, “you’ll slice their feet.”

The forward half of the train still under power was slowing down now also. The engineer had taken his foot off the gas, so to speak.

Gabriel laid the end of the Windgate about two feet behind the first cut. Dory told him that was better. So he took a second and third bite. The chute he made had a hump in the middle but otherwise it was as smooth as a mirror with not a single stray atom sticking up.

Jashen Shybear got out of the station wagon and joined his son, ready to catch the kids when they came down the slide.

Dory saw how Ariel and Jael were wrapped in blankets and men’s work clothing. She dragged the Ariel bundle to the slide and let har go. Then sha waited for Jashen and Ruman to pile the doll into the station wagon before dragging Jael to the slide.

Two flashlights danced a thousand feet away. These were crewmen from the caboose investigating why the train had snapped in two.

When Jashen was ready Dory pushed Jael off the rail car into his waiting arms and then Dory slid down after hym. Jashen put the dirk in the passenger side front seat. Dory piled on top of hym.

Inside the vehicle Gabriel saw Ariel was wearing men’s clothing under an old blanket. Sha looked for all the world like a homeless bum, but everything smelled clean enough. The interior of the station wagon smelled worse than Ariel did. But he dug through the fabric to reach skin and found Ariel was dangerously cold.