The Aimee and David Story

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i sleep soundly in the curve of your arm, with my face buried in your wool sweater (which smells of campfires and cinnamin) and your cheek softly pressed against my forhead. i don't notice the gentle rocking of the train abruptly stop. it isn't until i feel an unfamiliar hand on my shoulder that i awake. it's the porter. he is standing over us and is now tapping on your shoulder as you open your eyes. "it's time to go now," he says, as we sit upright and rub our eyes. warm light floods the cabin of the train and it is clear that we are no longer moving. all the other passengers have gone. "is this finn city?" you ask. but the porter does not reply. instead he motions for us to follow him as he walks down the aisle towards the exit and begins to descend the stairs. we quickly grab our things and follow him to the front of the train. we are not in a city, however. the train is stopped somewhere in the mountains, between towering rocky cliffs and steep wooded hills. all the passengers stand motionless in front of the train, following us with their eyes as the porter leads us past them. "what's going on?" i ask, and the porter firmly replies, "this is where the train stops. we cannot go beyond this point...... you will have to continue on your own." "but, the tracks go on...." you say, perplexed, and we look at eachother bleary-eyed and confused. "at least tell us if this is the way to finn city...." but the porter has disappeared, and we are left faced with the blank stares of the passengers. it seems there is only one way for us to go.....

passengers

"Gee this people not talking to us thing is getting pretty tired. I have never felt like so much of an outsider" I say as I sit on the track looking around. "I know, it is a bit spooky, why don't we get a move on and follow these tracks" you say with an out stretched hand. I grab your hand and pull myself up. We turn and wave to our train companions, and walk at a good pace along the tracks. "Are you scared?" I ask, to which you reply "No, just a little overwhelmed by all the things that have happened to us so far." Two men can be seen in the distant, and we can see that they are having words with each other. As we near I greet them, and much to our surprise they actually acknowledge us. "How do you do?" The one on the right says. "We are ok, perhaps you could tell us how to get to Finn City?" you say. "Surely! Keep following the track around the bend ahead an you will eventually come to it" says the one on the left. "Nope, you are wrong brother, they have to turn around and to get to Finn City" says the one on the right. "No, it can't be back there, we just came from there!" I say in a frustrated voice. "Well sir, for someone who doesn't know where he is, or how he got here, you certainly seem to be sure of what is true and what is not" says the one on the right. "No brother, you see he knows that you are lying, because you always do, just like you keep saying you don't know where my picture is...thief!" says the one of the left. Just then an idea comes to you. You quickly go through my pack and pull out the curious little drawing. "Here is your picture!" you say excitedly. "You see brother I did not steal it!" say the one on the right, to which the one of the left says "And I did not lose it!" The two brothers start to walk off and sing a song. "Should we follow them?" you say. "Ummm I dont think so, that was just too annoying!" I reply. All of a sudden we hear the noise of machinery just over some rocks. We scramble up the rocks to see a man with a truck and a load of freshly cut trees. We decide to go down and ask him for information. "Excuse me sir, do you know where Finn City is?" I ask. The man looks at me, and spits a large wad of tobacco on the ground and says "Yup, I do, I'm headin there with this load of logs, whats it to ya?". "We would love a ride, if that is ok with you" you say in a cheery voice. He rudely ignores you and says to me "I'll take you, but no women in the truck". "Well you can just be on your way then" I say. He hops in his truck and slowly starts to put it in gear. The trucks transmission moans as the the whole thing starts to slowly move. As the logs pass us I motion to you to follow my lead. I grab on to an out stretched log in the rear and pull myself up. I am quick to grab your hand to help you up, as the truck picks up speed. Now comfortably seated on a large log we look at each other and smile...

truck


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