We emerged from the trees and saw, right ahead, the bridge that spanned the chasm of the Royal River. The river was dwarfed by the bridge. We could hear the creaking of the wooden slats that were holding up the rails and keeping them in the correct place as well as the birds squawking and flapping their wings to glide higher. We could smell the saltiness of the water, or at least I could as we walked across the slats. They creaked under our weight. The water glistened in the sun which made it hard to see as it shone up through the cracks. Honestly, it was blinding.
Chris and Teddy led ahead whilst I followed Vern, who was cautiously crawling on his hands and knees causing a gap in between the group.
Our parents thought we were camping out for the night. In fact, we were walking a long way from our home town Castle Rock to the back Harlow Road. We were searching for a kid about our age called Ray Brower. Rumours said he had been hit by a train. I knew I would hate to die like that.
It was Vern who told us about him because he overheard his brother. However, Vern seemed a bit cowardly. I think it was because he had never seen a dead person before and he was scared about it. We got why though.
Chris and Teddy confidently walked on to the bridge however they didn’t move fast but they moved purposefully. You could see that the bridge was old and worn and that the tracks were rusted. I felt a weird sense in my stomach which made me crouch down and touch the scorching rail. I felt this slight vibration, so I stood up and looked behind.
I saw thick, cloggy black smoke coming closer and closer. I then shouted at the top of my lungs…
‘Train!’
We all started running and that’s when Vern tripped up and slowed us down. He refused to get up, so I tugged at his arm repeatedly, which convinced him to get up and carry on so we ran as fast as we could.
Teddy and Chris sprinted and managed to make it to the other side.
I had to make a split decision.
The train bore down on us now and I could almost feel the hot metal about to make contact with us. I could hear the sound of screaming metal as the brakes were slammed on. I saw our chance…
‘Jump!’ I pushed Vern as hard as I could. The train missed us by inches.
Vern and I landed on a mound of dirt, pebbles and soil that felt like sand. My joints were aching and my palms were sore too, as we landed on gravely ground. My sight was blurry as dust was in my eyes. I could just about see Teddy and Chris peering down. Vern was holding his head.
‘At least we know what time the next train was due,’ said Chris.
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Confictionarium 