vignette

“We coulda tooka the freight train, Manny. I don’ understand why we dint. And now I got all shot up.” He tried not to grimace as he clutched his stomach. “Manny, wh...what we gonna do now?”

Manny tried to keep his voice steady even though worry showed all over his face. “Charlie, you gonna be fine, I gonna be fine, everythin’s gonna be just fine so stop with the yammerin’ and be still. If those yard cops hear us there’s really gonna be trouble.”

Manny gently cuffed Charlie’s shoulder and stood up to look around. He didn’t think their chances were very good right now especially since Charlie wasn’t lookin’ too hot. And if The Big Bad happened to the kid, he was gonna feel like dirt.

“Look here, Charlie, I got me a plan. You just sit tight and I’m gonna take a quick and quiet look around, see. Just like we did back there in Chicago. You gonna be all right, Charlie, so just keep quiet and I’ll be right back.”

Manny looked down at Charlie, who was breathin’ kinda fast, and decided he couldn’t put it off any longer. Crouching behind the small switching shed, he looked both directions and under the wheels of the nearby train cars, then took off and hurried over to the bridge. It was a hell of a place to put a rail yard, right next to the river, but maybe it would make things easier this time.

Damn. Everything looked the same at night -- just one big black shadow. He stumbled down the shallow depression toward the water and hurried along the river bed. There’s gotta be a boat along here somewheres. After about five minutes of futile searching, he decided he better look upriver and see if his luck would turn.

Suddenly, plain as day, there was a boat. It even had two oars and a tarp. This’ll work. This’ll work. We’re gonna be okay.

Manny headed back up the rise and almost ran back across to Charlie except he realized at the last second there was a light over by the shed. Damn! He crouched down again and kept real quiet to see if he could tell what was going on. Suddenly he heard the crunch of rocks off to the right, then a flashlight came bobbing into view. And then a third one showed up from far down the tracks. Dangit all! Dangit! Well, at least now someone would get Charlie a doctor. Maybe the kid would make it after all.

And with that thought, he crept back to the boat, pushed it away from the bank, got in, and started rowing.