Chapter 17
Expanding the Mind
Smoke billowed from the rumbling beast. A young boy, perhaps my age, gathered our bags and loaded them onto the train. The beast growled and grumbled, almost pawing at the ground ready to leave.
“Are you prepared for this?” Papa asked. His attention was on the spitting steam.
The contraption in front of me was terrifying, I was not at all sure I wanted to climb aboard.
He guided me to the stairs into the belly of the beast. Beyond the window, passengers said their farewells. A man bellowed, summoning stragglers. Well-wishers stepped away, and the brakes released. The carriage lurched as the metal components strained under the stress of moving such weight.
I grabbed Papa’s hand. He grinned like a boy with a new slingshot.
The station drifted away. The tr
