Part 1

As I, pushed it out as far as I could, heard.

“Aw Spud; you’re all cock! No wonder Molly likes you. Jesus, you’re only fourteen, why my dad’s over forty and I heard mum say the other night, she will die snapping at it.”

“SHH,” I whispered, “hear that!”

As, coming through on the cold night air, was the faint mournful wail of the old Forty Niner and as the picture of her hurtling through the night, came to mind. I jumped up, reached for the sideboards of the wagon, to begin swinging over onto the cinders below. When glancing back over my shoulder saw Tommy, with a faraway look in his eyes and realizing, he was still half cranked up, growled,

“If you want to see old Khalu tonight, you had better tuck that ugly lizard away and move!”

Then continued over the side and waited for Tommy. Who, with his pants half down, scrambled over behind me and hung there. I grabbed him around the waist, to help him down, before taking his hand and heading off for the platform. Where, ‘with one eye out for the Porters’, we snuck up and hid behind the stacked bags of spuds and onions, to wait, and, as we hunched together for warmth. ‘Shrouded in steam’, around the bend she came, charging straight down the line, towards us.

Trembling both from excitement and fear, from the power she presented, I poked my head out, from behind the bags, hoping to catch a glimpse of old Khalu, through the fireman’s window. To be rewarded by the sight of his big bushy beard, so quickly turning to Tommy, mouthed, over the roar,

“He’s on,”

To see him, frantically stab the air behind me, with his finger. Sensing his urgency I ducked and weaving sideways, caught out of the corner of my eye, a small black object, hurtling through the night air, straight for my head. So casually, raising my hand, plucked it from its journey.

Then, ‘wanting to savour the moment’, started to do a soft shoe shuffle, when, ‘ through lighted windows’, noticed the gawking passengers as they flittered by. But, by now so full of the moment, started, ‘with my best smile,’ to give them a deep sweeping bow, when hear out on the cold night air.

“Atta Boy.”

On hearing this turned, to, see, through the swirling steam and breath choking smoke, Khalu, whiskers blowing in the wind, and his big fist raised, in the gesture of camaraderie.

Recognizing, this as a token, ‘for his miscalculation and my youthful agility. Split my freckled face, from ear to ear. And accepting his gesture, raised my fist and joined him there in the night.

As steam and smoke covered his image, using the flittering lights of the passing coach’ s, I opened my hand, to see I had caught a small brown paper bag, and on tearing it open. Saw several large bright gumdrops and being the spoiler of the night, selected the biggest, popped it into my mouth and as I passed the rest to Tommy. Drew myself up, raised my face to nightly sky and growled, in as deep a voice as I could muster,

“Whaa, Tommy this is the life!”