The conductor running forward shouted, "Nobody gets off this train. Stay in your seats."
The conductor opened the door to the passageway and shouted, "Nobody allowed in this area. Get back to your seats. Everybody, get in your seats."
The train curved right. The woods reappeared. The rain was falling. The thunder and lightning were in the distance."
The passengers returned to their seats. There was silence on the train. A few miles down the track people began speaking with each other and began walking to other cars. No one spoke of the storm or the tunnel.
The Evening
As the clouds cleared the sun was just setting below the tree tops in the west. The trees were almost bear with only a few yellow and orange leaves still on the branches. Matt and Kim sat on one side of a café car table and Wanda sat on the other. The mood the storm had left on the train had been slowly disappearing.
A middle age lady sat by the window across the aisle at another table. The café car was getting crowded. A second middle age lady with a young man, who looked the age of someone recently out of high school, came to the table. The lady asked the setting lady if they could sit down. She said it was ok. The lady sat with the other lady and the younger looking man sat across from her.
The lady by the aisle glance across the aisle at Wanda and said, That was a scary storm we went through back there. And going through those tunnels made it worst."
Wanda said, "Scary it was."
The lady asked," Where are you from?"
Wanda answered, "I'm from West Virginia now. I've lived in Kentucky for 7 years. before that. Where are you from?"
The lady answered pointing at the much younger man, "We're from California. We've been on the other train from Los Angles to Memphis for two days. It seems like forever."
Wanda, "That's a long way. Where are you going?"
Lady, "We're going to Cincinnati."
Wanda, "Well. It shouldn't be too much longer now."
The lady turned to the lady sitting by the window and said, "We've seen people going to a lot of places for the last two days. Where are you going?"
She replied, 'To Orlando. I need to change trains at Washington."
The lady by the aisle asked wondering, "Why are you going there?"
The lady by the window replied, "To sit by the pool."
At the next table Kim watched a very young looking male, maybe 15, and a younger looking female, maybe 14 or even 13. Kim though, from their clothes, that they were both Amish. There was a very young child, perhaps a few weeks old, in a carrier on the table. The attention they were giving to the child caused Kim to feel they were the parents of the child.
Once they felt relaxed Wanda and, Matt and Kim, left the café car. Wanda and, Matt and Kim, entered the lounge car. Amy was sitting in the observation car and asked a conductor if lights in the hallway of the sleeping cars after 10 pm. The conductor answered that they would be, but there are lights at the edge of the floor so the hallway can be easily seen for walking.
After the conductor left, Wanda, not knowing she would get an answer, "I have been wondering about the prices for the sleeping cars. Are they very expensive?"
Wanda was a little surprised that Amy was happy to answer and said, "They usually are. They can cost two to three, maybe even four times the coach price for a ticket. It all depends on the time of the year you are traveling and where you are going."
Wanda was surprised by the answer and said, "I never knew they were that much."
Amy, "Most people don't. I've been riding trains for most of my life. The sleeping car prices have increased over time. My parents introduced me to riding on trains. A lot of people no longer use trains. but I just continue to ride them. Our parents introduce them to us. Everybody in the family would rather take a train then a plane. It just got started and continued."
Wanda listening asked, "Mind if I sit down?"
Amy, "That's fine go ahead."
Wanda sat in the chair beside Amy. Matt and Kim sat in the two chairs beside Wanda.
Amy continued talking, "Of course it has gotten more expensive as the years go by. But if I have the time I always use the train. I never been bother by the expense or time. I was born into money. It was passed down through the family. When your life is like mine you do things different than others. Today someone needs to take a plane just because of their working time limits and the time that have for the vacation is limited. When you don't work you can go at any time you want and stay any amount of time you want.'
Matt, not sure of what answer he would get, but just had to ask, "How did your family ever get money like that."
Amy, "It started with my great-grandfather, Henry Majors. He started the business in Memphis. In the shipping area. Back then the Mississippi had a lot of cargo going up and down it and he was there and got into it at just the right time. Today you would not be able to do that. So now the company is in the food production industry as the main source of income. Also, the company concentrates on investing in other companies And the investments made can really take off and get the large money everyone's running after. Most of them will get in after it's popular which is too late to make the real money. It's better to invest time to predict the future trends in companies before making investments."
Wanda, heard to predict the future trends and entered the conversation, "People can see the future and make money from it. But I don't see people making any money predicting the future business trends and getting money that way. I have had a psychic business for seven years now and just because of the interest people have in the psychic area, I've managed to make a living. That's why I'm on the train. I have moved to Mapleville and had an increase in business."
"You live in Mapleville now?" Amy replied, "I've been living there for forty two years now. That's where my daughter was born. She lives in Mapleville also. The psychic businesses only started about three years ago. At first many people were against it. But I figure new people in town with their own business would help the town. It really has helped. There are more stores and shops there now which helps everybody. And leads to staying the weekends. Which starts the tourist type of businesses, which we didn't have before. So I'm glad to see the new people."
Wanda, "I'm not actually a new person. But from the towns point of view I can see how I am. What I'm concerned about is the group that, to me, rip of people and have no real interest in the psychic connection itself. For me there is a real connection. I guess that's why it bothers me to see these con-artists. Which is really what they are."
Amy, "I can agree with that. I've seen a few con-artists myself over the years. Inside the family there are rumors of psychic abilities. I try to keep a history of the family. I have several times run into ancestors that supposedly had these psychic abilities. The same as I see people either have or think they have in Mapleville. I have found no proof that anyone in the family has had any real psychic abilities."