astoryofmorden,manitoba

"Railway Runaway" A Story of Morden, Manitoba

by Mercedes Will

I heard the whistle blow. It was a welcoming sound. I tried so hard to be a good son, but my heart was always elsewhere. I knew the small community of Morden, Manitoba was generally a happy place, but my very soul longed for bigger, better things. I was tired of hearing my parents arguing. My mother --she never stopped nagging. My dad was the local elevator man. No, we did not have a farm. Maybe that was the problem. At least on a farm, we could have had our space, but in that small two-story house my Dad rented. It was claustrophobic.

I just turned 18, finally a man. I had a lot of anger inside, maybe the fighting at home just fuelled my anger, and maybe it was just my age. The point was I felt a fire inside ready to explode. I couldn't understand my mother, she knew our life somehow seemed always dismal and yet she still brought more and more kids into our home. Why? I resented her for that. Why did a new baby every couple of years seem to be her only resource. Yet the babies where sure cute and I loved all my brothers and sisters, there were six of us. I was the second eldest. My older brother got out fast. He went to work on the railway when he was 18. That was two years ago, we have never even had a Christmas card from him, he never looked back. I missed him and I felt stranded in Morden.

Each night the whistle blew around 7:00 p.m. Somehow that sound gave me hope. It connected me to an outside world. That day I knew I was ready. I felt the tears behind my eyes as I ate the porridge with brown sugar my mother so lovingly prepared for us that cold morning. I wanted to tell them; to bleart it all out, but I knew if I did they would only feel it was their fault and try to talk me out of it. Today would be the last day that anger could fester in me. Today, I would be free and running, running along those trusted CPR lines. Running with the steam and engines and all that power and force. The thought just fuelled me. I wanted to be part of the train, to feel it thunder down that endless track.

Where would I end up? I didn't know and I didn't care. I only knew inside that I would know a peace in my gut when it was time to jump out of the old boxcar. I kept my bag of clothes and bits of food hidden as I walked towards the Morden Station. It was dark out, no wind, the snow was gently falling. The tears rolled down my face now, but my legs kept walking.

I snuck in behind the caboose and after that it was easy to jump up into the boxcar, it smelled like cattle, I didn't mind. I felt my body shaking under my old winter jacket. I wiped the tears off my cheek; I swore that would be the last tear. I was a man now. Time to stare into the dark car and numb myself out. I had a long journey. I was heading towards Sask. I knew I would pass many stations and the train would stop at each one. I heard my dog bark, he was so distraught, running up and down along the track, barking at the train. "Go away" I whispered out to him and I felt the train tremble under my worn boots, I sat down and huddled in the corner. I was cold but not freezing. Finally, the train began to rumble and the mighty engines went full throttle with my heart.

We departed Morden. I felt one with the train, like it was my only friend. I knew it would take me into the night far away. I would find my destiny out there in this great country. I was a young man. I was a railway run away. I was everything I ever wanted to be at this moment. I thanked the good Lord for that train. I could finally stop that burning feeling inside and put my life into motion. I could not hear my dog bark anymore. I could only hear the engines and the wind whistling around me.

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