It was a cold winters day, the snow was falling and the skies were dark. As the people drove in their cars and went on with their business, four hobos sat around a trashcan fire. Jim, a tall man with a few missing teeth, torn clothes, a long shaggy beard, dirty blonde hair, and sparkling brown eyes. Billy Bob, a man of few words, with dark brown hair, an uncut beard, and who’s dark blue eyes made the women swoon; his only clothes were some cheap pants and a coat. Maryann, a fairly short woman with long red hair, fair eyes, and who always wore the same wool coat and fairly torn snow pants over her jeans and t-shirt. The last of the four was Old Man Sam, the oldest of the group; the only part of his body that was ever visible through his hood and trench coat was his white scraggly beard.

Billy Bob stood, rubbed his freezing hands and asked, “So when’d you say those trains would get here again, Jim?”

Jim leaned back in the snow and with his sly, nearly toothless grin said, “Soon Billy, soon. Just gotta be patient.”

Maryann breathed into her hands and held them in front of the fire. She stared deep into it and with a smile said, “The train for the Sunny Land,” her smile ever growing, “said to be the place of beauty and warmth.”

“Yep. If that there clock’s a workin’, it should be here in a matter o’ minutes.” said Jim. He smiled at Old Man Sam, “Ain’t you excited, Sam?”

The old man huffed, his face still covered by the black hood, “It may be warm an’ sunny, but I had some bad experiences down there. ‘Sides,” he smirked, “if you go to the sunny land, summer ‘n spring won’t be special no more.”

They all laughed good and loud, happy as could be besides the cold. After a few minutes they heard the train whistle. The four shuffled over to a high ledge over looking the tracks. Then they saw the trains. One of the trains was old and rusted, one that still ran on coal. This train was headed east with barely any line.

The other was shiny and new, one that would make an environmentalist smile. The train was headed west and many people rushed through its doors because obviously it would get them somewhere fast.

“Which one do you think goes to the Sunny Land, Jim?” Billy Bob asked.

Jim slapped Billy Bob in the back of the head, “The nice one, yah idiot!”

Maryann glared at him, “No Jim. Can’t you read the sign?” she pointed to the sign hanging in front of the station, “It says that the rusted one goes to the Sunny Land, the new one goes to…” she cursed under her breath, “you don’t wanna know.”

Jim and Billy Bob stared at each other, a look of fear in their eyes. Billy Bob glanced at Old Man Sam and asked him, “So what do you say about this, Ol’ Rusty over there, or New Shiny?”

Old Man Sam stared at the two trains from underneath his hood and with a sigh replied, “Well Billy mah boy, I say we hop on Ol’ Rusty over there. But it’s your choice I suppose. All I know is Maryann and I are going on the old one.”

Billy and Jim looked at each other again and nodded. Jim smiled his happy toothless grin at Maryann and Old Man Sam and said, “We could never part from you two. I just hope you two were right about that.”

As they made their final decision the trains started to move. The group rushed over to the now moving rusted steam engine, and hopped on before any authority figures could catch them. For many days they traveled, the train rocked to and fro, and the four, on occasion, feared for their lives. The train hung loosely on the tracks, and when it would go over mountains or hills, Ol’ Rusty felt as though it would collapse on them or fly off the tracks. After about two days the train hit the east coast, Jim looked out a window and exclaimed, “This is it right? Why ain’t we slowin’ down?”

“WHAT!?” screamed the others. They looked out the window and sure enough, the train was reaching the end of the tracks, a cliff. The four screamed for death was near. The train rode off the ledge but strangely it did not fall, but continued on its way. The four hobos gawked at the ocean below and sat back down. Surely this was no ordinary train.

After about a week of traveling the train finally stopped, and they jumped out to the beautiful Sunny land. The flowers were blooming, much of the grass was freshly cut and there was no cloud in the sky. Jim and Maryann were the first off. The two jumped and laughed with delight. They threw off their coats and ran wild in their t-shirts and torn pants.

Billy and Old Man Sam got off last, Sam pulling his hood down, revealing his bald head, and hazel eyes. Billy slapped the old man’s shoulder and the four sang happy songs. Billy Bob glanced at Maryann and with a smile asked, “So where did the sign say the other train was headed? And don’t tell us that we don’t wanna know, because we do.”

She shuddered and said, “Well I guess you leave me no choice. But I think Old Man Sam should tell you.”

“Where!?” asked Billy and Jim.

With a big belly laugh Old Man Sam replied, “Mah boys, the train would have taken you to Hell, Michigan.”