The Train Wreck
The dirt and pebbles broke loose under Miles feet as he skidded down the steep slope of the canyon. Somehow the many stitches and repairs to his warn shoes held together. With his arms flailing, he fought to keep his balance. He steered for a huge bolder about half way down. There he came to a stop, caught his breath, and called up to Tanya.
“Come on down but be careful it’s pretty steep.”
A few seconds later Tanya slide down into the gorge. Miles stood with his back against the rock and helped his friend come to a safe stop. Tanya pushed the overgrown mass of dark brown hair. Her eyes showed a hit of concern as she looked at the way down.
“It’s not much farther,” Miles reassured her.
“Go ahead. I’ll follow you down.”
Miles continued his controlled fall until he reached an old road that had been carved into the side of the canyon. It ran alongside the churning river at the bottom.
Tanya came to a stop next to Miles. “It’s going to be a hard climb back up.”
“Trust me, we’ll be able to climb out of here.” Miles started down the road. “This way,” he called over his shoulder.
Tanya trotted to catch up. The road was covered in weeds that grew up between a pair of steel rails.
“Wow, a real railroad,” Tanya exclaimed.
“That’s right, but wait until you see what’s up ahead,” said Miles as he walked along, balancing on one of the rails.
Tanya hopped onto the other rail. “My grandfather told me about railroads. He said they used to carry people and goods everywhere. But that was before the Great War.”
Miles nodded. “That’s what I was told. They say trains could travel ten times faster than a horse.”
As the two friends rounded a bend in the road, a massive hulk came into view.
“There it is,” Miles raced ahead.
The rail car sat tilted to one side. Its front half was split it two by a violent crash. Years ago, the speeding train had jumped the tracks, and now laid in a mass of twisted ruins.
Miles could see Tanya was in awe of the enormous car. He led her up the stairs and through a door that hung on a single hinge. The back of the car was still intact. There, rows of cracked leather seats once carried passengers in comfort. The pair worked their way to the front of the rail car.
“Watch yourself. The metal’s sharp,” Miles slipped out of the hole at the front of the car.
The friends continued past the next three cars, or what was left of them. Nothing more than twisted piles of metal, it was difficult to tell where one car stopped and the next one began. Further along, Miles led the way around a part of the wreck blocking the middle of track. There one car rested with one end on top of the overturned car before it.
He squeezed between the wreck and the canyon wall with Tanya following.
“Is that the locomotive?” Tanya pointed to the giant machine that lay nearly upside down. One end rested near the tracks, while the was submerged in the river below.
“It’s it something?” Miles marveled at the mechanics of the engine. It’s heavy axles and wheels that once rumbled down the track, now silent. The rain and winds left them coated in a layer of rust.
“Can you imagine what it would be like to ride a real working train?” said Tanya.
“That would be amazing. We could ride to distant lands, and wouldn’t have to worry about gangs of bandits. We could just relax and watch the scenery roll by.”
“My grandfather told me that someday trains like this will be restored.” Tanya continued. “He said that it’s written in The Holy Book.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about The Great One who will return the land to the way it was before the Great War. Do you believe that?”
“I do believe it,” Tanya said with confidence, and then added, “Don’t you?”
Miles gazed at the ground. “I want to believe, but the land is so harsh and broken. It’s hard to imagine the way it should be.”
“Have the prophesies of The Holy Book ever been wrong?” Tanya asked.
Miles thought for a moment. “Well, no.”
“Then we can trust The Holy Book, right?”
Miles face brightened. “That’s a good point. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
***
Read Romans 8:22 – 25
What does the passage say about “the whole creation”?
In the story, Miles and Tanya live in a world that has been destroyed by a war. How is their world like our world today?
The train wreck is like our broken world. Never seeing a working train, they try to imagine what it would be like to ride one. What do you think it will be like when God restores all things?
