The Town of Ide

Against the morning sunlight in 1853, Jesse rode his horse through the modest town of Ide, its slow and steady stride quietly kicking up plumes of dust. In the town of Ide, not much went on. Nestled in a mountain valley in the New Mexico Territory, it boasted a population of around 300 people—mostly elderly. For decades, during its better days, Ide was successful in coal mining until their production started to dwindle and eventually stop. Since then, to make a living, some people raised whatever livestock they could, others were craftsmen, but most did not much of anything at all—making Ide a place where dreams came to die. Because of this unfortunate reality, most young people who wanted to build a future for themselves left…or at least tried to leave. Hope of escape for most young people lied in the Caldwell Train system. Delivered in 1848, about 10 years after the collapse of Ide’s coal mining industry, this special train rolled through town about once every two years. Many speculated as to where exactly the train went, but most didn’t know and didn’t care to find out—as long as it was leaving town and going far, far away. With tickets usually costing upwards of $20,000, the hope of leaving Ide and having a future was reserved for a few wealthy families, those who had the right connections, or those whose families sacrificed everything for one of their children to go.

As he passed through the middle of town, shopkeepers and passersby cast their mournful gaze on Jesse, feeling sympathetic for the young man. Jesse had just come from his grandfather’s funeral, who had rapidly grown ill in the recent months. As he gazed at the ground in front of him, Jesse was thinking of the events of that morning—his family’s somber faces standing in the cemetery, the priest’s words, lowering his grandpa’s coffin into the ground. As he sat on his horse, he pondered his grandpa’s life as well as his own, and how merciless it all seemed. Most of the time, he felt that he just wanted peace from it all—the constant struggle to survive.

Once he reached the edge of town, Jesse rounded the back of his family’s house and rode up to the paddock fence, behind which stood a small herd of horses. They were his grandfather’s mustangs, rounded up beyond the mountain range when Jesse was just a young boy. There were only around fifteen horses in the herd, but by selling the ones they trained and whatever foals were produced, it was just enough for Jesse’s family to survive. Jesse was fond of the horses and enjoyed taking care of them—especially when he got to ride them. Galloping through the valley—the sound of the wind and the feeling of flying was ecstatic for Jesse. On horseback, he was faster and freer than anything in the world. As Jesse began to untack his horse, a voice greeted him from behind. He turned around to see a familiar set of emerald eyes looking back at him. These eyes in particular belonged to Eve, a slender-framed, chestnut-haired girl who he had grown up with.

She leaned against the railing of the paddock and gazed thoughtfully at the herd in front of them, “You know, my father always talked about when your grandpa brought these mustangs thundering down over the mountain. He said it was the most incredible thing he’s ever seen, and that the whole town was talking about it for months,” Eve said.

Jesse thought about the countless stories he had heard growing up about his grandfather’s journey—how dangerous it was, how he had left the family and journeyed miles to find the horses, rounded them up with only two other hired riders, and made it back home with the whole herd. He had always admired those stories as well as all that his grandpa had sacrificed for their family over the years. Jesse and his grandpa had always been close, even up until his death. He would even go as far to say that his grandpa was his truest friend. Although, despite Jesse’s unconditional admiration for him, he had always thought it a little strange that his family, as well as all of Ide, exaggerated the story so much—after all, the herd only had around fifteen horses.

Eve, still in her funeral dress, grabbed a brush and began to sweep the gentle steed. Jesse followed suit and brushed the opposite side of its coat. As Eve ran her hands over the horse’s hair, Jesse noticed the bare ring finger on her hand. They had been engaged for several months, but Jesse couldn’t afford to buy her a ring. He often wondered if he would ever be able to provide any sort of life for the two of them.

“Solving all the world’s problems?” Eve smiled as she noticed his solemn demeanor.

Jesse’s kind eyes smirked back at her. Despite the bleak future Jesse and all other young people living in Ide came to expect, Eve somehow managed to render it all inconsequential with so much as a smile in his direction. All he knew was that life was just better with her in it.

“I need to get back home to help my mother…and I suppose you should to,” she said.

For many years now, Jesse had lived with his parents and paternal grandparents—himself being an only child. They reluctantly parted ways. Jesse walked across the yard and when he entered through the doorway, he was met with three staring faces. His grandmother, sitting at the kitchen table, held something in her hand.

“Your grandfather wanted you to have this,” she said, holding out a small key to him.

“What is this key to?” Jesse asked.

“I’m not sure, I believe it belongs to your grandpa’s desk,” she replied.

After exchanging a confused look with his parents, he walked into his grandfather’s room and shut the door. Jesse slowly sat down, and using the key, unlocked the wooden drawer. Inside the drawer lay a small black notebook. Jesse picked it up and ran his hands over the soft, worn leather surface. As he opened the notebook, something slipped out—a check for $20,000. Shocked, Jesse read the note that was written inside.

“Dear Jesse,

Here’s your ticket out of here. The original mustang herd was over 200 head—sold them just East of the Texas border before driving the rest back home to Ide. I have always wanted to buy one of those train tickets headed West, but I’ve been an old man for far too long. I figured you would be able to get more out of it than I ever could. I set aside this money so that you could at least have a different life than the rest of us and leave this dead-end town. I know when the time is right you will go and make something of yourself. You’ll do us all proud.

Love,

Grandpa Lawrence”

#

Early the next morning, Jesse stood on his porch with a cup of coffee in his hand. The crisp autumn air filled his lungs as he looked up at the snow-covered mountains surrounding the town. With a contemplative expression, Jesse thought about the decision that lay before him. All of his thoughts and feelings swirled around inside him—his family, Ide, the herd, the possibility of freedom, and most importantly, Eve. With one final sip, Jesse set his cup down and quietly walked to the train station.

#

“What can I do for you?” hollered the booking clerk.

Jesse handed him his grandfather’s check and replied, “One ticket for the Caldwell Steam Train.”

“Wow! It’s not too often someone in my position hears those words! Congratulations. What name for the ticket?”

“Eve Riley.”

#

The morning of the train’s arrival was an event for the entire town of Ide, even if no one boarded. The massive steam engine was not only impressive in its size but also in appearance—with shiny black paint that seemed invincible against the wear of time and the bold white letters of its name painted across it in contrast. It was nicer than anything most people had ever seen. Both Jesse and Eve’s family were there to see him off. Eve, holding back tears, held tight onto Jesse. He grabbed Eve’s shoulder and held the train ticket out to her. Astonished at seeing her own name printed on the ticket, she looked at Jesse in disbelief—she could no longer hold back her tears.

“I asked your sister to pack a bag for you,” he said.

As her sister handed her the bag, Eve didn’t know what to do, nor could she find the words to speak. Baffled, she looked around at her family and to her parents’ tearful faces, whose encouraging nods gave her strength. She turned back to Jesse and with a resolute voice said, “I love you.”

Now it was Jesse’s turn to hold back his tears. With the train’s final call and one last goodbye, Eve timidly stepped off of the platform and disappeared into the cabin. With the cry of the steam trumpet, the train began to churn and leave the station. With growing speed and a quickly shrinking silhouette, the reality of what just occurred began to sink in. Against the sound of Eve’s family crumpled in tears and the silence of his own, Jesse’s heart began to race at the thought of what he had done—he let go of the only real glimmer of hope he ever had, the only girl he would ever love.

In an instant, Jesse was flying off the platform and running back home. As he approached the paddock, he flung the gate open and in an instant, the rumble of hooves began to rush past him. As the all-black, shiny coat of his horse sped past him, he grabbed its long, dark mane and hoisted himself up on its back. With all the speed they could muster, Jesse and his horse galloped towards the train. They flew past the train station filled with onlookers and began to catch up with the train—the wind screaming in their ears, his horse’s quick, hot breaths, and hooves that looked like they never once touched the ground. As the air blew through his brown hair and clung to his face like ice, all he could think about was catching that train—if he could just jump on, he could hide until the train stopped, starve for days, do anything to be with Eve—he couldn’t be without her, if he could only catch the train. Jesse and his horse were now right up front with the roaring giant. As he reached out his hand to the railing, the steam engine let out a mighty shriek. The dark horse reared up at the sound and threw Jesse off his back and onto the ground.

With the air knocked out of him, Jesse lifted up his head and was met with the torrent of the speeding train beside him. The train was almost a blur—faster than anything he had ever seen or could imagine. In a whirlwind, Jesse’s heart pounded—he wasn’t sure if it was the sound of his heart or the roar of the wheels beating through his chest—his deep amber eyes watered—unsure if it was the dust in his eyes or the knowledge of what he had lost. As the cold air filled his lungs once again and a sense of exhilaration filled his heart, Jesse couldn’t help but think of how incredible it all was.

As his family watched from the station, Jesse’s father muttered, “What a senseless thing for him to do—give away something so valuable to a lovestruck girl.”

His grandmother replied, “You’re a fool to not realize that he would have done it for anyone in the world.”

THE END