"Ripped by Bornholm" "Got one of those satellite dishes, Dad." "Put it out back of the house." "You´ll be able to watch every channel you can imagine." "Yeah." "Can´t imagine too many." "And movies too." "Pay stations, everything." "Movies from a satellite, even?" "I´ll bejiggered." "And you´re gonna love the house." "See, I designed it... with three bedrooms on the second floor and one downstairs, so you don´t have to get tired walking up and down stairs." "I don´t imagine I´ll be doin´ too much of that." "It´s sort of funny- you takin´ me to die in the cornfiields where I should´ve died three quarters of a century ago." "Fenton!" "Look, Dad, you can tell those nutty stories... to all the people at the old folks´ home, but if you tell Brian that, he´s not gonna sleep at night." "He´s been lookin´ so forward to seein´ you." "Old Pa." "That´s all he talks about night and day." "Maybe sometime soon, you can drive us all out to the spot where it happened." "Sure, but, uh, don´t have to drive." "Accident site´s on my property." "Your property?" "Exactly where on your property?" "Here we go." "Old Pa." "Old Pa!" "Old Pa!" "Old Pa!" "Dad?" "How-How do you like the house?" "I don´t like it." "No, sir, not one bit!" "Oh, Fenton!" "Well, maybe you´ll like it more once you get inside." "We just finished redecorating the downstairs." "Oh, the house!" "The house is fine,joleen." "Finest homestead I ever seen." "So what´s wrong with it?" "I don´t like where you put it." "Don´t make me say it again, Brian, okay?" "Stop that." "Put that down." "Your grandfather is 10 times older than you are, and people that old, need 10 times as much rest." " Be careful with this." " But I just want him to show me where the Indian fights were." "He doesn´t have to run or nothing." "He can just walk slow and point." "Well, maybe tomorrow, okay?" "Today you´re just gonna have to make do, by yourself." "But I never get to play with anyone ever!" " The kids at school can´t come out ´cause it´s too far on their bikes." " Well, you have your toys to play with." "I hate my toys!" "I hate this house!" " I wish we never left Chicago!" " Brian!" "Don´t you ever let your father hear you say that." "Do you understand?" "Okay, I take it back." " Don´t you ever say that again." " Okay, I heard you the first time!" "At least not before I do." "Do you know which Indians it was?" "It was right around here that the Sac chief, Keokuk, the "watchful fox", fought off the Sioux, who were after the Sac land." "Did you ever know someone that was scalped by an Indian?" "Little Brian, the Indians were the first people on this land." "It was theirs, all of it." "You ask me, they had a right to do what they had to do... to protect their families, their land, their way of life." "Old Pa, I found an Indian arrowhead!" "Look!" "Uh-uh." "Afraid it´s just a rock that looks like one." "Wow!" "Is that an Indian arrowhead?" "No, Brian, it´s a railroad spike." "A railroad spike?" "You mean, a real train used to come right through here?" "The Highball Express." "Came through right around here where we´re sitting´." " Which way did it go?" " That´s what we´re gonna find out." "Old Pa, is this something?" "Yes, little Brian, that´s something." "God!" "What happened here?" "This is where the Highball Express ran off its tracks." "Really?" "When did that happen?" "Back when I was your age, Brian." "Ran clear off its tracks one night." "Killed everything on board." "Killed everything on board?" "Did you see it?" "Shh, shh!" "Afraid this might not be good." "What´s gonna happen?" "As I remember it, the old Highball... ran straight east to west... without veering an inch." "Thataway." "Bam!" "Right through our new house." "No." "T´aint good, this." "Old Pa, what made the Highball Express go off its tracks back then?" "Some little boy about your age... was waiting for the old 407 to pick him up and take him to visit his grandpa in Sioux City." "The train was runnin´late." "So the boy laid down on the track with his ear to the rail... so he could hear when the train was comin´" "I guess he must´ve just got tired of listening´," "´cause he fell asleep right there where he lay." "Well, when that train come around, the whistle blew, the semaphore clanged away, the track rumbled, but none of it woke up that sleepy boy." "That brakeman must´ve not had the heart to run him over," "´cause he locked the wheels on old 407." "All that weight and pressure... made the track turn up on itself." "That little boy woke up just in time to see the train roll over... just 50 feet" "50 feet in front of him." "And he heard the screams and cries of the passengers... who died just an instant later." "Were you that little boy, Old Pa?" "I still am that little boy, Brian." "And tonight, that old 407... is gonna do what it should´ve done 75 years ago." "It´s gonna take me where I should be." "How long are you gonna be gone?" "Brian, when that train comes around tonight," "I´m never coming back." "Well, sir, the way I got it figured, the Highball will miss your parents´room completely and take out only half the kitchen." "That way, if they don´t wanna get out, which I warned them they should, the train won´t hurt ´em when it comes through the house." "But you and me, we´re right in the way." "Now, we don´t have time to move out everything." "So if you wanted to save something in here, what would be first?" "You, Old Pa." "I´d save you first." "Mr. Globe?" "I´ve come to talk to you about a train." "A train called the Highball Express?" "I know we don´t have time to move the house!" "But if we just get some of the valuables out of the way, it´ll save time tomorrow when they file their insurance claim." "Why are you so sure it´s coming tonight?" "´Cause I did what I used to do all the time as a boy." "I put my ear to the track, and I heard it." "Now, don´tyou think we ought to get to evacuating this place?" "Well, you really think it´s gonna stop for you?" "I know it is." "I´ve got a ticket." "I only hope it´ll be good after all these years." "Oh, it will be, Mr. Globe." "I´m sure it will be." "Wow!" "It says "Highball Express" right on it." "Ouch!" "What was that, some damn yellow jacket?" "No, Mr. Globe." "just something to help you sleep before your trip." "No, I-I can´t fall asleep now!" " I´ll miss my train!" " Don´t worry." "You´ll be awake and alert... by the time the roosters begin to crow." " It´s gonna be all right." " No, it´s gonna come before the mornin´." " I gotta be awake for it when it comes." " Well, you´ll catch the next train." "No, no.!" "Take it out of me.!" "But you don´t get it!" " Fenton, you´re hurting him!" " He was asleep the first time!" "That´s why he missed the train and the train missed him!" " That´s why it´s coming back!" " just take it easy." "Mom, Dad, you gotta do something!" "Oh, God, what is happening?" "Come on!" "You´re killing him!" "We love you, Old Pa." "We love you." "No!" "He can´t sleep there!" "The train runs right through there!" " It´ll run him over!" " Come here, Brian." "Look at me." "Do you think your father and I, would put him where he would get hurt?" "You don´t understand!" "Would we do that?" "I´m really sorry about this, Dr. Steele." "My father´s never been like this before." "It´s nothing to be ashamed of." "It´s just part of his time of life." " But" " No, we wouldn´t." "Now, come on, honey." " Say we wouldn´t." " Come on." "Come on, sweetie." "We wouldn´t do that." "You wouldn´t." "Good." "Don´t you think he´ll be more comfortable in his bed clothes?" " No, uh, he´ll be fine." " Thank you." "You can go home now." "No, really, it´d be better for his circulation if he" "Look, would you please just go home?" "You don´t actually believe any of this, do you?" "No, I don´t." "Can´t miss... my train." "I can´t miss it." "Wow!" "Mom!" "Dad!" "It´s coming.!" "Mom, Dad.!" "Brian, quiet!" "You´re gonna wake Old Pa." "He probably already has." "I knew that story was gonna give him nightmares." "Mom, Dad, it´s coming!" "It´s coming!" "I saw it!" "It´s coming right through this room, full steam ahead!" "I´ll get up." "No, I´ll get up." "I´ll get up." "It´s the train." "It´s coming through this room." "Mom, Dad, it´s coming!" "Old Pa, it´s coming!" "Old Pa!" "Old Pa, it´s your train!" "Wake up!" "Old Pa!" "It´s coming through this room!" "The 407?" "Brian?" "Brian!" "Brian?" "Oh, no." "Oh, my God." "No." "Come on, Old Pa!" "Come on!" "Follow me!" "Mom, Dad, it´s coming!" "We gotta run!" "I wouldn´t stand there if I were you." "Oh, God!" "Fenton!" "People." "People!" "Oh, people." "There´s a train in my house." "Tickets!" "Tickets!" "Tickets!" "Tickets!" "Tickets!" "Tickets!" "Tickets!" "My ticket." "I- I can´t go without my ticket." "Here´s your ticket, Old Pa." "Can I come along with you?" "Uh, you know that´s not right, Brian." "You belong here with your mom and dad." "I belong on that there train." "I am goin´somewhere." "But who´s gonna tell me stories... about where the Indians fought and all that stuff?" "You remember those stories I told you already... about the trading posts..." "Uh-huh." "and the war parties..." "Yeah." "and the pony express?" "Mm-hmm." "Well, as long as you remember those stories," "I´ll always be there to tell ´em." "Tickets, please." "See you in a hundred years." "See you in a hundred years too." "I hope my ticket´s still good." "It´s... kind of old." "It always was good, Mr. Globe." "And we´ve been waiting a long time for it." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Thank you for taking me in, joleen." "I´m sorry I couldn´t stay a while longer." ""Mr. Coffee."" "Why, thank you, Mr. Coffee." "Much obliged." "Sorry if I caused you any trouble, son." "But, Dad" "Don´t know what this is." "Sounds wet." "We´ll fiigure that on board." "We´re late as usual." "Oh, uh, sorry about the house, ma´am." "But you never should´ve put it here, not when the train comes through." "Sorry." "It´s all right." "All aboard!" "Got a mind as sound as a steel bridge." "Always have." "Your Christmas present´s in your parents´ closet." "Keep your hands off it." "Have a safe trip!" "Bye, Old Pa!" "Honey, who´s our insurance agent?"