the old railroad bridge

8/11/2019 The Old Railroad Bridge

1/17

The Old Railroad Br idge

Gennae Angeli na

Copyright 2013

MATT ROLLED out of bed and slipped on his shoes.

He walked down the stairs of his house and crunched into the night stand at

the bottom of the stairs. He then doubled back up the stairs and got his

glasses. His older brother was still asleep on the couch and the computer

games were running. His food containers were scattered all over and Matt


2/17

kicked through them on the way to the door.

His brother barely moved. Matt went out the front door of the old

apartment and stepped into the goo that was the front yard, always wet since

the pipes leaked and the land lord kept promising to fix them. He got on his

small motorcycle and revved the engine and took off down the road toward

his job. About the time he reached the small crossroads where he turned left

to go into town he realized it was Saturday and he was off.

Matt turned his bike around and puttered back up the road and as he did a

sight caught his eye that he had not though about before.

To his right the ground curved down into a stand of trees where some

boards covered the entrance to an old covered bridge. Matt had heard the

stories in school, and he stopped his bike for a moment, looking down into

the trees. He could see bits of the boards through the overgrowth and he

looked down toward them. Legend said that a railroad had once ran through

here and crossed the river into the city. The confederates had wanted

weapons that were on the train, and unknown to them there were two car

loads of passengers. They blew up the tracks, the train crashed and all 137


3/17

passengers died, well almost.

According to the story there was one little girl who had survived and she

lived into her old age haunted by being the one person who had lived.

There was a small cemetery down the road where the others were buried.

Supposedly the train would come back now and then and pass through the

old bridge. Matt didnt believe in any of that stuff.

He eased his small cycle down the side of the road into the trees and drove

toward the boards. As he moved the bridge loomed closer and he came to a

raised area where there were old overgrown tracks leading into the huge

door, big enough for two sets of tracks. Matt stopped. He had a knife on

him, but no other tools.

Matt walked toward the old bridge and saw some of the rotting boards

had been pried loose. He went up to a large gaping hole and peered into the

darkness. The old bridge was fascinating. He could smell wood and rot and

see the tracks where they had been for decades.

Matt decided to check it out. No one would miss him. Since his mother

had sent him to live with his brother, no one cared about him coming and


4/17

going as he pleased. Matt climbed through the hole where the boards were

off into the darkness. The stood inside of the bridge and waited to get

adjusted to the light.

Matt sat down for a minute and remembered the stories hed been told

about the bridge and the old steam train that came roaring down it, one from

one direction and another coming the opposite way. He had seen the little

graveyard nestled between two sets of houses that had some of the people

whos families had not claimed them.

Matt got up and stepped into the looming darkness that was the bridge

and he could see the old rails laying on the ground, torn loose over the years.

There were pieces of wood all over and the smell of decay and mold in the

air. Matt walked along the tracks and looked way down into the darkness, at

the other end of the bridge. He began to enjoy the atmosphere like walking

into a haunted house during Halloween. Matt saw the rusted rail spikes and

the plates of metal on the ground, touched by streaks of light from the sun

coming in through cracks in the boards. There were big fancy archways on

both sides and wood carvings with cracked paint falling off of them.


5/17

Matt was walking along when a sudden explosion of noise came from

overhead. He looked up and was terrified to see two huge black wings

flapping toward him and he began to scream. He felt his stomach tighten as

if he was about to pee in fear. Matt turned to run and a large black bird

flapped around his head then went up into the dark. It crawled over some

wooden ribs and vanished outside as Matt stopped running and fell to his

knees.

In a few minutes Matt realized hed been scared by a bird, and once he

collected himself and muttered in anger, he got up and continued to the other

side of the bridge. Once he got to the barrier over the other door, Matt

turned and looked at the wooden bridge and concluded that it wasnt really

all that scary. He then strolled to the hole he had entered through, and now

that he was satisfied with his adventure, he fired up his motorcycle and rode

down the road to the house of a friend of his, Rex, who was into all sorts of

weird stuff.

Rex was in his front yard when Matt pulled up. He was trying to make

his own small amateur haunted attraction and he was making gravestones

and other things out of cement and wood.


6/17

Sup? Rex called as Matt came to a stop. Not much. I thought I had

to work today, but since I dont Im just messin around. I went to that old

railroad bridge and walked around.

Oh the old one that is supposed at be haunted?

Yeah while I was there I found a rotting old woman hanging from the roof

With a rope.

That stinks.

Yeah she kinda did but I needed the rope so I cut her down.

That was nice of you.

I know, Im naturally heroic.

After the two boys had a laugh, Matt became involved in helping Rex

make props for his project. There was a big long stretch of grass next to his

house and Rex wanted to use that and the old barn that was there to set up

his attraction. He expected to make a nice profit from all of the neighbors

coming to visit each fall.

As they worked, another motorcycle came down the road, an old one that

had some body damage here and there and ran a bit rough. It was another


7/17

neighborhood weird person named Mike who lived down the road in a very

old house that was in need of repair. Mike pulled in the yard and Rex sat

back, covered in cement dust, and relaxed for a minute while Matt went up

to the bike.

Whats up man? Matt asked as Mike got off the bike. Just curious as

to how things were coming on the house. Rex exhaled and a bit of cement

dust puffed into the air. Mike looked surprised. Wow. You take the project

very seriously dont you? He asked.

Rex smiled and blinked his eyes. Theres good money to be made scaring

people. They enjoy it. Theres something about being scared out of your

pants that makes the average person into a happy person.

Mike smiled. Its the thrill of danger since they know the things cant hurt

them for real. Mike looked over the gravestones and Rexnoticed that Matt

was giving him sour looks. He wondered why, then he noticed Matts

expression change.

Hey Mike you ever been to that old bridge the trains used to cross?


8/17

Never been there, but I know what one you mean. Its neat. Ive gone

Down and shot pictures. Its boarded up though, so you cant get in.

Oh the boards are loose. I looked in a few times, it has some old junk in

An old train.

Really?

Yeah. Matt said, starting to grin. Rex knew what he was up to but he

Kept to himself. He wasnt overly fond of Mike to begin with, he was a

nerdy kid with little education and lived in a run down house. He had few

friends if any.

Matt was still grinning. We could go down there and check it out if you

want, we need a break anyway, right Rex? Rex looked worried. I guess.

Matt picked up a hammer and some nails and said yeah that would be cool.

We can board the place back up. Mike thought a minute and decided it

would be fun, so he agreed.

The boys didnt leave right away though, they took some time to make a

few more stones and eat lunch as the sun crossed the sky into the afternoon.

At one point Mike went to the bathroom in the house and Rex asked Matt

Whats up with the bridge thing? Matt took off his ball cap and laughed.


9/17

I just figured wed have a little fun. I dont plan on doing anything much,

just scaring him a little. I dont even like him.

Rex knocked cement off some tools. Why not just tell him to get lost?

Matt smirked. Why not have some fun instead? He asked. Rex shook his

head. This is your idea.

Mike came back out and the boys put away the tools as they talked. Rex

filled Matt in on what he knew about the bridge.

The bridge is really old and we know that a lot of trains went on it. Ive

been to the cemetery and seen the graves of the people who died there. They

all have various birth dates and its creepy to see all the death dates being the

same. They say the train comes down the tracks still from time to time.

Mike got excited as they talked and finally they got on the motorcycles

and drove down the road to the stand of trees where the old bridge was.

They got off their bikes and walked into the trees, and the nails dug into

Matts leg through his pant leg. He endured the poking and kept chuckling

to himself.


10/17

The sun began to get low enough in the sky so that the shadows were

long and it illuminated the front of the railroad bridge and made it look

much bigger and more menacing. The boys advanced to the front of the

bridge and the hole where boards were missing looked like a doorway into a

great abyss, with blackness on the other side.

Rex, Matt and Mike stood at the mouth of the hole and looked in. Mike

grinned. Its just an old bridge. Nothing so terrible about it. He stepped

through the hole, and Matt joined him for a moment. To his surprise and

delight, Mike began walking right into the bridges interior. This is neat. I

always wondered what it was like in here.

Mike moved along the old tracks and looked up at the old wooden top of the

building and he turned to see Matt coming along slowly, smiling. Rex stayed

at the door to the bridge and as they moved, Matt was slightly startled when

the same bird that had scared him launched itself from the ceiling again. He

saw Mike put his arm up as if reaching for the bird, which hovered and

flapped over him then turned and flew into the darkness.

As Mike moved, Matt turned and walked back to the opening, then


11/17

stepped out into the waning sunlight and grabbed two boards and fitted them

over the hole in the barricade. Rex was surprised. What are you doing?

He asked. Mike will be terrified, he might not even get out!

Matt put a nail to the first board. Hell get out. So what if he doesnt like

me anymore. He just wont come around bugging me.

The sound of Matt hammering the nails echoed through the bridge and as

he finished, the angry voice of Mike was on the other side. Rex walked

away quickly as Mike roared in anger at Matt, who chuckled and kept

walking.

Matt and Rex got on their bikes and left, and in a few minutes they had

forgotten about Mike.

Matt rode home after dark and as he rode past the trees where the old

bridge was he glanced to the side and noticed that the bridge was black and

invisible in the dark. He stopped his bike for a moment, but not hearing any

noise told him that Mike had found his way out. He knew Mike would hate

him, but he really didnt care about he kid from down the road.


12/17


13/17


14/17

The two boys turned to leave when they felt the ground begin to tremble.

They stopped in their tracks and just stood frozen. The flashlight blinked

out and the boys stood in the pitch black. Rex whimpered and Matt tried to

speak but could not. He was frozen with terror, which got worse as he heard

the echo of a chugging engine. Matt thought of all the places he would

rather be than rooted to this spot.

The entire bridge was bathed in blackness and they could no longer see to

get out. Rex stammered that they should follow the tracks, but neither could

get their legs to respond. As tears of fear welled up they heard a phantom

chugging sound echo through the bridge and their legs shook in terror. The

front of the bridge began to glow blue and suddenly a light appeared in the

center of the old barricade and got brighter and brighter till they could tell it

was the phantom light from a ghostly train.

Matt and Rex stood in the tracks and began to cry out as the phantom

outline of a train appeared and the roar of old steam engines became louder

and louder. They saw clouds of steam roll to the side from the train which

was therebut at the same time was not.


15/17

The train roared down the tracks and the light in front of it blazed down

on the boys who gave vent to screams of terror. The train loomed bigger and

bigger in the dark and the rails trembled, the sound of the engine drowning

the screams of the boys.

Down upon them it bore till they could see the engine and it instantly

was upon them, then passing through them in a powerful rush of exploding

air. Matts hat flew away and the flashlight flew back as if it was weightless.

Rexs jacket flew like bird wings and was torn off of him, flying behind into

the bridge.

As the specter of the ghost train blasted through them, the two boys could

see into its pale interior, men and women outlined in transparent darkness,

misty figures of men in tall hats and women in large dresses.

The train roared down past them and the end of it came, passed through

them and rumbled to the end of the tunnel. Both boys ran for the barricade

in a mindless panic. They almost jumped over the wood, and as sweat

streamed off of them, they mounted their motorcycles and took off down the

road.


16/17

Rex disappeared toward his house and Matt rode home, still shaking as

he went into the house, glad that his brother was gone, and hoping he would

be gone for a while.

Matt sat down in his bedroom and after some time he began to calm

down. Matt wondered what had become of Mike, and he went to the

bathroom, shaky, almost afraid to turn on the light.

When light illuminated the bathroom, Matt was about to wash the sweat

off his face, then he saw his image in the mirror. His hair was white, as if

bleached. He just stood and stared at it for a moment.

Eventually Matt saw Mike in town, rolling along on another motorcycle

and looking normal. For a brief moment he turned and saw Matt. Mike

stared for a moment, and without a word or nod of his head he rode off and

vanished. Matt never saw him again and Rex never brought up the subject

of the bridge after that.


17/17

the old railroad bridge

Documents