THE TRIPLE SIX EXPRESS

Copyright 2002 by The Joshua Club

It was a bright sunny day as I walked down the road of life. The road was a bit bumpy and wound back and forth but I have always enjoyed a good walk through the timbers. Beautiful trees surrounded both sides of the road. Once I came across a pond, startling a pair of Canadian Geese [though no more than they startled me].

I was walking south, as I always do, for it seems to me to be the way of the world. In all my travels I have only seen a few people heading north. They appeared to be content and peaceful, but I never trust people who appear too peaceful. After all, anyone who can have peace at all times has either stumbled on the world's greatest secret or is being simply hypocritical. The funny thing to see is the people who want you to think they are going north. In fact I have never seen a more ridiculous sight. They face to the north...then walk backwards! Needless to say, they fall down a good bit. As I was walking, I happened on a small, country train station. There were a few people milling around waiting to board the south bound train. [Come to think of it I have never seen a north bound train.] The train itself looked totally out of place for the rustic setting. It was the most modern, streamline train I had ever seen. Its silver body reflected the bright sun and nearby trees almost as well as a mirror. Written across each car in bold, black letters were the words: TRIPLE SIX EXPRESS.

Although I enjoy walking, the thought of getting out of the hot sun into an air-conditioned passenger car and perhaps having a drink or two appealed to me. I climbed the three rickety stairs to the wooden platform and approached the ticket counter. As I looked again at the beautiful train I began to wonder at how much my fare would be. The man behind the counter had a round, cheerful face which immediately put me at ease.

"Tell me, sir, where is this train headed?"

"It goes straight through to Paradise Acres. And if I may add, a more pleasant trip you could not have."

I had heard of Paradise Acres, who hasn't? A place of total joy and peace. Some think it to be a mere dream. In my aimless travels south I had a submerged hope that I would end up in Paradise Acres.

"What's the cost?" I asked.

"That depends on you." smiled the man, "Not everyone can go, you know. If you'll answer some questions first..."

"Of course," I tried to sound casual although I felt as if I had just been summoned to the boss's office for some misdeed.

"Do you believe in the Goodman?"

The Goodman was said to be a strange being that no one had ever seen. It was said that he arrogantly claimed to own all the property in the world, some even said he laid claim on human lives. Such a claim is at best foolish, I am my own man and will not hesitate to say so. As for the Goodman, I did not doubt that somewhere he existed so I replied simply, "Yes."

"Good, how do you treat your fellow travelers?"

"I help them as best I can. They're people, and people ought to help people, I think."

"So you do a lot of good deeds?" "More good deeds than bad deeds." I said with half a laugh.

The man laughed with me, "I can see that you are just the kind of person we want at Paradise Acres. I am authorized to give a few select people, like yourself, a complimentary ticket." He handed a ticket to me and said, "There you go, sir, enjoy your trip."

It was with a feeling of pride I stepped into a passenger car. I have always believed in doing good and I had hoped that it would help to earn my way to Paradise Acres, but this was beyond my wildest dreams. The conductor, with a long but still cheerful face, pumped my hand and punched my ticket.

As I walked past him I happened to glanced back and I saw a curious thing. Above the door I had just entered was a flashing sign, although it was not flashing at the moment. It was a simple sign consisting of only one word: JUMP! The purpose of the sign confused me. When the train was at a station there was no need to jump and only a fool would jump from a moving train.

The conductor saw my puzzled gaze and explained, "It's a stupid sign. We don't like it either, but the Goodman insists that we have it here. It doesn't mean a thing."

"The Goodman owns this train then?"

"Goodness no. He has nothing to do with it. The Owner controls this train."

"Then why would the Owner put the Goodman's sign on his train?"

I saw the conductor's eyes narrow, although his smile never dimmed, "The Owner just wants to promote a spirit of cooperation, that's all."

I saw that I had hit upon a touchy subject. I did not want to offend my host, especially since I had a complementary ticket, so I smiled as if his answer was satisfactory and went to find my seat.

I was glad the car was not crowded for I dislike large groups of people. I found my seat and sank into it. I don't think I have ever felt so comfortable in all my life. As I looked around saw that the car was decorated with every bright, cheerful color imaginable. A thought at the back of my mind told me something was missing but I couldn't figure out what it was. The only dull point was the man sitting across from me. Next to his face a lemon would have tasted sweet. From the bruises I could see on his body, I guessed he was one of those people who had faced north and walked backward. I supposed he had finally decided to look in the direction he really wanted to go.

The seat was so comfortable and the car so well soundproofed that I did not feel the train begin to move. The first I knew we were underway was when I glanced out the window and saw the trees moving by.

As I looked back in the car I suddenly snapped my fingers. I knew what it was that had puzzled me about the colors. Every bright color was represented except for one.

"There is no red!" I exclaimed.

"They hate it." said my companion sourly.

"Why is that?"

My companion shrugged his shoulders, "Perhaps because it's the color of blood."

His meaning escaped me. For a few minutes we sat in silence. When my companion began to talk in his bitter voice I saw I was in for a long "Somebody done me wrong" story. I should have expected it. His complaint was about the Goodman and the Goodman's northbound people. [This was the first time I knew why anyone would want to go north.] I didn't mind. I enjoy gossip as much as the next man, although in my heart I despise anyone who would turn on their own. My companion, who claimed to be one of the Goodman's people, was vicious in his attack on them. It seemed to me much like an adult son who violently attacks his own mother. Nevertheless, he had many interesting, if somewhat cruel, stories to tell. It didn't take me long to see that the reason he had so much trouble with the Goodman's people was because they would not cater to his every whim.

After a couple of hours the interest had worn off and I was thinking pretty hard about dinner. My complimentary ticket included free meals and I intended to have as many as possible. When my companion paused for a breath, which wasn't very often, I excused myself and went to look for the dining car.

I had my hand on the door handle when I happened to glance to the right where the exit door was. The exit door was in a "t" shape. A strange shape for a door, I thought, then I wondered why I had not noticed it when I entered. The next thing that caught my attention was the sign "JUMP!" above the door. It was flashing now with great urgency. I couldn't make up my mind whether it seemed more like a warning or a command. Then it struck me. It was flashing in red! The only red in the entire colorful car was on that sign.

Puzzled I turned back to my door. A hand covered my hand and prevented me from turning the handle. I turned to see the conductor standing there.

"Can I help you?"

"I was going to look for the dining car."

"We have no dining car."

"Oh." I said and thought, That's why the meals are free.

The conductor seemed to read my mind. He smiled and said, "We will serve your meals right here. I trust roast beef is to your liking?" It was. He continued, "We only have one rule on this train and it is that you have to stay in your own car."

Now curiosity is a powerful thing. I think it is a pity we humans do not have nine lives to spend in its pursuit. In any case, as soon as he told me the other cars were off limits they became objects of interest. I immediately made up my mind to find out what was in them. Of course I was wise enough not to show my intentions.

As I wandered back down the car I saw a young lady sitting alone. She had a pretty face and I thought her company would be much more enjoyable than my sour-faced companion's so I asked if I could join her. She nodded.

"Have you seen the sign over the exit?" I asked, sitting down.

Again she nodded.

"What a joke. The Goodman must have a strange sense of humor."

"I have thought a great deal about it and it is not logical that it would be a joke."

A woman talking of cold logic surprised me but I thought the combination would prove to be an interesting one.

"It has to be a joke. Only a fool would jump out of a moving train."

She arched one eyebrow as if she had been thinking of doing that very thing. "It cannot be a joke." she repeated, "There are only two possibilities. Either the Goodman is insane or he intends it to be taken seriously."

I have lived a busy life and never had much time for the Goodman, yet to think him to be insane somehow disagreed with me. On the other hand, to think that such a sign should be taken seriously...

It was while I was thinking about these things that a steward served us our supper. As he was about to leave I asked, "How fast is this train traveling?"

He thought for a moment, "I don't exactly know. This is one of the fastest trains on the line, however. And I do know that our speed keeps increasing until we reach our destination."

"It must take a while to bring the train to a stop then." The steward looked startled. Clearly it was a new idea to him. After a moment's thought he smiled, it was not a pleasant smile, and said, "We have our ways."

The lady and I ate our meal in silence. Both of us were held captive by the thought of that strange sign. After the steward had cleared away the dishes my thoughts turned to the other cars. Glancing around I saw that the conductor and steward seemed to have vanished. If they were having their meal, then this would be the perfect opportunity to look around.

I asked the lady if she had been in any other cars. She shook her head and the idea did not appear to interest her. Another marvel, a woman without curiosity.

I eased myself out of the chair. Heading for the door I tried not to look guilty. Quickly I turned the handle and stepped out between the cars. The first thing I noticed was that we were traveling through a desert. This surprised me since I had had the impression we were traveling through a tropical wonderland. Next was the lettering on the door opposite me. It read "Wealth". I stepped over, turned the handle, and entered that car.

I had thought my car was luxurious but it was nothing compared with this one. The people were dressed in the latest fashions and finest clothes. They wore diamond necklaces and large rings. The smell of money filled the entire car. The people ignored me as I walked through the car as if I was not worthy of their attention. As I neared the opposite end, on the right, was the same "t" shaped door and flashing sign that was in my car. I turned the handle and stepped out.

The lettering on the door opposite me this time read "Poverty". I entered. What a shock! It was like a dark, crude boxcar. There were no seats, no fancy colors, no windows, just naked, depressing walls. The people lay across this hollow box crying for food. There were children with their stomachs bloated from starvation and adults with their ribs poking through their skin. Quickly I hurried through this car to the next. The next one was marked "Disease" and it was no better than the last one. The same stark interior. Weeping and moaning people covered with every sickness imaginable were crawling over the floor. I rushed through.

Once outside I took several deep breaths before looking at the next car. Its door read "Lust". I felt a little more hopeful as I entered it. The hope soon fled. For the first time I saw lust in its plain truth...an eternal hunger, never satisfied...an eternal search with no hope of finding the thing searched for...forever being relentless driven to greater and greater excesses without fulfillment. I was glad to find myself on the other side of that door. My eyes rested on the next door. It was marked "Crime". My heart fainted within me. I could take no more. What kind of hellish train was I on? I ran back through the cars, heedless of the cries around me. I finally made it back to the walkway between my car the one marked "Wealth". The only thing I had seen in the cars that was the same was the "t" shaped door and the sign flashing, "JUMP!" As I stood catching my breath and trying to recover from the horrors I had witnessed, a woman came out of the car, "Wealth". She looked depressed.

"I am going to jump." she said flatly. Then she leapt over the side between the two cars. There was a sickening crunch as the merciless train rolled over her, crushing her to death.

I don't know why, but suddenly the thought came to my mind: You fool, if you're going to jump at least go through the right door.

As I stood thinking of these things the door to my car opened and the conductor stepped out. He stopped suddenly as he saw me. I had the undeniable feeling that if he suspected I had been in the other cars he would throw me from the train and my fate would be no better than the wealthy lady who had jumped.

"What are you doing here." he demanded.

I smiled, trying to look innocent, "I just stepped out for a breath of fresh air."

The conductor thought for a moment, then smiled, "It's not wise to break the rules, but we're very forgiving."

He put his arm around me. It felt different. I looked at it and saw a skeleton's boney fingers. Quickly I glanced to his head and saw a grinning skull - it was only for an instant as if he had been caught unprepared - then the masked dropped back and I saw a normal, friendly conductor.

He reached out a hand to open the car door and I saw the name written on the door: "Self-indulgence". Sick at heart I followed him into the car. Then I noticed something else, if I had the strength I would have been surprised, but the scenery flashing past the windows was tropical. It looked so peaceful and beautiful.

"I thought we were going through a desert." I muttered.

For an instant the conductor looked displeased, then he replied, "We are traveling so fast we can move from one climate to another quickly."

That did not ring true but I was not in the mood to argue about it.

As I looked around the car I saw the lady I had talked to was not there. I wondered if she had jumped. I sat down by myself to think. In my mind I ran over all the things I had heard and seen on this strange day. I saw too, for the first time, how well the label "Self-indulgence" fit my life. I realized that I was not happy...that I had never been happy. I wondered if the things I had heard about the Goodman were true. I knew the only way to the Goodman was through that door. I thought about the things I had seen on the train, and about other things that were probably there as well. It hit me like a bolt of lightning that I was on the same train and going in the same direction as all that evil. Even though I might not do all those things, even through I lived a good life, my destination was the same. Suddenly I made up my mind.

"No more!" I yelled jumping up and startling everyone in the car.

The conductor guessed what I meant and moved to stand in front of the "t" shaped door. He seemed to grow in size. I am not a big man but I had made my mind up. I was going through that door or I was going to die trying.

I charged down the aisle intending to bowl the conductor off his feet and escape before he could recover. As I reached the conductor he faded and I passed through him. The door opened automatically and I was caught in the wind outside.

Instead of being dashed to the ground as I expected, I was lifted up toward the sky. Fear had left me. An unusual sense of peace overwhelmed me. The wind was now only a gentle breeze refreshing me and there was a fragrance in the air that I have never before known.

As I looked down I saw the train like a silver serpent winding it's way across a hot desert. Then I saw that it was headed straight for a cliff. I wanted to cry out, "Jump", indeed, I think I did but they could not hear me. I watched as the train plunged over the edge. The screams of the damned reached my ears as their fate was sealed for eternity.

Then the breeze carried me into a green valley and softly set me down on a small dirt path. As I looked up I saw an old rugged cross. I stumbled to the cross and fell down before it. A love so great as to surpass description washed over me. I could not think why I had not come here long before.

When I next looked up a saw a young man dressed in a shiny white robe. In his hands he held scarlet clothes. I looked down at my own clothes. I was dressed in rags and I wondered why I had not noticed it before.

"I am the Goodman." he said and offered me the clothes.

Gladly I took off the filthy rags and put on the new scarlet clothes.

"Am I dead?" I asked in wonderment, but to tell the truth I have never felt so good.

He smiled. It was a warm, gentle, encouraging smile. "My friend, you were never really alive until now."

The Beginning