Twilight comes upon the pair of drifters like a tidal wave that day. Keep along the tracks, Sal had said. There'll be a town along the tracks, he'd said. But there was no town, there hadn't been one for hours now.
Sal's feet trudge along over the beaten tracks, while Pep's faith dwindles down to the last drop. Their steps align as they press on. Side by side, they march. Their feet ache. Their stomachs rumble. Their eyes search in the darkness. Their ears strain for a lone decibel rising out of the wilderness.
Their only contact with the civilized world is the tracks underneath their feet. Whenever, Pep's faith dries up she looks down at those tracks with a warm smile. And whenever Sal's confidence stoops so low, his feet keep bounding along the tracks until they revive what little confidence he still possesses.
"I don't wanna die out here." Pep says at last, when the shinning light of the tracks finally ceases to glow for her.
"Don't talk like that! Only a sissy would say that." Sal snaps, his fists tightening around the handle of his empty briefcase, his own shining light in the darkness of this hour.
"But you said there'd be a town!" She moans. The pitch of her voice is filled not with glooming blame, but reluctant resignation to her fate.
"And when have I ever been wrong? Never." With such diminishing faith from his follower, Sal answers his own question. Pep’s mouth twists to the side; her eyes narrow at his darkening figure beside her. "And another thing-," Sal begins, jabbing his finger into the air with the supremacy of an emperor.
"Shhhh!" Pep exclaims, shoving her hand over Sal's mouth. The tracks underneath their feet began to shake as the sounds of twilight meet their ears. The crickets chirp, the owls begin their solitude calls, while the night beasts prowl the undergrowth for a meal. Sal places his ears to the cold metal of the tracks. Pep watches him with wild eyes. Sal removes his ear. He nods.
The two scurry off their lifeline to the world and wait. Then out of the sounds of the natural world, the faint clanging and whistling of a steam engine appears. Sal looks with gleaming eyes at the train's glowing light in the distance, then to the girl at his right and back at the train. "Ready?" He asks softly.
"Ready." Pep replies even fainter. The train draws closer along the clanging metal of the tracks. With each winding chug, the younglings watch their longing wants and desperate needs come nearer to reality.
The train's engine car rushes past first, followed by numerous connecting cars, each labeled and painted with elaborate and eye-popping sketches of various exotic animals. Sal and Pep ignore these cars as they wait for their prize, the storage car, known as the caboose.
Sal begins to run alongside the tracks, with Pep rushing after him to keep up. They each spot their prize. Pep is the first to take the leap of faith. Her nimble, little fingers reach for the rusted handlebar of the last train car in desperation. The instant her flesh makes contact with the solid object, she tightens her grasp. In an instant, she is flying along the tracks, secured to the train as she moves up to Sal. She positions her feet on the small rear loading deck.
“Take my hand!” Pep yells to the boy, sweat dripping down her brow as she reaches out her empty hand. She has only an instant to get it right. Sal takes a moment to look back at her. He hesitates; his eyes glance back at the ground in front of him, then whoosh! Pep goes flying past, but not with her hand clutching onto his. Sal grabs onto the handlebars as Pep drags him onto the small platform.
Once they’re both safely together, speeding off through the wilderness on the rear-loading platform, the two take a moment to catch their breath. They share a successful smile as Pep begins to shiver with the cool evening air rushing about them.
“Let’s get inside.” Sal’s chest is puffed out once more. He unlatches the door with a smirk and enters. Pep follows with glistening eyes and a cresant-moon smile. Yet, in an instant Sal’s chest deflates and Pep’s smile turns into a grimace.
Before them, clustered into the caboose car, stand several large crates filled to the brim with slimly, slithering and hissing creatures. “Snakes?” Sal shouts, dumbfounded, his mouth gapping open, while his arms sag as his sides.
“Snakes!” Pep repeats. She squirms and attempts to retreat back onto the freezing platform. Sal grabs her by the collar and pulls her back inside.
“Let’s try the next car!” He offers. Pep shakes her head, but Sal has already started to maneuver around the small spaces in between the crates, holding his briefcase over his head. Pep’s face twists until it resembles a wrinkled prune. She tiptoes after Sal, clenching her hands into fists, and struggling to keep her gaze off the slithering animals in the depths of the crates.
Sal reaches the next door, and after prying it open, he turns just in time to narrowly escape Pep’s flying body as she franticly dodges through the opening. Sal snickers and shakes his head as he joins her on the adjoining platform. “Afraid of snakes?” Sal jokes as he reaches for the door handle. Both shiver from the cold, whipping wind.
“Hey! It ain’t no joke! My auntie Mabel went under the ground after a cottontail got her on the ankle!” Pep retorts as Sal heaves the door open. He looks back at her with a roll of his eyes, only to see Pep’s jaw utterly drop. Sal jerks his head in the direction of her stunned gaze. Immediately, the stench hits him.
Before them, in this car, stand four speckled limbs and two bodies of very large animals. Their cream-colored hides are freckled with hints of golden spots. “Where’s their heads?” Sal squints as he steps into the dim-lit hay-covered car, wrinkling his nose as he does so.
Pep follows him into the train car. “Up there!” Her gaze trails up the pair of elongated necks as they stretch up into an opening in the roof. Two pairs of warm brown eyes on small triangular faces peer through the cracks down at the humans.
Sal’s gaze widens as he follows Pep’s outstretched finger. “What are they?” He speaks breathlessly, his mouth lingering open.
Pep shakes her head slowly. “I dunno, but they’re the beautifulest things I’ve ever seen…” She says without taking her eyes of the creatures. She takes in a whiff of the train car. “But that smell sure ain’t beautiful.” She adds quickly, plugging her nose.
“I agree. Let’s try the next car.” Sal has already begun to make his way around the slender legs when he speaks. Pep nods, still plugging her nose as she trails behind. She keeps her eyes locked on the majestic animals as she carelessly maneuvers to the other side of the car. “Watch out!” Sal yells at her. Pep stops dead in her tracks. She looks down on the hay-covered floor to see a large pile of dung where her next step was to be placed.
“That was close.” Pep remarks. She breathes a sigh of relief as she avoids the source of the foul smell. Pep reaches Sal on the opposite end. The two share one last glance at the foreign beasts, before making their way outside onto the next adjoining platform.
“Ready?” Sal asks with a grin, his eyes glistening with excitement. Pep nods eagerly as she bits her lip in anticipation. The boy thrusts aside the door and keenly joins the girl to peer into the next treasured-filled car.
They step inside. Each glances around anxiously for any sign of life in the shadowy hull of the car. “You see anything?” Pep asks.
“No…” Sal hesitates, thinking he might have seen a glimmer of movement in the far reaches of the murky car. His eyes strain in the darkness.
Then they each see it. In the gloom of the train car, a pair of haunting black eyes stares back at the two humans. Flashes of black and gold stripes flicker in the light. A deep, bellowing growl issues from the back corner.
Sal and Pep each freeze. Even without fully seeing their companion, they can sense the danger of this creature. Pep’s breath comes in a rush, as Sal’s knuckles turn white over the grip on his briefcase. Slowly, Sal and Pep shuffle backwards across the car. Another growl originates from corner, this time deeper and more menacing than before.
A silence follows. The humans are almost at the door now. Sal cautiously reaches for the handle. A soft click issues from the lever as Sal opens the door. Yet, this minuscule sound is all it takes to disturb the calm.
A roar echoes through the car. Claws scrape against the metal flooring. Sal retreats onto the platform. Pep lets out an ear-shattering scream. The creature lunges across the car. Pep stands frozen in the doorway. Sal seizes the girl by the collar and hurtles her back onto the platform, slamming the door shut just as a gold-and-black-striped face lunges into view.
Pep kneels on the platform; her gasps for breath come sporadically in her panic. Sal slumps down to sit beside her. “Wh-what was that?” Pep pants.
“I don’t ever wanna find out.” Sal shakes his head hurriedly as he eyes the door with anxious eyes. A few minutes pass without either giving any indication of the other. They each remain frozen in fear on the icy platform, the cold wind licking them stiff. Then, suddenly, the pair hears a muffled growl followed by the loud crack of a whip. Both Sal and Pep jolt to attention.
The metal door is thrust open before them. A black man peers down at them from in the doorway, a whip clutched in his hand. “Oh lookie here at what the cat dragged outta hidin’!” Admiration fills his voice as he laughs with a smirk. Neither Sal nor Pep replies. “Mighty brave of you’d take on Fluffy by yourselves.” He continues. “She don’t take kindly to strangers. Just me ‘n the ole’ master.”
Another growl is heard from within the car. Sal and Pep shudder, but the man just gives the whip another crack and a silence follows.
The two children just stare at him. “Oh c’mon, now. Don’t cha wanna get outta the cold?” He beckons for them to follow as he disappears into the car. Another crack of the whip is heard. Sal stands to follow, but Pep stays back.

“C’mon. What are you waitin’ for?” Sal asks, lingering in the doorway.
“I ain’t following him! He’s a n*****!” Pep replies, shaking her head violently. “My daddy told me never trust to their sorts.”
“Your daddy’s a drunk. What’d he know? I’ve known bunch of colored folks. They ain’t so bad. C’mon.” Sal snaps. He enters the train car after the man, leaving Pep to reluctantly trail after them.
“Sal!” Pep moans. She bites her lip, looking around at wilderness as it flashes by in a mush of green and brown. She heaves a giant sigh and follows after into the train car.
Back in the car, a lit bulb in the ceiling now lights the way. The black man has successfully managed to get Sal acrossed to the other side, while the large cat shudders away from the whip. “Hurry along now girl!” The man yells right before issuing another long crack of the whip. Pep darts across, her face coiled with fear. The man begins to scoot around towards the children, always keeping the cat whip in between himself and the cat. “Open the door, c’mon now!” He commands.
Sal opens the door. Both he and Pep escape onto the connecting platform. The black man soon follows. He slams the door shut with a bang, the whip still clutched in his hand as he does so. He turns to the children. “Alrit’, what are yer names?” He asks in a deep Southern accent.
“Sal,” Sal replies.
“Pep,” Pep replies.
“That be a mighty odd name ya got there, girl.” He comments, while the divots in his forehead curl together. Pep just nods. “Well, Sal, Pep, I be Earl. Now, follow me.” He pushes pass them into the next car.
The children trail after Earl through the next three cars without another word. They pass first through a caged-bird car, the floor filled with colorful feathers. The next car they pass through is a stable car, lined with painted horses and thoroughbreds. Then, they pass through a bare-bones maintenance workers car. Then, Sal and Pep find themselves in a fully furnished, lounge car, filled with laughter and the clinging of glasses. Colorful characters, such as a fully tattooed man, a stage magician, and several beautiful women occupy the lounges of this car.
Yet, there’s one character that stands apart from the rest. His dark figure sits at the head of a card table. His ironed suit and tails sit perfect over his slim, yet full figure. His piercing, black eyes scavenge out the children from the opposite end of the car. His dark mustache twists at the ends of a thin-lipped mouth. Earl drags the pair over to him. The card game stops as the other players glance at the children as well.
“These are our stowaways?” The man asks, brushing a finger across his mustache. His brow furrows as he takes in the two children.
“Yes, sir,” Earl replies with the utmost respect.
“Not quite what I expected…” The man’s voice trails off. His mouth twists to the side as he folds his hands together on the table. “What are your names?”
“I’m Sal, this is Pep.” Sal steps forward to answer, puffing out his chest. “Who are you?” Sal jabs his finger at the man.
“My dear boy, I don’t think you’re in the position to be asking the questions.” The man answers with a slight smirk. “Is it just you two? How long have you been on the train?”
“It’s just us and we hopped on-,” Pep begins, but Sal cuts her off.
“We ain’t answering anything until we know what’s going on here. Why you got those animals back there? You some kinda trader? Who are you?” He steps even farther in front, meeting the sitting man eye to eye.
Each mustache end curves upward as the man cracks a smile. “I’m Leonardo, the ring master.” Leonardo reclines in his seat, resuming his smug expression.
Sal narrows his eyes. “Ring master? What is this you got going on here?” He asks skeptically.
Leonardo seems utterly befuddled. He sits back upright, gazing at the children with a wild look in his eyes. “Why this is a circus! Haven’t you ever seen a circus before?”
Pep shakes her head. Sal shrugs before he asks, “Nah, what’s a circus?”
“My dear boy! A circus is a performance of the utmost prestige! It’s a shame you’ve never seen one before…” Leonardo looks off into the distance as he finishes then he turns back to the children with the same wild look in his eyes. “How would you kids like to be part of your first circus?”
Pep and Sal share a glance. Pep smiles. Sal turns back to Leonardo with risen eyebrows. “What do we have to do?” He asks.
Leonardo looks up at Earl with a sideways smile. “Earl, why don't you show them how we treat our guests.”