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Blues Bed Time Story

"How the Train Got It's Whistle"

Once upon a time there were two children named Skye and Devon and a little train without a train whistle. Well, it sort of had a whistle, but it was nothing but trouble until one day the kids asked their mom if they could ride the circus train. "Why not?" said mommy, and they all went down to the station.

Soon the train arrived and blew its whistle, but ho-hum nobody listened. Just a few people boarded and the little train was sad. It left clicketyclack, saying "I get no respect, I get no respect, I get no respect."

Then it had an idea, "I know", said the little train, "I need a new train whistle that will make people listen." So it rolled down the track keeping its ears open.

Soon the little train came to a RR Crossing and almost caused an accident.It blew its whistle, but once again nobody listened and it almost hit children playing along the tracks.

"Oh, my!" said the little train, "I don't want to hurt the children. I need a whistle to warn people when they're in danger." So it thought and it thought and it thought and it thought.

Then "Aha, I know", said the little train. "If only I had a train whistle that could roar like a lion, purr like a cat and on a lonesome night play the blues as the train rolls down the track."

Later that day the train broke down. It was so-o sad it was ready to just give up. All the engineers and conductors couldn't fix it.

Jewel the conductor announced over the loudspeaker, "Sorry for the delay folks, the lounge car is open or you can detrain for an hour."

Mommy said to Skye and Devon, "I know, let's take a walk and have some ice cream." So they walked and walked along the track until they saw a little country store.

As mommy paid for the ice cream cones, all of a sudden the kids said, "Look what we found!" And Skye held up a tamborine and Devon a harmonica.

"We want to start a band" said Devon. "Yeah" said Skye, "We wanna start a band. Can we mommy, please, please." Mommy was about to say no when all of a sudden the 'no' turned into a "no-o-yes" "Oh all right" she said and paid for the instruments and the ice cream.

As they walked back to the train, Skye and Devon quickly finished their cones. And Skye played a march beat on her thigh with the tamborine.

When they got back to the train, what a gloomy sight! The gray rain clouds overhead ready to weep and the little train about good as dead. But that didn't bother the kids.

They found a little place by the engine and started making quite a racket. Bing, Bang, Boom, Bing, Bang, Boom went Skye's tamborine.

And Devon chimed in with a few licks of his own on the harmonica. Whoo, Wah, Woz, Whoo, Wah, Woz. Before you know it, the kids had made up a song.

Well, the next thing you know, the little train coughed and opened one eye just a sliver. "What's this?" it said to itself. "That sound… I wonder"

So it closed its eyes again and listened. Sometimes you can hear better with your eyes shut. Just try it.

Well, that old engine still wouldn't budge, but it started coughing and sneezing. Achoo, Achoo, Achoo, choo choo ... And the next thing you know, it achooed itself back to life!

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said the Jewel the Conductor. "All Aboard!" and the engineer blew the train whistle and almost jumped out of his skin. The sound was in-cre-di-ble.

You see that little train loved the harmonica sound and it had imagination. It said, "Hmm. Now, the tamborine, that's the tracks under my wheels going clickety clack, clickety clack and the harmonica ... Whoa Baby, now that's a whistle!"

"I found a whistle that could roar like a lion, purr like a cat, and on a lonesome night play the blues as the train rolls down the track."

And that's how the train got its whistle and it's name- the Blues for Peace train. And they all lived happily ever after.

by Johnny Mayer

Copyright 1999 by John S. Mayer, All Rights Reserved.

Picture by Celia Yitzhak