u/EnderWizard20

Another short story I made along with my previous post, I've spaced out the releases as to not overwhelm reddit.

There was once a train known as Progress, it was a steam locomotive powered by coal. The train was not a normal train; instead of using switches to change the track, the train’s direction was controlled by the one who fed it its special coal. Over the years, the train traveled to many breathtaking places that stunned the elderly and inspired the young. These places were home to numerous treasures that made those on the train wealthy.

However, on the train were a group of people who worried that the train was being steered towards a dead end. You see, despite the many passengers on the train of all shapes and sizes, there was only one group that controlled the train. These people were known as the engineers; they were a fickle bunch who rarely listened to others. These people controlled the train, looking for treasure. They found a track that would lead them to great wealth, but the farther they went, the more dangerous it got. Pits of tar, plumes of deadly gas, and waters that went up to the tracks, but the engineers pressed on, despite the protests of the other passengers. Yet, no one did anything to stop the train or the engineers. Eventually, people spotted the end of the track, yet it was too late. Progress rammed into buffers, and violently derailed, and now any survivors were trapped in a hostile place with no means of transport.

A little story I created to test my writing skills.

There was once a young man who lived in a cave up in the mountains. The cave was located near two great cities. These cities waged numerous wars and skirmishes that brought much destruction. The man lived through these conflicts, never leaving his cave, but always observing.

One day, a young man was exploring the mountains when he stumbled upon the cave of the now old man. The young man was startled at first when he saw the old man, but after some time, the young man befriended the old man. The young man periodically came up to visit his wise friend, when one day, the two cities began another conflict.

The young man rushed up to see his friend. When he reached the cave, he begged the old man to come with him to his city for safety. The old man simply responded, "I am quite safe here, above the battlefield." The young man pleaded with him, "But what if they find you? You'll be defenseless." "I am no more defenseless than someone trapped in those cities," the old man responded.

The young man left, retreating into the safety of his city. Because of the war, he was unable to see the old man; however, as soon as the war ended, he rushed to see his friend. But to his dismay, he only found a tomb, with the man's body lying against the back wall. You see, during the war, one of the armies tried to use the mountains to sneak up on the opposing city. They found the cave and asked the man for directions; however, when he refused to stay out of the conflict, they killed him to prevent him from telling the city, or perhaps there was some other reason.

The old man only had one possession aside from the clothes on his back, a simple journal, in which was written: "A man's heart can only be changed if it is willing to move."