Today I randomly opened Eternal Road – The final stop to page 165. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger is “passenger.” That is our prompt today.

Passenger by John W. Howell © 2026

“Here we are, YouTubers. This is the freight train switching yard in Peoria, Illinois, and boy, is it cold. Look, there’s someone who looks like they just got off one of the boxcars.”

“Sir, do you mind talking with me for a minute about your experience?”

“What are you recording?”

“I have a YouTube channel and am interviewing working folks around the country.”

“Okay, that sounds pretty harmless.”

“So where are you headed?”

“Trying to get to Florida.”

“You been hopping freights? Are you a hobo?”

“I prefer to call it a privileged passenger.”

“But you’ve been hopping freights.”

“Well, yes. I can’t afford the coach fare of a passenger train, and as you can see, the way I look would cause people concern.”

“Isn’t it dangerous hopping freight cars?”

“Not if you know what you are doing. For me, it’s pretty easy.”

“So why Florida?”

“Well, I have to eat, and opportunities up North get scarce when it gets cold.”

“So, you do outside work?”

“Yup. One hundred percent of the jobs I find are outdoors.”

“I can see why it would be better in Florida. You mentioned it was easy to hop freight trains. Mind sharing your secret?”

“I just hover over one of the cars and then slowly ease down for a perfect landing.”

“I’m surprised you can hang on.”

“See these talons. They grip anything. Plus, when I hunker down, I’m pretty much impervious to the wind.”

“It has been a pleasure talking to you. Mr. Ah.”

“My friends call me Victor.”

“It was great talking to you, Victor.”

“Likewise.”

“So there you have it. A discussion with Victor the Vulture. If you enjoyed the discussion, hit “like” below and we’ll see you next time.