Tim Jones eyed at his leather-bound watch once more, he was late for his 7:05 train to Sydney Central station and mentally urged the elderly man who was his bus driver to stop being such a dawdling individual. It was of upmost important that he make it to the city on time today, he had a major business meeting with the other board members of his company and had therefore decided to adopt a smart looking business suit, with tan shoes and a deep blue jacket which complimented his rather stocky form. Finally, he thought as his bus arrived at the train station, sprinting off after making a final check of his watch. It read 7:05. Tim raced past the early morning buskers, not paying them a thought of …show more content…
They were suddenly surrounded by flame, which was destroying the countryside which he now found himself surrounded by. Pillars of searing fire rose high above the great gum trees, swallowing them whole. In the distance, he saw a small house, covered with water sprinklers and all the doors and windows boarded shut. He watched as the front of the fire consumed it. He looked around the train and was surprised when none of the other passengers said or made any move to indicate that they knew anything was out of the ordinary. The train kept going, unfazed by the sudden relocation to the Victorian countryside. Tim saw the train approach another tunnel, and was glad to get out of the raging …show more content…
Tim wondered where this train would be sending him next, or if he had would ever make it back to his board meeting on time. The train rounded a corner and he could see the end of the tunnel fast approaching. The train breached the exit, and he could see workers in their hundreds laboring away at the clayey Autumn colored earth. He realized he was in the Australian gold rush, down in western Victoria. Europeans, Americans and Australians alike were all toiling in the slick golden brown mud on the bank of a small stream, sifting and panning the mud in the hope of striking it ‘bloomin rich’. The workers seemed unaware of the modern train rolling through the middle of their campgrounds, and it seemed that they weren’t there at all for these people. The businessmen sitting further down the train rose slowly from their seats, pausing for a moment to glance at the scene outside the train. They made their way towards him, covering their faces by glancing away from him until they stopped at his