A-Train Allen

  • last week
by Lesley Younge
illustrated by Lonnie Ollivierre
Transcript
00:00A Train Alan
00:12By Leslie Young Illustrated by Lonnie Olivier
00:17It was three o'clock in the afternoon and everyone knew that A Train Alan would soon
00:21come flying by.
00:23A Train lived on Holly Street which was not too far from his school.
00:28In the mornings, he took his time.
00:32But after school he ran.
00:34It was widely believed that he could get across town faster than the subway.
00:40When the final school bell rang, the neighbors and shopkeepers and old men playing chaos
00:45in the park would check the time and say,
00:48Guess A Train will be along soon.
00:51Shortly after, he'd come barreling through his sneakers flapping against the pavement
00:56his backpack bouncing and a little gust of wind whooshing by because
01:01Mahan
01:03That boy was fast.
01:05This afternoon was no different.
01:08After bounding out the front door of his school,
01:12A Train bolted through the park.
01:15He flew past a group of older kids playing basketball who stopped their game to watch
01:19him go.
01:21A flock of pigeons took to the air and the lady feeding them smiled as she threw another
01:26handful of breadcrumbs onto the ground.
01:29The old men playing chess under the ginkgo trees laughed and remembered a time when they
01:34too could run like that.
01:37Once he bolted through the park, A Train sped past the library.
01:42The window display was a tempting blur of books.
01:46A gift sat on the bench outside reading.
01:49The pages of her book fluttered as A Train passed.
01:53After speeding past the library,
01:56He dashed toward the post office arriving just as the mail trucks rolled out for afternoon
02:02delivery.
02:03He skidded to a stop at the curb and paused long enough to let the last truck turn onto
02:08Center Street where he was headed to.
02:12The driver gave a friendly bank.
02:14A Train waved and took off again.
02:18Center Street was bustling as people gathered on centers and customers scurried in and out
02:23of the various shape.
02:25A Train ducked and dodged his way down the sidewalk.
02:29A Train A Train
02:31Where you going so fast?
02:34The grocer called as she arranged piles of oranges and avocados.
02:39Got somewhere to be.
02:41Got somewhere to be.
02:43A Train called back.
02:45A Train A Train
02:48Where you going so fast?
02:50The barber hollered as he swept his doorway.
02:54Got somewhere to be.
02:55Got somewhere to be.
02:57A Train hollered back.
02:59A Train A Train
03:01Where you going so fast?
03:04The mustached man behind the hot dog stand shouted as he squeezed out some mustard.
03:10Got somewhere to be.
03:12Got somewhere to be.
03:13A Train shouted back.
03:16Down the street.
03:18Through the alley.
03:20And up the hill.
03:21A Train ran.
03:28He didn't slow down until he reached the elevated subway station.
03:33The tracks trembled overhead as a train rumbled closer bringing folks back home from the cluster
03:38of skyscrapers downtown.
03:41The train screeched to a stop.
03:44He heard the doors hiss open.
03:47The conductor's garbled voice warned boarding passengers to stand back.
03:52Moments later, A Train's grandmother came down the stairs.
03:57When she reached the bottom, she stepped onto the sidewalk and adjusted her hat.
04:03A Train was right there to meet her.
04:06Made it on time grandma.
04:09He said.
04:10Yes you did baby.
04:12Seems like you beat me here every single day.
04:16You sure are fast.
04:18She gave him a squeeze around the shoulders and a kiss right on the top of his head.
04:23A Train smiled and took her hand.
04:26Together, they walked the rest of the way home.
04:31To Grandma Ida and Grandma Dot, my father who is my champion and Alan who will always
04:36be the reason why.
04:39Leslie.
04:40To Nicola Montague for always believing in me.
04:45Lonnie.
04:46The End.