A view through dust

Waking inside the caboose, I looked up toward the cupola ladder. The morning air was quiet. I tucked my small red flag under one arm and gripped the worn iron rungs, climbing step by step until my lantern helmet met the low ceiling. A small round pane of glass was coated in dry, gray soot. I unclipped a small wrench from my bib pocket and used the clean cloth wrapped around its handle to buff a circle in the center. A slow, steady swirl... then a squeak. Through the polished circle, the distant siding emerged sharp and clear, bathed in soft morning pale. A proper lookout. #PopMart #Hirono