The theme of this week's challenge is... 'unexpected.'

Pick a season.
Now throw some unseasonable weather in there.

Then, think about the following phrases. Choose one (or more, if you're really ambitious) to focus on in your story.

-Unexpected consequences
-Unexpected turn of events
-Unexpected wealth
-Unexpected results
-Unexpected surprise (I've always found that to be redundant, eh?)
-Expect the unexpected
-Or, just "unexpected"

Newsies Challenge #4 (I think)

And away we go . . .

He couldn't believe his good fortune. He, Jack Kelly, had finally gotten on a train to go to Santa Fe. His dream was finally coming true, and none of his friends from New York ever believed he would leave, or that his dream would ever come true. But he had shown them hadn't he? He was now at the train yards getting ready to get on his train.

"Hey Cowboy!" he heard Race call him.

"Yeah Race? What's up? Youse goin' ta make me miss my train!" he said back.

"Don't youse think this weather is interestin'? I mean, it's the end of July and it's snowin'. Ain't that weird ta you?"

"Nah, not really Race. We've had weirder weather 'round here before. Don't ya 'member that year that it was nearly 100 degrees in the middle of January?"

"Oh yeah!" Was all his friend said before the train whistle blew, and the conductor made his last call for all those that were gettin' on the train to Santa Fe.

"Well, fellas, my dream is callin' me. I'se gotta get goin' if I wanna get there on this train."

"Youse serious 'bout this ain't ya Cowboy?" he heard Blink ask.

"Yes I am. I ain't gonna let my dream slip through my fingers. If it don't work out, I'se gonna be on the next train back here." He said, although thinking to himself he doubted he would ever come back to this place. He had a lot of good memories and lots of friends, but this dream was more important. Wasn't it?

"Of course it is." Jack said quietly to himself, laughing inwardly at the way he almost wanted to stay here, with all of his friends. He couldn't live with himself if he let this chance get away. He had gotten a telegram from relatives in Santa Fe, saying that he could go and move in with them. They had even sent him a train ticket and told him that he would be picked up at the train station in Santa Fe by his relatives.

He waved goodbye to all of his friends and boarded the train bound for Santa Fe. As the train started pulling away from the station, he felt as though he was making a mistake, but couldn't make himself move from his seat. He looked longingly out of the window and decided that this was what he wanted all his life and nothing would stop him from it.

By the next stop though, he was off and heading back towards Manhattan. It was about an hour from where he had boarded to the stop he got off, so he should be back at the boarding house by the time Kloppman was closing the door.

He hadn't really been concerned about the amount of snow on the ground when he was on the train, but now that he was off it, he realized the snow had been falling at an incredible rate. It was well past his ankles and was still falling hard. He shivered in the cold and mentally kicked himself for not being able to leave his memories and friends behind. He started laughing out loud when he realized that he could've been in a warm environment, instead of this cold place he called home.

His calculations were correct, for right as he walked through the door of the lodging house, Kloppman was hobbling towards the door intending on locking it for the night.

Most of the younger boys had gone to sleep, but all of the guys that had seen Jack off at the train were still awake and talkin'. Jack didn't want to interrupt them, so he stood with his shoulder on the doorframe. He must have shifted slightly because all of a sudden, all eyes were directed towards where he was.

"Holy cow! Jack!!" Race and Blink said enthusiastically.

"It's Jack! He's back!" Mush said, just as happy.

And all the other newsies shouted their approval as their leader walked into the room and back into their lives.

And at that moment, he knew that he had made the right choice. He didn't need Santa Fe, what he needed was his friends and this city.

At that moment, he woke up. Shakin' his head at his weird dream, he laughed and said to no one in particular, "Oh, I'se gonna get to Santa Fe, one day. One day."