Children of the Southern Pacific

While sleeping near some railroad tracks, Lucy, a homeless woman, is awakened from a frightening dream by a stranger who calls himself Jack. At first, Lucy is apprehensive, but Jack seems strangely able to anticipate Lucy's thoughts and needs. He uses this ability first to put her at ease, then alternately to amuse and frighten her. As Lucy's apprehension fades, she confides to Jack that her goal is to retrieve her children from the home of her sister. Thinking she has found a mentor, Lucy proposes that she and Jack travel together, providing an opportunity for Lucy to get herself straightened out. Cautiously, Jack agrees, but the next morning he gently but firmly tells her that they are not compatible. Lucy greets this rejection with anger, but finally Jack convinces her that the two of them have separate paths to follow. In spite of her loneliness and isolation, Lucy takes leave of Jack, having learned to pay more attention to internal as well as external signs.