I slowly trudged up the stairs to my apartment building. Work had been a total bore today, as usual. Between my job, and College, I was always kept fairly busy. I lived in a small town, fairly slow paced, worked the evening shift at one of the local corner stores, and attended school all morning. I was just going for general subjects currently. Figuring out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life wasn't an easy choice, and I wanted to take my time, and be sure that when I decided, I was making the right choice.

As I unlocked my door, I relaxed upon seeing all of my belongings. My apartment was my relaxation place. Pictures of trains hung on the walls, models of trains sat on shelves. I loved trains. They were an opportunity for so many things. Adventure, romance, mystery, and even fantasy. They were beautiful machines, especially Steam Locomotives. They were beautiful to look at, made beautiful sounds, and most ran along beautiful routes. The powerful chugging of a hard working Steam Locomotive, or the screaming whistle of a Locomotive going through a station were both music to my ears.

Sadly, there were no trains around town, so I rarely ever saw one in real life. Most of the time I watched Youtube videos about them, or read books about them. I had grown up loving them as well, so naturally, Thomas and Friends was my favorite show. Even today, with all of the changes it had gone through, it still remained my favorite. Some thought it was a little childish for a twenty one year old man to enjoy a kids show, but it had helped me through some tough times, and always had good messages.

I was in a Thomas mood, so I flicked on the TV, and as luck would have it, that's what happened to be on. As the iconic theme of the show played, I walked into the kitchen to make myself a bowl of Mac and Cheese. That was always a tasty dish.

As I opened one of the EZ cook packs and put it into the Microwave, I turned back towards the TV. I wasn't positive on which episode it was, but my favorite character was on screen. Rebecca the large streamlined engine. She was a fairly new character, but I had taken an instant liking to her. She was a very kind engine, and always eager to please. She had a very unique design, being a large boxy streamlined yellow engine.

Rebecca was my favorite because she was a lot like me. Someone who liked to be friendly, and someone who was different from everyone else. I liked finding the good in others before the bad, just as Rebecca did.

There were more ways than that on how Rebecca and I were similar, but it hardly mattered. She was a fictional character of a kids show, why overthink it?

I chuckled to myself as my meal was finished cooking. I poured a glass of milk, and headed towards the bathroom. A quick shower was a good way for me to relax, so I did just that.

Once I finished, I put on a set of fresh clothes, and went back to find that my Mac and Cheese had reached the optimum temperature for eating. I took it, and sat back in my lounge chair. The episode on TV had progressed, and Rebecca was no longer present.

Figures. The new characters are always the under appreciated ones. If I ever found myself on Sodor, Rebecca would be the first engine I would seek out. Well, maybe not the first, but she would be high on the priority list.

I had an attraction to Rebecca. She was a very lovable character, and she was extremely cute. As I looked out my window at the gray skies, and slow moving town below, I wondered what it would be like to live on Sodor. Trains all around, friendly people. It certainly would be something.

Eventually, I finished my small meal, and began to feel sleepy. Once I had set my used bowl in the sink, I sat back in the chair, and finished the episode. It appeared that there was a small Thomas marathon on, because it started right back up again.

Lady the Magic Engine was on screen, high in the mountains. She was certainly a character I didn't see everyday. She was very different from all the other characters. She was the star of the original Thomas movie, and was magical. Elegant, special, and magical.

As the episode went on, I slowly closed my eyes. As the sound from the playing episode slowly drowned out, I whispered one sentence to myself.

"I wish I could live on Sodor."

I couldn't have known, but at that moment, someone heard my wish. My plea to leave the gray, boring world I lived in, and join one that I would love forever.

Someone on the other side of the screen.