My name is Anne. I'm on a train bound for the other side of America. A train that is bound for anywhere but the place I call home. I'm on the Pacific Railroad.

For the last four months I've tried to convince my town to lend me money so that I can go and visit my dearest Diana down in California.

They don't much approve of her new "class". "The worker man's wife", they call her now. When did this happen? How did this happen?

Diana had always been the pampered child, but she ran off with a man of a lower class named Fred Chete and married him.

Since then her family tries not to talk about her, but when they do, they call her "The worker man's wife".

Lately it's like they don't think they have another daughter, so I mentioned Diana the other day. They got angry, but that's okay. It made it easier to make them lent me enough money to let me get on the train. On one condition…I can't return.

"ALL ABOARD", I winced as the conductor bellowed.

Why, oh why, is everything at the station so loud? I took a seat on the seats provided after all the first class passengers had boarded.

First class, ha! That's what her mother had wanted Diana to marry, a first class kind of man. My students wanted me to marry one too, but I don't believe that that would ever happen.

I lurch back into my seat as the train begins to chug along. I see people stand and wave to loved ones in farewell, but I just sit still as a statue, having no one to wave to on the platform.

When I do look out, much to my own chagrin, there is a child from my school running beside the train. He waves something in the air, wanting me to take it.

I lean far as I can out the window before we are moving too fast for the child – Tomky Youngwood - to keep up any more and grab the thing.

Tomky was always the fastest of the class and I realize that the rest of the children must have sent him to give me this token. Tomky stops once I grab it and then hands on knees he looks up and smiles at my face out the window and stands tall and waves.

Behind him I see some other of my former students all waving me off. I wave until I can no longer see them and then I pull myself back in and look at the trinket they had so wanted to give me.

Tears spring to my eyes as I see it is crude stuffed toy shaped as a rabbit. I had taught the children to make these to help them decide the dreams they wished to follow.

I realize that my hand is bleeding, and as I look for the source I see a sowing needle pinning a note to the rabbit saying, "Ms. Teacher, we made wishes for you! We'll miss you!"

I turned the rabbit around, found the loose stitching I knew would be there, undid it, reached in, and pulled out the first wish from the children. The first was from Sara Fraithe. It read, "Have fun."

I smiled, laid the rabbit down carefully on my lap, and gazed out the window, oblivious to the rest of the people in the packed compartment.

In two days, however, my good mood was over. It had snowed shortly after we had left and we were now stuck in a storm of white.

It was piled up and I believe that everyone had finally noticed the way the train seemed to be slowing down. I stood up and on impulse, pulled on my jacket and stepped into the isle, just as the conductor walked in.

Everyone stared at him and he stared at everyone until I couldn't stand it, "Excuse me sir, but may I ask what the interruption is?" He looked at me and nodded, cleared his throat and said, "The snow has piled up. Everyone needs to get outside and help clear it all off the tracks so we can move forward."

Again, everyone stared at him but this time his eyes were trained on me. I cleared my throat and spoke again, "Sir don't you think it would be more productive for us to wait until after the snow has stopped falling before we try clearing the tracks? Otherwise, won't it just continue to build up higher and higher? Also, the children and the elderly cannot go out into that storm! You certainly cannot be asking that they too, go out and clear the tracks?"

The man blinked and looked around the compartment, saw the children clinging to their mothers and fathers. He cleared his throat and said in a small voice, "Right, of course, after the storm. Sorry miss", and with a slightly flustered look he backed out of the compartment.

I sat for a moment and looked out the window and sighed. It was, so far, very hard to keep up with Sara's wish to have fun.

It took three days for the storm to stop and when it did the second and third class passengers were sent out to clear the tracks. However, much to my satisfaction, the children and the older people were allowed to stay inside.

We had worked many long hours clearing the tracks when people began to go back for the day to warm up. I started to follow when I was struck by an idea, "Have fun."

I laughed and threw a snowball at the nearest person and laughed again. He turned around and grinned, "You sure you wanna do that, miss?"

Soon enough there was a war going on between us, others joined in and we soon made a temporary truce to build up barriers.

Children ran out to join sides, and soon we were clearing the tracks by the use of a snowball fight. I do believe it was the funnest work I've ever done in my life.

Everyone was laughing until they couldn't breathe. To my surprise, I soon saw that even some of the first class men had joined in the fun.

With a smile and a laugh, I took a short sit on the mostly cleared track and pulled out my rabbit. With fumbling fingers, I pulled out the next piece of paper which read, "Never give up."

It was written by Alex Reever, a boy who had had a terrible habit of giving in to easily when I had first met him.

I received many more than a few funny looks when I began to gasp from air as I clutched my sides from laughter.

Then next read "Don't forget us." from a little boy named Rocky Troan. I smiled, stood, looked off in the direction we had come and watched the frosty cloud that was my breath and swore I never would.

It soon became apparent that we were running low on food and would have to go to a nearby town and try to buy some more from the people there.

The man I had thrown a snowball at seemed grim as of late, especially now as he picked up a rifle and stood sentry at an open window.

I walked up to the man "What need of you the rifle? Surely, there is a good reason for you to stand so at this window?"

He glanced at me and flashed a quick smile "I'm hoping to see a buffalo so at least a few of us can eat."

I had heard that huntsmen hunted them on this railroad; I had also heard they had become scarcer then they had been before.

I watched out the door with him when I got an idea "Sir? What if we were to stop the train for a short while? That way they are not frightened off by the noise and so that when you do shoot one we can go out and retrieve it."

He looked again at me looking like he was wondering why he hadn't thought of that first and said that we could try if I could get the conductor to stop the train.

I went and explained to the conductor my idea to which he responded that I had better be right and stopped the train. I went back to the man and told him he was free to try to find the buffalo.

About an hour after we stopped, he got off the train and went for a walk. A few hours later I heard a bang. From then on, we all waited expectantly for him to come back.

Not long after, we saw a speck coming towards us. A few of the men jumped off and went to go and help the man.

When the buffalo was finally coming our way, I looked around and found all the kindling I could, and made a fire. By the time everyone was back, the fire was at a nice size and of good heat.

I went over and examined the animal and turned to the men, "How many of you have rifles?" They looked at each other and a few raised their hands.

I nodded. "Good. Go and get them and get out there and get some more. This won't be enough to feed everyone." The men left after being promised food when they returned.

Once they left, I left the skinning to my friend, the hunter, whom I learned was named Gilbert. I, however, did do the cutting of the meat along with coming up with a system of cooking the meat.

Once the meat was done, the first class demanded that they were to be served first. The leader of this pack of first class snobs, as I could think of no better thing to call them, seemed to be a plump middle-aged woman with a child who seemed to be anything but starving.

I looked her over then looked her strait in the eye remembering Rocky's request but with a different perspective this time, "Don't forget us" he had said. I looked her in the eye and said "the children will be fed first, then those among us who have done the hunting, and once they have eaten, we will distribute the rest to everyone else."

The woman stared at me then finally, grudgingly, nodded. The hunters soon came back with more food which I cooked and distributed.

When everyone had finally had their fill, we all went back on the train after finding a small stream to wash the grease and juices of the meal off our hands.

I ate only after I had washed the blood of the buffalo off my hands. When I got back on the train, a child came up to me and held out the bunny to me. I smiled and took the bunny and sat down at my seat and pulled out the next wish.

This one was from Rune Sparks, a girl from my first year teaching who had had a horrible temper, it read, "Learn to cool what boils within." I furrowed my brow and looked out the window, watching as we left each little momentary landmark flash by and wondering when we'd finally get to California.

Not long after we were asked to wait in a snow shed for the night while they cleaned out some things in the compartments. I was fuming!

There were workers here. Chinese, American, Irish, they had them all. The workers were trying to be nice, I knew, but they didn't know the secret grudge I held against the worker class.

There were few people who knew anything about me on this journey. How frustrating that these men were the same class as the man Diana married!

I declined the food they offered even though my stomach growled at the mere thought of food. One man even went so far as to ask quite blatantly what class I was in!

How is one supposed to answer that they are of a higher class then the other? The plump woman from before looked at me, to the man and back and answered for me, "She's a second class passenger." and then stalked off.

I realized I was being unfair, after all I had been traveling with the third class passengers for days and had had no trouble with them before. But perhaps it was because I knew that Fred had been a railroad worker as well until he and Diana had eloped.

They were now miners of all things. Gilbert who was a third class passenger came up to me and tried to extract what was bugging me so horribly.

I told him everything. I could see the hurt in his face when I had finished, but pushed the thought away as I looked at his face to see if he was disgusted at me.

He sighed and began telling me a story of long ago. He told of how he had once been in a similar story except his father had been the one to marry the lowered class person.

He told me of how his family had renounced all claim that he was theirs and cut off all ties to him. He, like Diana, had become a third class citizen on his own free will.

I looked around at all the different faces and managed a smile, "You know, Gilbert? I was a teacher for six years and had a lot of students. Those students gave me something when I left. It was the rabbit I always carry around.

I had taught the children to write down wishes for their lives and put them in the bunny and one by one take them out and try to fulfill the wish. They made one for me; it makes me wonder if I was a good teacher.

If I made the right choice in leaving the kids and trying to find my dear Diana, shouldn't it be easier to do? It also makes me wonder if they have managed to come up with things that, so far, have been rather wise and thoughtful. What else they have in here for me?"

Gilbert smiled and took the rabbit in his big hands and studied it carefully, gave it back, stood up, and walked away.

I made a huge effort to be kind to our hosts for the rest of the stay. In fact, when we left, a worker came and shook my hand good bye and they all waved goodbye.

I left with much less stitching supplies that I had come with, but I also left with a much fuller heart. When we got back on the train the children were all gathered at my seat.

At the edge of the group was Gilbert who smiled mischievously and gestured for me to take a seat. I sat and was swarmed by the children asking if they could be taught to make the rabbits as well.

I consented to teach them and soon the compartment was filled with so many rabbits of all different colors that laughter was inevitable.

Soon, everything had calmed down and a child climbed up in my lap and asked me to read my next note for them. I smiled and reached in the back of the rabbit and found a paper I pulled it out and read aloud, "'The end of one trip is only the beginning of another journey.'"

It was written not by a student, but by an old friend, Susan Ebony." I grinned and looked at all the children and then out the window.

Finally, we arrived just as the sun was rising in the sky, casting many different colors all over. We poured out in a hurry and many quickly left without a second glance. For others, the departure was more painful.

I hadn't realized it, but I had rather enjoyed the trip and was going to miss my friend, Giilbert, whom I had grown quite close to.

The children who had stayed to say goodbye asked me to write a wish for them and put it in their rabbits. I did so happily and when Gilbert turned to me and said that he'd miss our little "heart to hearts" I just rolled my eyes-a very unladylike thing to do- and said I'd miss him too.

The plump woman turned to me and gave me a single nod farewell, which is one more than I had expected.

I smiled and, on impulse went to the conductor and offered my hand to him. Though surprised, he shook it and said he'd never met a woman with an attitude such as me.

I laughed and agreed wholeheartedly with him. I then turned and grabbed my bags and looked one last time at the compartment that I had been in for the last many days, sighed and left.

I left that station with a full but heavy heart and set out to find Diana and Fred. I traveled for many days until finally; I came upon a rough cabin.

I smiled, went up to the door, and knocked. The door opened to show Diana, black hair and all, standing tall in the doorway, a child on her hip.

She looked at me in surprise and tears came to my eyes as she began to cry silently. I remembered what Susan had said and explained to her why I had come.

When I was finished she hugged me and invited me in, where I met a very curious Fred for the first time in a very long time. I felt the need to hug Fred, so I did, then I hugged Diana again and then their son, Freddie and then, when I had their attention, I stated that there was one last thing I had to do.

I went outside and read the second to last piece of paper. This one was from Tomky it read, "Come home someday" and then nothing.

I felt a sudden thrill of pain as I realized that in the last few days I had already begun to forget my students faces. I went back inside and looked at my dear friends and smiled a sad little smile.

I returned home on the railroad five years later. I was a happy little twenty-three year old by this time and when I went home Diana's mother was kinder and wiser and all my students had graduated.

Yet still I sent a letter ahead telling of my coming home. Diana and Fred were to come as well. We went by the snow shed only to find it had become a small town in which few people remembered me.

When we got to my home I hesitated before stepping off onto the platform and saw that there were faces I knew in the crowd before me, older yes, but I knew them.

One of them, a very tall, wiry young man stepped forward, "Miss Anne!" I looked at his freckled face and red hair and knew him to be Tomky Youngwood.

I gave him a fake glare and growled "Are you aware how difficult it was to follow your wish Tom?" Then I grinned and hugged him, next came blonde haired, blue eyed, Sara Fraithe, the young all-over black, Alex Reever, the brown haired, brown eyed, Rocky Troan, then the constantly sunburned, blonde streaked brown haired, hazel eyed, Rune Sparks, last came Susan Ebony, still slightly plump and green eyed with blonde hair.

I was so glad to see them all again. I grinned and to, my surprise, it appeared as if even Gilbert had come. He gave me a quick hug and told me had had wanted to see me again for a long time. He then said that there was someone Diana and I ought to see.

I went and together we faced her mother again. Instead of the scolding we had been expecting, we instead were welcomed in the house with open arms.

She told us that she was sorry and asked if we would come back. I stood silently as Diana happily said she would come back with Fred by her side.

Her mother seemed happy about that and turned to me. I looked her in the eyes, "I've still one last wish to fulfill" we sat on my old bed as I pulled out the last wish from the rabbit.

I set the rabbit on one of my old shelves after carefully sowing his back and read aloud, "'Follow you own dreams,' from you, Maam. And for that I thank you, for I choose to stay here."

I thought of the Pacific Railroad I had ridden and looked in that direction and nodded.

My dream was fully full filled when weeks later Gilbert asked me to marry him. This was my home.