If there's one thing that you could wish for, what would it be? I've always dreamed of visiting a magical place far away from my home in the US, as I've gotten bored with ordinary life. I go to school like a good girl, I do well in my exams and I'm now arguing with my best friend and roommate Wendy on where to go for a two week summer holiday. That's basically it. No very magical or exciting, is it? It's tiresome, if you ask me.

"Well, a spell in Hawaii sounds great!" She says, in an attempt to sway me. But I wasn't convinced that that was where I wanted to spend our holiday.

"I know, but I want to go somewhere further than that! I want to see something that only people who believe in magic want to visit!" I tell her excitedly.

"Okay, okay. Well, I guess you can suggest an idea then. But it has to be warm!" She insists, folding her arms stubbornly over her chest.

"Relax; I wouldn't pick the North Pole." I remark casually, causing her to laugh loudly at me.

"Well, I know!" Wendy protests weakly. "I just like visiting warm places at this time of year."

"Alright, so how about this- we go to Denmark?" I suggest. They do have some pretty magical sounding attractions- I've always wanted to see the 'Little Mermaid' statue and the Geofin fountain.

"I go there to see my family at Christmas!" Wendy huffs. Of course, she's half Scandinavian. I groan in despair, and make one last ditch attempt to find a place to go. I think of Italy, but a quick look at prices tells me that we'll be beggars at an Italian airport if not leading up to the trip itself. I feel my fists clench up in frustration at how badly our holiday selecting was going.

"Of course, we can always decide tomorrow. My mum said as long as we book by the end of the week we'll be alright to go." She reminds me brightly, trying to get me to calm down.

"But we still don't know where to go!" I argue. "We do have a lot to do, remember?"

"You worry too much." My roommate tells me. She flops down on the sofa. Then she perks up as she remembers something.

"Oh, Dana, I forgot to tell you. Your Aunt Grace sent a parcel from Cuba for you as a present for passing your exams."

I brighten. My aunt Grace always has the solution to anyone's problems. Wendy hands me the parcel, and I accept eagerly. Scratching at the paper, I pull it away to reveal an old tattered book titled 'Sodor: It's People, Its History and Its Railways.'

"That's some book." She remarks somewhat sarcastically.

I glare at her. "Don't be mean. My aunt is wonderful! Besides, I've never heard of Sodor." Then, an idea hits me like a bolt of lightning. "What if we went there for our holidays?" I suggest. "It sounds like somewhere I would want to visit."

"Hm, it's worth a look." She concedes. "I am intrigued."

Grinning, I grab my laptop, and key in 'Sodor Island' onto Google to see what on earth it would come with.

The results were incredible; the island depended on railways for transportation, and what was more, the railway had a lot of steam engines on it! I notice my friend grinning at me.

"It sounds great! It has beaches and shops!" She exclaims. "And apparently these engines can talk too."

"Oh, we are definitely going there!" I say. "My Aunt Grace has done it again!"

"She's a miracle worker." Wendy admits. "Were your ancestors well learned in voodoo and mystic arts in Africa?" She asks me teasingly.

"Nope, I'm descended from African craftsmen." I reply, showing her an old beaded necklace I always wear round my neck. "My great, great, great grandfather made this, many years ago. It's a family heirloom."

"It's beautiful." Wendy breathes. "My ancestors were all farmers. Rather boring if you ask me."

We share a smile at each other.

"So what does it say about Sodor?" She asks, looking over my shoulder curiously, squinting at the text on my laptop screen.

My eyes scan the screen carefully. "Well, there's an extensive network of railways there. The main one is the North Western Railway run by Sir Topham Hatt." I say. "It's got coastal lines and many tourist attractions, like Ulfstead Castle, Sodor Castle, the Lion of Sodor, and there's also an Animal Wildlife Park."

"Excellent! I'll pack my camera- there might be giraffes there!"

"I've always been more for tigers." I reply with a grin. "Oh Wendy, this holiday is going to be fantastic!"

"I know!"

We hug each other very excitedly. Now all that was left to do was actually plan for the holiday- booking tickets, packing bags and buying clothes...