Summary:

The Conductor only heard of the Island in myths and whispers of children riding the fabled Polar Express. They hadn't picked up a child from that island since...well, before he was this train's conductor. But, what he never knew is that his duties go beyond that train ride every December 24th. Until now...

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the holidays. Thus, I have been inspired. On with the show!

Disclaimer: I own neither Thomas The Tank Engine nor The Polar Express. Thomas belongs to Mattel (I think) and The Polar Express belongs to Warner Brothers, with the original book being written by Chris Van Allsburg.


"I can't believe it."

The Conductor barely took notice as he punched one child's ticket. It was the same every year. Bright and early a week before Christmas, the Pere Marquette would be brought out of its shed, taken for a few test runs to make sure everything was still working right, repaired if something wasn't working correctly, polished within an inch of its existence, and hooked up to the line of fully cleaned coaches. From there, the engine's crew waited until the signal from the Big Man, which came just after midnight on the 24th. From there, they traveled almost all over the world, picking up children who were on the brink of disbelief in Santa Clause. They would be taken to the North Pole, where one of them would receive the First Gift of Christmas, then they would be home not too long after midnight.

"...If this is real, I'm asking Mom if I can visit Sodor."

This sentence sharply brought the Conductor back out of his memories. He had heard that name come up in his duties every once in a while. It was often spoken in some kind of reverence, as if saying it could make it appear. But, the craziest thing was that it seemed somewhat familiar to him. He could never figure out exactly why, though. The children either brushed it off or gave the answer in riddles. Smoky and Steamer weren't any help either. They simply pretended they had no idea what he was talking about, but he suspected differently.

"Ticket, please."

As the young boy held out his ticket, the Conductor knelt down to his level.

"Tell me, young man. What is the Island of Sodor?"

The boy looked back as if the Conductor was crazy.

"Well, things are not what they seem, yet everything fits just right."

That's when the Conductor saw something. The boy's mouth was moving slightly differently than the words he was saying. The Conductor didn't mention it, though. He turned back to the child's ticket, a golden magic in his mind quickly spelling out the letters he needed to punch.

As he continued punching the children's tickets, he couldn't help but listen.

"Did you see her?"

"Yes! She's so nice!"

"She said she had so many stories to tell!"

"I hope I get to talk to her again when we reach the North Pole."

The Conductor paused as he took the ticket of one of the girls.

"Can I ask who you're talking about?"

Another girl giggled almost giddily as she held out her ticket.

"Perenna! I met her when you picked me up. She's so nice and..."

The Conductor mentally scanned through the list of passengers as he punched the next ticket. As far as he knew, there was no one by the name of Perenna on the train. The golden magic came forward again, giving the next couple of letters as he was handed the next ticket.

After punching the rest of the children's tickets, the Conductor left to sit in one of the empty coaches for a few minutes, mentally going over everything that had happened thus far. The children had been well behaved, there had been no lost tickets, everyone got onboard without anyone having to pull the emergency brake... But, something caught his eye. It looked like a man, albeit one who was only about 8" tall. But, before he could get a good look, the man disappeared in a whistle and a shower of gold.

The Conductor brushed this off as a trick of his eyes. After all, that was the same gold that gave him the letters to punch in the children's tickets. He picked up A Christmas Carol, his favorite novel, hoping to get through one chapter before something happened to send him back to keep an eye on the kids. Maybe he could try to get a quick nap. He only did this run once a year, but that didn't mean it wasn't exhausting. Just take that trip a few years ago as an example, which included one of the most difficult kids he had ever seen.

However, what he didn't see was that the golden dust didn't disappear. Instead, it flowed towards him, as if it was attracted to him. It curled around his feet, crawling up his shoes and legs. The Conductor didn't feel anything as it crept upwards, up his legs to his chest. Once there, it settled over his heart, glowing softly as it stayed until he finally stood up. A few specks were knocked away, but the rest melted into his skin.

The Conductor could hear the children getting a bit restless, so he got up to try and calm them down, maybe get them a snack. But, he paused for a moment before checking the windows. He could have sworn he felt a chilly draft coming in just as he stood up. He had felt so warm as he was sitting there, too...


Who is Perenna? And who is the mysterious 8" tall man? You'll have to wait for the next chapter...

For those of you who are following my other story, The Island, don't worry. I promise I haven't abandoned it. I'm using this as a "Plot Bunny Feeder," so to speak. For right now, though, The Island is on the back burner until I can figure out how to untangle parts of the storyline.

Anyways, please review, follow, and favorite! I hope to have the next chapter up soon!