A Christmas Eve Journey
by Minstrel164
A/n: With so many Yuletide stories about I thought I would get into the spirit of the season. So here is my humble offering. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 1
"Mother, do you have to go out tonight?"
Rick Rodgers stood in the doorway of his mother's bedroom watching her as she applied a final coat of red lipstick on her lips.
"I'm afraid I have to, darling." Martha Rodgers replied. She checked her appearance in the mirror and nodded her head in approval at what she saw.
"But it's Christmas Eve." Rick whined.
"I know, dear."
Martha moved over to her bed and picked up the thick coat and put it on. She fixed a warm smile to her face as she approached Rick. The unhappiness that was writ large across his face mirrored her own but being the actress that she was Martha was able to hide it much better.
"You promised." Rick accused.
The accusation was like a knife twist in the heart. Martha's smile faltered a little. She had indeed promised her son to spend Christmas Eve with him but this party she had been invited to by her agent was important. It could mean the possibility of landing a leading role in an upcoming Broadway show. It was an opportunity she just could not possibly pass up.
"I am sorry, kiddo." Martha said gently.
Martha regarded her son as he stood there dressed in his favourite Batman t-shirt and sweat pants. He looked disappointed at being let down one more time. She was grateful that he was not angry about it. She hated having to disappoint him. She hated making a promise to him and then breaking it.
Martha knew that travelling out of a suitcase, going from town to town, playing at one theatre after another and then moving on was not the kind of life she wanted for her son. She could see that he was growing rapidly and he needed a bit of stability. Somewhere they could settle down, somewhere he could go to school for longer than a couple of weeks or months, somewhere he could make friends not passing acquaintances. He needed a permanent home.
She reached out and pulled him into a fierce hug.
"If I can impress the producer tonight, I might land that role." Martha said.
"I know, mother."
"It would mean we get to stay here in New York."
"And here I was just getting used to the gypsy life we were leading." Rick quipped.
Martha broke off the hug and held her son at arms' length smiling at him. In the midst of his disappointment he could find humour.
"I will make it up to you tomorrow, Richard." She promised.
"I know." Rick smiled.
Martha returned the smile and nodded her head before she pulled him into another hug. She would be the first to admit that she had made mistakes in her life, a great many, but her son was not one of them. She loved her son so very much. She was doing this for her son.
With some reluctance she released Rick from the hug. Rick stepped aside to allow her out of the room and he trailed behind her into the living room.
It was the one room in the apartment that reflected the spirit of the season. A small plastic Christmas Tree stood in the corner decorated with tinsel and baubles with a six pointed star at the top. A string of twinkling lights added more colour. A handful of gift wrapped presents nestled underneath the tree. More tinsel decorated the walls. The portable TV was switched on showing a performance of The Nutcracker, it was also decorated with some tinsel and several Christmas cards sat on top of the set.
Rick looked at the decorations and felt pleased with himself. He had done the decorating all by himself one day after coming home from school. His mother was supposed to help with the decorating but had been delayed at some casting call so it had been left up to him.
He would have loved to have a real Christmas tree but his mother had said that they could not afford it so this borrowed one from one of the neighbours would have to suffice. Rick had promised himself that when he grew up he would always buy a real Christmas tree.
"Now you will behave yourself for Melanie, wont you?" Martha said, glancing at the woman who would be babysitting for the evening.
"Yes, mother." Rick intoned dutifully.
Rick wondered if his mother knew that her friend Melanie would head straight for the liquor cabinet the moment the front door had closed. Perhaps she did. Melanie was an out of work actress and babysitting on Christmas Eve was better than doing nothing. She had babysat him a few times before and she was not all that bad really.
"What are you going to do?" Martha inquired as she gathered up her purse and headed for the front door. She checked her appearance one final time in the hallway mirror.
"I think I'll go to my room, maybe read for a little while." Rick replied. "Or perhaps I might start writing a magnum opus about a little boy abandoned by his mother on Christmas Eve."
"Richard." Martha warned.
"Sorry, mother." Rick said sheepishly.
"Well don't stay up too late dear or Santa wont pay you a visit."
"I wont." Rick promised.
"Good boy."
"Knock em dead, mother." Rick said with a smile. He gave her a final hug and kiss. "And behave, please. I don't want to be getting a call in the middle of the night from the police asking me to get someone to bail you out."
"Oh Richard, that was one time." Martha said with mock outrage, glancing at her friend Melanie who merely smiled indulgently.
"It was three but who's counting?"
Martha laughed.
"Merry Christmas, kiddo."
"Merry Christmas, mother."
Rick closed the front door and turned around to find Melanie heading for the liquor cabinet, as he had predicted.
"I'll be in my room, Melanie."
"Sure thing, Ricky." Melanie replied.
XXX
Rick was sitting at his desk hurriedly writing in the leather bound journal that was given to him by his mother as an early Christmas present. He would have loved to have a feathered quill with which to write with just like they did in the olden days but he had to make do with a fountain pen that he had gotten for his last birthday. Having a fountain pen made him feel like a real writer.
He had written a couple of stories in the journal already and he had started another one the moment he come to his room. He loved writing, he always had stories dancing around in his head and it was all he could do to get them down on paper.
Finishing a page Rick lifted his head and looked over to the small clock sitting on the desk. He was surprised to see that it was eleven o'clock. He was amazed to realise that he had been writing for three hours straight. It happened sometimes, he got so involved in writing that he forgot about the time. He got so lost in the world that he created.
He put down his pen and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He read the last page he had written. A smile spread across his face as he read over what he had written. He nodded to himself at the story he was writing feeling very pleased with himself. It was one of the best stories he had ever written he thought to himself. A story about a boy's journey to visit Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
Suddenly Rick jumped to his feet. He was shocked to realise that he had not put out cookies and milk for Santa when he came to visit. How could he have forgotten such an important thing? What would Santa think that when he stopped at his home to leave his present and find no plate of cookies waiting for him. That would definitely put his name on the naughty list for next year.
Rick hurriedly put on his dressing gown, the Batman one that his mother had bought him not so long ago and quickly rushed out of his bedroom. He entered the living room to find Melanie asleep on the couch clutching a small half empty bottle of bourbon.
He came over to the couch and slowly extricated the bottle from Melanie's clutches. The babysitter stirred a little but settled down again. Rick smiled a little. Melanie was not really a big drinker. He capped the bottle and set it on the coffee table. He took the folded blanket from one of the armchairs and draped it carefully over Melanie.
"Merry Christmas, Melanie." Rick said in a low voice.
Rick left Melanie to sleep and continued into the kitchen. He searched through several cupboards until he found the packet of cookies that he had bought especially for Santa. He brought the packet to the table and then a plate. He tore open the packet and arrayed the cookies neatly on the plate. Then he went to the fridge and was about to pull out the carton of milk but he paused when he spotted a bottle of ginger ale. His hand moved from the milk carton to the ginger ale. Everyone would set out milk for Santa, Rick thought to himself. Perhaps he might like something different. He took the ginger ale from the fridge and set that on the table beside the plate of cookie. He put a tall glass next to the ginger ale.
Rick smiled to himself as he looked down at the cookies and ginger ale. He was sure that Santa would be pleased with this. With a nod of his head Rick turned and walked out of the kitchen. He glanced over to the sleeping Melanie and continued on his way back to his bedroom.
He launched himself at his bed and landed with a bounce. Turning on his back, Rick stared up at the ceiling. A smile swept across his face as he thought that it would not be long before Santa Claus would be coming. He closed his eyes.
A loud train whistle awoke Rick in an instant. He had barely closed his eyes when he had been woken by the sound. A train whistle, he thought to himself. There were no train lines nearby. The nearest subway was several blocks away. He heard the whistle again.
Instantly Rick leaped off the bed and flew to the window. Peering out the window his mouth dropped open in astonishment. There was a train in the middle of the street.
"Wow!" Rick exclaimed.
Rick rushed away from the window and out of his bedroom. He had to go out and see this. He raced through the living room and reached the front door. He opened the door and ran down the corridor. He did not pause at the elevator because it usually took forever to arrive, instead he headed for the stairs. In his growing excitement Rick took the stairs two at a time.
Reaching the lobby he raced across the lobby heading for the front door. He glanced in the direction of the reception desk and saw that the door man was not there. Perhaps he had an errand to attend to, Rick thought to himself otherwise he would have called out to him to stop him from running outside on his own.
Rick threw open the front door and dashed into the street. He came to sliding halt. The side walk was slippery with snow and ice. The first thing that Rick noticed was that the entire street was eerily quiet. There were no people on the street. No cars moving, nothing. The only noise was coming from the locomotive, the usual hissing and huffing sounds that steam trains made making them sound as they were alive. How could everything go quiet, Rick wondered. This was New York City after all.
Rick put aside that thought as he cautiously approached the train. It seemed to rise from the street towering over him. He had seen pictures of this train. He walked past the window of the Engineer's cabin but there did not seem to be anyone in there. There was a light coming out of from within but there did not seem to be anyone in there, at least no one that Rick could see.
He continued walking along the length of the train past the coal tender to the first car. The windows were all frosted and he could not see anything inside. He could hear the sound of laughter, children's laughter.
In the distance he saw a man in a uniform climb down from one of the passenger cars. He stood on the road and pulled out a pocket watch and looked at it. He nodded his head with satisfaction. He put away the pocket watch and looked up and saw Rick's approach. The man consulted his clipboard.
"Are you you Ricky Rogers?"
"Yeah." Rick replied. "Is this a Berkshire 1225?"
"Indeed it is young man." Replied the conductor. "You know your trains?"
"I did a project at school one time." Rick explained with a smile.
"I'm Conductor Montgomery." Conductor Montgomery said with a smile. "Have you got your ticket?"
"My ticket?" A frown creased Rick's face.
"Yes your ticket." Conductor Montgomery said. "You've been booked to ride this train."
"I have?"
"Yes."
Rick had not booked any train trip he was sure of that because he would have remembered it. And he did not think his mother would have done it either.
"Do you know what train this is, young man?"
Rick shook his head slowly.
"Why it's the Polar Express, of course." Conductor Montgomery declared.
Rick's face lit up like a Christmas tree at the announcement. He knew about the Polar Express. He had read a story about it not all that long ago. The Polar Express was the train that travelled to the North Pole. To where Santa Claus lived.
"Cool!" He exclaimed with excitement.
Rick reached into his pocket of his robe and much to his surprise he pulled a golden ticket. He stared at it for a moment before he looked up at Conductor Montgomery. Conductor Montgomery beamed at Rick.
"Good man."
Conductor Montgomery waved Rick aboard. Rick did not need a second invitation he quickly made his way to the steps and climbed aboard the train. Conductor Montgomery followed him up and paused.
"All aboard!" he called out.
He was answered with a loud blast of the whistle. Moments later the train slowly began to ease forward. Conductor Montgomery pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. He smiled.
"On time." He said with satisfaction.
Rick opened the door and stepped into the passenger car. He looked in wonder at the sight of so many children. Most were sitting down talking to the person next to them but a few were up and about skylaring. Many of them did not take much notice of him.
He did not recognise any of these children. None of them were from his neighbourhood or from his school. He was a little disappointed at this discovery. It would have been good if he knew someone here, someone to share the experience.
Rick shook off those thoughts and moved along the aisle. He found a spare seat and sat down. He slid toward the window. It really did not matter that he did not know anyone here. He usually made friends quickly, like he did when he came to a new school.
A smile rose to his face. He was going to the North Pole. He was going to meet Santa Claus! That was more than enough than worrying about not knowing anyone here on the train.
Rick spotted an exercise book sticking out of the pocket in the seat in front of him. He pulled it out. There was a pen in the pocket that he took out as well. He opened the exercise book and started to write. This was so cool!
XXXXX
So what did you think? I would dearly love to hear what you thought of this first chapter.
Con