Boundaries-A Dinosaur Train Fanfic

Chapter 4-To Laura, With Love (Written by DinosaurTrainFan)

The Dinosaur Train came onto the tracks in Troodon Town right on schedule the next morning. The smoke was billowing out of the smokestack when Ned and Kark walked aboard the train. Laura was in the observation car as usual and waved at the two when she saw them. Kark waved back showcasing his usual warm smile, but Ned just waved back shyly a little. While he was happy deep down to see her again, he was still feeling embarrassed about when he had frozen up before her. If not for Kark, who knows how more awkward the scene would've gotten. Ned felt a hand on his shoulder when they had stepped inside the passenger car. He turned back to face Kark, who was still smiling. Ned felt reassured and smiled back.

"C'mon, let's sit down and write that letter."

With a couple bottles of ink, some paper, a quill, and some envelopes, Ned and Kark sat on opposite sides of a table in the dining car. The train was rattling on and the scenery was passing by them so fast, that it seemed like something out of an old slideshow.

"What should I write?" Ned asked, looking up from the piece of paper in front of him. The quill was held steadily in his hand.

"Whatever you want to say to Laura." Kark replied. "What you like about her, for example. Talk about what you think about her eyes, her voice, of the way she observes things. Anything."

Ned nodded, for he did think that the way Laura observed things was very beautiful to him. He was silent for a moment before he looked back up. "Alright if I make it anonymous? I don't want Laura to know that I like her…just yet."

"Sure, you can tell her in person later, and then ask her out." Kark said smiling playfully at his friend.

But Ned was still feeling nervous about asking Laura out in person. What if he froze up again and no one was there to stop him or lead him away? Ned shook his head. He told himself that he would worry about that later. He looked down at his piece of paper and started to write.

It was fortunate that they had requested a pile of paper, because Ned was constantly crossing things out and rewriting when he didn't find what he wrote good enough or just right. Then he would groan in frustration and start over on a new page when the old one was completely covered with the wrong words. He wrote down a list of all the things he liked about Laura after getting to know her better. He tried and tried turning that list into a letter, but it just didn't seem to be able to be translated. After several tries, brief moments of anxiety, and friendly encouragements to continue from Kark, Ned organized what he believed to be a final draft of the letter. He handed it over to Kark to read silently to himself. Kark's lips moved while not forming a sound and his eyes moved from right to left. It took only a few minutes, which to Ned felt like an eternity, before Kark finished reading and put the letter down.

"Well, how is it?" Ned anxiously asked.

Kark smiled. "I think it's pretty darn good."

"Really?" Ned was smiling from ear to ear, so to say.

"Yeah, all it needs is to be put into the envelope, sealed, and delivered to Laura Giganotosaurus."

"Okay." Ned placed the letter inside and sealed the envelope. "You-Who, over here please!" He said waving to get the attention of a waiter.

A troodon waiter came over to them. "Could you deliver this letter to Laura Giganotosaurus, please? She should be in the observation car."

"Why sure, I know Laura. I'll bring your letter to her right away."

The waiter turned to leave, but Ned stopped him.

"Wait!"

The waiter turned.

"If she asks who sent it, tell her it's from someone anonymous." Ned said, feeling like his request must've sounded odd.

But to the Troodon Waiter, it didn't seem odd at all. Heck, this must've been the seven-hundredth time that he's delivered someone a letter. He nodded to Ned and walked off towards the observation car.

Laura was squatting in the observation car, looking up at the sky. She wasn't watching the clouds for it was a clear, blue day. She was watching two birds flying around in the sky in what looked like a playful fashion to her, smiling. She was so busy watching them that she didn't notice a troodon waiter opening the door and stepping inside. He lifted his hand up to his mouth and coughed to get Laura's attention.

"Miss Giganotosaurus?"

Laura looked down and saw him. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Letter for you." He said holding up the envelope. Laura stared at the letter as if she had never seen anything like it before.

"A letter for me? But, how strange. I never get letters from anyone on the Dinosaur Train." Laura continued to look at it. "Who is it from?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. The sender has requested for me not to disclose his name."

Laura nodded at him. "Okay then, thank you very much." She bent down and kindly took the letter from the Troodon Waiter. He tipped his hat at her and walked out of the observation car. Laura looked at the letter in her hands. A mystery was surrounding it both on the outside and the inside. Her curiosity finally got the best of her and she tore open the envelope with her index claw. She took out the piece of paper folded inside and began to unfold it. Laura held it open to her and began reading the contents of the letter out loud:

"To Laura Giganotosaurus,"

"This letter is definitely for me." Laura said, as if she thought that the letter was given to her by mistake. She read the rest of it in silence. Then she blushed slightly. The letter said:

You are a very unique creature of your species. Your eyes are attentive and mentally capture the exact details of the appearances of others. And you capture such details so skillfully on paper, to be enjoyed by others for years to come. What I've said may sound like it is common among other giganotsaurus', great eyesight and drawing, but the way you do such things are indeed, in my opinion, unique.

Your beauty is the greatest that I've ever seen among other females. Your green skin is silky smooth and shines brighter than any gem found in the earth. Your hands are gentle and delicate, and not the least out of place with your great strength. The teeth sticking out of your mouth are sharp, but do not look the least bit frightening when they are a part of your lovely smile. And this will seem odd, but your feet are lovely too. The way you walk is a graceful art.

You are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. Your soul is the kindest, gentlest, and loveliest that the world has ever had the honor of knowing. You have no idea how brightly you shine in the lives of others, including mine. Out of all of the males who have come to know you, I am perhaps, the luckiest to have such feelings for you.

"Signed, 'Your Secret Admirer.'" Laura said after she finished reading. Her eyes went wide. "Secret Admirer? I…I have a Secret Admirer? Hmmm…I wonder who could it be?" Laura brought a finger up to her jaw as she pondered.

Unbeknownst to Laura, Ned and Kark were just outside the observation car's doors looking inside. Laura had no idea that they were there. They had watched her open and read the letter, and Ned was smiling. Part of him found it hard to believe that his letter/poem had caused Laura to blush. He, Ned Troodon, had made Laura Giganotosaurus blush. All with the power of words.

Ned still smiled, feeling like he and Laura were a part of some little romantic game between themselves, even though they weren't a couple.

"She looks so beautiful even when she blushes." Ned commented.

"Yeah." Kark said. He turned to Ned. "Okay, Neddy. Time to go out there and tell her that you wrote it."

Ned's smile was immediately wiped off of his face and replaced with a look of shock. "T-T-Tell her I wrote the poem?!"

"Yeah, wasn't the point of this to help you express your feelings towards Laura? Now's the time to go in there and tell her it's you."

"I can't do that!" Ned said looking upset.

"Why not? She was blushing when she had read that letter. I'm pretty sure she was very flattered by it. So go on and tell her."

Ned looked at her and then down at the floor. "I can't…not yet. Kark, I need more time." Kark placed his hand on Ned's shoulder.

"Okay then, you don't have to tell her now. But at some future point, you gotta tell her that it's you, before it's too late. She won't wait around forever for her mystery admirer to reveal himself."

Ned looked at Laura one more time and knew that Kark was right. "Okay."

He and Kark walked back to the dining car, where they both remained until they had arrived back at Troodon Town a while later. They said good-bye to each other before Ned walked off home and Kark remained on the train before it headed off again. It eventually arrived at Pteranodon Terrace, where Kark lived with his family, and he got off onto the station platform. He looked up at Laura, who was again looking at the letter and wondering who had sent it to her. He looked away and walked towards home. Hopefully, Ned would be able to confess to Laura his feelings for her soon.