Alrighty, the first chapter is here! Man, that was quick. On with the show!
Finally, it was here. The Conductor always loved Christmas Day, if only because it meant that he started his 364-day long vacation. Of course, it didn't mean that he didn't do any work in between Christmas Eve trips. Sometimes, he was called on as an extra set of hands in the various areas of the North Pole. But today wasn't one of those days. The entire North Pole had the day off, the engine was safely tucked away for next year, Smoky and Steamer were who-knows-where, there was some hot chocolate and The Gift of the Magi by his favorite armchair...
Suddenly, the door was flung open, letting in a cold draft. There, in the doorway, was a person. It couldn't be an elf, for this person was much taller, and it wasn't the Big Man or his wife, since the outline wasn't right for either of them. The mystery person stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Now, the Conductor could see that this person was a man, with a black, neatly trimmed beard. But, that was far from the oddest thing. He wore a uniform, similar to what British conductors' uniforms looked like; similar to his own uniform. The man stepped forward and sat at the table across from the Conductor, smiling.
"Hello, James."
The Conductor, formerly known as James Naritz, looked shocked.
"H-How do you know my name?"
The man shook his head, amused.
"Come, now. Is that any way to treat your cousin?"
The mug of coffee James was holding slipped out of his hand and shattered into a million pieces as his mind ground to a halt.
"Cousin?!"
The man only nodded.
"Yep. On my mother's side. Born just a couple of months after I was, apparently."
He paused, again shaking his head.
"Where are my manners? I'm Ringo "Star" Conductor. It's nice to see you're continuing the family business."
James couldn't speak, so Ringo continued.
"How're you enjoying working with Perenna? Steamer says you've never had a train in late. Impressive."
"Wait a minute. You talk with Steamer?"
"Yep. Smoky too. They both kind of like you, ya know."
James took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was going to say next.
"Okay. I have a question. Why aren't you the conductor of the Polar Express?"
Ringo chuckled.
"Well, mate, I was a Conductor for quite some time and I wanted to try something different. Nicolas gave me the opportunity to help him out in his toy shop and I accepted. He offered me the position of Polar Express Conductor when it became available, but I turned it down."
He paused for a minute before continuing.
"But, ever since that ride, Nicolas asked me to go along just in case. I'm not supposed to make myself known, just come with and make doubly sure everyone gets to and from the Pole without trouble."
James' eyes widened.
"You...you were on the train last time?"
"Sure was. You almost spotted me on the last couple of trips."
Ringo suddenly became serious and motioned for James to sit down, which the latter gratefully did.
"Mate, you must be wondering why you never knew about me. What do you know about your family?"
James shrugged.
"Not much. I lived as an orphan for most of my life. The orphanage I lived in was right by the railway lines. Every day, I would sit out for a while to watch the trains go by. It was the one thin that kept me sane. When I could go out and get a job, I went straight for railroading. When I was about to retire, the PolEx showed up outside of my house and the Big Man offered me the job. I've been doing it ever since. But, I'll admit sometimes wonder about who my parents were."
Ringo sat down across from James, reaching across the small, square table to place his hand on his cousin's shoulder.
"Your father and mother loved you very much. However, as you grew up, it was evident that the Conductor genes had not fully manifested. All Conductors are about 8" tall when fully grown, but you were only that short when you were a baby. Your parents were heartbroken, but they had to leave you in the real world, where you would fit in, size wise. By this time, you were a couple of years old, so the family altered your memories slightly and locked away your magic. That lock must have broken when you took the job on the Polar Express."
Ringo paused a moment before reaching inside his jacket and setting a wrapped box in front of James.
"Go on. Open it."
James hesitated for a moment before peeling back the wrapping paper. Inside the box was a beautiful golden whistle, engraved with his name.
"I...It's..."
Ringo smiled softly.
"It's your whistle. When a new Conductor is born, a whistle is crafted for them. They receive it when they either reach adulthood, which is 20 years old for us, or find their own station and railway to watch over. Until then, they sometimes get a substitute for travel and emergencies. I know a younger cousin who had a duck call for his substitute."
James looked closer. It was obvious this whistle was made with plenty of love and attention to detail. Not only did it have his name on it, it also had a crest with rails, a steam engine, and a whistle. James realize it had to be the Conductor family crest. Ringo continued as James investigated his gift.
"We are guardians of railways and their legacy. It is an honor for a Conductor to be in charge of the Polar Express. If you'd like, I could teach you how to work with the whistle, how to use it properly."
James barely hesitated.
"When can we start?"
"Tomorrow, when the Pole returns to work. Meet me by the engine shed. I'll need to check up on something."
With that, Ringo stood and, with a 'goodbye and merry Christmas,' he left, leaving a very confused and shocked, yet happy, Conductor.
Now, a few quick notes. This is not The Conductor's true backstory. I made it up, but it is kinda interesting to think about. The event Ringo mentions about how he got to the North Pole is from "Tis a Gift," the holiday special from the first season of Shining Time Station, which I stumbled across a few months ago. Pretty much all the details about the Conductor family are my own, unless there was something I missed in my research.
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