The Conductor cleared his throat, catching Elsa's attention. She turned around, looking up at the top of the stairs, where he was standing. He slid a green door open and gestured for her to enter where it led. Elsa started up the stairs slowly. Once she reached the top, she turned to her right and saw the interior of the passenger car. At least twenty other kids, mostly first and second graders, were in the red seats. As Elsa walked into the passenger car, the Conductor closed the door. Elsa looked around as she approached the nearest empty seat, hoping that she wasn't the only person in their 20s that was on the train.

Elsa sat in the empty seat, not knowing what to expect for the next who-knows-how-long. She turned to her left and saw another girl that looked to be around her age in the seat opposite hers. The girl noticed Elsa and smiled. Elsa returned the favor.

"Hey! Hey, you! Yeah, you! Do you know what kind of train this is?"

Elsa looked forward to find the source of the voice and found a boy around her and the girl's age, maybe slightly younger, facing her from atop his seat, which was directly in front of hers.

"Uh, what?" Responded Elsa.

"TRAIN. Do you know what kind of train this is? Well, do ya?"

"I can't say that I-"

"Of course. It's a magic train." Interrupted the girl. "We're going to the North Pole."

"Ah Honeymarren, I know it's a magic train. Actually, it's a Baldwin 2-8-4 S3 Class Berkshire-type steam locomotive, built in 1931 at the Baldwin Locomotive Works. It weighs 456,100 pounds..."

Elsa turned to Honeymarren confused.

"You'll have to forgive Ryder, he likes to make it known when he knows all the details about things."

"I can tell. But on another note, are we really going to the North Pole?"

"I've been on this train enough times to safely say "Yes". Isn't it wonderful?"

"Hey look everybody! Herpolsheimer's! Herpolsheimer's!" Yelled Ryder.

The other kids excitedly ran to his and Elsa's side of the train to look through the windows as they approached the grand shop titled "Herpolsheimer's". Honeymarren went next to Elsa as they viewed the shop's interior through its front windows.

"Wow, look at all those presents! I want all of them!" Said Ryder.

"It's so Christmasy and cozy and beautiful!" Said Honeymarren.

Elsa observed one part that showed Santa putting presents under a tree. She saw a moving gear in its back and concluded that it was merely an animatronic, further fueling her doubts.

"Tickets!"

The other kids noticed that the Conductor had re-entered and rushed back to their seats.

"Tickets, please! Tickets!"

He stopped by Elsa's seat.

"Ticket, please."

"I don't have a ticket."

"Try your pocket."

Elsa slipped her right hand into her right pocket, only for her fingers to poke out of the hole her chair splinter made.

"Try your other pocket."

Elsa tried her left pocket, and felt something in it. She grabbed onto it and pulled it out, finding a golden ticket. On one side was a picture of the train with "N2 0001225" written below it. On the other side were the words:

The Polar Express

ROUND TRIP

Elsa handed her ticket to the Conductor.

"Thank you, miss."

The Conductor held out a metallic gray ticket puncher and started rapidly clicking holes in it, making tiny pieces of it rain down like snow. Some of them landed on Elsa's face, where she blew them off. After punching what appeared to be two letters in it, he handed it back to Elsa.

"Thank you, miss." He then noticed a pair of second graders reaching for the microphone.

"Ah-ah-ah! That is a public address microphone, it is not a toy!"

Elsa observed her ticket. The letters "B" and "E" were punched into it, with a fair amount of space between them.

"B-E? Is that supposed to mean something?"

"I don't know, that guy likes to show off his ticket-punching skills. Look what he punched on my ticket!" Said Ryder as he showed his own ticket to Elsa. She turned her head sideways to properly look at the letters on it.

"L-E. What the heck does that mean?"

"You tell me. It probably makes more sense than whatever B-E means, though."

Elsa and Ryder laughed.

"Next stop, 113-44 Edbrooke." The Conductor announced through the microphone.

"We're heading for the other side of the tracks!" Said Ryder.

"What's that mean?" Asked Elsa.

"It means we'll be leaving the state soon." Said Honeymarren.

Suddenly, the train started slowing down as a lone small house came into view. The train came to a full stop moments later. The Conductor stepped out of the passenger car to face another person, obscured by the smoke coming off of the passenger cars. Elsa and Ryder opened their windows as they observed from a distance.

"Well? You coming?" Said the Conductor.

"Ah, it's just another pickup. That's weird, I thought you were supposed to be the last one." Said Ryder.

"Why to the North Pole, of course! This is the Polar Express!"

Whoever the Conductor was facing took a few steps back.

"Suit yourself."

After he waved the lantern, the train whistle blew twice before it started moving, making everyone in the passenger car briefly lurch back from the sudden movement. Elsa got a good look at who the Conductor was talking to. It was a boy around her age with messy blonde hair around the Conductor's height. Elsa waved at him. As the train started picking up speed, the boy started running after it.

"Hey, he wants to get on the train!"

The boy ran as fast as he could, coming just short of the stairs.

"Come on! Hurry up!"

The train soon reached a speed too fast to keep up with, and the boy tripped and fell in the snow, but Elsa didn't want him to be left behind.

"We have to stop the train."

"I don't know how to stop the train!" Said Honeymarren.

"Pull the emergency brake!" Said Ryder as he pointed toward a downward facing handle-grip on the back of the car.

Elsa ran toward it, grabbed it, and pulled it down. The trains brakes activated, and the kids in the passenger car all fell over from the sudden stop to the momentum as it slowed to a stop. As everyone got back on their feet, the boy made it up the stairs and faced the others through a circular window on the green sliding door. Elsa waved at him again, and he went for the other green door instead of the sliding door leading into the passenger car. Elsa and Honeymarren exchanged some confused looks as the Conductor stormed in from the other side.

"Who in the blazes applied that emergency brake?!"

"She did!" Said Ryder as he pointed to Elsa.

"You!"

The Conductor angrily stormed toward Elsa.

"In case you didn't know, that cord is for emergency purposes only! And in case you weren't aware, tonight is Christmas Eve!" He went toward an open window and waved toward the locomotive. The whistle blew twice again as he closed it. "And in case you hadn't noticed, this train is on a very tight schedule! Now young lady, Christmas may not be important to some people, but it is very important to the rest of us!"

"But, sir, I-"

"She was just trying to stop the train so that kid could get on!" Said Honeymarren.

The Conductor looked through the window and noticed the boy jumping into a seat in the caboose.

"Hmm. I see. Young lady, is that what happened?"

Elsa rapidly nodded, as did Honeymarren.

"Well, let me remind you, we are on a very tight schedule..." He took another look at his pocket watch. "And I've never been late before, and I am certainly not going to be late tonight! Now everybody, take your seats, please!"

Every kid that was standing immediately rushed to their seats.

"Thank you."