A/N: Not gonna lie, normally I say "I'm back!" but I'm probably not. Saying that, I'll end up updating every hour of every day for the next week. Until you BEG me to go away.

Pairing:...no pairing, Pearl and some old lady, but mostly Pearl.

Disclaimer: BAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBAHLAH I DON'T OWN THIS.

A Heavy Heart

She'd never been on a train before, and she imagined she'd be scared but she did her best not to show it. She needed to see Mystic Maya, and that was what more important.

Pearl had put on her bravest face when she asked a man wearing a uniform if she was boarding the right train. He didn't look at her properly and told her yes before shuffling off. Unperturbed, she boarded the train and tried blocking out the panic she felt when she heard it screeching to a halt in front of her.

She found a seat opposite a woman who could have been Santa Clause's wife, if he indeed had one.
Pearl smiled and asked as boldly as she could if she was allowed to sit there, and smiled deeper when the woman smiled in return and said "of course, dear."

Maybe Santa got lonely sometimes, Pearl thought. Maybe that's why he gave toys away to good girls and boys every year, to spread happiness and joy and love around the world that he couldn't give to his special someone. Pearl hoped that this was Santa Clause's wife. She looked nice. And it would be lovely if Santa was happy.

The woman levelled her eyes with Pearl when she noticed she was being stared at and smiled. When Pearl looked away embarrassed, the woman asked her where her mum was.
"My mum doesn't look after me anymore."
"And... Your dad?"
Pearl looked away.
"Oh. So who's looking after you today?" She asked.
"No one." Pearl said brightly, "I have to go see Mystic Maya though. That's why I'm going to the city. That's why I'm on this tray-un."

She told the lady her name and beamed when she was told it suited such a pretty girl.

The woman looked out of the window and decided that she would get off whichever stop this little girl got off.

They both remained quiet while the train started its journey. Pearl however was an abundance of feelings inside. Slowly her fear was fading and was subsided by excitement. She was used to the views of the Kurain, but she hadn't expected this.

Hills rolled past. Whirling faster and faster and whole towns seemed to glide past, silent apart from the hum of the train.

Whole worlds were flying past, fields upon fields and trees and look! There are horses in that one!

Pearl stood up on her seat to see more, to see the world.
She was amazed. She was travelling so fast, so very fast but the few people she saw didn't even look at the train. Didn't they see the train? Are their lives so still compared to the train? Couldn't they see how magical a place this was?

She leant back momentarily to wipe away the condensation forming around her nose and mouth before staring at the world again. Whole landscapes were going past, entire lives were being lived and she had passed them within a second.

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to sit down."

She saw a boy waving joyfully at the train. Pearl waved back but she didn't think he saw her. It didn't matter, she thought. He had been smiling; he had seen how magical it was.

"Miss-"
"Allow me. Pearl, dear..."

Pearl finally looked away from the window and at Mrs Santa Clause. She was smiling sadly.

"Miss, sit down, please." A voice said sternly.
Pearl turned sharply to the unrecognisable voice and then saw everyone else.
Looking at her.
Nobody was watching the world outside.
With a heavy heart she sat down.

I'll be back...

Eventually.

DUN DUN BAH.