The Hobo

AN: Yes, I am very well aware that Christmas is long over, but I thought I'd update it anyway. Enjoy, and you can think of the chapter being a belated Christmas present, or a very, very early one. :)

Sapphire smiled too, before pondering the "F" and "Y" on Billy's ticket. In the film, it had been different variations on the meaning of the word trust. She could only think of one word that could be on his ticket, and that word was family.

"I wonder why it's going to say "Family,"" she mused quietly to herself as the "Hero Boy" came running in, breathless, and asked where Sophie was.

"We'll come with you," Sapphire said, and Kat also agreed, before they looked at Billy and asked him to come along as well. For the first time since he climbed into their compartment he smiled and shook his head.

"No, I'll be alright. But if I do get really lonely, I'll sit in the other compartment."

They smiled at him, before heading out into the freezing cold. After some awkward moments of climbing the ladder outside our compartment, the wind and snow in our faces, and the Hero Boy's attempt to hang on to Sophie's ticket, their eyes suddenly adjusted to a light from which they could either see the Hobo, or the conductor with Sophie.

"Hey!" The Hero Boy yelled, before yelling "Hey!" Again, followed by "I find your ticket. Wait!"

They hurried after them, losing them both in the flurry of snow. As their feet crunched over the snow, following the footprints, they noticed another light, and the two girls grinned, knowing that it would be the ghostly hobo.

He was muttering "Good King Wenceslas," as they drew level with him, but stopped in order to say "Is there something I can do for you three?"

Hesitantly, the boy said, "I'm looking for a girl," which caused the hobo to laugh. "Well, there's two right beside ya," he said, causing them to laugh, and Sapphire chuckled, "Not like that."

By way of explanation, the boy said, "I have her ticket," which caused the hobo to take an interest.

"Well, would ya look at that? What is this?" Sapphire was about to answer, when he said, "This is an official, authentic, genuine ticket to ride. I'd put that in a safe place, young man."

As he was about to put it in his pocket, the hobo said something about keeping his valuables in his shoes, not that he any need for a ticket. Katja and Sapphire looked at each knowingly: of course he didn't.

Being a ghost, he was, of course, able to ride the train any time he wanted to, before he then said, "I own this train, you know. It's like I'm it's king. In fact, I'm the king of the NORTH POLE!" His last two words sort of echoed around, causing Sapphire to say, rather defiantly, "No, you're not, Santa is."

The hobo laughed again, placed a Santa hat on his head, and said, "You mean this guy?" Before he chuckled just like Santa.

Once he'd stopped laughing, he said, "Where are my manners? Do sit down, and let me offer you a mug of Joe."

As they did so, sitting on two boxes, Sapphire asked the Hero Boy what his name was. "Oh, it's Chris." he said.

As they drank their coffee, the hobo and Chris had a short discussion about Santa, before he put the fire out, and said "Seeing is believing, am I right?"

Chris had a hesitant look on his face as he asked, "We are really going to the North Pole, aren't we?"

The hobo laughed, and said, "Aren't we?" In a mocking sort of way.

"Are you saying that this is just a dream?" He asked, now looking hopelessly lost. Of course it wasn't a dream, not for him, anyway, and Sapphire and Katja were willing to bet that when their journey on the amazingly cool train was over, there'd be some kind of evidence to suggest that it was real.

"You said it, kid. Not me." The hobo said, downing the last of his coffee, before making a rather good suggestion of finding Sophie. Then he turned to them, and asked, "Oh, by the way, do any of you believe in ghosts?"

The two girls nodded, but Chris, staring at them incredulously, shook his head.

"Interesting." The hobo said, before leaving them behind. Almost instantly, Chris threw himself into the snow, but the girls immediately pulled him up again. Within minutes, the hobo was back, yelling at Chris to wake up, 'cause there was no sleepwalking on his train.

As he said something about jumping them knuckles, and flipping Chris onto his shoulders, two other ghostly figures appeared out of nowhere, and offered the girls a ride on their shoulders. They were both relieved, as neither of them fancied walking in the snow.

"We've got to make it to the hog." The hobo carrying Chris said.

"The what?" All three teenagers or pre-teens asked.

"The engine, you tenderfeet." He said, as one of the others explained a little further, "We have to make it to the engine before we reach Flat Top Tunnel."

Sapphire and Katja instantly knew why that was important, as Chris asked why. "Because, young man, there is but one inch of clearance between the roof of this rattler and Flat Top Tunnel. Savvy?"

The two girls flinched; it must have a very painful death for him to endure. They then glanced at the other ghosts, and wondered what kind of tragic end they had met.

With precise control of their skis, the ghosts jumped over the tops of carriages, until they had reached the engine, telling them to jump inside at the right time. They vanished and the other three leapt right on top of a bunch of coal.

AN: Yet another chapter done and dusted. I was watching the movie, and apart from a few things, that's pretty much the gist of it.