Katja and Sapphire on the Polar Express

by Sapphire Jacqueline Stone

Not your ordinary Polar Express story, I can tell you. Anyway, two good friends, Kat and Sapphire, are reunited just before the NZ Christmas holidays. On Christmas Eve, they go to bed, not expecting to have noticed much until the next day. However, they both receive genuine tickets to ride on the Polar Express. Reason as to why I'm putting this up now is found in the story.

11. Chapter 11

The Conductor's Story

Previously:

After some time, once tracks had been spotted, and the Conductor had given directions, the train was soon on its way to the North Pole.

Whilst the train had been going the way the Conductor said, the ticket from Chris's slipper flew into the air, at which Sophie cried out, "You're going to lose your ticket."

Chris suddenly remembered that he'd stuck Sophie's ticket in there, and said, "It's not mine, it's your's!"

Sophie suddenly looked really excited, as she said, "It's mine?"

"Yes." Chris said, making a grab for it. The three girls joined in, and once they had caught it, they noticed that the carriages were beginning to submerge in water. "Brace yourselves!" Yelled the Conductor, as they finally got onto the tracks. "Well, that's more like it." He said, satisfied.

Sophie was very grateful as she hugged the others, saying, "Thank you so much. I can't believe you found my ticket."

"Did someone say "they found a ticket?"" asked the Conductor, and they nodded.

"Well then, tickets please." Sophie handed it to him, and he punched it a few times before giving it back.

"LE" Chris said.

"Just like Luke." Kat said, and then clarified at the other's blank looks, "the know-it-all kid."

As the train made it's way up a mountain, the girls and Chris made their way across the top, the Conductor telling them to watch their step.

"Rather tricky walking up here," he said, then, as Sapphire and Chris slid, he added, "What did I tell ya?"

Then he told them a little story. "Years ago, on my first Christmas Eve run, I was up on the roof making my rounds when I slipped on the ice myself. I reached out for a hand iron, but it broke off. I slid and fell. And yet, I didn't fall from the train."

"Someone saved you." Sophie said.

"Or something." The Conductor said, a mysterious note to his tone.

"An angel?" Kat inquired.

"Perhaps." The Conductor said, jumping down into the nearest compartment.

"Hang on," Chris called. "What did he look like? Did you see him?"

"No Sir. But sometimes seeing is believing. And sometimes, the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." He said, helping the girls down.

Then he headed into a room that was filled with abandoned toys. Sapphire specially, wanted to cry at their misfortunes. She may have been fourteen, but she had a great number of barbie dolls and stuffed toys, all of which she loved to pieces.

Kat also looked at the toys sadly, before following Sapphire back into the main compartment.

As they headed off to find Billy, Luke ambushed them, telling them about things that had happened, and which they already knew. Basically ignoring him, they spotted Chris a little way ahead of them, heading towards Billy's compartment.

AN: Still more and more to come. My writing skills are on fire this evening.