Chapter 7: Sodor Christmas Market

(Wednesday December 7th: 9:10am)

Carrie and her father stepped up to the gateway to Ralph's house and waited for Simon to arrive. It had snowed very heavily during the night, with the really heavy falls of snow beginning at about 6pm the previous evening, and so the roofs of all the buildings in sight, the roads and the tops of all the cars were covered in a thick layer of fresh, crisp white snow. For now, at least, the snow had stopped, but the sky high above them – as far as the eye could see – was covered with a layer of thick grey clouds that threatened to unleash even more snow all over the Island of Sodor at a moment's notice. The air was very cold, no doubt quote a bit below freezing point, and Carrie could see her breath come out from both her nose and mouth in dense white clouds that swirled all around her for a short time before they eventually disappeared. The only good thing was that there was no wind blowing about this morning, otherwise things would have been quite unbearable with the wind-chill factor.

Carrie was wearing a thick warm coat, gloves, a scarf around her neck, woollen hat with ear flaps on her head, as well as a pair of warm waterproof boots that were lined with fur on the inside, all of which would help to keep nice and warm on this freezing cold December day. In fact, her coat, gloves, scarf, hat and boots were all brand new items, as she had bought them from one of the shops in Tidmouth fairly recently, as the ones she had when she arrived on Sodor were getting rather old, and were probably past their prime by then. Her new winter clothes were also brighter in terms of colour as well, unlike her previous ones which were much duller in character and appearance. They also did a much better job of keeping out the cold as well, compared to her older ones.

Ralph was also dressed up warmly to guard against the winter cold today, including a long overcoat that went all the way down to his knees, warm gloves on his hands, a warm woollen hat made of navy-blue material on his head, as well as a warm pair of winter shoes to keep his feet warm and dry. However, as he was going to be out working on the footplate of a steam locomotive in the very near future, and it would be a lot warmer there than out in the open, a lot of what he was wearing would soon have to replaced with more practical work clothes.

"I'm very glad to see the snow has stopped...for now, at least...but that means some of the lines may have snowdrifts along them in quite a few places. I just hope that some of the engines have already been sent out with their snowploughs fitted to keep some of the lines clear." Ralph said, as he looked up into the dark grey cloud-covered sky with some degree of anxiousness.

"Do you think you'll be able to get through to where you need to go with your trains, dad?" Carrie asked, as she also looked up to the clouds with some concern.

"Oh, we'll certainly make it, Carrie. But that depends if the tracks have been kept clear of snowdrifts, and if there haven't been any serious accidents on any lines during the day." Ralph said, as he looked down at Carrie.

"You know...I'm not very sure what to expect when I get over to the Christmas market with Simon, dad. I've never been to one in my life before." Carrie said to her father, as they stepped outside the gate and onto the pathway that ran past the front of the house, as well as all the other houses that ran along this side of the street.

"Hey, don't worry too much about it, Carrie. You just go out and have the best time of your life at the Christmas Market with Simon today. And don't be afraid to try whatever foods that you really want to try out while you're both over there. It's really a paradise for those who really love their Christmas food. I do know that, because I've been over there on more than a few occasions with friends in all the time that I've been here on Sodor." Ralph said, as he smiled at Carrie.

"I will, dad. I just hope that I'll really enjoy what's gonna be there with Simon, and that nothing will go wrong." Carrie said, as she smiled at the thought of the day ahead, and spending it with Simon. For as long as she could remember, Chamberlain had never had a Christmas market before, although some of the larger towns close to it did in the run-up to Christmas. She never knew the exact reason for it, but there'd been calls for one by many people in the town of Chamberlain for some years who'd experienced the big Christmas markets in places like New York, Boston, and Cleveland to name but a few places.

"And make sure that both you and Simon get plenty of hot food and drinks into yourselves as well while you're both over there. Something tells me that you'll definitely be needing them on this freezing cold winter day." Ralph said, as he looked up at the grey winter sky and rubbed his hands together.

Then they heard the sound of a car horn, and they both turned their heads to look up the street. They saw a bright red car, which had a face on its front, with Simon right behind the wheel, driving slowly down the snowy street towards them before coming to a gentle stop in front of them.

"Good morning, Carrie. Morning, Ralph." Simon said, as he opened the driver's side door and stepped outside into the crisp cold.

"Hi, Simon!" Carrie said, very pleased to see her new friend.

"Good morning back, Simon. Are you ready to take Carrie out for the day?" Ralph asked.

"Yes, sir. I am. I'm also looking forward to getting over to the Christmas Market and trying out what's on offer over there today." Simon said, as he smiled at the thought of all that Christmas food on offer.

"That's good...very good. Now, please take care of Carrie while you're both out there today, Simon. I expect to see her back here at the end of the day in one piece." Ralph said.

"I will, sir. Don't you worry about a thing, I'll take care of her, and I'll do my best to make sure that she has a great time out there today." said Simon.

"Very good Simon, very good. Anyway, I'd best be off to work now, you two. After all, I've got a very busy day of hard work ahead of me today." Ralph said.

"Are there any more iron ore trains to take today, dad?" Carrie asked.

"No, not today, Carrie...and thank goodness for that. But we've got a few ships from Ireland and Continental Europe that arrived at Brendam Docks and at Knapford Harbour last night or very early this morning, and they're carrying with them quite a lot of different types of freight and refrigerated perishable goods that need to be delivered today. I'll see you two later." Ralph said, as he headed off down the street to the bus stop, as Bertie the Bus was due to go past there within the next five minutes.

"Good luck today, Ralph." Simon said, as he and Carrie watched Ralph head off on his way.

"Hello there, Carrie." said Simon's car, as she smiled up at Carrie.

"Ah, hello back." Carrie said, as she smiled back down at the car.

"Carrie, this is my car. Her name is Caroline." Simon said.

"It's nice to meet you, and I hope Simon has treated you well." Caroline said.

"Well, of course he had. Has he done the same for you?" asked Carrie.

"Of course; Simon has treated me very well ever since he started driving me last year after he passed his driving test first time round." Caroline said.

"That's nice to hear." Carrie said, as she smiled at Simon.

"Well Carrie…the reason I treat her well is Caroline doesn't like being driven very fast you see, as it overheats her engine far too easily." Simon said.

"So, you like to go nice and easily on the roads?" Carrie asked, as she looked back at Caroline.

"That's right. And since he started driving me, Simon has been true to his word….as he promised he would." Caroline said.

"Well, that's a nice thing to hear, Caroline…but shall we get going to the Christmas Market before it gets too busy in town?" Carrie asked.

"Of course, and that's why I came by a little earlier than I would normally, so that we could get there safely and in plenty of time just in case there were any icy roads on the way there. We've got plenty of time to spare though; the Christmas market doesn't open up until 10:00am." Simon said, and he and Carrie climbed in, with Simon behind the wheel and Carrie in the front passenger seat. Carrie deeply appreciated the fact that the the air conditioning was working fine, and the heat was slowly warming up the interior of Caroline. When their seatbelts were put on, Simon started the engine and they set off down the road into town.

As Caroline went along the streets towards where the Christmas market was going to be held, both Simon and Carrie took the chance to talk with each other about what the day ahead of them might bring. Carrie, for her part, told Simon how excited she was to be going to a Christmas market, having never been to one before, and how there never had been one in her hometown of Chamberlain for some reason. Simon was telling Carrie a little bit about what the market was like, but not too much as he wanted Carrie to see the market for herself and experience what it was like.

At one point, they came upon a lookout point where they could see over the railway lines that were passing by it, and Simon pulled over for a short while, as he wanted to show this lookout point to Carrie. Looking out from where they were sitting inside Caroline, the pair could clearly see all the different railway lines that were leading in and out of Knapford Station, as well as all the activity that was taking place before them. They could see Gordon depart from the station with a long line of fully loaded coaches behind him and with a loud blast of his whistle, as his wheels slipped a little on the icy rails. Heading the other direction, back towards the large shunting yards, was James, and he was coupled to a long line of fully laden hopper wagons that were laden to the brim with tons of freshly mined coal.

Soon, there was the sound of another whistle; it turned out to be Henry, and he was pulling a long line of different vans. Going in the same direction Gordon had gone a short while before, Henry made his way along the line and out towards the open countryside.

For a few minutes, they sat in the warmth of Caroline and watched as engines went on by with their trains, of all different types and lengths, ranging from passenger trains, freight trains, parcels trains, and even a train made up of a different variety of tankers.

"Wow, even with all this heavy snow about, and more sure to fall soon, work never stops out there does it?" Carrie said, as she looked out over the scene before her.

"No, it doesn't at all, Carrie. A railway has to keep going all the time, regardless of what the weather is like." Simon said.

"Anyway, shall we continue on our way?" Carrie asked.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Let's do that." Simon said, as he turned the wheel and turned Caroline away from the viewing point and back down the road.

(A short while later)

After a steady drive down the road, which only lasted for a few minutes, where they had to go at a steady pace just in case the roads were in any way icy, Simon turned off from the main road and went through an open gate and down between a brick wall and the side of a building before carefully parked Caroline in a car park right at the back of a small three storey office building just off the street, which was only a few hundred yards or so away from where the Christmas market was being held. Slowly, Simon reversed Caroline into a parking space, while watching the rear-view and side mirrors to be sure he was within the two white lines painted on the tarmac.

"And there we are…all safely parked." said Simon, as he put on the handbrake and then switched off the ignition.

"Well done, Simon." Carrie said, as she smiled after a safe journey.

"Thanks Carrie. I'll leave Caroline parked here. She'll be quite safe until we get back." Simon said, as he and Carrie unbuckled their seatbelts and got out.

"Has Simon ever parked you here before, Caroline?" Carrie asked, after she got out and went round to speak to Caroline.

"Many times, Carrie. Besides, it's out of sight of the main road and so it's much safer for me to be parked in a place like this behind a building like this instead of out on the main road. Out of sight out of mind, as they say." Caroline said.

"That's a good idea that." Carrie said.

"Come on, Carrie. Let's get ourselves over to the Christmas market. There's so much that's going to be going on over there that you've got to see today." Simon said. It was quite clear that Simon was feeling quite excited at going to the Christmas Market, and seemed to be anticipating what would be there this year. And seeing her friend eager to get there made Carrie smile.

"All right…we'll see you later on today, Caroline." Carrie said, as she and Simon headed out towards the front of the building and the street beyond as Caroline, after giving them a grateful smile and after wishing them the best of luck for the day, dozed off.

As Carrie and Simon headed down the snowy street and then approached the large town hall where the market was being held, Carrie let out a low whistle at what she could see within the grounds as they slowly got closer and closer to it; there were lots of different stalls, in all different bright colours, inside the grounds all around the hall. There was even a Helter Skelter sitting in one corner of the hall grounds, which stood out due to the fact that it was the tallest thing in the grounds. There were even some stalls, selling both food and gifts, sitting outside the hall grounds and lining the long walls on both sides of the main gate. In fact, some of the stalls lined up along the front wall were, depending on the signs above them, selling a huge variety of gifts, warm winter clothes, Christmas ornaments and different foods. But right now, those stalls being readied for customers doing their Christmas shopping.

Sitting right in the very middle of the grounds was the Knapford Town Hall, which was a formidable-looking building, with tall towers standing at each of the four corners of the building, and a much taller tower topped off with a tall dome sitting in the middle of the front of the building. The front of the building was a light grey, and there were Roman-style columns spread along from one side of the building to the other, with 15 stained-glass windows with rounded tops even spaced along the building's front as well. In the very middle of the building was an covered entranceway which extended out a little-ways from the main building, and it had a pediment at the front which had figures made of carved granite. Carrie could see that there were Christmas lights along the front of the building and white stars in front of the windows, but due to the time of the day the lights weren't on. But there was no doubt they would be turned on when it got dark later on.

Outside the main gates, where a number of security people in their uniforms and winter coats were keeping a close eye on things, a bright red sign with white writing fitted to the gate showed the times when the Christmas market was opening in the period from mid-November to December 22nd; today, the morning opening time was 10:00am on the dot.

"So, this Christmas market doesn't open until 10:00am?" Carrie asked, as they stopped on the opposite side of the street from the town hall. She pulled aside her sleeve on her right arm and checked her watch; it was 9:21am, which meant they would have a long wait until they were finally able to get inside and see it.

"Yes, Carrie. That's just so all the traders in there can have time to get themselves all set up and ready to go to receive their customers as soon as the gates are opened up." said Simon. He was right, as there were a number of vans outside the main gates, and things packed in boxes were being unloaded from them and being brought into the grounds where they would be brought to the different stalls who needed them.

"Well, if that's the case, shall we go and do something between now and then? After all, it's far too cold to just stand around and hang about until the market opens." Carrie said.

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea to me. I know some good coffee shops just along this very street where we could go and get something hot to drink. And all of them have upstairs seating with wide windows that look out directly into the grounds of the town hall." Simon said.

"Sounds like a plan to me…let's go get that hot drink and get ourselves warmed up." Carrie said, as she rubbed her gloved hands together vigorously and they walked further along the street amongst those going about their Christmas shopping.

(A few minutes later)

They soon stopped into one of Simon's favourite coffee shops, and, after going up to the counter, they ordered hot drinks as well as whatever pastries they wanted to have. After paying for their purchases and getting them from the shop staff, they went and sat upstairs by one of the large windows. From there, Carrie could clearly see that they could indeed look directly into the grounds of the town hall where all the stalls were being set up. Inside the open room where they were sitting, there were a few other people sitting around at the different tables and sipping hot drinks or nibbling on Christmas-themed pastries, while having quiet conversations all the while. Some of them had already been doing some early Christmas shopping, due to the fact they had bags, with Christmas images on them, sitting on the floor beside them.

At least two others were sitting alone at tables close to power sockets and were working away on their laptops, and doing whatever they needed to be doing.

In one corner of the room, in fact it was directly behind from where Carrie was sitting, there was a large Christmas tree that went from floor to ceiling, which had presents, each of which was wrapped up in bright red, blue, silver, green, and yellow wrapping paper and with red and silver ribbon, sitting on the floor beneath it. The tree itself was decorated with brightly twinkling Christmas lights and all different kinds of festive ornaments, including red, gold and silver tinsel, baubles of different sizes, and other festive decorations. The lights that were on the tree shone brightly, and really helped to brighten up the tree. There were other decorations strung up around the room, including some more lights mounted on the walls, green and red garlands mounted around the windows, and other decorations hanging from the ceiling.

For Carrie, this coffee shop, with its cosy and inviting atmosphere, along with the rich smells of coffee and hot cocoa, and with the nice and familiar sounds of Christmas music being played, really helped to make her feel quite comfortable.

"So, how are you feeling now, Carrie?" Simon asked, as he took a bite of his pastry.

"I'm feeling grand, Simon. Much better than I was a few weeks ago." Carrie said, as she smiled at Simon.

"Have you ever been to a Christmas market before?" Simon asked, just after taking a sip of his tea.

"No, I haven't actually, as one was never held back in my hometown for some reason...which I find really strange now that I think about it. So I'm really looking forward to getting in and seeing what's there. Is there always a Christmas market held here every year?" Carrie asked, as she took a sip of her tea.

"There always is, and its held in those grounds from the middle of November until two days before Christmas, and traders from all over come here to sell their food products, festive gifts and Christmas decorations." said Simon.

"And do they really come from everywhere?" Carrie asked, curious as to where the traders came from.

"Absolutely, the traders in the market are not only from here on Sodor, but they also come over from the British mainland, over from Ireland, and also many traders have come from Continental Europe as well. Pastry chefs from France and the Netherlands, chocolatiers from Belgium and many different Christmas food specialists from Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway, Greece and many other countries. In fact, just last year, a new stall came in with people from Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, and they serve out a very traditional Danish mulled wine. Now I've not yet tried any of that mulled wine myself, as I'm not old enough yet to do anything like that, but it does certainly smell very Christmassy with those different spices and flavours that are used to make it." Simon said.

"And how many stalls can we expect to see?" Carrie asked as she looked out the window. She could see there were lots of stalls, so many in fact she couldn't count them.

"Well, the numbers keep on growing from year to year. When it first started out about…10 or so years back, there were only somewhere in the region of 45 to 50 stalls in there, but more of them come each year, and this year there's well over 160 stalls with plenty of different food and gifts on offer for people to choose from. And the whole market is brought in on a very special train that comes in from Vicarstown on the eastern side of Sodor over to here." Simon said, as he glanced outside at the stalls being readied within the town hall grounds.

"And what kind of food is there to enjoy? I've never been to a Christmas market before in my life, so I really don't know exactly what to expect at one." Carrie said.

"There's all sorts of things that anyone can get there, from hot foods like burgers, French fries and full dinners all the way to different varieties of mouth-watering cakes and pastries, such as French custard slices and apple tarts, hot mulled cider and wine, really rich hot chocolate - always topped with whipped cream, marshmallows and powdered chocolate - as well as all different types of candy, chocolate and other things like that as well as the inevitable selections of drinks, including hot drinks. There's also plenty of gift stalls too where you can buy gifts of all different varieties and types you want to get, such as jewellery, soft toys, slippers and even sheepskin rugs. Some of the gift stalls even include free gift wrapping as well." said Simon.

"And does the market stay open into the night as well?" Carrie asked, as she took another sip of her tea.

"It does indeed; on the weekends it stays open until about 11:00pm, I think. And the evening is one of the really best times to go there, as there's so much going on, especially with all the Christmas lights there being turned on, lively and traditional Christmas music is playing, and the atmosphere is really a nice and festive one. And of course, with plenty of good food and drink to go with it as well." Simon said.

Carrie was very impressed to hear all that, and deep down she hoped that both she and Simon could go to the market at least once when night had fallen anytime between now and Christmas, as she wanted to experience what a Christmas market at night was like.

"And will I get a chance to experience that sometime before Christmas comes?" she asked.

"Most certainly, and I'm sure that you'll really enjoy it too. I always do, as has everyone else that I know who's been there." Simon said. Carrie smiled, and they continued sipping their hot drinks, nibbling on their pastries and talking until just a shade after 10:00am, when they left the coffee shop and went across the street and into the Christmas Market.

(In the Christmas market a little later)

After they walked in through the old iron gates at the main entrance, Carrie was looking all around in awe as she and Simon walked along together side by side. As they went by the many different stalls that were all around them, her senses were under assault from multiple directions at once as she tried to take in everything that she saw, heard and smelt, and there were lots of delicious smells coming in from everywhere.

There were a number of loudspeakers around the place that were playing Christmas music and songs for people to listen to as they went around the market and enjoyed what was on offer. The Christmas song that was currently being played over the speakers was "O' Holy Night", which was one of Carrie's favourite Christmas carols whenever she heard it being played or sung live back in Chamberlain. As she listened to the song being played, she hoped that she would hear many more different Christmas songs being played throughout the course of the day.

At many of the different stalls they saw, there were lots of delicious looking foods to choose from, ranging from burgers and fries, whole pigs and large sides of beef being cooked on spits over hot barbecue-like fires, different sizes and styles of woks that seemed to be always filled up with varieties of noodles, shrimps, vegetables, and meats, potatoes and other stalls that were selling many other kinds of hot foods from all over the world.

Other stalls were selling drinks, including different varieties of hot mulled wine from all over Europe, all with the rich and comforting smells of cinnamon, mulled spices and cloves, steaming hot chocolate, and even coffee. There were also many stalls about that offered a wide and mouth-watering selection of delicious-looking pastries, cakes, different chocolates, and other confections. There were even some stalls that were selling ice cream, with all the flavours, in bright and vivid colours, on display in large freezers under protective glass.

And many of the other stalls at the market sold different varieties of Christmas gifts, ranging from hand-crafted wooden toys of all types that were painted in very bright colours, and all the way up to a variety of Christmas sweaters and scarfs, as well as an enormous selection of different jewellery and Christmas decorations in all shapes, sizes, and colours to choose from. There was also a fairground carousel ride over at one end of the grounds and even a stall very near to that where people, all wrapped up in their warm clothes, were roasting marshmallows and s'mores on long stick over what looked like a barbecue, but was actually a gas-fuelled fire within fake charcoal filling the barbecue up to the top.

There was even one stall that was selling things called chocolate kisses, which were basically marshmallows that had been formed into the shape of a bell with a thin wafer base and which was then covered with a thin layer of chocolate, and there were all different flavours to choose from, including milk and white chocolate, gingerbread, caramel, white chocolate, run and raisin, and strawberry.

"Wow...there's so much here to see and do. I'm not sure where we should go first." Carrie said, as she looked round in awe at all the activity that was going on around her.

"So, Carrie, it's entirely up to you…what stall shall we go to first?" Simon asked, as he looked at Carrie. She looked round, searching for a stall that caught her attention.

"Let's go over here." Carrie said, pointing to a stall very near to them and they went over. The stall specialised in selling delicious pastries from Central Europe, all of which were under a glass covering to keep them protected and they all looked quite delicious, with many different types of sweet pastries on offer. Many of them were covered with icing, fresh cream, or even melted chocolate. Ice cream with a good variety of different sauces and toppings was also on offer.

"Good choice, Carrie. I really love the pastries that this stall sells, and this one is my favourite." Simon said, pointing to a pastry on one side. It was a dark brown on the outside and looked like a rolled-up cylinder.

"What are those pastries?" Carrie asked, as her eyebrows went up a little and the tip of her tongue slowly ran along the outside of her lips.

"Those pastries are known as Trdelník, and they're a form of pastry from the Czech Republic and covered with a cinnamon sugar. And one of my favourites to try here, particularly when filled with ice cream and topped with sauce." Simon said.

"Well let's try it then." Carrie said, with a smile.

A little over two minutes later, both Carrie and Simon had a Trdelník pastry in their hands, with paper napkins round them and filled with a very rich and creamy vanilla ice cream with a chunk or two of chocolate brownie and topped with salted caramel sauce. They went over to a sheltered and heated seating area where they could sit down at the table and enjoy their pastries and not get in anyone's way.

"Hmm…this is really nice. I've never tried any pastry like this before and this is really delicious." Carrie said, as she took a bite out from the cinnamon flavoured pastry and savoured it along with the icy creaminess of the ice cream.

"I told you…and I hope you'll try a few more delicious things today." Simon said, as he ate his Trdelník with ice cream as well. Carrie felt herself smile; this day, very cold and snowy though it was, was turning into one of the best days of her life so far and she was very hopeful that it would get a bit better as the day went on.

(A little later on)

"Have a look over here, Carrie." Simon said, as he led them over to another of the stalls that caught his eye. This particular one specialised in selling a wide variety of different Christmas decorations. And there was an enormous variety of such decorations on offer, from bright and shiny gold, silver, and red baubles, mistletoe, little Santa Claus's and nutcrackers that could be hung on Christmas trees, as well as bright red and green wreaths to place on doors, and a variety of Christmas stockings in different sizes and in bright red, green and white, and many other different decorations that would be placed around Christmas trees, like model houses, or mounted upon walls or around the bannisters of staircases. Many of the smaller decorations could also be personalised with names along the bottom.

"Wow, I've never seen so many Christmas decorations here at any time before." Carrie said, as she looked round in awe. That was a true statement; back in Chamberlain, where no Christmas market had yet been seen, the most that she'd seen before now were in one of the smaller shops in the leadup to Christmas, which she and Margaret had never celebrated before due to her mother's fanatical religious views.

"Do you see any that you want to buy?" Simon asked.

"I think I'll buy…one of these." Carrie said, as she pointed to one; it was about the size of her hand and was of a jolly Santa Claus with his white beard and wearing his bright red suite waving from his sleigh.

"Oh, I got my mother one of those decorations last year and we put it on the tree on Christmas Eve." Simon said, as he smiled at Carrie's choice.

"Okay, and shall we get this personalised?" Carrie asked, as she lifted one of the decorations.

"Certainly, and we can do it over here." Simon said, as he pointed to the desk in the corner where a woman was sitting with a computer and a specialised machine, ready to help personalise decorations.

A few minutes later, with the decoration she wanted personalised with her own name and in a little bag, Carrie and Simon made their way from the stall.

"Do you think that'll look nice on your Christmas tree later?" Simon asked.

"I really hope it will. Dad and I are planning to put our Christmas tree and lights up in the living room either this evening after he gets back from work or tomorrow morning, as he has tomorrow off. Although, as he mentioned he had a long day of work today, I feel we may be putting the tree up tomorrow." Carrie said.

(Early afternoon)

After walking around for most of the morning and going to many of the different stalls and trying out many of the different foods and seeing what was on offer, as well as buying a few things including gifts and two big boxes of different flavour cupcakes from a stall near the front entrance of the town hall.

They bought a hotdog each at a stall where long hotdog sausages were being cooked over a large hot smoky barbecue. The stall had a roof that had a pointed tip to it, and as a result the smoke from the barbecue rose up and accumulated in the roof until it was spilling out from the sides into the cold winter air, just like with a few of the other stalls in the market.

After getting their hotdogs, the pair then went over to a large, sheltered area, which was set up as a German style pub with a well-stocked bar lining one end of the space, and heaters mounted high up on the walls, where they could enjoy their lunch in comfort.

Their hotdogs were in paper napkins and were topped with fried onions and the sauces they wanted, Simon had put put ketchup and Carrie's hotdog had barbecue sauce.

After they sat down, Simon went over to the bar and bought back to the table two cans of icy cold Coca Cola so they could wash their food down.

"Thanks, Simon." Carrie said, as she tucked into her hotdog.

"It's no problem at all, Carrie. Let's get these into us and get warmed up." Simon said. And nodding in agreement, Carrie and Simon tucked into their hotdogs. Amongst them at the other simple tables near them, many other people were also enjoying their food and drinks, including large tankards of German beer, as well as beer in a number of very different flavours, including strawberry beer, raspberry beer, cherry beer, mango beer and, the strangest of all, banana beer. From behind the bar at the other end of the room, the four bartenders served out different drinks to thirsty customers, including soft drinks, cocktails and beer, with ice or no ice if the customers so desired.

For Carrie, this was such a comfortable atmosphere and the fact that Simon accepted her for who she was, unlike everyone back home in Chamberlain, and never made fun of her at all. He was also deeply sympathetic of her when she had told him everything about her previous life back in the States, and he promised to be the best friend he could to her, something Carrie deeply appreciated.

Carrie was also pleased that the engines of Sodor had promised that they would help her as best as they could, and that was something she was very happy to accept. Smiling a small smile, she opened her can of Coca Cola and took a sip from her drink before she continued eating away at her hotdog.

Once they finished their food, they went back outside to enjoy the rest of the Christmas Market, and to see what else was there to see. Then, as they walked along amongst the crowds of people enjoying the market, they could clearly hear the sounds of Christmas music that were being played from the speakers that had been set up around the grounds. The song being played at the moment was "Jingle Bells", and just like the other carols and music being played, it really helped to give a sense of Christmas cheer to those who were enjoying the market. Feeling herself smile, Carrie and Simon continued on towards the next stall that may catch their interest.

They soon came upon a stall placed against the outside walls of the hall that sold all sorts of different chocolates and sweets. Carrie was amazed by how much colour there was on show at this stall; there was red and green, various shades of blue, orange, yellow and purple, as well as pure white and cream-white. And the selection of products on offer amazed Carrie; under some glass display cases at the front of the stall were a selection of cookies, muffins, brownies, and other baked goods, with many of the brownies, muffins, and cookies being topped with pieces of fudge and chocolate or marshmallows, as well as icing. At the back of the stall, there were also chocolate lollipops, brightly decorated gingerbread houses, boxes that were wrapped up in brightly-coloured Christmas wrapping paper. There were also candy canes, packets of biscuits, and many other different things as well. There were even Christmas cakes wrapped up in clear plastic wrapping, and the colourful decorations on top of them could be clearly seen.

"Wow, this looks nice." Carrie said, as she looked all over this stall.

"Yeah, I know. This is one of the most bright and popular stalls in this market, especially by all the different products it offers for the customers." Simon said, as he looked all over the stall and what it offered today, as well as trying to decide what to buy.

"I can see that." Carrie said, as she also tried to decide what to buy here today. After a few minutes of deciding, both of them eventually bought some cookies and brownies, as well as a few candy canes. After paying for their purchases, the two set off again, wanting to see what else was there to see in the Christmas market.

(A short while later)

Soon, Simon and Carrie came upon another stall, and this one was very different in its appearance from any of the others that they had seen to far. Spread out on the counter of the stall was a lot of crisp white powder, which did look very much like snow. The two people behind the counter, having just shown what they were selling to a number of other customers, looked up when they saw Simon and Carrie approach them.

"And what's all this here?" Simon asked.

"Well, all this sir...is artificial snow. And we're gonna show you how its prepared for instant use, whether it's intended to be used on a film set, on a model Christmas scene, a winter scene for model railways, or even for use in stage performances." said the woman. So, both Carrie and Simon held out one of their hands, and then the two people behind the counter poured some white powder, which didn't look anything like what was already there, onto the palms of their hands.

"And here comes the water, you two." said the man behind the counter, as he and the woman then each poured a small amount of water over the powder. As soon as the water came into contact with the powder, it all began to absorb the water and swell up right before Carrie's and Simon's eyes.

"Oh, it's like magic!" Carrie said, in some excitement, as she watched what was taking place.

"I know! It's brilliant isn't it?" Simon said, as a smile crossed his face. In less than 10 seconds, the white powder had swelled up and turned into the artificial snow seen on the counter. Shaking their hands from side to side, both Carrie and Simon watched as the artificial snow spread out onto the fake snow below them.

After thanking the two people behind the counter for the demonstration, both Carrie and Simon went on their way to the next stall.

(Early evening)

As evening came in, more and more people came to the Christmas market, as that was usually the time when all the bright Christmas lights would be coming on and light up the scene, as well as when the atmosphere there would become really festive. Many of the arriving people were coming in and going up tot heir favourite Christmas stalls where they could get some of their favourite Christmas foods to enjoy, and all in the company of friends and family.

However by that point, both Carrie and Simon, who were feeling very tired after such a long day together at the Christmas market, and having bought a few more things while they were there, including French custard slices, chocolate Yule Logs and crème brulee tarts, lemon tarts and apple tarts, were leaving the Christmas market around the town hall and making their way back to where Caroline was parked. They'd been on their feet for much of the day and they were feeling very tired, but they were both still in very good spirits and feeling very satisfied after a very good day. Carrie was feeling very happy and feeling a little bit full, from having tried out so many different foods at the different stalls.

There had been plenty of Christmas music being played, some over the P.A. system set up in the grounds, and people singing Christmas carols at a stage set up at one end of the grounds. At one point, Simon and Carrie had joined in with singing traditional Christmas carols being played by the band on the stage. And it wasn't just them; quite a few other people had joined in too, creating a very festive, jolly atmosphere. For Carrie, to take part in such festive activities, and to enjoy such delicious food and sing festive Christmas songs really made her day, particularly as she was smiling broadly like she had never done in her life before.

In the very middle of the grounds in front of the hall, an enormous Christmas tree, all decorated with many brightly coloured lights and shiny colourful decorations proudly stood, and under which sat a large number of presents all wrapped up in very bright and colourful wrapping paper and shiny ribbons. There had been lots of fun playing games at some of the stalls where, although they didn't win anything, they'd had a very good time all the same.

"How did you enjoy the day, Carrie?" Simon asked, as they walked together side by side.

"I really enjoyed today, Simon. I really hope we can do something like this again very soon, particularly in the evening times." Carrie said, as she smiled a very big smile. Today had been such a magical experience that she really wanted to go to the Christmas market again sometime soon.

"Oh, I really hope so. I really enjoyed today as well." Simon said, as he smiled as well.

"Hey, look!" Carrie said, as she pointed towards the front of city hall. Simon turned and looked, and he smiled. It was now dark enough that the lights and white stars on the front of the hall were turned on. The stars were shining a bright white light in front of the stained glass windows, while the other lights on the front were either white or in a light blue.

"Wow, what a sight." Simon said. After a few more moments of watching, both Carrie and Simon turned to each other, smiled, and then turned and made their way up the road.

They soon arrived at the car park where Caroline was still safely parked. She woke up when she heard them approach through the cleared and gritted car park.

"Hello, you two." Caroline said, as they came up to her.

"Hey Caroline." Carrie said, with a smile on her face.

"Hi Caroline, sorry we took longer than we thought." Simon said, as he took his car keys out from his pocket and opened the doors.

"Oh, that's all right. I'm just pleased to see you both had a good time today." Caroline said, as she smiled up at them, as they carefully loaded up their purchases they bought from the Christmas Market into the back seats.

"Are you ready to head home?" Carrie asked.

"Yes I am." Caroline said happily, as Simon started the engine. It wouldn't be too long before Caroline's engine had warmed up, and she would feel much better.

"Come on, Carrie. Let's head on home." Simon said, and Carrie quickly got inside and buckled up her seatbelt.

(Not long later)

Simon gently pulled Caroline in along the side of the street just outside the White Residence in Knapford, where Ralph could be seen standing inside the gate waiting for them to arrive. He was looking tired after the long day he had gone through, having been working moving a long and very heavy mixed freight train from Knapford Harbour to Vicarstown over the island's northern line, and then taking another equally long and heavy mixed freight from the yards at Vicarstown back to Knapford Station. That job was soon followed by another job; going down to Brendam Docks and collecting another very long heavy train, this consisting of fully laden 21-ton grain hopper wagons, to bring to the yards near to Tidmouth.

After such a long and tiring day of work, moving freight and delivering refrigerated goods and perishable items to the other side of Sodor before coming back again, Ralph was very tired and eager to have a really good long rest tonight. He was particularly glad to have the next day off, where he and Carrie could get a chance to get the Christmas tree and decorations up.

"Evening Carrie, Simon. Did you both have a good time together today? he asked, as they stepped out of Caroline.

"Hey dad. We had a fantastic time at the Christmas market today." Carrie said, as she took her bags with the purchases she had made out from the back seats of Caroline.

"I think I managed to show Carrie quite a good time today, Ralph. She really enjoyed herself." Simon said, as he smiled a broad smile himself.

"Well done, Simon. Really good work. And I suppose you both tried enough food there which means both of you probably won't need dinner this evening?" Ralph said.

"Yes sir, we did. We both tried a little bit of everything, and we both had some good-sized burgers from one of the main burger stalls before we left the market, so we're both well-fortified." Simon said, as he and Carrie looked at each other and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little bit stuffed after today, dad." Carrie said, with a smile.

"That's good." Ralph said with a smile, before he looked up into the sky; the sky which had been clear up until a few moments before was now starting to become cloudy as a wide band of dense clouds rolled in from the northwest.

"Well, I think you'd better get yourself and Caroline back home as soon as possible, Simon. It looks like there's gonna be more snow on the way tonight." Ralph said.

"All right, Ralph. I think that might be a wise idea." Simon said.

But before Simon got back into Caroline so he could head on his way home, he turned to look at Carrie.

"I'm very glad you enjoyed today, Carrie." he said.

"Me too, Simon. I really hope that we can get the chance to go to the Christmas market again as soon as possible before Christmas, but this time during the evening time, when it's all lit up nice and bright." Carrie said, as she smiled.

"I'm glad, Carrie. And don't worry, I guarantee that we'll go to the Christmas market again on some evening before Christmas." Simon said, as he and Carrie gave each other a warm, appreciative hug, something that Ralph smiled at. Even Caroline looked pleased.

"Anyway…you'd best get yourself on home." Carrie said, after a moment, as they pulled apart.

"Of course, I think my parents might be wondering where I am right about now…shall I see you tomorrow morning?"

"Certainly, I'd love to spend some more time with you." Carrie said.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Carrie, Ralph." said Simon, as he got back into Caroline and closed the door behind him. Giving a friendly toot on the horn, and a wave out the window, Simon headed on his way home. Carrie and her father stood and waved as Caroline went on down the road, and then turned onto another side street and out of sight.

"Well, come on, let's get ourselves inside and out of the cold, Carrie, and get a hot drink and get warmed up by the fire. I'm looking forward to trying out some of those cakes you bought at the market today." Ralph said, as he rubbed his cold hands together in anticipation.

"Okay, dad. I'm really looking forward to trying these cakes too. I also bought a selection of brownies and some other nice pastries too." Carrie said, as she glanced down at the large bag she was holding in one hand; one of the stalls at the market had a good selection of cupcakes on offer, including death by chocolate, red velvet, lemon meringue and vanilla sprinkles to name just a few of the different varieties on offer. And without wasting another moment, they stepped inside the house.

(Chamberlain, Maine; a few hours later, local time 19:00pm)

A large gathering of local people, as well as many of the students and teachers from Ewen High School, congregated together in one of the parks that was very close to the centre of town to hold a candlelit vigil for Carrie, in the hopes that she would hopefully be found and brought home safely.

Among those congregating together in the park on this winter evening were Sue and Tommy, and they stood together with many of those from the school, holding lit candles in their hands, all of which were in glass jars so as to catch any melted wax that might spill from where the flames on the candles were melting the wax.

It was really a bitterly cold evening out with heavy snow on the ground, with it being up to two feet deep in some places, or even deeper in a few places. The night air was also bitterly cold, with everyone's breath being seen streaming from their mouths and noses in dense white clouds. The bitter cold caused almost everyone present to shiver somewhat, despite the fact that many of them were all wearing heavy winter clothing and warm footwear.

Standing very close to Sue was Norma Watson; normally Norma was one of the peppiest students in Ewen High with her very positive mood and her often too over-friendly ways. But now, she had on her face a sombre look and was wearing a heavy black overcoat over her clothes as well as a black winter hat on her head, both were almost like symbols of mourning at a time like this.

"Are you feeling all right, Norma?" Sue asked, when she saw the gloomy look on Norma's face.

"I'm all right, Sue. But, has there been any recent news of Carrie?" Norma asked, as she turned to look at Sue.

"No Norma, nothing extremely recent in the news or from the police that can shed any light on what may have happened." Sue said, solemnly.

"Yeah, well…at least we know that Margaret's still securely in custody." Tommy said. That they all knew well; Margaret White was still undergoing extensive mental tests to determine just how her mental state was. Having been diagnosed with severe schizophrenia amongst other mental conditions, the doctors were still working away on finding any other severe mental conditions Margaret had.

The White residence on nearby Carlin Street was still being looked over by the investigators, and as a result of the on-going investigation there was still police tape and patrolling police guards going round the place to keep any curious people away.

A lot of the belongings and other things that were felt to be important to Carrie, including books, any jewellery, pictures, and any other kind of things like that, had already been removed from the house and were now placed into secure long-term storage so that they could be returned to Carrie when, or if, her ever came home to Chamberlain. At the same time, the investigators were looking for any further pieces of evidence that would implicate Margaret in the abuse of Carrie, based on the extensive information in the book that Carrie had left behind.

With the information Carrie had left behind having been thoroughly looked over, the case had taken a far more serious turn than it had before. It had turned from a simple missing person's case to a criminal investigation, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (the F.B.I), the local Child Protective Services (C.P.S.) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (A.S.P.C.C.) now all involved in the case, and all of whom were very eager to find out what had happened in the White Residence at 47 Carlin Street, meaning Margaret White was now in potentially more serious trouble than she had been before.

At the same time, a lot of missing person posters, which had been put up by the police, with Carrie's picture on the front of them had appeared on many lamp-posts, notice boards, and on walls at various different spots all around the town of Chamberlain.

Missing:

Have you seen this girl?

Picture of Carrie

Carrietta "Carrie" Nicole White

Age: 16; Height: about 5' 6"; Weight: between 125 and 130 pounds.

Hair Colour: Strawberry Blonde

Eye Colour: Green

Was last seen early on the morning of November 19 before disappearing.

Believed to have taken a bus down from Chamberlain down to Portland, Maine, where she was last seen not long after.

Believed to be very vulnerable, due to constant bullying and torment from her sadistic classmates,

as well as having been badly abused by her mother Margaret White within her own home.

If you have seen or have any information about Carrie, please call the Chamberlain Police Department with the number below.

Very close by to Sue and Tommy stood Ewen High School's gym teacher Rita Desjardin, who was equally well wrapped up in warm clothes as everyone else was, and she was also holding a lit candle within a glass jar. She had an uncertain and forlorn look on her face; it was just the uncertainty of knowing whether or not Carrie was alive or where she was, as well as not knowing where she may be found or when she may be found or if she would ever return to Chamberlain at all.

Dotted among the slow growing crowd of local residents within the park were many other familiar faces from Ewen High School, both students and teachers alike, as well as a large number of well-known local people from various businesses within town, all of whom were holding lit candles in jars and keeping a solemn vigil as a smartly dressed local official standing in a raised area before the gathered crowd made a speech.

However, noticeably absent from this gathering crowd of people were Chris Hargensen and her boyfriend, local "tough guy" Billy Nolan. They were spending this very cold evening together socialising together with Tina Blake and Donna Kellogg and their boyfriends, Kenny Garson and Jackson "Jackie" Talbot respectively, over at the Kelly Fruit Company diner not too far away from here while the place was quiet. A few of the other students from Ewen High School, and a few other people from within Chamberlain, were also absent from the well-attended vigil this evening, citing "other commitments" as the reason for it.

Both Sue and Tommy were somewhat disgusted at the fact that Chris wasn't taking part in this vigil, when some of the others who weren't there genuinely couldn't attend this evening due to the fact that they had their own jobs to do elsewhere, or had other business outside town. And almost everyone else in school and quite a few other people in town were disgusted by that fact as well as well, but most of them quickly shook away those thoughts. Sue looked up and concentrated on what was happening before her, as well as making sure she didn't burn herself with hot melted wax from the candle she was carrying.

Then music started to play from somewhere close by and people began singing along with the song to show their support, and Sue and Tommy did so as well, as they wondered where Carrie was and what had become of her.

That's the end for this chapter, everyone! As we've seen, she and Simon had a great time at the Sodor Christmas market today, despite the snow and the cold winter weather. A lot of what you've just read about the Christmas market is based off of my own experience from going to the Christmas market in Belfast, Northern Ireland between 2016 and 2023, and the Belfast Christmas Market has a lot of very similar stalls to what was described in this chapter. And from seeing all the people back in Chamberlain towards the end of the chapter, well it's clear that most of them are deeply concerned about Carrie and wondering if she's okay.