//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: New Friends and an Offer // Story: Rails Of Wonder // by Sanguine Blade //------------------------------// If one travels were to arrived at Shining Time Station. They would most likely meet the kind Stacy Jones at the desk. However, if you stuck around you might meet the magical Mr. Conductor. Now most think he is the only one of his kind. His first cousin Junior as he is called, is also a gold dust user, but that isn't all. If you head towards the sun as the crow flies, you'll eventually come across a riverside town. This is the town of Gossamer and it is here where the story...begins. It was a beautiful day as the train pulled into the station of Gossamer. Many people step off the train but one that goes unseen is a young girl. She wears a red shirt with jeans and a tattered little hoodie. As the people depart she waits in the station building. No one noticed as she stayed all day barely moving. "Excuse me?" A voice says. The girl looks to see a women in her forties. She is dressed in dark blue and a Ticketmaster's hat. "Are you waiting for someone dear? Its very late." She asked. There was silence until the girls finally spoke. "No." She said. Her voice was light and kind but monotone at the moment. "Then what brings you to Gossamer?" The Ticketmaster asked. The girl looked down then back to her. "I..ran away. My life was bad at home. So, I hopped a train and here I am...all alone." The girl replied clearly upset. The Ticket master looked at the girl with sympathetic eyes. Then hugged her. "I'm sorry for you. If you want we have a spare bed here at the station that you can sleep." The woman stood up. "My name is Katelyn but you can call me Kate." She said escorting the girl to the spare room. "I am...Lauren. Some call me Laurie though." Lauren said. The door opened to a small room with a shelf, bedside table, and plush bed perfectly cleaned. Lauren smiled and felt tears in her eyes. "Thank you." She said getting into bed. "Your welcome Laurie. If you ever need a friend. I'm here and so is my best friend." Kate said as she handed Laurie a gold whistle. "Give one blow on this and my friend will hear you." She said and left the room. Laurie just looked over the shiny whistle. It shone like gold and was perfectly clean as if never touched before. Laurie merely shrugged and out it on the table before turning the lamp off and going to bed and as she was falling asleep she swore she heard the distant sound of a train whistle going off. The next morning, Laurie woke to the sound of a whistle and woke up with a yawn and climbed out of bed to see a clean set of clothes on the bedside table. "What?" She said confused. On the top of the set of clothes was a note. No need for rags anymore. A friend. Laurie put on the new clothes. She had simple clean jeans, a nice clean red shirt, and a light white hoodie. She looked to her table and picked up the gold whistle then put it into her pocket. She walked out to the Ticketmaster's office and saw Kate cleaning up the station floor. Kate turned to her and smiled. "Morning there Laurie. I trust you slept well?" Kate asked sweetly. "Good. Did you give me these?" She asked gesturing to the clothes. Katy shook her head. "No but I think my friend did." Katie replied continuing to mop the floor. Laurie pulled the whistle out. "What do you mean? How did she do that?" Laurie asked. Then she looked moved the whistle around in her hand. "Also how does this bring her to those she helps?" She finished confused. "I told you. Just a blow on the whistle gets her here. Let me show you." Kate said holding out her hand. Laurie gave the whistle to her and Kate blew a not on the whistle. "Pe~eep!" The whistle rang out. "I don't think it-" Laurie started, but interrupted by another whistle sound. "Peep Peeeep" Rang out as a shimmer appeared in front of them. The shimmer faded into a smartly dressed woman in a Conductor outfit. The woman herself had red hair bound in a tight pony tail and she wore a broad smile. "Kate! How are you doing?" She said in a singsong voice giving Kate a big hug. "Well old friend, I wanted to show you my new pal Laurie here. She's...been through a lot." She whispered the last part as to not hurt Laurie's feelings. "Oh. Well hello there Laurie, I'm Madam Conductor or Ms. Conductor. Pleasure to meet you." She said holding out her hand. Laurie shook it. "Nice to met you Ms. Conductor" Laurie replied. "What do you do?" She asked Ms. Conductor. "Oh I work at a wonderful railway filled with friends of mine. It does get busy though and I don't always have enough help. so I come to visit Kate from time to time on vacation." Ms. Conductor replied checking her pocket watch. "So what do you like Laurie." She asked. "I do like trains a lot and I read books on how they work." Laurie said. Ms. Conductor was surprised then she put her hand to her chin in pondering. "So would you like to work on a railway if you could?" Ms. Conductor asked thinking an idea over in her head. Laurie nodded. "What about getting a fresh start of sorts?" Ms. Conductor said. "What do you mean?" Laurie asked. "Oh well you see I work on a railway far away. I could always use an extra pair of hands to give me a hand with the workload. How about it? I take you with me back and you can have a start in a new place away from all the old troubles." Ms conductor asked. Laurie thought carefully then looked at Ms. Conductor. "I'd like that. I get to work with trains and I can make new friends. Thank you." She said with an almost tearful smile. "Well then I'll pick you up tomorrow after telling my supervisor. I promise you'll do great things." Ms conductor squatted down to hug the girl. While Laurie was not super young, The shoes and Ms. Conductor's above average height for a female made it a task to give Laurie a hug. "Make sure to have all your stuff packed. Tomorrow will be here before you know it. Till then I best go talk to my boss." She said pulling out a duplicate gold whistle. "Bye!" She said. then "Peep Peeep" rang from the whistle as she blew into it and she vanished in a cloud of golden dust. Laurie smiled and hugged Kate. Tomorrow would be the beginning of a new life.