A young girl is lying in her bed one night, when a train arrives outside her door. What happens next will take her on an incredible journey of self-discovery, and how important simply believing is...
Based on Chris van Allsburg's classic book, and the 2004 film of the same name. My 25th story, fittingly enough.
A long time ago, many years in the past on a night like tonight, I lay silently in my bed. I could hear the snow pattering down outside the window, and the quiet hubbub of the street fade to nothing, but I didn’t move a muscle. I didn’t disturb the sheets, and it would have been very tempting to avoid breathing either.
The reason I stayed so silent was simple. I was listening for the sound of Santa’s sleigh.
“There is no Santa!” insisted one of my friends from school, but I knew she was wrong. Or was she? After hearing people discuss and debate it in the playground before and after school, I was no longer certain what to believe in. I’ll admit I was having doubts about whether he was real, but I held out hope nonetheless.
Just then, I heard the sound of someone walking in through the door. I got out of bed and looked out through the keyhole on my door. They had a hat on, and was carrying something.
Could it be-?
No, it was just my Pa, carrying a sack. I immediately jumped back into bed, hearing my parents wander past the door, loudly talking with one another.
“Ah don’t get how they keep it up!” said Pa.
“It’s a lovely tradition to maintain, and if it keeps her happy, then it’s good for me,” Ma replied.
“For heaven’s sake, she’s nearly 10!” Pa exclaimed. “When will she ever grow up?”
I knew that they were talking about me, but why it was such a problem to them I had no idea.
“Remember the Christmas spirit!” Ma answered. “What would Christmas be otherwise than an exercise in capitalism?”
“Christmas was when a baby was born, not when some random man on a sleigh drops off a load of parcels. Besides, how many copyright patents has he infringed?”
“Keep it down, the kids are asleep!”
“We’ll discuss this further in the morning.” Pa’s word was final as they walked away to their room.
I had never seen this side of them. Did they really have this much of a problem with it? I decided I’d stry and answer the issue myself. I climbed out of bed, and grabbed an encyclopaedia, turning to the entry for North Pole:
North Pole, northern end of Earth’s axis, lying in the Arctic Ocean, about 450 miles (725 km) north of Greenland. This geographic North Pole does not coincide with the magnetic North Pole—to which magnetic compasses point and which in the early 21st century lay north of the Queen Elizabeth Islands of extreme northern Canada at approximately 82°15′ N 112°30′ W (it is steadily migrating northwest)—or with the geomagnetic North Pole, the northern end of Earth’s geomagnetic field (about 79°30′ N 71°30′ W). The geographic pole, located at a point where the ocean depth is about 13,400 feet (4,080 metres) deep and covered with drifting pack ice, experiences six months of complete sunlight and six months of total darkness each year.
It was clear this wasn’t what I was looking for. I skipped on a few pages;
The first ships to visit the pole were the U.S. nuclear submarines Nautilus (1958) and Skate (1959), the latter surfacing through the ice, and the Soviet icebreaker Arktika was the first surface ship to reach it (1977). Other notable surface expeditions include the first confirmed to reach the pole (1968; via snowmobile), the first to traverse the polar region (1969; Alaska to Svalbard, via dog sled), and the first to travel to the pole and back without resupply (1986; also via dog sled); the last expedition also included the first woman to reach the pole, American Ann Bancroft.
This wasn’t helping to quell my doubts; far from it. I climbed back into bed, hoping I’d get some sleep at last.
But something strange happened. My clock, as it approached 23:59, suddenly stopped. The stars outside had stopped moving as well.
But then my room began to shake as a loud...chuffing sound echoed through the air. A whistle roared and steam flew up in the distance. The noise began to slow down as time went on. I jumped out of bed, and grabbed my dressing gown.
But as I moved, I tore the pocket. I continued to sprint, pulling on my shoes and a pair of socks as I went along.
I ran down to the main road, to be presented with a sight I would never forget.
In front of me, was a massive train of 20 coaches, each of them stainless steel cars approximately 50 feet long. Each was finished out in a silver and red livery, and bore the text ‘Polar Express’.
I walked up the train, my mind utterly baffled at this sight. Sitting at the front of the train, was a massive steam locomotive. It had two leading wheels, eight massive driving wheels, and four trailing wheels mounted under a massive firebox. The boiler was huge, and covered in pipes leaking steam into the cold air, and the boiler had two massive domes. The air reservoirs sat underneath the high running board, and the locomotive had a large cowcatcher mounted to the front, with a knuckle eye coupler on the very front.
The cab had multiple windows, and the engineer looked out at the terrain ahead. I knew that the terrain was pretty flat up ahead. The engine’s tender had the text ‘Polar Express’ written on the side.
Suddenly, a voice called to me down the train. It belonged to a tall man with a moustache, who was wearing a conductor’s uniform. “May I ask your name?”
“A-Apple Bloom, sir,” I stammered. This was because it was rather cold.
“You have a reservation onboard this train. Ya comin’?” he asked.
“Where?” I asked.
“To the North Pole, of course!” the conductor replied. “This is the Polar Express!”
I stood for a moment. But then I extended my hand and he pulled me up the steps.
“You’ve made a good choice,” he said. The train started to move away, the engine snorting steam into the air and making short work of the heavy train.
I entered the passenger car to be surrounded by a scene of merriment. Many children were seated inside the car, all laughing and playing with one another. All of them were dressed in nightwear of some description, and all of them seemed to be happy. Some were even engaging in a singalong of some old song. They were rather out of tune, but at least they were trying. After all, it’s the effort that counts!
I took my seat in one of the empty rows and slid up to the window, to see the countryside scrolling past me in the blackness. The light from the carriage window illuminated the partial gloom as we sped along, though I had no idea how the folks in the town were totally unaware of a massive steam engine and passenger train rolling along. It simply beggared belief!
I was interrupted from my thoughts when a voice spoke to me from in front. “Hey, you there?”
I looked up.
“Yes, you, redhead!” the voice said again. I saw the voice belonged to a girl with pink skin and white and pink hair, dressed in a purple nightgown and red dressing gown.
“Somethin’ ya need?” I asked.
“Do you know what kind of train this is?” the girl asked. “Oh, and I’m Diamond Tiara, by the way.”
“Ah didn’t get a proper look at the loco, but it looked ta be some sorta Berkshire,” I replied.
Another girl popped her head up over the seat. She had white skin and candyfloss hair, and her green eyes glimmered with intensity. “Don’t be silly, it’s a magic train!”
Diamond rolled her eyes. “It’s a Baldwin, silly. Built in 1931.”
Despite the glimpse I had of the engine, I had clearly seen several design features on it that were hallmarks of Lima. As Diamond rattled on, nobody particularly listening, the other girl extended her hand. She herself was wearing purple, which seemed to be a popular colour around here.
“I’m Sweetie Belle!” she exclaimed. “What’s your name?”
“Ah’m Apple Bloom.” I was intentionally succinct, and shook her hand in response.
“So,” Diamond cut in again, “Are we really going to the North Pole?”
“Of course, we are!” Sweetie Belle said. “Sometimes you need a little more faith.”
Just then, the conductor appeared again. Somehow, he reminded me of Tom Hanks. As he walked down the carriage, he called out. “Tickets, please!”
I looked about in confusion. “Ah don’t have a ticket sir. And mah nightgown has no pockets.”
He looked down. “Check your dressing gown pocket.”
I put my hand through the torn one.
“Check your other pocket.”
I put my hand in, and felt something shiny. I drew it out, and sure enough it was an old Edmondson ticket. It was coloured golden, and had an image of the engine emblazoned on it with the text ‘Polar Express’ stamped on top.
He took the ticket, and punched not one hole in the ticket, but hundreds. The speed at which he worked was incredible, and caused me to question whether I was truly awake, or had far too much cheese last night.
He handed the ticket to me, which now read ‘Polar Express’ through all the holes cut in it. Shame, as it ruined the picture of the engine.
Just then, the train began to slow down. The conductor activated the in-train intercom. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we do apologise for the abrupt change in speed, but we are arriving at our last scheduled stop before the North Pole. Repeat, this is the last stop before the North Pole. This train is now calling at Peters’ Avenue.”
The train rolled to a complete stop, and we saw the door open on the house. The conductor hopped out onto the foot platform, and as we watched a girl with purple hair and orange skin stepped out of the house and toward him. She was dressed in a pair of purple pyjamas and had a blue dressing gown on.
“Well, ya comin’?” the conductor asked, giving his typical spiel.
I saw the girl say something, but at that distance I couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“To the North Pole, of course!” exclaimed the conductor, “this is the Polar Express!”
The girl just looked at him, dumbfounded.
“Well,” the conductor boomed. “Suit yourself.” He climbed back aboard, and the train started to move away, faster and faster.
But to my shock, the girl began to run after the train, and grabbed onto the handrail on one of the cars. But by this point the train was going much too fast. The girl couldn’t hold on, and she let go, falling onto the floor as she did so with her face in the snow, no doubt freezing by now.
I looked back. “We have ta stop the train!” I cried.
“But how?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Diamond Tiara pointed to a red lever on the back wall. “Throw the Emergency Brake!” she cried. “That’ll bring the train to a swift and effective stop!”
I ran over to the lever, and put both of my hands on it. I tugged with all my might, but at long last it came free and slammed downward. The brake blocks slammed on throughout the train, and there was a terrible screeching and groaning noise as the train ground to a halt, sending everybody flying.
I looked back, and saw the girl successfully climb aboard. But she didn’t move forward to the front of the train like the rest of us. Instead, she walked back into the observation car.
Before any of us could question this, a loud voice shouted, “Who pulled the emergency brake?”
It was the conductor. And boy did he look cross.
Diamond Tiara was quick to act. “She did!” she shouted, pointing at me.
The conductor walked up to me. “Are you some sort of saboteur?” he asked. “This is will compromise the timetable!”
I tried to stammer out some sort of response, but Sweetie Belle came to my rescue.
“She pulled the brake so that kid could get on!”
The conductor sighed. “Noble,” he said. “But this could cause us to run late. I have not been late before, and I do not intend for this year to change that!”
As the train got going, he walked over to the train intercom. “Are any passengers in need of refreshment?” he asked.
As the train got going, he (the conductor) walked over to the train intercom. “Are any passengers in need of refreshment?” he asked.
There was a cheer from all of the children onboard.
The conductor smiled. “I thought so.”
Just then, the door at the opposite end of the carriage opened, and out came a trolley with dancing chefs. Transforming the chairs into tables, and swinging some around to be opposite the direction of travel, they dispensed coffee cups and served, quite simply, the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever tasted.
It was hot, and thick, and creamy, so much so I think they may have overdone the milk a tiny bit. But it was much needed refreshment from the intense cold. We all had our fill of the delicious substance, as one cup was enough to satisfy our thirst. And just as suddenly as they had appeared, they vanished back up the train. The seating was reset, and the tables vanished as if they had never been there.
Even more did it become apparent to me that this might not be real. I mean, on how many railways do you get served that quickly, and to that high quality? It was like the old stories I had read of what the railways used to be. Of course, Canterlot lost its rail connection a long time ago, well before I was born.
The conductor addressed us again. “We should be at the North Pole within the hour. Please relax and enjoy the trip.” He then stepped forward and went to go through the door.
I noticed Sweetie Belle pick up a mug of hot chocolate from underneath her seat.
“How’d you find that?” I asked.
“The kid in the observation car didn’t get any,” she explained. “So I’m gonna take her some.”
She walked to the back door of the carriage, when Diamond Tiara shouted, “It’s a federal offence to cross between train cars without a responsible adult!”
This, it seems, caught the conductor’s attention, as he walked back toward the back of the carriage. “Excuse me, young lady, but what are you doing?” he asked.
Sweetie Belle turned to him, and tried to do her best adorable face. “Please sir,” she said, “but there’s another child in the observation car who didn’t get any hot chocolate.”
“You want to take her some?” the conductor asked.
Of course, she did. What else did it look like? But she simply said to him, “yes sir, I do.”
He nodded. “By all means, we shall.” He opened the door, and dropped the foot ramp, and away they went into the bitter cold.
When they went, I noticed something was amiss. “She forgot her ticket!” I exclaimed.
“Why not just leave it there and wait until they get back?” Diamond Tiara asked.
“What if he asks fer it in the observation car, and she doesn’t have it?” I reasoned. “He’ll throw her off the train!”
“Well, you’d better take it to her, hadn’t you?” Diamond retorted.
I got up, took the ticket in my hand, and crossed to the gap before us. But the wind was fiercer than I thought, and the ticket blew out of my hand, into the air and heaven knows where!
I returned to my seat, dejected. I’d messed up, big time. This was even worse than that time I'd mixed up the cider crates and the jam ones.
Sweetie Belle came by, and looked down. “Hang on a minute, where’d my ticket go?” she asked, in alarm.
“Ah tried ta get it ta ya,” I said, “but it blew away.” I then handed my ticket forward to her. “Look, ya can have mine-”
“No!” the conductor hissed. “Those tickets are non-transferable. I’m afraid, Miss Belle, you’ll have to come with me.”
He led her toward the back of the train. I hung my head in shame, knowing I’d messed up, spectacularly. I’d probably got her thrown off the train. And she wouldn’t get to see the North Pole, or whatever it was we were going to see at the North Pole. How would you even build rails over the North Sea? The engineering would be stupendous, not to mention extremely expensive to maintain.
Suddenly, I became of a noise from an air vent. Suddenly, the ticket landed beside me.
“If Ah’m quick,” I said, “Ah can get the ticket ta her before he throws her off the train!”
I jumped up out of my seat, making sure to stick the ticket in my shoe this time. And I crossed over the carriage, and walked through the observation car. The girl was seated there, looking at the floor.
“Where’d they go?” I asked.
“Up on top of the train,” was all she said.
I ran onto the rear platform, and climbed up onto a latter. I reached the top of the carriage, and wandered forward through the snow. Up ahead I could see them walking along the top of the carriage. But they were getting further and further away.
“Hey!” I called. “Ah’ve got yer ticket!”
But the wind whipped my words away before they could hear them.
But there was the sound of music before I got there. For seated on top of the carriage, was none other than a man, playing an accordion and singing horribly out of tune.
The man seated before me had an unkempt appearance, for lack of a better word. His beard clearly hadn’t been shaved in ages, and his clothes were old and worn. He had a flat cap upon his head, and a long nose that made him resemble Pinocchio. At the current moment in time, he was sat in front of a fire, and was playing an accordion, all the while singing out of tune.
“Good King Wenceslas looked out,
On the feast of Steven,
Where the snow lay round-about
Deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night,
Tho' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight-”
He looked up, seeing me there, and stopped.
“Gathrin’ winter fuel,” I finished.
“Well?” he asked, looking at me with eyes that glimmered with intensity. “What do you want?”
I shivered in spite of my dressing gown. “Ah’m lookin’ for a girl who passed this way. Have ya seen one?”
“There are a lotta girls on this train kid,” the man said. “How about ya sit down here and warm yerself up? You look like yer freezin’!”
I sat down by the fire, not entirely sure of what was going on. The man passed a drink over.
“Here’s some Kinderpunch!” he said. “It’s from Germany originally, and is derived from the Weinachtsman tradition.”
I tasted it. It had a nice taste, but boy was it hot!
“So,” the man continued, with a smile on his face. “Can you describe this girl in more detail?”
“Well,” I said, “she had white skin, candyfloss hair, and was wearin’ purple. The conductor should have been with her.”
“The conductor?” the man said. “Well, that man can keep away from me. I’m the king of this train.” He stood up. “As a matter of fact, I AM KING OF THE ENTIRE WORLD!”
I was confused. “Isn’t Santa the king of this train?”
He laughed. “You mean this guy?” he asked. He then started laughing in a stereotypical manner. “No, he ain’t got nothin’ on me.”
I was getting worried. “If we don’t find that girl, she’ll get thrown off the train, and it’ll be all my fault!”
The man sat down again. “Well, I know this train inside out. He’s probably taking her to the locomotive. If you’re gonna catch them, we’ll need to hurry.”
He stepped up, strapping a pair of skis to his feet. “Step aboard kid, we’re goin’ for a ride!”
I stepped onto the skis, and he propelled us forward onto the next carriage, jumping as he did so.
We covered at least 3 cars that way, putting us on car number 16. The man pointed ahead.
“We’re about to descend a slope, a pretty steep one,” he said. “At the bottom is Flat Top Tunnel. No prizes for why it’s called that. If we fail to get there before the tunnel, we’ll never catch them.”
“Won’t the train go fast when it descends?” I asked.
“If the train goes fast, so do we.”
We started sliding down the carriages at high speed. “GRAVITY!” the man shouted. “NATURE’S DOWNHILL EXPRESS!”
We jumped from car to car, the wind whistling through our hair as we flew forward. Slowly, but surely, we closed the gap from car to car. But the tunnel mouth was approaching.
We reached the final car. “We can’t make it to the cab!” I cried.
“I can’t!” The man cried. “But you can! Remember this, just believe!”
I was suddenly thrown forward, and yelped as I fell through a pile of coal in the tender.
I slid through, and landed on the floor of the engine’s cab. Boy was I messy! I was covered in coal dust, and probably looked like a chimney sweep.
Coughing, I pulled myself forward, out of the coal and stood up on the platform deck. To my amazement, Sweetie Belle was sat in the engineer’s seat!
“Sweetie Belle!” I cried. “Yer OK!”
She looked back. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” she said. “They let me drive for a bit, as the Engineer and Stoker are out front, changing the front light.” She pointed up to the whistle chord. “You can blow the whistle, if you want.”
I tugged on the chord, and sounded out four notes. Long-Long-Short-Long. “Ah’ve wanted to do that mah whole life!” I cried.
“It’s fun, isn’t it?” she said.
But then, danger loomed. Sweetie Belle looked at me. “We need to stop!” she cried. “The Engineer is signalling danger up ahead!”
“Which is the brake?” I asked.
“It’s the lever there,” she said, pointing to a brass lever mounted to a column.
I stepped over, and then saw a red lever. “Ya sure it’s not that one?”
“That’s the Reverser!” she cried. “The brake is mounted sideways!”
I reached for the brass lever, and swung it from left to right. The brakes came on with a sickening crunch, as Sweetie Belle pulled back the throttle. The train slowed down and stopped, and we got out of the cab and walked forward to see the conductor arguing with the crew.
“Flim, Flam, you always mess it up!” he shouted.
“It’s not our fault there are Caribou here!” one of them shouted back.
“Those are elk!” the conductor replied. “They just sound like caribou for some strange reason.”
“How do we get them out of the way?” asked the other.
One of them hopped off, walked back down to the engine, climbed onboard, and sounded the whistle. That did the trick.
The crowd of the creatures scattered in all directions, and myself, the conductor, and Sweetie Belle boarded the locomotive, standing on the front buffer beam. I’d read in history that it used to be quite popular to ride on the front buffer beam of an engine, so this ewas quite an experience.
The conductor looked back. “ALL AHEAD, SLOW!” he called.
The Engineer opened the regulator and released the brakes. Away we went, slowly as we did so, biting into a steep gradient along the way.
We started up the gradient, slowly building up power as we did so. The locomotive eased the heavy train into the grade, and continued to pick up speed. Soon we were going worryingly fast, far faster than seemed safe.
“We’re goin’ pretty fast!” I said.
The conductor looked back down the train. “Tell the engineer to slow down!” he called.
Sweetie Belle shouted down the engine. “Slow down!” she cried. “Shut off steam!”
It was no use. Her words were torn away from her mouth as soon as they left them, flying away into the aether and the storm behind us.
She looked back at the conductor, defeated. “They can’t hear me!” she despaired.
“Quick!” the conductor called. “Hold onto the safety bar!”
“What are we gonna do?” I asked nervously. “Is everythin’ alright?”
“Well,” said the conductor, “considering the fact that we have lost communication with the engineer, we are standing, totally exposed, at the front of the locomotive, the train appears to be accelerating uncontrollably, and,” he went on, “we are probably approaching Glacer Gulch, which at 89 degrees is the steepest downhill gradient in the world, I’d suggest we all hold on...”
Just then the train mounted the crest of the climb, and descended into a steep drop.
“...TIGHTLY!”
We roared down the gradient at incredible speed, seemingly out of control. We roared through cantilevered curves, up climbs, and down steep drops at well in excess of safe control. I honestly wondered how the locomotive even managed to stay on the track, let alone glide around those sharp bends. But that would be the least of our troubles.
Turns out, somebody thought it would be a bright idea to build a railway line through the middle of a lake. Only problem is, what happens when the water turns to ice?
The conductor had only just realised this, it seems, and cried out. “Ice has frozen over the tracks!”
The engine roared onto the ice, skidding about madly like a car that’d taken a curve too fast and was trying to correct itself. But the engine then smashed into an ice pillar, which sent the engine rocking over to one side.
Sweetie Belle was hurled into the air. I grabbed onto her hand as she screamed for me not to let go. The conductor grabbed my shoulder, and we lugged her back onboard. The engine’s brakes slammed on, and the locomotive swung around to face the right way.
The conductor walked back along the engine, and opened the roof hatch. “What in the name of Chris Kringle were you doing?” he demanded. “You could have got us killed!”
“The throttle jammed!” the engineer shouted. “But we’ve got it working now and-”
“Look!” I shouted. The ice behind us was cracking and would soon reach us.
The conductor shouted. “Get us the blazes out of here!”
The engineer brought the engine into full reverse, and slammed the throttle open. The engine began to back up quickly. This raised an obvious question; given ice is so slippery, how on earth could the engine even gain traction? Another adjustment of the reverser swung the engine around, as we raced away from our certain doom.
Just then, something was illuminated in the darkness up ahead.
“What’s that?” Sweetie Belle called.
The conductor looked in amazement. “TRACKS!”
He started feeding instructions to the engineer, who in response began to adjust the reverser backward and forward. This had the effect of turning the engine left and right, which somehow didn’t tear the valve gear apart, but whatever. As if this train will start making sense now!
Back and forth we snaked across the ice, getting slowly closer to our target. The intense speed started to play with my trainers, and one of them flew off, revealing the ticket.
“Quick!” Sweetie Belle called. “You’re gonna lose your ticket!”
“It ain’t mah ticket!” I called in response. “It’s yers!”
“It’s mine?” she asked in surprise. We both reached for the object, and mercifully caught it before it blew away.
At last we reached the rails on the other side of the gorge, and the train dropped onto them just in time before the ice collapsed. The train pulled forward up the slope and out of danger.
Sweetie Belle hugged me. “I’m so glad you found my ticket!” she squealed.
The conductor spoke up. “Did somebody say ticket?”
“Yes sir!” we chorused, before laughing.
He smiled. “Well, by all means, tickets please.”
Sweetie Belle passed the ticket up, and the conductor punched it, before handing it back to her.
Following that little adventure, I was more than happy for a rest. We passed through to the passenger car, where I flopped in the seat.
“Did you see that?” Diamond Tiara cried. “We were steaming across ice! I’ll never forget that!”
I left the car and walked into the observation car, to see Sweetie Belle singing with the girl who’d been in there the entire time. They’d just finished, from what I could make out. I looked out of the back of the train as we stormed over the ocean without any bridges or apparent support for the rails.
“Isn’t this just a wonderful time?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Not for me,” the other girl said. “Christmas isn’t even a concept to my aunts. They’ve cared for me ever since my parents died.”
“That’s awful!” Sweetie Belle replied.
“It’s life for me,” the other girl answered. “I’ve accepted my lot is to be poor, and not enjoy the life that other people do. Some people mope about not being able to have things. I simply get on with it.”
Just then, the conductor arrived. “Hello!” he called. “Look there. Just out to sea, beyond the locomotive itself.”
We looked out to sea, to see (haha) a set of lights.
“See those lights?” he said. “They look like the strange lights of an ocean liner, on a frozen sea.” He paused for dramatic effect and pointed. “There, is the North Pole.”
We thundered across the remaining rails that led up to the landmass stretching out in front of our very eyes. We roared onto a massive viaduct that snaked back and forth as we got closer, not so much travelling on the rails, but as flying through the air like a sleigh. Funny that.
We roared off the bridge, and flew through the buildings, as we continued to descend toward the ground. As we roared down the main line toward the centre of the city, the conductor pulled out his pocket watch and wiped his brow.
“We did it!” he cried. “We’re on time!”
As we began to slow down into the city square, we saw a vast crowd of smallish being wandering into the square.
“What are they?” asked a girl with brown skin and magenta hair.
“Those are elves,” the conductor told us. “They are awaiting the big man himself, who will present the first gift of Christmas.”
“Who’s getting the gift?” the same girl asked.
The conductor smiled. “He will present it to one of you.”
The engine had slowed down to a crawl, and suddenly came to a stop in the heart of the city. The conductor dropped the foot ramp, and we all got off the train.
It was an incredible scene. There was a colossal Christmas tree in the centre of the square, and huge red buildings flanked the scene, each of which seemingly competed with each other in terms of height. The square was absolutely packed with people. It was a wonder as to how we would ever find space to see whoever it was we had come to see.
“Excuse me sir?” Diamond Tiara asked. “But what’s the time?”
“The time,” the conductor smiled, “is 2 minutes to midnight.”
“It’s been two minutes to midnight since I boarded the train!” she exclaimed.
“That’s part of the magic, you see,” the conductor smiled. “Now then, let’s get going!”
I set off, but Sweetie Belle called me.
“Look!” she said, and pointed to the rear car. Sure enough, the other girl was still seated in there. We took the opportunity to climb aboard and speak to her.
“Aren’t you coming?” Sweetie Belle asked her.
“I don’t think he would care,” the girl said.
“But it’s Santa!” I exclaimed. “He cares for all the children in the world!”
“Then why do I never get a present from him?” the girl asked me, with a sad look in her eyes.
I tried to answer her question, but I simply couldn’t.
“You can at least try to live the Christmas spirit!” Sweetie Belle asked. “It’s not just about presents, it’s about joy, happiness, and being with others!”
The girl simply wasn’t convinced. “It simply doesn’t work for me,” she said sadly, looking at the floor as she did so.
I was about to speak again, but then it happened.
There was a loud clunk behind us, as the engine suddenly backed up. The car started to roll backward as it did so, gaining momentum as we were on a slight slope.
I ran to the back of the car, to see two different routes ahead. The points were set to the right.
“Ah think we’re safe!” I said.
But then somebody threw the switch, and we were sent down the wrong line.
“Spoke too soon! Me and mah big mouth!”
We roared down what must have been a 1-in-30 gradient, gaining speed uncontrollably as we rolled toward a tunnel. I climbed out and saw the strange man from earlier sitting on top of the train.
“Turn that big handle!” he shouted. “Unless you wanna crash!”
I ran to the handle, and began to rotate it as best I could. The brakes came on with a horrific screech, as we roared into the tunnel all that could be seen was sparks.
But it wasn’t enough, as we raced toward a turntable that ended in nothingness. “We’re gonna wreck!” I cried.
But we didn’t, and instead came to a sudden stop on the turntable. We were spinning round and round; all the while Bing Crosby was playing in the background.
We got off the car, and decided (for some reason) to follow the music back through the tunnel and along the streets. As we did so, we came into a control building where some elves were watching a screen.
“He’s not getting any!” said one, pointing to a boy who was looking in his stocking.
“Nor her!” said another, indicating a girl dropping some chewing gum.
“Still, boss wants us in the main square,” said a third, as they boarded a strange craft.
We went over to it, and got onto the next one, only to be shot through vacuum filled tunnels and arriving in a room filled with treadmills. A box flew past us, and the girl was excited.
“That’s for me!” she cried.
“What do you mean?” asked Sweetie Belle, as it flew past her. “To Scootaloo.”
“That’s my name!” the girl cried. “He did remember me!”
Before we knew what was happening, she had dived into the tunnel after it.
“Well?” I said. “Let’s go!”
It was like being on a slide in a swimming pool as we flew down and down in a spiral through a sorting schute. We were then deposited into a bag, which was lifted up by a large blimp and flown into the air.
We got a wonderful view of this massive city. Quite how this had never been seen by satellites I had no idea. But we were approaching the square when suddenly-
“Something’s got my leg!” ‘Scootaloo’ cried. Both myself and Sweetie Belle grabbed onto her and tried to pull her up...
...revealing an extemely familiar face.
“Diamond Tiara?” I asked, confused.
“Yes indeed,” she said. “I got stuck in here as well.”
The blimp dropped the bag off onto the sleigh which was positioned in the town square, and flew away. A group of elves helped us down to the square, where, safe to say, the others were relieved to see us.
Then flew in the reindeer, who were attached to the sleigh. They looked so vibrant and happy, the bells jingling (according to Sweetie Belle at least).
I couldn’t hear a thing. But then, one of the bells broke off and flew toward me. I ran forward to grab it, and picked it up, ringing it as I did so.
No sound.
“Ah believe,” I whispered. I couldn’t have come this far to allow my doubts to defeat me. So, I rang it again. Still no sound.
I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the tears. I spoke once again, louder, more defiant.
“Ah believe!”
Then, to my amazement, I could hear the bell.
“What do you believe, young lady?” a kindly voice asked me.
“What do you believe, young lady?” a kindly voice asked me.
I looked up, and gasped when I saw who it was.
Santa Claus. He looked exactly as I had imagined him; long, white beard, moustache, and dressed from head to toe in red and white.
“Ah believe...in you,” I answered, not entirely sure whether this was real or not. But it was real, as I found out when he shook my hand.
“What is your name?” he asked, with that same jovial warmth that had characterised his earlier question.
“Apple Bloom, sir,” I said.
Santa smiled and walked over to the other children, addressing each of them in turn.
“Diamond Tiara,” he said to her. “I see a great mind in there, and a thirst for knowledge. But you have a lack of patience, and you need to keep that in check. Knowledge alone will not get you through life, but the force of your character.”
Diamond was so stunned to have been spoken to by Santa she simply stood speechless!
“Sweetie Belle,” he continued. “I see great courage and skill in your heart. But at the same time, it is crucial that this does not turn to recklessness.”
“Thank you, sir,” she replied.
“Scootaloo,” he spoke. “I see the spirit of Christmas lives within you. Never forget that the joy you inspire in others is your strongest asset. And that will make the world a better place.”
Santa finally came to me. “Apple Bloom,” he smiled. “You have not only the skill to inspire others, but to help others discover who they are meant to be. But not only that, you have faith. Faith alone can move more than science or knowledge ever will.”
He took my hand and led me to his sleigh. With a kindly smile, he sat down, and motioned for me to do the same.
“Apple Bloom,” he asked. “What would you like for Christmas?”
I froze. I knew I could have anything I could have ever wanted. But I knew what I wanted more than anything else. I pointed to one of the bells that adorned the reindeer.
Santa gave a single motion, and an elf removed it, handing it to Santa. Santa then raised his hand into the air. “THE FIRST GIFT OF CHRISTMAS!”
There was a great cheer from all concerned, and the engine blasted its whistle loudly as this revelation came to pass.
Suddenly, the clock began to chime. Santa turned to me. “Apologies my child,” he said, “but now I must go. I have an entire world to deliver presents to, and in only one night!”
I stepped back, and Santa took the reins. One by one, he called the reindeer. “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
They flew higher and higher into the air, and Santa jovially laughed, before he vanished into a puff of smoke. There was a moment of silence, before the band launched off into another song.
Alas, our time at the North Pole had come to an end. As we re-boarded the train, we were given new tickets.
Diamond was first. “It says LEAN?” she said, in surprise.
“Your thumb,” the conductor pointed out.
Diamond adjusted her hand, and saw it read ‘LEARN’. “My mistake!” she said.
Sweetie Belle’s had the word ‘courage’ written on it. She nodded and climbed aboard.
And then came my turn. The conductor handed me mine.
I began to speak. “It says-”
“Uh uh!” the conductor said, “I don’t need to know.”
As we got back onboard, the girl from earlier asked to see the bell. But when I reached in my pocket, it wasn’t there!
“Ah musta dropped it in the square!” I panicked.
“Quick!” called Diamond, “let’s get out there and find it!”
But just then, the train began to move. We couldn’t go back for it.
Later on, the train pulled up outside my house. I turned to say goodbye to my new friends, knowing I would probably never see them again.
“I’ll miss you,” said Sweetie Belle. “But I’m so happy Scootaloo got her present.”
“Ah’ll be givin’ her a visit,” I said. “We all exchanged phone numbers, right?”
“We can stay in touch,” Diamond smiled. I climbed off the train and turned to the conductor.
“Thank you,” I said.
“No, thank you,” the Conductor replied. “There’s one thing about trains. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, what matters is deciding to get on.”
I walked back into the house, and as the train started to leave, the conductor shouted something to me.
“What?” I called.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” he called over.
It broke my heart to lose that bell. I thought I would never see it again. But the next morning-
“Rise and shine, sugarcube!” called Applejack, my older sister. “We got Christmas to celebrate!”
I jumped out of bed, and grabbed my dressing gown-only to notice the pocket was torn. So last night wasn’t a dream after all!
The presents were marvellous, but there was one box that lay under the tree. It was white with green lining, and I carefully opened it. Inside was the bell, and a letter.
Dear Apple Bloom,
Found this on the seat of my sleigh. Better fix that hole in your pocket.
Mr C.
I quickly rang it, and found that I could hear it just as clearly as last night.
“That’s a beautiful sound sugarcube!” Applejack cried.
“Ah can’t hear nothin’,” Big Mac said.
Neither could our parents. But we could, and it was all that mattered.
For many years my friends could hear the bell, but as the years went by, it fell silent for them, one by one. Even my sister Applejack found one Christmas morning that she could no longer hear it's sweet sound.
Although I am old and grey, and many years have been left behind, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.
CAST-IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE Bill Newton-Bright Mac Felicia Day-Pear Butter Tom Hanks-The Conductor, Hobo, Santa Claus Michelle Creber-Apple Bloom Chantal Strand-Diamond Tiara Claire Corlett-Sweetie Belle Madeleine Peters-Scootaloo Flim-Sam Vincent Flam-Scott McNeil Brynna Drummond-Babs Seed Bryan Drummond-Elves Ashleigh Ball-Applejack Peter New-Big Mac
