The Valentines Express - An adventure of love

Act 1

I knew that voice, there in the open door was one of the kids that I have seen on the Polar Express. In the light I can see that she still had the same dark hair with pigtails weaved together and held with small pink bows. She even had the same pink pajamas I had seen on the way to the North Pole.

Though in my slippers, I carefully walked across the snow over to her. "It's you again."

"I know, are you here for the train too?"

I looked up and down the row of cars, "What is all this?"

"Did you get a valentine's day card with a ticket and a watch? Apparently that's meant for this train."

"Do you know where you're going?"

She shook her head, "No, but I do want to see where it ends up." Going down the metal steps, she reached out to me, "You wanna come with me?"

Even as a kid, I knew that in a way, this was a major leap of faith. I was being asked to come along on a mysterious train with a girl that I still remember a few months back. Yes, it was very easy to say no and go back to bed. But with all that has happened, I remembered that I wanted answers. And the only way to get it was to board the train. So, I took her hand, and she pulled me up. We boarded the Valentine Express.

No sooner had I walked on that I felt the train start to move. With it starting to gain speed, it was clear that it was already too late to change my mind. But then again, it was nice, at least, to be with a friend that I've made from the previous trip.

"I was picked up not too long ago," she told me, closing the door behind me. "I somewhat remembered that you lived around here so I thought I'd come by to see if you would get on."

"Have you met the train conductor?" I asked.

She shook her head, "Not really, and neither has anyone else."

"Are there anyone we know on the train?"

"So far I haven't met anyone except for you. But now that you're here, let's go take a look around." She took me by the hand and led me towards the back of the train where she opened a latch and the door slid open.

The car we entered was brightly lit where everything about it seemed that it came from another time. Above was a curved white ceiling where small crystal chandeliers illuminated the car, the sides were made of a dark red wood that was carved with utmost care of floral patterns. The rows of chairs and the carpet were draped in a heart-theme pattern. Now and then between the windows were lamps that looked like they used to be lit by oil but now were replaced by electricity. To me, it seemed like how a train used to look at the turn of the century.

My friend guided me down past the rows of seats, some of which sat kids that were no older or younger than we were. Around twelve or thirteen - all of them in their pajamas and talking to one another as we went by.

It was like that for another car or two until we found the dining car where there seemed to be a party going on. The first thing I noticed when we entered was the banner that hung right in the middle of it all that read: WELCOME TO VALENTINE EXPRESS! MAY YOU FIND YOUR TRUE LOVE. On one side was a bar that had rows of food - all heart-shaped with a bowl of red punch. Some of the kids there were eating while others were having fun dancing to the music being played on an old record player in the corner.

After that was a car that had games, a car that was a mini movie theater, a library, an ice cream parlor, and the rest right up to the combose were sleeping cars. Yet, even with all the kids on board the train, neither of us had seen one adult anywhere. This was indeed strange. A train full of kids and there's hardly anyone to look after?