Tales From The Railyard - One Christmas Eve

      11:55pm. That was the time on Veronica's pocket watch. It was Christmas Eve and Veronica was furious. Her shift was supposed to be over at 7pm but the higher ups told her she was working overtime tonight, her and her engineer Adam. Her train had eight commuter cars but only two were powered up for the late night run. She leaned against a support piller in the train shed, which was wrapped in holly.
      All of Chicago Union Station was decorated for Christmas, right down to the train shed. Even the commuter E-Unit diesels were painted in a Christmas paint scheme. The E-Units were painted a dark forest green over all with an off white band painted down the middle, running the length of the engines. Cherry Red pin stripes outlined the white band and several other places on the engines. SKYE was no exception, as she was one of the first engines to receive the paint scheme.
      As Veronica waited for Adam to show up, she spotted Sid walking toward her. Sidney Hoffner, known as Sid to his friends, was an engineer for CIC that worked on the old Chicago & North Western West Line. He was carrying a package wrapped in brown paper.
"Hey Sid, what's with the box?"
"Yo Ronnie, it's for Adam. Mind if I leave it with you?"
"You might as well."
"You alright?"
"I had plans for tonight, Sid. I was supposed to be with my family at their Christmas party at 7:30pm. I was supposed to be playing with my little neices and nephews. But I got stuck working the night shift," vented Veronica.
"Well, what can you do," said Sid, walking away.
      After a couple of moments, Veronica saw Adam heading her way. He was wearing his old leather jacket and the brown fedora he got from Skye, his fiancee, right before her passing. Veronica noticed Adam smiling as he looked around at all the Christmas decorations.
'He has got to be the only person alive who likes to work overtime on Christmas Eve,' thought Veronica.
"It's about time you showed up. I've been waiting here for 15 minutes. It's cold and smells of diesel fuel."
"And a Merry Christmas to you too, Ronnie," said Adam, smiling.
"Sid dropped this off for you," said Veronica, nodding at the package.
"Oh fantastic! This is very important."
"What's in it?" asked Veronica.
"You'll see," Adam said smilling at her.
      Adam picked up the package, braced it on his shoulder and climbed into the cab of SKYE. Veronica was quite surpirsed by Adam's behavior, but what else could she do. If he didn't want to tell her, he didn't have to tell her. Veronica sighed as she looked around at the platform and found no-one waiting to board her train. She climbed aboard the first powered commuter car and signaled the "all clear" to get the train under-way.
      Veronica waited in the entryway of the commuter car as the train slowed to a stop at the Western Avenue platform. She stepped out, took a look around at the snow covered platform and saw nobody. She climbed back aboard the train and gave the go ahead to take off.
      The next stops, Hermosa and Cragin, were just like Western Avenue, no-one waiting for the train. Veronica clicked on her headset and said:
"Hey Adam, if there is no-one at the stops, just keep going. We don't need to stop if there isn't anyone waiting to get on."
"You got it, boss. Next stop is Hanson Park and I don't see a soul."
"Just keep going then. So what's with the creepy act back at Union?"
"Sorry about that, I wasn't trying to be creepy," Adam laughed, " I just can't tell you about the package yet."
"Uh-huh," replied Veronica.
      Veronica sat near a window, hoping the sights would help keep her awake. The Mars stop went by with nobody there, same thing with the Mont Clare stop. Coming around a slight corner, Veronica saw the water tower in Elmwood Park. It was decorated with thousands of Christmas lights, yet the stop was vacant. Next came River Grove and then Franklin Park and still no passengers waiting to board.
      Before she knew it, Veronica nodded off. The rocking and swaying of the commuter car was soothing to her. Then the brakes began to squeel and the train began to slow up, waking Veronica from her twilight sleep. She looked out the window and saw a road with houses on the other side of it. She went to the other side of the car and saw the same thing.
'This isn't one of our stops,' thought Veronica.
      Veronica went to the touch screen computer contorl panel in the entry way to check where they had stopped. They stopped in a residenial area.
"Hey, what gives? Why'd we stop?" she asked.
"There is a waiting northbound train that has the right-of-way," replied Adam.
      Veronica looked back to the map on the control panel and found that there were no other tracks in the area, only the east/west main line that they were on right now.
"Are you crazy? There are no north/south tracks around here so get going!"
"I'm sorry Ronnie, I can't. There is a north bound train waiting and it has the all clear," Adam said cheerfully.
      Veronica was fuming. What kind of game was Adam playing? No matter, she wasn't amused in the slightest. She stormed her way through the powered down cars, charged through SKYE's engine compartment, flung open the door to SKYE's cab, and burst in.
      Adam swivelled around to Veronica and smiled warm and cheerily at her. She scowled at him.
"I'm in no mood Adam."
"But Ronnie, the train."
"ADAM, THERE IS NO......" Veronica looked out the windshield and gasped, "northbound train?"
      Veronica came closer to get a better look. Up ahead of them was a set of tracks heading in the north/south direction and sitting, waiting on them was a train. It wasn't a normal, common kind of train. It was an old steam engine with at least ten old heavyweight passenger cars behind it.
"That can't be Old Milwaukee, can it?" whispered Veronica.
"No that isn't Old Milwaukee," chuckled Adam.
"THEN WHAT IS IT?!," cried Veronica, "It's not supposed to be there!"
      Adam shined SKYE's gimballed Nose Light on the steam engine's cab, illuminating it's number, 1225.
"I don't get it," said Veronica.
"Okay, um, maybe this. The steam engine is a 2-8-4 Berkshire class."
"You lost me."
"Okay, check you pocket watch."
      Veronica pulled out her watch and found it still said 11:55pm.
"Hey! What the....It broke."
"No it didn't, here look," said Adam as he shined the Nose Light on the steam engine's tender.
      Veronica was shocked, she couldn't believe it.
"No, it's not real," she said.
"Ronnie, it's okay."
"Okay? Okay?! That train shouldn't be there, it's just a children's story. I should know, I've read it to my neices and nephews, plus we've seen the movie."
"Ronnie, it's real. That is the Polar Express," smiled Adam.
      Veronica felt like she was going to faint. She looked away for a moment, then looked back and the Polar Express was still there. As she looked at the old steam train, Veronica had an epiphany:
"If the Polar Express is real, then that means....."
"It's a real place."
"And....."
"Yup, him too."
      Veronica was finding it very hard to believe. Seeing Veronica struggling with all of this, Adam got an idea:
"Ronnie, how would you like to help me deliver the package."
Veronica didn't say anything, she just nodded yes.
      Adam and Veronica climbed out of SKYE and headed toward the Polar Express, the snow chrunching under their shoes. Adam carried the package on his right shoulder. As they came closer, Veronica was awestruck at the monolithic size of the Berkshire steam engine. She gingerly touched the massive pistion that connected to the Driving Wheels. The Gigantic Driving Wheels where taller than her. As she continued to gaze in wonderment at the old steamer, she saw a man walk up to Adam. He was dressed in an old style Conducter's uniform.
"Right on time," said the Conducter.
"Have I ever been late, since I started," replied Adam.
"To my knowledge? No, no you haven't," said the Conducter.
      Veronica went back to starring up at the Berkshire steam engine. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adam hand off the package to the Conducter. She was about to head back to her train when she heard the other conducter call to her:
"Excuse me, madame conducter, may I speak to you for a moment."
      Veronica turned around and walked over to him and Adam.
"You are Veronica, correct?" questioned the Conducter.
She nodded yes.
"Excellent, please wait here for a moment," said the Conducter.
      Adam and Veronica watched the conducter take the package into the nearest heavyweight coach and come back out with a small gift wrapped in pretty Christmas paper.
"I believe this is for you," said the Conducter as he handed it to Veronica.
      Veronica hesitated for a moment before she took the gift.
"Open it Ronnie," said Adam.
Veronica looked up to the Conducter who smiled and nodded at her.
She untied the ribbon and tore off the paper. She opened the plain cardboad box and started to cry. Inside the box was an old, very worn out stuffed dog.
      Veronica looked up to the Conducter, tears running down her cheeks.
"Is it her?" she asked.
"Yes, it is," smiled the Conducter.
Veronica smiled as she held the old stuffed dog close to her heart.
      The Berkshire sounded her whistle twice. The Conducter looked at his pocket watch and said:
"I've four more stops to make, thanks again for the package."
"My pleasure, same time next year?" asked Adam.
"Of course, take care Adam, and Miss Veronica......"
Veronica looked to the Conducter.
"Take good care of Suzie, okay?" said the Conducter.
Veronica smiled and nodded.
      Adam and Veronica took a couple steps back and watched the Polar Express steam off into the pleasant Christmas night. As Adam and Veronica headed back to their waiting train, Veronica told Adam about little stuffed Suzie.
"My childhood wasn't the happiest. As you know, I lived in a orphanage until I was three. Then when I was adopted, my family moved around a lot. I didn't have a lot of friends because of the moving. Most of the time Suzie was my only friend. She was with me since I was one year old. When I was twelve, I lost her. I was so upset I cried for a week. Whenever I looked at old pictures of me as I kid, Suzie was there too and it made me sad to look at them. I thought I would never see her again. I thought for sure she was gone."
      Adam didn't say anything, he just smiled.
"So what was in that package?" asked Veronica.
"Well now that you know about the Polar Express I guess I can tell you. It was filled with toys from the Lost & Found from Union Station. The Conducter 'recruited' me to help those toys find new homes. Or....."
"Or what?" asked Veronica.
"Or help them find their original owners," Adam said smiling.
Veronca looked back to Suzie and cried a little again.
Adam place an arm around Veronica's shoulders.
      Veronica looked to Adam and smiled and Adam smiled back at her.
"Hey Ronnie, check you watch again."
Veronica pulled out her pocket watch and found it to be working again, it now said 12:00am.
"Merry Chirstmas Veronica."
Veronica looked to Adam and smiled.
"Merry Christmas Adam."    

The End