The Midnight Train to Nowhere

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The midnight Train to Nowhere. Emily woke up with a start.
She didn't know why. At first, the house was quiet,
the moonlight shining through her curtains. Then she heard it,
a faint chugga chugger, chuggachuger, and a soft toot. Her

(00:21):
eyes widened. In the middle of her bedroom floor, Right
between her bed and the dresser was a tiny train track,
glowing silver in the moonlight. And sitting on the tracks
was a little toy train no bigger than her cat.
Steam puffed out of its chimney, curling into the air

(00:42):
like candy smoke. Emily rubbed her eyes. Am I dreaming?
She whispered. The train's golden head light flicked on, and
a tiny voice called all aboard the midnight Train to Nowhere.
Emily gasped, no way. She jumped out of bed, grabbed
her flashlight, and tiptoed over. The train's doors slid open

(01:06):
with a ding. Inside she saw rows of miniature red
velvet seats. The whole cabin glowed with a warm, magical light.
Emily came a sleepy voice. Her little brother Daniel padded in,
rubbing his eyes and clutching his stuffed giraffe while you awake.

(01:27):
And what's that sound? Emily pointed, Look a train in
my room. Daniel blinked. Cool, he said, Then, without hesitation,
he climbed in. Emily followed quickly. The doors closed with
a whoosh, and before she could say anything, the train whistled, toot, toot.

(01:50):
The wheels spun faster and faster, until whoosh. The train
zoomed straight through her wall, as if it were made
of mist. The train rattled down glowing silver tracks that
hung in the night sky. Stars twinkled all around, and

(02:11):
the moon seemed so close Emily felt like she could
touch it. The conductor, a tiny clockwork robot with brass
buttons and a shiny hat, clanked down the aisle. Tickets please,
but we don't have tickets, Emily said nervously. The robot
tipped his hat, No worries. First ride is free, but

(02:35):
remember the midnight train only runs until sunrise. After that
the tracks disappear. Daniel's eyes went round, so we have
to be back before morning exactly, the robot said, Now,
sit tight, we're arriving at our first stop. The train slowed,

(02:57):
and outside the windows, Emily saw rows of toy soldiers
marching in perfect lines. Trumpets blared, and a parade of
toy drums thundered. Teddy bears rode atop wind up cars,
and kites danced above them like banners. Wow, Daniel whispered,
it's a toy parade. The train doors opened and the

(03:20):
children stepped out. The soldiers saluted, their painted faces, smiling stiffly.
One teddy bear handed Daniel a flag made of ribbon.
Another gave Emily a candy cane baton. Join the parade,
they chanted. Emily and Daniel marched proudly alongside them, but

(03:41):
soon the whistle blew again. The robot conductor called all aboard,
time is ticking. The siblings waved goodbye to the toy
soldiers and hurried back to the train. The train rushed on,
diving through a tunnel made of shimmering puzzle pieces. When

(04:05):
they emerged, Emily and Daniel gasped they were in a jungle,
but instead of trees, giant puzzle pieces stood tall, their
branches locking together in strange shapes. The ground was a
checkerboard of game boards, and vines of jump ropes dangled
from above. Look Daniel pointed a troop of monkeys swung

(04:29):
from vine to vine, but their bodies were made of
jigsaw pieces, clicking together with every move. One monkey landed
in front of them. Help it, squeaked, we've lost our
missing piece. The children looked around. Sure enough, the monkey
had a big gap right in the middle of its chest.

(04:52):
Emily spotted something shiny in the bushes. She ran over
and found a puzzle piece shaped like a heart. Carefully,
she pressed it into the monkey's chest. Click. The monkey's
face lit up, perfect fit. Thank you, clever girl. The
other monkeys cheered and tossed Emily and Daniel a necklace

(05:17):
made of game tokens. A gift for your journey, they said.
But once again the whistle blew. The glowing tracks shimmered faintly,
and Emily felt a tiny tug in her chest, as
if time was running out. Come on, Daniel, she urged,

(05:38):
pulling him back aboard the train. The train grew faster
and faster, zooming past comets and over moonlit clouds. Then
with a sudden jolt, it slowed. They arrived at a wide,
glowing valley filled with mountains of toys, broken dolls, forgotten cars,

(06:01):
stuffed animals, missing ears, all piled high, glowing softly in
the starlight. This is, Emily whispered, the Kingdom of lost toys,
the conductor said solemnly. Daniel's mouth fell open. It's where
all the toys go when kids lose them. They wandered

(06:23):
down a path lined with blocks. Old dolls waved gently.
A one eyed teddy bear sat on a throne made
of building bricks. He wore a paper crown and looked
tired but kind. Welcome travelers, the teddy said, you ride
the midnight train, few children do. Why are all the

(06:47):
toys here, Emily asked, because children forget them, The teddy sighed,
But every toy still remembers the laughter of play. We wait,
hoping to be loved again. Emily's heart squeezed. She thought
of her old doll tucked in the back of her closet,

(07:09):
gathering dust. I promise I'll never forget my toys again,
she said softly. The teddy smiled, that's all we ask. Suddenly,
the sky began to lighten with the first glow of dawn.
The train whistle shrieked loudly. Hurry, the robot conductor called,

(07:35):
the tracks are fading. Emily grabbed Daniel's hand. We have
to go. They ran back on to the train. As
the kingdom waved good bye. The one eyed Teddy raised
his paw in farewell. The train rocketed through the sky

(07:55):
faster and faster. Emily and Daniel held on tight as
the stars blur into streaks of light. Then, with a
final wash, the train screeched to a stop. Back in
Emily's bedroom, the glowing tracks vanished. The train gave one
last toot and shrank smaller and smaller, until it was

(08:18):
just a tiny toy train. Sitting on the floor, Daniel yawned.
Was it real? Emily picked up the train. It was
warm in her hands, and dangling from her wrist was
the necklace of game tokens from the Puzzled Jungle. She smiled, Yes,

(08:39):
it was real. They climbed back into bed just as
the sun peeked over the horizon, and from that night on,
whenever Emily saw the toy train in her room, she whispered,
maybe tonight we'll ride again the end. As always, visit

(09:02):
us at readthtale dot com for all your favorite tales
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