HtH130 – The Train To The Outside
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: All aboard the Marshcruiser!
"It's really riding on water!"
When Ablam leans out of the window, she feels the breeze brush against her face, her ponytail fluttering behind her in the breeze. Far away, the little roofs and cobblestone streets of Bitsborough become smaller and smaller, their transport gaining incline on a raised aqueduct. The sun shines down on the look of wonder on Ablam's face, her eyes meeting the vast landscape outside of their hometown.
Behind her, Lumi grasps onto the silk curtains of their private cabin, taking in the dazzling sight of pine, oak and birch trees whistling past. While she had wanted to take a better look at the outside too, it had seemed a little... unsafe, so she stays just a little behind Ablam, a soft smile on her face.
For these two girls, it would be their second trip outside the theatre house, away from Bitsborough. [HtH70] Trips to the outside are a rare occurrence, and even Lumi does not venture much further than the thick forests that surround their home. The roads were difficult, and even the nearest place of interest, Valeria, is a long ways off without a carriage.
"Lumi! Look! A gigantic herd of wild cows!" Ablam points out the window at the furred, brown mass galloping free across the plains.
Ablam mistakes the animal as cows, but she is mostly right...
Now, a wondrous new mode of transport had been introduced to the New Continent; the Marshcruiser. This 'train' is the length of at least thirty carriages and coated in shiny black metal with golden rims. Most extraordinary, it ran atop water. The aqueducts and canals bring water downwards from the Silveryn Mountains, which flow backwards up towards the mountain once again, propelling the train along its path.
(A genuine expression of wonder)
"What a fantastic view - the ticket is well worth the price!"
Lumi plops back onto the black cushioned seats, she dangles her feet off the ground, and holds a warm cup of tea close to her lips. Earlier on, a blue bunny in a conductor's hat had come around serving drinks, and the three girls had each taken a cup for themselves.
Still mesmerized by the view outside, Ablam rests her her on an arm propped up by the windowsil, "Lumi, we aren't here just to have fun! We have something important to do!"
Both pair of eyes go to the little bag that their dramaturg had brought along.
It rested on the back of the seat, carrying the heavy hopes of the theatre house.
(Lumi’s eyes shift, a subtle, thoughtful movement.)
"Yes... Handing in the script to the mysterious commissioner is important," Lumi pauses, setting her teacup down. The look on her face is more determined now, ""Perhaps if Eclair sees enough new things today... there won't be room in her heart for the old worries.""
"I suppose you are right, but how do we do that?"
(A pause, as if Lumi is considering the possibilities)
"Perhaps the trip itself can play a small role - offer a different perspective, or an entirely new view that Eclair has never considered."
"And at the same time, we get to run about the outside too, right?" Ablam adds.
Lumi smiles, shyly clutching the sides of her skirt. Indeed, it is a rare opportunity to see the outside world, and with Eclair around, the girls would feel... safer? As Lumi ponders on whether that was the correct word to use, the polished mahogany door to their cabin slides open;
"A turtle... a talking turtle...!"
Eclair's eyes glimmer when she enters the cabin, and she pokes her head back out into the corridor again, as if she were unconvinced of the sight she had just saw.
"Ah, welcome back Eclair. What's this all about?"
"There was a turtle, he was this tall," Eclair plops down beside Ablam and hovers her hand around top of the cabin table, "Just walking around, like he was lost, dragging a large luggage case behind him!"
(A pause, as if Lumi is considering the possibilities)
"A turtle? That's... fascinating! What was he doing in the corridor?"
"That's what I was curious about too!" Eclair gestures around in the air, like she had discovered some magickal and wondrous world that had not previously existed before for her. "I just... reached out and asked if he was alright, and he turned his head around slowly and asked if we were at the Bitsborough Station yet!"
(A slight hesitation, as Lumi adds more sugar to her teacup)
"Oh dear... The poor turtle must have..."
"Yes, he missed the stop! It seems that he always has difficulty in bringing his luggage along, and by the time he reaches the door, the train has moved on!" Eclair shakes her head, as if in disbelief that something like that could happen.
"And all this time, he never asked for help from the bunny conductors?"
Eclair shifts a little in her seat, "Well, I never asked why exactly, perhaps Mr. Turtle isn't the kind to ask for help from others. In any case, I helped carry his luggage back to his cabin." Eclair spreads her palms wide to show the size of the overstuffed baggage, "Then I called for one of those bunnies in conductor's hat to explain the situation. Amazingly, the conductor was kind enough to issue a complimentary ticket back to Bitsborough! I think it's the first time I've ever seen a turtle smile!"
Ablam had come back from the window by now, engrossed in the retelling of Eclair's adventure in the train's interior.
"Hah, I suppose he has people who have been waiting for him a long while there!"
"We've barely begun the trip, and I've already run into something that I have never seen before..."
Palming the side of her face, Eclair fumbles around in her small leather hand-case for some pen and paper, and scribbles a couple of lines down on a booklet, before snapping it shut, a look of satisfaction on her face.
"Well, don't forget why we are here in the first place."
Ablam off-handedly gestures towards the leather-case, and Eclair visibly quiets down. The embers of her excitement are still on her face, though more responsible thoughts have started to occupy her mind and visage... Lumi leans over, and pushes a small box of homemade cookies in Eclair's direction.
"Thanks Ablam, thanks Lumi. Before we go out to play, maybe we should settle the matter of Oxygen first."
Eclair fishes out a thick stack of papers from the bag, and smooths them out on the table.
The three of them look towards the stack of papers, with vastly different emotions.
Lumi stays silent, but felt a distinct change in the vibration in the air.
Eclair stares intently at the papers in her hands, her eyes bore holes in the script.
As usual, Ablam is the one to break open the silence,
"Ahem! Well, there's no better time than now! Seriously though, why does the commissioner of this play script want to meet on the train? It's not like this is some sort of top-secret document that has to be delivered by hand! Does he have some sort of unsaid liking for trains?!"
A small chuckle passes around the table, and a small, if restrained smile returns to Eclair's face.
"I think we are about to find out. Do you two want to accompany me to Carriage Six? That's where the commissioner will be."
(A genuine expression of delight, she sets aside her finished cup)
Lumi hops off her seat, she rattles on the handle of their cabin door, and slides it open for her two friends, twirling around on the spot to face them,
"Ablam is right, there's no better time than now. And we can do it... together!"
At this point, Ablam is helping Eclair return the script into the leather case. Poking the small of Eclair's back with playful insistence to get her moving, she manages a true and genuine smile out of her dramaturg.
"Come on Eclair, whatever you are afraid of!"
Eclair adjusts the leather case under her arm.
Then she steps into the corridor.
Her two friends accompanying her close,
their footsteps disappear down the carpeted carriage.
Glossary
[45] Marshcruiser - The newly built train that runs on a reverse-flowing river. Its railway runs across the New Continent.
Recall
[HtH70] - This is not the firs time the girls have set out of the house, they had a visit to Nangmen just this year!
We are trying something different! This is a simul-posting at the same time as the Scribblehub release! Go check out the entire series at this link!
