12-24-2011, 05:59 PM
The Journey Begins: Leaving for Menewsha Central Station
Ever since coming to the island of Menewsha four years ago, I've been meaning to get out of my normal comfort zone and visit other parts of the island. I just never had much time to travel with the work I had to do daily in the on the farm we lived on. When I mentioned this to my love, Amelia, she surprised me with two tickets aboard the luxurious train Spirit of Calesco! The engine was a first of its kind to the island and many people both from Menewsha and off the island were excited to take the holiday ride through the island. Needless to say I was more than excited to take her up on the offer! The weather was mild for this time of year and just a light frost had settled on the island. We were set to depart for Menewsha Central Station the next morning.
The next morning, Amelia awoke me with the tickets in hand. She had become like a child excited on Christmas morning, which I found quite cute. After grabbing a quick bite to eat we hitched the horses up to our wagon and made our way towards the station. We both dressed in our holiday best, her in her long cranberry cloak and her red and green holiday gown dressed up with a sprig of holly around her neck on her choker. I had worn my suit that I wore last year to the Festival of Winter Nights. It was light and comfortable enough to travel in. What she didn't know is that I was planning on asking her to marry me on our journey, which made me just as giddy as she was.
Central station was quite busy with travelers from all over Menewsha and even some from off island. Amelia and I were both quite in awe at how much activity was on the platform with all the holiday travelers. The whole station was beautifully decorated for the holiday season. It was a smaller station, unlike the larger city stations that I grew up with that would often have old tissues and trash on the ground but it was clean and had the feel of an old fashioned station.
Amelia ran ahead, seeming to even be more excited than I was for our journey, even when I looked at my watch telling her we had plenty of time to get on board the train she was so excited she couldn't wait to get on board. I lost her in the crowd and spent a good hour trying to find her. When I found her she was at one of the old lancet style windows watching children playing in the snow. She turned to me with a smile. “Wouldn't it be fun to frolic in the snow?!” Before I could answer she dragged me out into the courtyard.
After playing in the snow for a bit, we found our way towards the train. It was bigger than the other engines on the island. It had to be to make over some of the harsh terrain that Menewsha had. They had painted it a lovely deep shade of red and the name of the engine was neatly pained on the side of the engine with golden letters. I wondered how the engine ran, whether it was on steam or as many things ran on the island, by magic.
We ended up lost once again, this time on the wrong cart! Luckily, the staff aboard the train was more than willing to help us find our way to the right cart. The room we were staying in was one of the VIP rooms since Amelia had purchased tickets from a local store keeper in advance. It had a bed next to a window that had deep cranberry and gold trimmed curtains as the coverings. On the opposite wall there was a small oak dresser for travelers to store their belongings along with a small wash room.
Once we found our way to our cart, we decided to try to grab something to eat in the dining cart. All the carts had beautiful decorations on them which complimented the mahogany wooden walls and floors nicely. There was even mistletoe hanging in one of the doorways, which of course I pointed out and had to share a kiss with Amelia when we passed under it.
At dinner, I kept fiddling with the ring that I had kept inside my pocket. I was waiting for the right time to ask her to marry me but I felt that it wasn't quite the time to ask. Tomorrow we were going to be stopping in Garland. There for sure I'll find a romantic place and ask the question!
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