One night, Kyri woke up to the sound of a faint whistle in the distance. He rubbed his eyes and looked out of the window. The garden looked normal—except for a faint, silvery track that had appeared, stretching across the lawn and disappearing into the misty darkness beyond.
Kyri frowned. “That wasn’t there before.”
The whistle sounded again, louder this time. A light appeared in the distance, growing brighter and brighter. And then, through the fog, a train appeared. It was black and shiny, with swirling steam and glowing windows. On the side, in silvery letters, it read:
“The Midnight Train to Nowhere.”
All Aboard!
Kyri’s bedroom door creaked open. Reef, who had been staying over and sleeping on the sofa, appeared with messy hair and sleepy eyes. “Kyri, why is there a train in the garden?”
“I don’t know,” Kyri said, bouncing on his toes. “But we’re getting on it, aren’t we?”
Reef grinned. “You’re impossible, kid. Come on, let’s go before it leaves.”
They tiptoed downstairs, grabbed Reef’s climbing bag (just in case), and ran into the misty garden. The train’s doors hissed open, and an enormous conductor stepped down. He wore a tall black hat and had a pocket watch the size of a dinner plate.
“Tickets, please,” the conductor said in a voice that sounded like thunder.
“But we don’t have tickets,” Kyri whispered.
The conductor leaned down, and his serious face broke into a small smile. “Adventurers ride for free tonight.”
He stepped aside, and Kyri and Reef climbed aboard.
The Strange Passengers
Inside, the train was filled with the strangest passengers Kyri had ever seen. A woman in a dress made of stars sipped tea from a cup that glowed. A group of talking foxes in waistcoats played cards. A man with feathers for hair read a book upside down.
“This is… weird,” Reef muttered, looking around.
Kyri, however, was thrilled. “It’s amazing!”
The conductor appeared again. “This train goes nowhere and everywhere, but we make one stop tonight: the Bridge of Questions.”
“The what?” Reef asked.
“You’ll see,” said the conductor with a mysterious smile.
The Bridge of Questions
The train rattled and hissed as it crossed a giant metal bridge high above an endless black void. The moon glowed bright and full, lighting up the train’s path.
As they looked out the window, Kyri spotted floating doors—hundreds of them—hovering in the air below the bridge. Each door was a different size, colour, and shape.
“What are they?” Kyri asked.
The conductor appeared beside them. “They’re doors to answers, but only for those who ask the right questions.”
Kyri blinked. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll see,” the conductor said again, vanishing into thin air.
Reef raised an eyebrow. “I’m starting to think this train is messing with us.”
The Test
Suddenly, the train shuddered and stopped. A door beside their seats swung open, leading to a narrow platform that stretched out into the mist.
“Kyri, stay close,” Reef said, grabbing his climbing rope. “This doesn’t feel like a holiday.”
They stepped onto the platform, which led to a single floating door marked with a question mark. It had a golden handle and creaked open on its own.
“What do you think is in there?” Reef whispered.
“Let’s find out,” Kyri said, stepping through.
Inside the Door
On the other side was a forest—but not like any forest Kyri had ever seen. The trees were made of glass, and the ground was soft and glowing like moonlight. Hanging in the air were hundreds of floating questions, written on glowing pieces of paper.
“What… is this place?” Reef said, staring around.
A small glowing note drifted in front of Kyri’s face. It read:
“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?”
Kyri thought hard. “I don’t know. Maybe coming on this train?”
The note twitched, as if satisfied, and floated away.
Another note hovered toward Reef. “What are you most afraid of?”
Reef frowned. “Falling… with no rope.”
The forest trembled, and a path opened up between the glass trees, leading to a giant archway. The conductor’s voice echoed through the air:
“Face the questions, find the way forward.”
The Chase
Kyri and Reef ran along the glowing path, but behind them, the questions started swarming like bees.
“Uh-oh,” Reef said, grabbing Kyri’s hand. “I think they want answers we don’t have!”
They sprinted faster, dodging glowing paper as it zipped past. Reef grabbed his climbing rope, hooked it onto a branch of one glass tree, and swung them both across a wide gap in the path.
“Hold on!” Reef shouted as they swung through the air.
Kyri laughed, even as the glowing questions swirled behind them. “This is the best adventure ever!”
They landed safely on the other side, where the archway loomed. As they ran through it, the glowing forest vanished, and they were back on the train.
The conductor appeared, clapping his hands. “Very good. You answered bravely. Most don’t make it this far.”
The Journey Home
The train started moving again, faster this time, rattling through the mist. Kyri and Reef sat back in their seats, panting and grinning.
“That was amazing,” Kyri said.
Reef shook his head, still smiling. “You’ve got a funny idea of amazing, Kyri.”
As the train pulled back into Kyri’s garden, the conductor tipped his hat. “Remember, young adventurer: the right questions are sometimes better than answers.”
The doors hissed open, and Kyri and Reef climbed out. The train whistled one last time before vanishing into the mist, leaving the garden quiet and still.
Back in Bed
That night, as Kyri lay in bed, he thought about the glowing forest, the Bridge of Questions, and the Midnight Train. He didn’t have all the answers, but that was okay—because asking questions was part of the adventure.
He smiled as he drifted off to sleep, already wondering where the train might take him next.