Restoring Shining Time pt 4

"Yes Burnett... I see. Thank you, Wilhelma will help you with that... Yes. Yes, she's very good at things like that. She's always adored trains. OK, thank you Mr. Stone. Good bye."
Will watched her mother as she hung up the phone. She had a smile on her face, the kind of smile that Will nearly feared on some days.
"Mister Burnett Stone would like you to help him dust his train." Will's mother said, resting her fist on her chin. Her elbow on the table. "He said that she can be ridden on the strip of railroad track for the younger kids. He thinks that you could help him take care of his little Lady (Lady is the name of the train) and show her off to his granddaughter when she comes to Muffle Mountain for Christmas."
Will stood still. She smiled at the irony of her having to take care of a train that Burnett's granddaughter took take care of Lady too, no doubt.
"He said he would pay you, whatever amount you want. He also said that he would help you find people to work at Shining Time. He even knew the old station manager."
"Glory bee." Will said to herself. "That's what we need next is all the employee from Shining Time before. Then it WOULD be like Shining Time Station was just frozen in time."
"Would you like to help Mr. Stone, Wilhelma?" Will's mother asked. She fingered the phone to tell Burnett that Will would help, if she said she would.
"Yeah." Will started to say in a if-I-have-too tone. "I'll help Mr. Stone with his train. But just once. Until we know Mr. Stone better."

Burnett Stone knew that Will didn't really trust him. But he was so old that he pretty much just babbled about himself to her without realizing it. He found that Will had an amazing smile but rarely used it. She wasn't shy though, she just needed a little trust.
"Would you like to take a ride on Lady?" Burnett asked Will after they were done dusting Lady off.
"She can't go anywhere." Will said, laughing a little.
"But what if she could?" Burnett asked.
Will looked at the train, at Burnett, and then back at the train. She smiled.
"I think it would be interesting."
"Get in." Burnett said, motioning toward the train. Will didn't stop looking at Burnett as she got into Lady's cab.
"How do you make Lady start?" Will asked. As if these were the magic words, Lady started to move on her own accord.
"Mr. Stone!" Will cried in surprise. "Where is Lady taking me?"
"To the island of Sodor!" Burnett cried back.
To many questions ran through Will's mind when he said that. When she finally decided which one to ask, Burnett Stone was out of view.
"Of all the days to forget my camera..." Will said as she gasped at the landscaping around her. Lady rode on a special railroad that connected two different worlds together. The views where beyond description and everything was beautiful year round. A magical place for a magical Lady.
"Do you believe in magic Will?" an unfamiliar voice asked from the front of Lady. It took Will a little bit to realize it was Lady talking.
"If I didn't before I do now." she said. Lady laughed.
"Would you mind if I show you around the Island of Sodor? When we are done I have someone that would like to say something to you."
"Is this the Island of Sodor?" Will asked in wonder.
"No." Lady laughed, "This is a special railroad in between Muffle Mountain and Sodor. We'll be on Sodor in only a matter of seconds."

It took Lady several hours to show Will all the landmarks of Sodor. The two made great conversations with each other and before the end of the day they were the best of friends.
"How do you like Sodor, Will?" Lady asked as she headed toward Tidmouth. Will had no idea she was going to a party for her for a thanks for restoring Shining Time Station, but she was distracted by all the wonder of Sodor.
"Love it." Will said. "I love it to pieces."
Lady laughed. "That's nice to hear."
"Lady, where are we going?"
"To Tidmouth station. Some one really special wants to thank you for something."
Will tilted her head to the side. Who in the world would want to thank her for something that she did? But Will didn't ask, she assumed it was supposed to be a surprise anyway so she tried not to think about it.
When they arrived at Tidmouth, Will couldn't believe what she saw. Sure, all day she heard Lady talking to her but she never really thought that as a talking train she possessed a face now. But of course, it wasn't Lady's face she saw that made her realize this, it was a steam engine that was helping to prepare for Will's little thank-you party.
"Thomas!" Lady called out to the other engine. Will wasn't sure but she knew that Lady had smiled at seeing her friend.
"Lady?!" Thomas asked surprised. "What are you doing on Sodor? Burnett Stone had you back on Muffle Mountain!"
"I've brought a friend with me." Lady said back. Thomas rolled over to Lady on another track and got in a position that he could look into Lady's cab and see who Lady brought.
"Well, hello there!" Thomas said brightly to Will. "How are you? What is your name?"
"I... my name is Will. And I'm doing very well. Thank you." Will stammered a bit.
"Will." Thomas reflected. "That is an odd name for a girl."
"It's short for Wilhelma." Will explained.
"Oh. That makes better sense." Thomas said with a teasing smile. Will ignored it. If someone didn't make fun of her nickname, then they would make fun of her full name.
"Are you here for the party?" Thomas then asked.
"A party? What for?"
"For you." someone said at the Tidmouth platform. Lady pulled up closer and Will saw that it was a conductor.
"Why for me? I didn't do anything special."
"You helped restore Shining Time Station."
"Pardon?"
Will looked both ways before getting of Lady. She then quickly darted across the train track and crawled onto the platform. She got some help from the conductor.
"Restoring Shining Time wasn't my idea. I was thinking about it, but I didn't say it out loud." Will said facing the conductor now.
"Maybe so, but you have an eye for something that your friend didn't." a small and fat man, who Will assumed was head of the railway since he looked very important, said.
"And what in the world is that?" Will asked, being completely ignorant of what they were trying to say.
"Magic." Lady said from behind Will. Will whipped her head toward the train. Lady was smiling, almost about to laugh again. Lady had a lovely laugh that she used often. Will did her best to remember that laugh, it may come in handy some day. Although Will knew she couldn't repeat it the same way Lady did it.
The party lasted a good hour or two, it ended as the sun went down. Mr. Conductor had told Will that he would see her at Shining Time the next day and she told him that she couldn't wait. Lady led Will back through the Magic Railroad and straight into Burnett's workshop again, where he was waiting for her with a great big smile.
"How was Sodor?" he asked.
"When do I get to go back?" she asked right back at him, with a big smiling forming on her lips.