This story is about an island that is full of magic and mystery.

The island is far away from where the eye could see, and if you are lucky enough, you might be able to reach that island by chance.

Others do not believe that the island could be real or filled with magic inside and think that the island is a hoax.

But some people do believe that there is magic there is on that island.

The island in this story is called the Island of Sodor.

The Island of Sodor is known to be filled with machines.

Those machines can either fly through the air, zoom across roads and plains, and speed along on the tracks.

The island is not always full of machines though, there is a fair amount of people living on the island.

Everyone on the Island of Sodor worked their hardest on each day, as the machines worked along with them.

Trains puffed around the island to take people to their stations, deporting items to other machines to fix them when they have broken down, and delivering mail to people to read about their loved ones.

Other machines worked their hardest to make themselves useful, too, working throughout the day.

Until one day, an unexpected and unusual change came to the island.

It starts out as usual on a sunny Monday morning.

An express train was coming over to pick up the controller's 'special guest' that had come over to Sodor to check on how things are on the railway.

Once the express ship reached Brendam Docks before the express train came, people unboarded from the boat and lined up for the express train to come to pick them up.

One of the people from the crowd looked different from the rest.

That person was the 'special guest,' who was expecting to come from the controller of the railway.

The 'special guest' wears a green dress and a green hat, with a gold band and a red flower on it.

She also has fair skin, steel-blue eyes, and white hair that is up in a bun from underneath her hat, slowly graying from age.

And 'special guest's' name is Dowager Hatt.

She is the controller's elderly mother.

Dowager Hatt came to Sodor to check on her son's progress on the railway and see if he would like some help or new ideas to expand the railway.

There, she met the 'unexpected change.'

She was just about to walk over to the line of people waiting for the train to come when she heard something fall over from her right side.

Confused, she glanced over at what fell over, thinking that she accidentally bumped into someone's baggage, only to see a little girl, inches away from where Dowager Hatt was standing.

She has lightly tanned almond skin color but looked pale, with long, messy hazelnut brown hair that possibly reaches down to her ankles.

The little girl even has dark circles underneath her eyes and looked terribly skinny, almost showing some bones from underneath the flesh.

She even wears a dirty, ragged long-sleeved dress over her body, which also reaches down to her ankles and does not wear any shoes or socks.

It surprised Dowager Hatt to see this little girl lying on the ground, so she called out to anyone if the child belonged to anyone.

But no one answered her call.

She waited for a few minutes for someone to come over to pick the little girl up from the ground.

But no one came either.

So, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Carefully, Dowager Hatt picked the little girl up from the ground, carrying her in a bridal carry in her arms as she had her bag in her left arm and patiently waited for the express to come.

When the express train finally came, as an enormous blue train pulled it from in front.

The express train is painted in bright blue with red and yellow lining.

The number '4' is painted on the sides of his tender in yellow with red-lining.

The lining around his cab windows is in the same yellow color.

For some odd reason, the train also had a face, but with no hair.

When the express train noticed Dowager Hatt holding a little girl in her arms, a confused expression appeared on their face.

"Whose child is that?" the express train asked curiously.

Dowager Hatt responded to the express train's question about the little girl in her arms calmly with no signs of panic.

"I do not know, Gordon." Dowager Hatt responded as she glanced down at the girl in her arms. "But I will take care of her until she can answer us where she came from. Then, we'll find her parents."

Gordon, the name of the big express train, nodded his body, as if he was nodding his head and patiently waited for Dowager Hatt and the passengers to board his coaches.

Once everyone boarded his coaches and sat down on the chairs inside, he whistled his whistle and puffed away from the dockside.

Meanwhile, Dowager Hatt checked the little girl around for any wounds but thankfully had found none of them.

But, she did instead find small scars that covered some on her arms and body.

This made Dowager Hatt puzzled and concerned about the little girl's parents, thinking they may have done this to her.

On the other hand, she was not too sure of herself that they might be the culprits of this.

The ride to the Knapford station was long, but Dowager Hatt took this time to check the little girl over if someone had kidnapped her from home.

There were no signs of struggling on the girl's body, and no chains either to keep her captive.

This relieved Dowager Hatt a little, but she was still worried about her.

Once Gordon reached Knapford station, the passengers stepped off the coaches, and Dowager Hatt met her son, who was waiting for her.

Dowager Hatt's son is a short, chubby gentleman.

He wears a pair of gray trousers, with a white shirt, a black tie, a cream waistcoat, a black tailcoat, and a black top hat.

He also has no hair underneath his hat, fair skin, and brown eye color.

When he noticed his mother holding a little girl wearing tattered clothes in her arms, he exclaimed, "Bless me, mother, where did you find her?"

"I do not know, Topham." Dowager Hatt responded to her son's question, still holding the little girl in her arms. "I found her lying on the ground at the docks with no parents around to help her. It seems like she was kidnapped from her home."

A worried expression appeared on the controller's face, whose name is Topham, as the two workers that noticed Dowager Hatt carrying the girl glanced at each other.

"Shall I call the police?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"Let's not be too hasty, Topham," Dowager Hatt spoke carefully. "We first need to have some clues before getting into action."

He nodded his head, and Dowager Hatt carried the little girl to the hospital, after getting a ride from a bus.

It lasted for a while as the little girl was in the hospital, until she woke up, from being weak to the lack of liquids and food.

When she noticed she was in the hospital, Dowager Hatt appeared from outside, startling her slightly as she flinched.

Now that she had her eyes open, Dowager Hatt could see her having steel-blue eyes, as her skin color was slowly returning to normal.

"Hello, dear." Dowager Hatt greeted the little girl. "How are you feeling now?"

The little girl was quiet after Dowager Hatt asked, glancing away from her and rubbing her hands.

"A… bit better." She stammered softly, gripping her hands together.

It looked like she was shaking a little as if she was afraid.

But, on the other hand, she might be weak from the lack of liquids inside her.

Dowager Hatt paused for a moment after the little girl gripped her hands together, before asking, "Do you remember anything while you were on the ship?"

She stayed silent for a moment before answering her question, "No, ma'am. I passed out after I had been on the docks."

Dowager Hatt thought to herself for a moment, before standing up from sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Wait for a moment here," Dowager Hatt spoke. "I'll go talk to the doctors for a moment."

She nodded her head and got comfortable in the hospital bed, as Dowager Hatt walked out of her room, gently closing the door behind her back.

The little girl glanced around curiously at where she is, noticing that she was inside a sky blue room.

But this room was not entirely sky blue.

There were some clouds painted on the walls, and paper cranes hanging from the ceiling of the room.

Shelves filled with books were at the corner of the room, and a door was on the other side of the shelves, as she guessed that belonged to the bathroom.

The window on the right-hand side of her was large and had a seat.

The cushions were a blue color, and the curtains were in a velvet color.

She looked curious about the new room she was inside, wanting to get out of bed and look at everything, but she instead stayed inside, curling a little in her bed with her knees up to her collarbone.

Then, she heard a steam train's whistle from outside her window.

Curious, she gently pulled the blankets off her body after uncurling her body a little, noticing she was wearing a light blue hospital gown instead of the rags she was wearing earlier.

After pulling the blankets off, she stepped off her bed, before shaking a little from being tired out with the lack of vitamins inside her body.

With her right hand, she gently gripped the stand with the drip bag filled with water, using it as a cane for her to walk.

She tiptoed over to the window curiously, after hearing the steam whistle of the steam train.

Once she was up close to the window, she sat down on the seat comfortably, as she had the stand that had her drip bags by her side.

Just in case if she wanted to stand back up to her feet again.

After getting comfortable on the window still's couch, she glanced through it to see that there was a steam train outside.

To her surprise, she saw a steam train for the first time, but the steam train looked different from the ones she had seen in the pictures.

The steam train is painted in bright blue with red lining.

The number '1' is painted on the sides of the tanks in yellow with red-lining.

The lining around the cab windows is in the same yellow color.

But, the most curious and frightening part that scared her a little was that the steam train has a face!

The steam train watched as the passengers climbed into his coaches, which had faces too.

The coaches that are coupled behind the steam train are painted orange-brown and looked more feminine than the steam train.

The steam train glanced around for a moment, before making eye contact with the little girl who was peeking out from the window who gasped softly after watching him look over at her and ducked down from the first glance.

Outside the hospital, the steam train looked confused after the little girl ducked, as the whistle of the conductor blew from the station the engine was at.

"What is the matter, Thomas?" the first coach asked after the steam train whistled his whistle in return.

"Did you see that little girl?" Thomas, the name of the steam train, asked back, glancing over at the window for a second time, before puffing away from the junction.

"What little girl?" the second coach asked, the tone of the voice a little higher than the first one.

The second coach glanced up at the window, seeing the little girl peeked out of the window, before ducking again after noticing the second coach has a face too.

"Oh, now I see her!" the second coach spoke. "But who is she?"

"I do not know, Clarabel." the first coach spoke. "She seemed to be new here."

"Maybe someone else does?" Thomas curiously asked, before exiting out of the station. "Her parents must've taken her in there to heal up."

"Could be," nodded the first coach.

Meanwhile, with the little girl, she peeked again after ducking from the second coach, glancing side to side before standing up.

"Okay…" she softly spoke to herself. "That is out of the ordinary…"

She glanced down at the inserted needle in her arm, wondering what was in that water the nurse gave her.

Then, the door opened again, causing her to look over her shoulder from the window.

Dowager Hatt entered the room again, noticing she was standing up to her knees and looking out of the window.

"Oh," She exclaimed. "You are already moving! Quite quickly too…"

"F-Forgive me, ma'am." She stammered, wringing her hands nervously as she sat there, turning her attention from the window to Dowager Hatt. "I heard a steam train's whistle from outside and went to look."

Dowager Hatt looked confused for a moment, before chuckling gently and said, "It's perfectly fine, no need to apologize. I am guessing you heard Thomas' whistle."

"'Thomas?'" She repeated in confusion as she slightly perked as she pointed to the window behind her. "Is that the steam train's name that I saw through the window?"

"Of course!" Dowager Hatt smiled. "Isn't there any steam trains over at where you lived?"

She paused after Dowager Hatt asked her, answering as she shook her head and sighing, "No, ma'am. We only have electric trains back home. But, they don't have faces like the ones here."

Dowager Hatt looked confused as she raised an eyebrow.

"Where did you live?" Dowager Hatt asked.

The little girl was quiet, rubbing her hands again nervously as she glanced away from Dowager Hatt's gaze.

"I… used to live in Washington." she slowly answered. "But… I have a difficult past to explain."

Her eyes started welling up with tears, blinking a few times as she held her hands.

Dowager Hatt walked over to the little girl and knelt down to her height, placing her bag down on the window sill's bench next to her.

"What happened?" she asked, sounding concerned for her.

The little girl sniffed and responded, answering Dowager Hatt's question, "My parents died in a car crash when I was only 4 years old."

Dowager Hatt gasped softly before pausing for a moment, thinking to herself.

The little girl was quiet as she thought to herself, before Dowager Hatt asked, "Was that in 2013?"

The little girl nodded her head, gently sniffing as she cried softly.

"I was in the orphanage after my parents had died as my baby sister disappeared and I can't remember the rest of my family, either," she sniffed, as she used the back of her hands to wipe her tears again, mostly using the sleeves of her hospital gown. "And… this horrible man bought me from the orphanage since it was going bankrupt."

Dowager Hatt gasped softly again as she continued speaking until the little girl stopped and sniffed again.

"He treated the other children and me like dirt," she cried. "Until a friend of mine helped me escape and went on that boat, thinking it would take me back where I used to belong,... but I instead came here by mistake."

She stopped after she had finished her story, sniffing and trying to wipe the tears away from her eyes with her hands.

Dowager Hatt was silent after she had finished her story, piecing the puzzle pieces together as she continued crying softly to herself.

Then, she reached into the pocket of her coat and took out a white handkerchief.

The little girl sniffed as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands when Dowager Hatt held her hand out with a handkerchief for her tears.

"Do not fret," Dowager Hatt spoke softly, assuring the little girl like a mother. "We'll find your other relatives that are still alive, and save you from this 'horrible man,' after giving the form to us after finding who he is."

She paused for a moment before nodding her head.

The little girl gently took the handkerchief from Dowager Hatt, sniffing a few times.

Dowager Hatt picked her bag up from the window sill's bench, placing it on her arm as she waited patiently.

She wiped her tears away with the handkerchief, including blowing her nose.

Dowager Hatt paused for a moment, pondering to herself for a moment, before standing up to her height.

"Wait right here," she spoke, before walking out of the room.

The little girl did as she was told, staying put as Dowager Hatt walked out of the room, closing the door behind her back.

Once Dowager Hatt was out of the room, she heard that same whistle again, flinching slightly.

Slowly, she turned around to look out the window, noticing it was the same steam train from earlier.

She did not hear what their conversation was since there were many people and noises all around, so she could not make out what the coaches' names were, except for the steam train's name, whose name is 'Thomas.'

He glanced up at the window and noticed the little girl, as she flinched slightly, but did not hide from him again.

Her curiosity seemed to grow more as she stared at him, noticing that he was a driver and fireman inside his cab.

As she stared at him with curiosity, he suddenly mouthed the words to her, since she could slightly hear his voice through the thickness of the glass, "Hello, there."

That made her hide again from him, ducking from behind the window ledge.

On the other side of the window, Thomas looked confused after she had ducked, as the first coach behind him looked thoughtful as she was looking at the window too.

"Maybe you could meet her during the night?" the first coach suggested, before hearing the conductor's whistle after all the passengers were on board.

"But, he would get in trouble with Sir Topham Hatt." Clarabel, the second coach's name, spoke as Thomas puffed away from the station after whistling his whistle. "No trains are supposed to be out, instead of Percy and Henry, who takes out the Flying Kipper and the mail train."

Thomas paused for a moment as he continued through the line before smiling.

"Remember how Percy got the animals to trust him?" Thomas asked, glancing up at the coaches.

"Yes, we remember." Carabel nodded. "Why?"

"Maybe if I meet her again during the night without Sir Topham Hatt or anyone else notices," Thomas continued. "I could befriend her!"

"But, on the other hand," the first coach spoke. "Hospitalized people can't be outside during the night."

"Unless they open the window, Annie." Thomas cheekily remarked.

They paused for a moment when they remembered seeing a latch in between the two windows, before sighing softly.

"Alright," Annie, the name of the first coach, sighed. "If you insist, Thomas."

Meanwhile, the little girl peeked again from behind the window ledge, looking slightly surprised and startled that Thomas had spoke to her!

But, on the other hand, she was not sure if he did speak to her, only mouthed the words to her through the window.

There was no such thing as anthropomorphic steam trains back where she lived!

Deciding that it was enough of looking out the window, she shakily walked back over to the bed while holding Dowager Hatt's handkerchief in her hand and laid down, sighing to herself, releasing the stand that has her drip bags.

A nurse entered the room instead of Dowager Hatt, and she sat up slightly as she placed the handkerchief right beside her on the counter table.

"Where's the lady?" she asked.

The nurse glanced over at her with a slightly confused look on her face.

Then, she understood who she asked about.

"Oh, are you asking about Mrs. Hatt?" the nurse asked. "The woman that had found you on the docks?"

The little girl nodded her head in response, inching herself into the bed to get herself comfortable.

"The visiting hours are already up." the nurse sighed. "You need some rest since you are weak from the lack of vitamins you did not receive."

She glanced away from her after she mentioned her weakness, looking slightly sad but afraid of something.

The nurse looked concerned about her expression first, but went to carefully arrange the little girl's blankets and gently put her to bed.

She closed the curtains of the window and clicked off the lamp next to her.

"What is your name?" the nurse asked, before leaving the room.

"Stephanie," the little girl answered. "Stephanie Nova Rose Allen is my name, ma'am."

The nurse smiled softly and turned off the lights by clicking the switch.

"Have a nice rest, Stephanie." the nurse smiled before closing the door behind her back, sealing Stephanie in silent darkness.

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