As if in a dream, she and Tom climbed down out of the cab. They barely even noticed the click-bing of the train saying

GOOD NIGHT

It was beyond strange, being out in the middle of the night in a rail yard that shouldn’t have existed, in a winter that should’ve been summer, but Kate was too tired to care. The night air was freezing, and the ground was covered with a mix of snow and gravel that was extremely painful to walk on in bare feet. Train cars loomed over them, big as houses, casting sharp black shadows in the artificial light. Past the passenger cars they found the sleeper car.

It was painted a comforting cream color, like ivory or very fancy paper, and it had two doors, one at each end. The first door had TOM neatly lettered on it. The second said KATE. When Kate got to her door it opened automatically and clever little metal steps folded down. Much easier than getting into the engine.

Inside it was warm, and the lights were dim. On one wall was a little sink with a mirror over it. Next to that was a hook with a soft white towel hanging on it and a holder for an enamel cup with a toothbrush and toothpaste in it. Everything was ever-so-slightly miniaturized to fit in a train compartment. It was like being a doll in a very expensive dollhouse.

There was a closet, with a soft Kate-sized robe and slippers already in it and a little drawer for a pair of neatly folded blue-and-white-striped flannel pajamas. Whoever had put all this together was extremely well organized, Kate thought.

She was so tired she just splashed some water on her face and dried it with the towel. The pajamas felt cool and soft and clean. She didn’t brush her teeth, because what was even the point of getting to sleep on a magic train if you had to brush your teeth?

There was a little bed that folded down from the wall, with a little bookshelf next to it in case you wanted to read before you went to sleep. Which ordinarily she might have done, but not tonight. She was too tired even to read. She turned out the light, snugged the blanket up over her, and took a deep contented breath. The sleeper car smelled like clean linen and scented wood. There was a window over the bed so you could look up and see the stars.

A tiny door opened in one wall. Tom’s face peered through it from the other half of the sleeper.

“Hey,” he said.

“Pretty nice, right?”

“So awesome.” Tom paused for a second. “Hey—is it okay if I leave this open?”