So, imagine this: Alice decided to surprise her mum for New Years Eve. She didnt breathe a word about coming up just booked her ticket and set off. She turned up at her mums house and knocked on the front door with a grin. And who should come charging down the hallway but her little sister, Poppy! The rest of the day just flew by. While she and Poppy chopped up salad veg together, her mum was busy in the kitchen making Alices favourite dish shepherds pie.
“I had a feeling you might turn up, you know,” her mum said at one point. “But I thought you wouldnt come alone. Youre still not seeing anyone since Michael?”
Alice just waved the question off. “No, mum.”
Suddenly, Alices mobile buzzed and what do you know, it gave her such a shock she nearly dropped the thing!
But the day before, Alice was at home fretting about work. Shed been glued to her laptop all evening, wading through her end-of-year report.
“I love and hate New Years in equal measure,” Alice thought, sipping cold tea. “All these blasted reports, checking figures, audits Its the final day tomorrow, then freedom for two whole weeks! I am just so knackered after this month.”
Her boss had said if the auditors found everything in order, she’d be off until the 12th of January. Alice was determined to tie up every loose end couldnt wait to relax and see her mum and Poppy.
She still needed to nip down to Marks to get mums present. Shed already picked up a new mobile for Poppy ages ago. Her train tickets had been sitting in her drawer since the start of the month, just in case.
“If the boss lets me go, brilliant. If not, Ill sell them on,” shed thought, opting for a bottom bunk in the sleeper compartment.
That night, Alice had a strange dream she was wandering in a forest and spotted a tiny girl, five or six years old, sitting on a tree stump with a book. Alice said, “Are you lost? Where are your parents?”
The little girl replied, “No, I havent got lost. I just havent been found yet. Youd better wake up your destinys arriving tonight. Dont sleep through it! Youve got a report to hand in!”
Alices eyes snapped open and she looked at her phone. “Crikey, Ive nearly overslept! That would be a disaster, the audits first thing at nine and the reports finished.”
She dashed around the flat and before she knew it, she was brushing on her makeup, ready for the day. She decided shed sort her coffee at work. She was out the door, wrapped up in her old wool coat, and dashed to the bus stop.
Thank heavens work was only a few stops away, and there was even a free seat. Alice sat down, glanced around the bus and just then she spotted the girl from her dream! The little one winked at her, and just as she blinked, a lad with an overloaded rucksack nearly whacked her on the head.
Alice shot him a look, and when she looked for the girl again, shed vanished.
“Must be the exhaustion,” Alice thought, “that dream was absolute nonsense.”
By the time Alice reached the office, everyone was already buzzing about. She dived into the hubbub, head-down till lunch. Thankfully, her report sailed through with flying colours. Her boss gave her a thumbs-up and called her into his office.
“Right, as promised youre free. And for all the hard graft, heres a little Christmas bonus,” he said, handing her an envelope. “Happy Holidays!”
“Same to you, Mr. Thompson! Thank you so much!”
Alice took her bonus and picked up a nice wool shawl for her mum, got Poppy a cute new blouse, then scooped up some posh sweets and a bottle of prosecco for the table. At half-past seven, bags in hand, she just about made it onto her train, tripped over someones backpack and ended up sprawled out right across the corridor.
She nearly burst into tears but then felt a kind hand help her up.
“So sorry, thats my fault I was just about to pop my bag into the compartment,” said a man with a warm, easy voice and a devastating smile.
“No, no, its fine, honestly,” Alice stammered, feeling herself blush.
Turns out they were in the same compartment. Alice couldnt help sneaking a look at him he was tall, quite good-looking. Then she remembered the little girls words from her dream: “Tonight youll meet your destiny.”
“Surely not him but, honestly, I wouldnt complain if it was.”
He helped her stow her bag and offered her a seat. They got chatting his name was Edward. He was heading to Alices hometown for a business meeting, but only for the day.
“Got to take this train up, then Im straight back tomorrow just squeezing in a family Christmas. How about you?”
“Im off to see Mum and my sister. Havent seen them in ages, got a bit of time off for the holidays.”
“No partner waiting for you?”
Alice smiled. “No one at the moment. Still waiting to meet the right person, you know? Someone Id want to see in the New Year with, and all the years after that. How about you? Family?”
He shook his head, “Nope, same boat as you, honestly. Looking for the one I want to settle down with.”
“Im your destiny, the girl in the dream told me!” Alice nearly blurted out, but caught herself and blushed crimson.
“You know, youve got the loveliest rosy cheeks when youre embarrassed. Looks just like a ripe apple makes you even lovelier.”
Alice stammered, “I cant help it I go red at the worst moments, always have.”
“Alright, alright, Ill behave. Fancy a cuppa? My mum sent me off with an apple pie, said I had to share it with my neighbour!”
Just then, a kindly older woman and a little lad came into the compartment, so Alice and Edward stepped out to let them get settled. The woman, Mrs. Smith, was taking her grandson to see his mum for New Year she was working in another town, couldnt get time off, and the little lad missed her terribly. So Gran had decided to take him as a special treat.
Later that night, the lot of them gathered for tea and Mrs. Smiths home-baked pie and biscuits. Afterwards, Alice and Edward left the others to rest and wandered out to the corridor. As the train rolled through a big city all decked out with Christmas lights, they watched the twinkling from the window.
“Now, I hope this isnt too forward, but mind if we swap numbers, Alice?”
“Id like that,” she replied.
“When are you heading back?”
“Not till the tenth a nice long stay this time.”
“Good to hear. You know, its so easy chatting to you. Feels like weve known each other for donkeys years.”
“Yeah, you too. Maybe its just the magic of train journeys you meet someone, you chat, share a bit of your soul and then go your separate ways.”
“Suppose youre right. Well bed?”
She smiled and nodded.
The train rolled in at ten the next morning. Alice hadnt told her family she was coming wanted to surprise them, of course. She knew where the spare key was if no one was in.
She and Edward stood by the taxis. He wished her a wonderful holiday, she wished him luck for New Years Eve maybe even meeting someone hed want to be with for good.
“Thats a lovely wish, same to you Alice I hope you find that special someone for the New Year and all the years after.”
They grinned at each other and went off their separate ways. Alice liked Edward, honestly but she never imposed herself on anyone. Although, in her mind she wanted to call after him, “Stay, lets see in the New Year together and see what might happen.”
Still, brushing off those thoughts, she turned her attention to the big family surprise
…So she rocked up at her mums and Poppys on New Years Eve, carrying her presents and grinning. She knocked on the door and Poppy came flying at her like a rocket.
The hours vanished in a whirlwind of chopping, mixing, and laughter. While mum fixed up her legendary shepherds pie, Alice and Poppy flung together the rest of the feast.
“I had a feeling youd show up,” mum laughed. “Bought extra eggs just in case. To be honest, I figured you might not come on your own. Still not spoken to anyone since Michael?”
“Oh, come on mum lets drop it!”
And just then, Alices mobile buzzed her heart did a flip. It was Edward!
“Hi did you make it home in time?” Alice asked, a smile in her voice.
“Well, not exactly youre still the only one I know in this town. Any chance a lonely traveller could join you for New Years?”
Alice burst into laughter. “Hold on, let me check with the lady of the house Mum! Is it alright if a friend joins us? Hes here on business and I dont think hes got a ticket home yet.”
“Of course! Hell liven up this house full of girls!”
“You heard her jot down our address!” Alice said, winking at her mum.
That little girl in the dream, turns out, was right she woke Alice up just in time to hand in her report and to meet her fate that evening. And what a New Years it turned out to be!
