Editor’s note: This is Chapter 11 of a 12-part fictional Christmas tale. Parents are encouraged to read aloud with their children.

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Anna sat at the kitchen table watching snow fall in fat, fluffy flakes as she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach. All day long, she’d been alternating between excitement and worry about giving Tyler his Christmas gift.

She’d had no choice but to involve both her dad and Tyler’s mom. When Anna told her dad about what she wanted to do, he didn’t hesitate in jumping in to help.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Anna! I’m sure it would mean the world to Tyler. I’ll give Charlie a call; I’m sure he’d love to help,” her dad had said.

Her father’s friend Charlie owned a hobby store in the next town over, specializing in train sets, and was just the person she needed for this project.

Next she called Tyler’s mom and filled her in on the plan. Anna needed her to sneak the broken train engine out of the basement and over to Anna’s, so her dad could take it to Charlie’s.

Luck was definitely on her side, because Charlie had the parts he needed in stock and was willing to spend a few hours on Christmas Eve helping out. All that was left was for Anna’s father to get everything set up while the rest of them were at the hot cocoa contest that evening.

The cocoa festival was exactly what she needed to settle her nerves. She’d never tasted so many delicious cups of hot chocolate in her life, especially the winning peppermint-chocolate blend.

Afterwards, Anna and Tyler sat slumped on his couch watching Christmas movies, and she knew she needed to show him his surprise before his stomach full of sugary cocoa had him fast asleep.

“Hey Ty … I have something for you, but we need to go to the basement.”

Exhausted, he turned only his head in her direction. “Why the basement?”

“Because that’s where it is!” she almost yelled, thanks to her nerves.

“OK, OK. Calm down. Let’s go.”

Anna led him downstairs until they stood in front of the enormous model train layout.

She felt Tyler tense next to her. “What are you doing, Anna?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“Listen, Ty. I know how important these trains were to you and your dad. I know it was special and just between the two of you. So I really hope you don’t get mad at me for sticking my nose in your private business.”

“What are you saying?”

She pointed to the main control panel. “Push the button.”

Tyler shook his head. “It hasn’t worked since he’s been gone, Anna. It’s broken.”

“Just press the button.”

He raised a shaky hand to the power button and pressed. The sound of a moving train on metal tracks erupted throughout the quiet basement as the newly repaired Lionel engine emerged from a tunnel, pulling the completed set of cars with it.

Minutes passed without words. The two friends just stood watching the train maneuver throughout the intricate track system — over rivers, under mountains, through towns, all the while blowing steam and whistling at each crossing.

Tyler watched the train move for a long moment before speaking.

“How?” he asked quietly.

“It said you needed help, that you needed me. Honestly, I’m always needing you so much that I didn’t even realize you could need me. And I’m sorry for that, for not seeing. But it knew.”

He looked at her now, understanding in his eyes. “That day I was late, you saw something in the door, didn’t you?”

Anna stepped close to him and took his hand. “Yeah. And it showed me exactly what I needed to see.”

Tyler pulled her in for a tight hug. “Thank you, Anna. I didn’t think I’d ever see it run again. I thought I failed him.”

“You never failed him a day in your life. And listen, I had help, I had to involve some adults here.” She grinned and nodded toward the stairs where Tyler’s mom and Anna’s dad smiled down at them.

Tyler released a loud breath. “Thank you. Everyone. Thank you so much.”

The parents quietly left them alone again and Anna stood in silence, watching as Tyler played with multiple controls to bring different sections of the display to life. Nothing else needed to be said between them.

That he was sharing this moment with her was a gift, and everything that mattered was being spoken through the sounds of the locomotive.

Read the final chapter in Sunday’s newspaper.