Short Story: A Model Railway
“Should the track go from here to here?”
“Yes. Oh, and I was thinking the tunnel could go through this mountain.”
“Then how about we put a river in this spot?”
“Oh, good call. We can put a bridge over it, then.”
Kuon and I were discussing the layout of his latest diorama as we set down the styrofoam-like material. I’d decided that I wanted to do something with him, and this was what we’d settled on: a model railway. Kuon was in charge of the diorama and scenery, while I’d put together the train and its tracks. I created a tiny replica of the magic train with [Modeling], then applied a simple [Program] charm to it that allowed it to run along the rails. To test it out, I set down a basic circular track and it ran without any issues.
“It’ll keep running until the magic wears off...”
“Father, we should consider external power. I also believe it would be more realistic if the lights in the tunnel turned on automatically as the train ran through it.”
“Oh yeah, that does sound more... Wait, Quun?”
I blinked in confusion as I saw my daughter glancing down at the model train. I hadn’t even heard her enter the room.
“This seems quite interesting. Mind if I join you?” Quun asked as she looked up at me with expectant eyes. I found myself unable to resist her request.
“Uh, sure! I guess...”
In all honesty, I welcomed the help. After all, it was quite the undertaking for just me and Kuon. I left Quun in charge of the train, since she could utilize [Modeling] and [Program] almost as well as I could. Kuon was still busy sculpting decorations for the landscape, so I decided to put together a little town for the train to run through. It wasn’t based on any particular place, so I started to look through photos of houses, buildings, stations, and so on. Then, I created them with [Modeling] before passing them over to Kuon. Even though I could make the basic shapes, I still needed him to paint them.
I looked back over at Quun to see what she was doing...only for my jaw to drop in shock. There was a live video feed projected in the air in front of her...the view from the little train.
“I’ve installed a small camera at the front of the magic train, as well as added a function to change the speed. Now you can simulate driving it, or at least gather a close approximation of the experience.”
Quun could cast [Mirage], and she’d used it here to project the illusory vision from the camera she’d installed in the train. I was a little curious, so I tried it out...and it did feel like I was the conductor. Still, I had to stop myself from getting too engrossed in it, since I didn’t want to leave Kuon alone.
I started setting down the rails along the diorama that he’d made, ensuring that they were properly fixed together using [Modeling]. Part of me lamented the fact that completely smooth rails meant none of that typical train rattling, but I wasn’t actually going to be riding on the train, so it didn’t really matter.
By the time the sun had set, the model railway was complete. The little magic train ran along the mountains, having completed its test run. As a finishing touch, we put it in a glass case and looked upon our completed creation.
“Mission accomplished!” Kuon exclaimed in excitement.
Linne, Allis, and the others rushed over to look down at the train, curiosity filling their eyes. Kuon and Quun grinned, satisfied looks on their faces. I was satisfied too, since it’d been nice spending a day making something with two of my kids. It made me eager to make something new with them again...but what would come next?
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