The next morning, Rail Jack joined Gear Shift to help move some empty freight cars around the yard. She was her usual cheerful self, though he noticed her mind seemed to be miles away while they worked.

"Well- thanks for the help, Jack," she held her hands together in front of her chest. "I don't know what I'd do without you!" 

"Don't mention it," He said. "We've been working together for so long, it's second nature by now." 

Gear Shift sighed. "Sometimes I wish for a little change though. Don't you ever get tired of the same old routine day after day?" 

He hesitated, unsure of how to respond. "This is the job we were built for," He said, "Might as well make the best of it, right?" 

Gear Shift frowned, clearly disappointed with my answer. Rail Jack felt a pang of guilt, but remained resolute with what he had said. They had work to do, and dreaming of other possibilities wouldn't change anything. After a few moments of tense silence, She spoke again, her voice soft. "Hey Jack? Do you ever wonder what's beyond these tracks?" Gear Shift asked.

Rail Jack glanced over at her, "Sometimes," He admitted, "But I'll be honest. I like seeing the rail near me if not under my feet. I think it would be scary to not see it. I mean, where would you even go?"

"True," Gear Shift smiled. "I bet you see so many places just at the edge of the horizon that you want to go to, don't you? Where do the birds go? Where do the humans live go after they step off of our trains?"

Jack stayed quiet this time, his mind was heavy thinking about what was beyond the rails. He then spoke up, "We're almost done here Gear Shift. Then we can get our break."

Things continued in their usual fashion for the next few hours. Gear Shift and Rail Jack worked side by side, tearing through the workload assigned to them. The routine was predictable but not unpleasant, especially with the cheerful chatter to keep them company. 

As the warm night arrived and the sky was painted in shades of orange and pink, Rail Jack found himself basking in the fading light of the long summer day taking in the now cooling air. The air was thick with the scent of diesel, oil, and coal, and the gentle hum of distant engines filled the evening.

That's when he saw something strange flickering at the edge of his vision. At first, he thought it was just the usual sparks flying from the wheels grinding against the rails, but as his gaze lingered, he realized something magical was happening. A swarm of tiny, glowing stars danced in the air, their delicate flashes of light beating in rhythm with the distant hum of diesels and chuffs of steamers.

"By the silver tracks-...the stars are... falling?" Rail Jack whispered, barely able to contain his mixed awe and fear. He'd heard stories about this from the older engines - little stars lighting up the warm night air, their origins shrouded in mystery. He marveled at their enchanting glow. With each flash, the fireflies seemed to beckon him closer, inviting him to join their mesmerizing dance.

He couldn't resist; he had to get a closer look. He crept forward, his wheels turning slowly so as not to startle the fallen stars. But no matter what he did it seemed as if the stars did not get any bigger. They still looked like constellations woven into the flowing fabric of the night. A few of the stars flitted closer as if to greet him, before returning to their waltz in the air. That's when he realized that these stars weren't far away. These stars were absolutely tiny.

He began tracing the movements of the fallen stars with his finger, attempting to decipher any patterns or messages hidden within their luminous dance. "Up, down, left, right... no, that's not it," he muttered to himself. "Ah! Maybe it's a loop... or a figure-eight!" Rail Jack exclaimed, his eyes widening with anticipation. It seemed as if he was on the brink of a breakthrough, his mind racing with possibilities. "Or perhaps," he pondered, his gaze never leaving the little blinking stars, "it's more like morse code. A series of dashes and dots that spell out some sort of message..."

"Rail Jack, what are you doing out here?" A deep voice rumbled from behind Jack, snapping him back to reality.

Jack swiveled around on his wheels, surprised to see the familiar sight of the yardmaster in-trianing. "Golden Spike!" he exclaimed, trying to hide his surprise. "I was just, uh... admiring the stars!" He gestured towards the tiny 'stars' still swirling around them, their lights flashing like signals in the darkness.

"I see," he replied, his tone warm and understanding. As he moved closer, Jack could hear the gears of his powerful engine humming like a well-oiled symphony. A humming nearly identical to his own. "They are quite mesmerizing, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Jack agreed, my gaze drifting back to the fallen stars. "I've never seen anything like it before. Do you know how they... do that?" he asked, motioning to their rhythmic glow.

Golden Spike chuckled, "No, but I do not think I want to know. It would ruin our belief of them. They are not stars however, they are fireflies."

"Fireflies." Jack repeated, savoring the word as it rolled off his tongue.

"Well, Rail Jack, have you ever heard the tale of old famous trains put to pasture, stars, and their connection to the fireflies?" Golden Spike used his hands to railsign 'sit' and motioned to the ground.

The two centennials sat on the grass, arms crossed over their knees as they looked out at the swarm of fireflies.

Jack felt a tinge of sadness at the thought of those once-proud engines being laid to rest. It wasn't something that crossed his mind often. "No, I haven't."

"Ah, then let me share the story with you," Golden replied, his eyes shining with excitement. "You see, when a piece of rolling stock has finished its runs and is put out of service for decommissioning, it doesn't simply vanish from existence. Instead, its spirit remains, watching over the railyard and protecting its fellow trains as stars in the night sky." He pointed up to the sky and turned his head to the constellations, "All the way up there."

Jack blinked in surprise, but found himself truly captivated by the idea. It was strangely comforting to think that they were never truly alone, even in the darkest moments. He gazed up thinking about the thousands of rolling stock and then the thousands of stars in the night sky. It made sense.

"Fireflies," Golden Spike continued, "are said to be the spirits of the decommissioned trains coming down to remind us of their presence and their eternal bond with us. They come down for a short while to visit their old rail yards and see how the fleet is doing. A reunion if you will. You might even see them in your shed taking care of you through the night."

As Rail Jack gazed at the fireflies once more, their lights seemed to hold an even deeper meaning now. A connection to those who had come before them, a symbol of unity and love transcending time and space. "...that's incredible," Rail Jack murmured, awestruck by the revelation. "But why do they choose fireflies of all things to visit us?"

"Perhaps it's because they look like stars or because of their ephemeral nature," he mused with a shrug. "They're here for just a short time, but their impact is profound. Much like the trains that have come and gone before us, leaving lasting impressions in the hearts of rolling stock and human alike."

"That's not the only thing I have to say" Golden Spike laid down and held his hands together just under his chest. "One summer evening, just like this one, a young engine found himself stranded on the tracks, unable to move due to a mechanical issue. That same night, a silvery blue swarm of fireflies appeared. some of them separated from the swarm. Upon their return, it turned out that they had been guiding help to the young engine. He made it back safely to the railyard because of them. It was believed that the Starlight Express's spirit had taken the form of the fireflies to help the engine in need."

Rail Jack laid down as well, though on his side, to look at some fireflies that had descended to land on his frame. "So the Starlight Express.."

"Is real? Probably. Probably not" Golden smiled. "Won't stop me from believing." His motors rumbled quietly for a diesel, "I heard from old steam engines that on summer nights, if you listen closely, you can listen to the fireflies and they will tell you tales of routes long abandoned and places not accessible by rail. They connect us to our past, and remind us of our purpose."

Rail Jack let himself relax, his motors slowing to idle as he let his black box whirr with imagination as he gazed into the firefly swarm illuminating the night. He began to see rails leading to hidden mountain passes, secluded desert sidings, dusty switchyards, and twisting forest tracks. "I have to see it," Jack said, transfixed by their dance. "All of it. No matter how far or wild the route. I'll go wherever they go. Learn every story, travel every mile of track they light up in the night. I'll chase those fireflies to the ends of the rails and back again, if that's what it takes."

 Golden Spike laughed loudly, "You can't go on chasing stars Jack! You'll never reach them. You'll wear your motors down....but I would do the same if my job wasn't to run this place. I think every engine wants to be a firefly chaser. Even the ones who might deny it."

Jack's voice was quiet, "When I'm tired...and my frame is broken and old. I want to become a star like those famous engines. Do you think I'll make it?"

"Think? I promise." Golden Spike carefully gathered some of the fireflies in his hands and cupped them together. "And when my own time is over, I'll come and find you among the stars." He brought his hands up to his face and blew out some air, the fireflies flew out of his hands like sparks from a welder's torch. He smiled at Rail Jack. "Promise me you'll last as long as you can too? We'll see who can run the longest."

"I'll run the longest." Jack smirked.

"You think so? We'll see." Golden Spike's voice was full of amusement. He shut off his motors one first and then the other. "I think to last the longest, we should let our motors rest and let out minds sleep."

"That sounds like a pleasant idea..." Jack did the same.

And the sounds of a sleepy diesel engines slowly became audible as their hot metal creaked in the summer night air.