Chris Van Allsburg Quotes

“All aboard,” the conductor cried out.

“There is no Santa,” my friend had insisted, but I knew he was wrong.

The North Pole. It was a huge city standing alone at the top of the world, filled with factories where every Christmas toy was made.

He cupped his hands around his mouth. “MERRY CHRISTMAS,” he shouted. The Polar Express let out a loud blast from its whistle and sped away.

“There,” said the conductor, “is the North Pole.”

He stood, holding the bell high above him, and called out, “The first gift of Christmas!”

I reached into my pocket, but the only thing I felt was a hole. I had lost the silver bell from Santa Claus’s sleigh.

I shook the bell. It made the most beautiful sound my sister and I had ever heard.

On Christmas eve, many years ago, I lay quietly in my bed. I did not rustle the sheets. I breathed slowly and silently. I was listening for a sound—a sound a friend had told me I’d never hear—the ringing bells of Santa’s sleigh.

What I wanted more than anything was one silver bell from Santa’s sleigh.

It broke my heart to lose the bell.

“Why, to the North Pole of course,” was his answer. “This is the Polar Express.”

“They are gathering at the center of the city . . . That is where Santa will give the first gift of Christmas.”

A conductor stood at the open door of one of the cars. He took a large pocket watch from his vest, then looked up at my window.

We climbed mountains so high it seemed as if we would scrape the moon. But the Polar Express never slowed down. Faster and faster we ran along . . .

The reindeer were excited. They pranced and paced, ringing the silver sleigh bells that hung from their harnesses. It was a magical sound, like nothing I’d ever heard.

Santa circled once above us, then disappeared in the cold, dark polar sky.

Sarah found one last small box behind the tree. It had my name on it. Inside was the silver bell!

“Found this on the seat of my sleigh. Fix that hole in your pocket.” Signed, “Mr. C.”

At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.

Outside, the lights of towns and villages flickered in the distance as the Polar Express raced northward.

We drank hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars.

Santa shouted out the reindeer’s names and cracked his whip. His team charged forward and climbed into the air.

″‘JUMANJI,’ Judy read from the box, ‘A JUNGLE ADVENTURE GAME.’ ‘Look,’ said Peter, pointing to a note taped to the bottom of the box. In a childlike handwriting were the words, ‘Free game, fun for some but not for all. P.S. Read instructions carefully.‘”

″‘I don’t think,’ said Peter in between gasps of air, ‘that I want... to play... this game... anymore.‘”

“The stream in the room became thicker and thicker. Judy could not even see Peter across the table. Then, as if all the doors and windows had been opened, a cool breeze cleared the stream from the room. Everything was just as it had been before the game.”

“D. Very important. Once a game of Jumanji is started it will not be over until one player reaches the golden city.”

″‘Monsoon season begins, lose one turn.’ Little raindrops began to fall in the living room. Then a roll of thunder shook the walls and scared the monkeys out of the kitchen.”

“Suddenly a herd of rhinos charged through the living room and into the dining room, crushing all the furniture in their path.”

″‘Did you have an exciting afternoon?’ ‘Oh yes,’ said Peter. ‘We had a flood, a stampede, a volcano, I got sleeping sickness, and-’ Peter was interrupted by the adults’ laughter.”

″‘Lion attacks, move back two spaces,’ read Judy. ‘Gosh how exciting,’ said Peter, in a very unexcited voice. ‘Peter,’ she whispered, ‘turn around very, very slowly.‘”

“The boy turned in his chair. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Lying on the piano was a lion, staring at Peter and licking his lips.”

″‘No one would come from the zoo because they wouldn’t believe us,’ said Judy. ‘And you know how upset Mother would be if there was a lion in the bedroom. We started this game, and now we have to finish it.‘”

“But both children were too excited to sit quietly, so Peter took out a picture puzzle. As they fit the pieces together, their excitement slowly turned to relief, and then exhaustion. With the puzzle half done Peter and Judy fell sound asleep on the sofa.”

“Judy grabbed her piece and slammed it to the board. ‘Jumanji,’ she yelled, as loud as she could.”