Historical Evidence of a Fictional World

When I decided to set my treasure hunt mysteries in a charming Christmas-themed village, I picked a remote stretch of rail in the Green Mountains of Vermont between Rutland and Bellows Falls to run my imaginary excursion train transporting travelers searching for Christmas spirit to the almost magical Dickens Station. Later research revealed a quaint little town called Chester, Vermont, near that spot on the map. But I didn’t think they’d mind sharing the countryside. So, Dickens Station remained between Rutland and Bellows Falls, founded by Merritt Otto Dickens in 1893, a concept conceived in my imagination in 2020.

On my recent birthday, my daughter Cynthia (yes, from whom the character Cynthia Flowers borrowed her name) came home most excited to give me her gift in person. She researched information from my book and website, searched online, and found not only a book commemorating the Rutland Railroad but also a lantern owned and used by that line in what would have been the early years of Dickens Station.

My daughter sought and purchased a piece of history from the real world upon which I’ve based my fictional stories. I was speechless when I opened the gift (I know, hard to believe, right?), not only because these things are just plain cool, but also because of the thoughtfulness and effort that brought a piece of Dickens Station history to me.