All Aboard for Detention- Flash Fiction

Flash Fiction Challenge: salt, train, plate
Word count: 297

All Aboard for Detention

"Why Me?" moaned Sean under his breath. What happened to the good old fashioned detention? I mean, napping at your desk for an hour after school was a breeze compared to this." He hated this new community service detention. "Visiting old folks at the nursing home is going to suck big time," he tweeted before going in.

Sean heard the thundering snore of an old man coming from the furthest room. Perfect! he thought as he crept into the room. He saw something out of the corner of his eye. On the top shelf in the room was an old plate with a brightly coloured, hand painted circus train. Slowly, he reached out his hand, looked back to make sure no one was watching, and lightly touched the plate.
First, a cold tingling sensation went through his body. Then, he heard the crackling sound of fire. He was astonished to see the blue glowing lights and tiny gold stars swirling all around him, mostly because it didn't match the sound. What the hell! he thought.
As the lights began to dissipate, he could detect a smell that didn't belong at a nursing home. He breathed in deeper. Is that popcorn? With extra salt and butter? he wondered. And is that a lion roaring? He hoped that the plate must be a worm hole or portal.

With a loud crack, the rest of the lights disappeared. "I don't believe it!" he gasped. Slowing moving towards him was a train, the same one that is painted on the plate. On the bright, shiny, red caboose was a sign that read, Jones Bros and Wilson's Big Ring Circus- 1920. This was an opportunity not to be missed. He ran after the train yelling, "Wait for me".