The Legends of Sodor

Chapter 24: A Trip To Crotoonia

The next day, Sir Topham Hatt received a call in his office from one of the conductors while Stephanie was sitting in his office.

Although she could not hear the man talking to Sir Topham Hatt, she understood it was a meeting.

When the conversation ended, Sir Topham Hatt stood up from the chair and hung up the phone.

Stephanie perked after noticing the call had ended and stood up from her chair, picking up her backpack from the ground and onto her back.

"Are we going somewhere, sir?" Stephanie asked while cocking her head a little.

"Yes, we are." Sir Topham Hatt nodded. "We are going to Crotoonia to visit a few friends of mine and discuss a few things. Maybe you could have a look around too."

Stephanie was excited after she heard about visiting Crotoonia from Sir Topham Hatt, wondering what could be in Crotoonia.

Ten Cents took her once to Crotoonia, where she watched him pull a barge on the busy docks.

Unfortunately, Crotoonia could be clearly seen from Ten Cent's deck as he sailed past the docks.

So, maybe this is an opportunity to look around Crotoonia instead of being on Ten Cents' deck.

Stephanie waited patiently for Sir Topham Hatt as they exited the office and locked the door with his key.

Even though Stephanie was eager to go to Crotoonia, she did not want to rush Sir Topham Hatt until he was tired.

Instead of taking Winston, Sir Topham Hatt entered his car as Stephanie sat in the back, gently squished between Jason and Branden.

Stephanie felt relieved that they were joining them but felt a little sheepish at the thought of being stuck between them.

As Sir Topham Hatt drove the landscape down the road, Stephanie glanced through the window over Jason, softly smiling at herself as the locomotives passed.

A bump on the road shook the car, and Stephanie flinched from the sudden and unexpected jump, though she felt Branden's hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

Stephanie relaxed after Branden put his hand on her shoulder and mildly smiled.

Yet, she felt nervous about what might happen next after reaching Crotoonia.

Soon, the scenery changed to Stephanie's confusion, as there were buildings from different eras and people chatting with each other.

Stephanie, confused about the change in scenery, politely asked, "Where are we?"

"Oh, we're in Drayton." Sir Topham Hatt responded as Stephanie listened to him. "It's almost close to the Mainland, but a few miles away from Crotoonia."

Stephanie nodded her head and glanced at the window again, watching the people with curiosity.

Drayton is now on her list of places to explore, people to meet, and history and culture to learn.

While leaving Drayton, Stephanie's mind was distracted when she saw the beautiful scenery with all the flowers and animals.

During the springtime, Drayton looked beautiful, and farmers were picking vegetables and other greenery from the bushes, even plowing.

Things looked different from the ones Stephanie remembered, how they used machinery to pick vegetables and plow the fields and even used chemicals to sanitize food from pests.

Stephanie shuddered as she thought of how her country is different from Drayton, feeling self-conscious about eating food again.

As they approach the massive port as they stop near a station, Stephanie's attention quickly switches from her concerns about her home.