Troublesome Trucks

Arc 1 Birth

It's dark, I can hear some muffled banging and grinding noises. There's a point of extreme heat somewhere on the side my being.  There is also a sort of mumbling noise directly in front of me. It's incoherent and inaudible, but it's getting closer, and louder, louder still. 

"HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" the mumbling became a voice, clear and comprehensible. I only then realized my eyes had been shut this whole time.

I awakened to an unusual sight. I'm within some form of building, the banging noises I heard were from human workers, working with tools which I would later learn are called hammers. Made for driving nails as well as other things. I couldn't move for some reason, only my eyes. Weird. Looking about, I see men, workers, building and creating several strange objects.

Off to my left I got a good look at one of said objects. It was shaped like a box, with wooden sides and metal frames. The box had no roof, and it was on four wheels. It also had two weird nubs, and a chain sticking out of each opposing end. But by far the most peculiar feature was that there was a face on it. Grayish in tone, the face was square shaped, it had a rounded nose and freckles. It was fast asleep. 

"Hey, did ya hear me?" The voice from before, it sounded closer and below me? "Hey, down here big guy" 

Looking down I see a man in a suit staring up at me. Seeing him now I realize just how high off of the ground I am, or how tall I am? 

"Good, glad your hearing's working," said the man, he was holding a clipboard and pencil, he was writing notes on a sheet of paper. The man looked up, "can you speak?" 

Up until that point I didn't know if I could. I opened my mouth but all that came out was a gasp, and a cough. I tried again "mmmh, wwha?" The man stared, "Whaatttt, arre you?" I slurred out. The man's face remained unchanged, he'd been through this situation before. 

"To sum it up for ya, I'm an inspector for the Crovan's gate works here on Sodor. You are a freight car, also known as a truck. And right now we're making sure you possess basic functions." This was a lot to take in, what's a truck? What's an inspector? What is Sodor? 

"What isss.." my words trailed off, the man put down his clipboard and held up a large mirror.

Taking myself in for the first time was quite the experience. I had an identical body to the box on wheels... The truck I saw earlier. My face was gray, squarish, and I had a sharp pointed nose with a noticeable mole on my right cheek.

At first I wasn't sure what I was looking at, since I'd never seen a mirror before. "Hoos zat?" I asked, 

"you, ya dingus!" laughed the inspector. My eyes went wide with wonder, taking in every detail. "Oooooo" I awed childishly. 

"Whaza truck?" I asked as the inspector returned the mirror. The inspector couldn't help himself from chuckling, some of the other workmen chuckled as well. 

"What's a truck?" The inspector laughed, "Ah shit." The inspector pulled over a crate to sit.

The inspector explained that a truck or freight car is a type of transportation carriage for goods. Used by railways, vast and ever stretching lines of rails, bridges, tunnels, industries and farms. "Can I see it?" I asked as the inspector stood. 

"Soon, my job as inspector is to make sure you function properly before we put you to work. You and the other one there." He said, motioning to the truck to my left, who was still asleep.

Over the next few hours the other truck and I would be tested to see if we were fit to work. Mostly testing our cognitive abilities and durability. The next set of tests would involve an engine. A type of truck that could move all on it's own.