Engines of Britain

Chapter 16: Boulder

High up in the mountains of Britain, there is a mysterious boulder that has stood alone for a long time. But one day, workmen arrived to build a new quarry on the land below. Indigo, who works at the Bristol branch-line, was helping out with the construction. He was delivering some rocks when he met Eric, Olivia and Angel at the quarry sheds.

"Where's all this rock coming from?" Angel asked.

"The new quarry." Indigo replied. "This mountain rock is good for many things, although it's dangerous up there".

"Why?" Eric asked.

"Because of a big boulder. I think it's watching me." Indigo said nervously.

"How can it be?" Angel asked. "You do know boulders don't have eyes right?

 "Well Angel." Olivia spoke up. "From what I've been hearing from Indigo and the workmen, there's something strange about that one."

Just then Christina arrived, she was delivering a new piece of machinery for the quarry. The machine is a heavy-duty quarry machine with two arms and caterpillar treads. It is painted orange-red with his name painted on the sides of his bonnet in white. His roof is painted black.

"What's that?" Olivia asked.

"This is Thumper." Christina replied. "Apparently, it helps clear rock from the cliffside faster."

"Wait a minute." Olivia said. "Isn't Thumper used strictly for slate mining after a certain incident on Sodor?"

"Well, it took some convincing but the Sodor Mining Company let us barrow it if we use it safely." Christina reassured.

Soon, Thumper was working which the men are pleased with, but no one bothered to check the boulder. When it started to rain, the workmen went away. They put Thumper under a green tarp so it wouldn't get wet. Indigo was on his own, he gazes up and shivers at the boulder above. Suddenly, a large slab of rock lands on the tracks right in front of Indigo!

Indigo was shocked and worried by this, but his driver is concerned. "We'd best leave till the weather's better. The rain loosened some of this rock." Indigo's driver said.

"I think it's Boulder wanting us to go away." Indigo muttered.

As they left, Indigo could have sworn he saw a face that looked just like Gordon appear on the boulder.

~*~*~

The next day the sun shown, Thumper was working harder than ever. Indigo, Stephaine, and Mia were watching the workmen and Thumper from a distance. Then Indigo noticed that more rocks were starting to fall from the cliff and then he saw it.

"Boulder's moving!" Indigo cried.

"Don't be so crazy! It can't." Mia scoffed.

But it could. Boulder fell down from it's spot on the cliff and lands on the tracks in front of them and begins rolling along the tracks.

"You want to take that back?" Stephaine asked.

"Yes, yes I do!" Mia replied. "Get us out of here Indigo!"

The two girls jumped into Indigo's cab and the LB&SCR C3 quickly drives himself backwards to get away from boulder, and boulder gave chase. Indigo, Stephanie and Mia soon came to a stop at a junction.

"We'll wait here, until Boulder passes by." Mia said.

But Boulder was nowhere to be seen. Then Stephanie looked behind saw boulder. "Oh, no! It's behind us!" She cried. 

The chase was on once again. Just ahead, they see a small junction that goes uphill, so Indigo takes the track going uphill while the Boulder thunders past them. 

Meanwhile, Ian was making his way to the quarry, but as he rounded a bend he sees Boulder heading for him. "Zoinks!" Ian cried, and he races back as fast as he can to get away from boulder until he crashes into a siding with the Boulder just passing by him, much to the relief of his driver.

"Better a smash than a squash!" Ian's driver sighed.

"We must warn the yards!" Ian shouted.

"Yes, but how?" Indigo called, as he came up to the derailed Y7.

At the yards, Max was collecting trucks when he hears and sees Boulder approaching.

"Oh, no! It's heading straight for me!" Max squeaked. 

Boulder rolled past,narrowly missing Max and destroys the neighboring sheds, engulfing them in flames, finally coming to a stop.

When Mrs Avery inspected the damage, she decided to close the mine. Then she looked at boulder. "We should have left this part of Britain alone..." She lamentably concluded.

Boulder is later moved to a small hill close by the yards so it will never harm anyone or anything on the railway anymore. Indigo is sure that, on a clear night, it is gazing high up at the mountains in the distance and that its sighs are being carried on to the wind where it once used to stand, proud and silent.