A3-5 | A Sodor Horror Story

Monday, August 7th, 1978. | Tidmouth Sheds

—————————————————————————
6:46, Tidmouth Sheds

Tidmouth Sheds was relatively quiet except for the grumbling of a solitary, red engine.

"I- I HAVE TO P- PULL a goods train?! But S- Sir, today is my day off!"

James lamented. He had been looking forward to a day of rest, but Douglas' driver had fallen ill and there was no relief crew available, so now James had to take on the extra work.

"Good engines do as they're told,"

boomed Sir Toppam Hat. He rubbed his temples in irritation. He wasn't in the mood to argue with his engines, especially James. With a sigh, he left the sheds, got into his car and drive away, Leaving the red engine to vent his frustration to his crew. Even they didn't want to do the job, especially Howard, James' fireman. He didn't like being called in unexpectedly, and leaving his sick grandmother at the Elsbridge Elderly Home made him anxious.

Tommy, James' driver, was more annoyed than anxious. He had been planning to spend a nice day with his daughter and even get some ice cream. What a disappointment.

After a little while, he eventually was steamed up and moved out to the turntable and ran a light engine to the coastal branch line otherwise known as the Little Western.

———————————————————————————
7:13, Suddery Fire Hall 1.

It had been a day after the fire at Norramby, and the tired crew of the Fire Engine No.12 Waited anxiously for the news. You see, yesterday the crew had responded to a fire in the town of Norramby. The fire was extremely hot and had caused severe Injury to one of the firemen because of the intense heat and flames. The crew had worked tirelessly to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings. It was a dangerous and exhausting job, but they managed to put out the fire before it caused any more damage.

Now, a day later, the crew was waiting anxiously for news on their injured colleague. They had heard that he was in critical condition and being treated at the hospital, but they didn't know any more than that. As they sat in the fire station, waiting for any updates, they couldn't help but reflect on the events of the previous day. They were proud of the work they had done but also worried about the risks they took every time they responded to a call.

Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking the silence in the room. The crew jumped up, eager to hear the news. It was the hospital.

"Hello, is this the hospital?"

the fire chief asked.

"Yes, this is the hospital. How may I assist you?"

the receptionist replied.

"I'm calling to check on one of our firefighters who was injured in the fire at Norramby yesterday. His name is P.G. Auldbury,"

the fire chief said.

"Oh yes, Mr. Auldbury is here. He's in stable condition, but he suffered severe burns and will require a lot of rest and treatment,"

the receptionist said with a rather worried yet soft tone.

Eddie couldn't hear past that, he was at the back of the crowd that surrounded the telephone. He could see the worry on the faces of his fellow crew members and knew that they were all thinking the same thing - that their colleague was lucky to be alive, but that his injuries were serious and would take time to heal. As the fire chief continued to talk to the hospital, Eddie's mind began to wander. He couldn't help but think about the fire at Norramby and how quickly it had spread, consuming everything in its path. He remembered the heat and the smoke, the screams of the people trapped inside, and the feeling of helplessness as they worked to put out the flames.