Tales from the rails

Rhys and the Stalker

One morning, Rhys woke up to Emma lighting his fire. He felt warm and we ready to go, but his driver wasn't there. They waited. And waited. And waited. But still he had not shown up! "Where is Rhys?" Asked Emma, "He's never this late!" She then walked out of the roundhouse to find him. Sally then woke up, her crew was already there and had been doing a routine check up. "Good Morning Rhys, what ever are you doing here this late my dear?" She asked as she yawned a little. "Good morning my love, my driver has not shown up, and we've been waiting for ten minutes!" He explained as he looked at the door. Emma waited with him. The two sat in silence as the big door opened and a tired Dan rolled in, Emma and Rhys in tow. "Dan, where have you been?" Asked Emma. "Oh, hey Emma. I was stationed at the end station, I had to work all night, this strike is ruining my sleep schedule!" He explained as he was turned around on the turntable.  He rolled onto his line and fell asleep at once.

For the rest of the day, Rhys was paranoid and kept looking around at each station, Rhys picked up on this. "What's wrong Driver?" He asked as they stopped at a station to let off passengers. "I-I feel like I'm being watched!" He said as he looked at a corner of the station, staring intensely into the shadows. "Come on Rhys, it's just an idea in your head!" Said Emma reassuring, but Rhys wouldn't listen. "I-I-I just don't want anything like what happened with Z-Z to happen to me again." He said. And then the guards whistle blew, and they left the station.

Soon, Emma and the engine Rhys were feeling watched too. And they too felt the need to look around for the person watching them. They took a Hunter's chocolate special to Levi, a coal train to Drenk, and a freight train to Lickey station. All the while, telling like they were being watched. They went to the sheds, but Rhys didn't want to leave. "I'm going to get kidnapped out there! No way in hell will I'll leave this shed!" He said as he sat down on Rhys' running board. "Fine then! I won't either!" Yelled Emma. "Oh yeah?!" Asked Rhys "Yeah!" Replied Emma. "Be quiet! I wanna sleep!" Yelled Edward as he shut his eyes tightly. The three looked over, and then looked at each other and giggled. "Call it a sleepover!" Said the little engine.

But the safety of the shed only lasted until the evening, for when the moon shown in the night sky, they felt off, snake eyes peering down on them. A thunderstorm then engulfed the sheds, each clap of thunder showing a figure at the window. "I wish I was at school." Whispered Rhys to Emma as they were trying to sleep. Sally was awoken. Her eyes shown purple as she looked around profusely. The three noticed this. "Sally my dear, why are you up?" Asked Rhys as he stared at her through the darkness. "I feel like I'm being watched, a scaly feeling." She said, quivering a little. Suddenly, the doors to the sheds opened and shut. Someone else had entered the sheds. Rhys' heart sank, whoever was in here was after him. Suddenly, a sssss was heard nearby door, coming closer and closer. The lights were suddenly turned on! The rest of the engines awoke with a start. "Is it morning?" Asked Dan. "Who's that?!" Asked Tatum. "I wanna sleep!" Yelled Edward. "Sister?! What are you doing here?!" Screamed Emma in a start. "I wasss going to sssay hello to my boyfriend Rhysss." She said in a sly manor. "Who do you think you are?! We want to sleep!" Yelled Edward. "Get out of our shed!" Screamed Sally as some thunder clapped outside. The snake woman stared at them. "Bug off! This doesn't concern you!" She said, but then, she was hit with bursts of steam from the engines. "Hey!" She yelled. The engines yelled, getting the scaly woman wet and covered in soot from their steam. "You bug off!" Yelled Rhys as he hissed steam at the woman. She did so, but before she did, she winked at Rhys with a smug look before leaving the sheds. The lights were turned off and they lot soon went to sleep.

The next morning, DD opened the shed doors and he looked in at the sight. Emma and Rhys were cuddling in the cab of Rhys. Rhys himself was just waking up, very tired from last night's events. "Good morning DD." Yawned Rhys as he looked at the little boy. "Morning Rhys, long night?" He asked the engine. "You can call it that." And Rhys began to tell the story about what happened last night as the others slowly awoke from their slumber, preparing for either another day of striking or very hard work.