Lady Of The Island

Journey Beyond Shepperton

I closed the book. I was left with so many questions. The missing woman was Tasha? She seemingly went missing after this encounter...she was missing an eye in both my story and Bertram's. Does Jane think she killed her? Why did Burnett lie? Why-

I didn't get to think another question before a blunt force hit the back of my head and I fell to the floor.

The next thing I saw was a blinding morning light, and then a very grumpy older man.
Oh god.

He picked me up by my collar and slammed me onto the shed wall. All of the engines, including a stained-eye Clarence, were staring.

"You monster!" He slapped me.

"Burnett! What are you doing?" I asked, between taking several hits to the face.

"What kind of scumbag steals a photograph of a dead woman?" Burnett shouted.

"I'm sorry! It seemed like important evidence! I just want to..OUCH..."

He let go of me and stared.
"Important evidence? I have half a mind to blow your head off, right here."

"Don't! I....have something I want to do." I whimpered, cowering into a ball. He dropped his fists.

"Explain." He grunted.

"R..r..right." I took myself up a little. "I want to find this monster," I paused dramatically. "And kill her. For good."

Burnett shook his head.
"No. You're not killing her. Me and my wife poured our heart and soul into building her. I'm not destroying her."

Clarence looked away.
"It's clearly not too hard to take special things away from others."

"Now," Rawlinson pondered. "I do think that Gray has a point. If we don't kill Lady, she'll attack again and again..."

Burnett scoffed.
"Of course you'd be up to kill her."

I froze as Rawlinson's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean? Of course I would! She killed Neville!"

"Don't lie to me!" He walked up to her. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Jealous? What would I be jealous for?" She calmly replied, growing suspicious.

I raised my hand.
"Maybe the fact that she scarred your face-"

"No!" He picked up my bag and pulled out the script. "You're jealous that she replaced you! You were originally in the film, weren't you? You just can't wait to tear my dear engine apart!" He seemed hysterical.

Rawlinson's eyes darted to him, then me, then the other engines. She didn't say anything, although her confused face told us everything we needed to know. Her world was slowly shattering.
I now saw why Lady Hatt never mentioned it to her. Her biggest dream was to be adapted onto television...and she was dropped.

"Burnett!" Clarence snapped through teary eyes, breaking any tension. "If we don't kill her, she'll kill us! Not just her, that woman aswell!"

"Tasha isn't-" Burnett stood still. "Isn't....isn't..."

I walked beside him.
"If we don't destroy Lady, Tasha will never be free from her grasp. Is that not what you want?"

A silence hung again. I seem to keep saying that...

"Come with me. Bring an engine...you" Burnett grunted. He pointed at one of the berths - the one where Derek was situated.

"Me? Erm, why me?" He asked, stunned.