Sodor: Echo

The Haunted Viaduct

Date: July 28, 1979

Night settled over the island of Sodor, but none of us found any rest. The eerie silence that clung to the sheds was unnerving, as if even the wind was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Thomas, Percy, and Emily remained in their berths, whispering quietly, but I could see the fear written on their faces. The shadows weren't just in the yard or the shed anymore—they were creeping into their minds, into all of our minds.

Sleep didn't come easily for me that night, and when I finally dozed off, it was filled with dreams. Twisted tracks, faceless engines, and that old engine from the shed haunted me. It felt as though the island was pressing down on my chest, suffocating me. When I woke, drenched in sweat, I knew something had to give.

By morning, the tension in Tidmouth Sheds was unbearable. The engines seemed quieter than usual, each lost in their own thoughts. Even Thomas, usually the one to speak up and take action, remained silent, his face grim and distant.

That morning, Gordon rolled into the sheds, and it was clear something was wrong with him too. He puffed in slowly, not with his usual confidence and bravado. His eyes were wide and unsettled, as if he'd seen something he couldn't quite explain.

"Gordon?" I asked, stepping forward. "You alright?"

He didn't answer right away. His gaze was fixed on the floor, his large, powerful frame shuddering slightly. I had never seen Gordon like this before. He was the pride of the line, always full of himself and eager to show his strength and speed. But today, that confidence was gone.

"I... I can't do it anymore," he muttered under his breath, so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.

"Can't do what?" I asked, frowning.

He looked up at me, his face pale and strained. "The viaduct," he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur. "I... I hear them. Every time I cross it, I hear them."

"Them?" Thomas finally spoke up, his curiosity outweighing his own fears for the moment. "Who do you hear, Gordon?"

Gordon shuddered, his eyes wide with a deep, unsettling fear. "Engines," he whispered. "Engines that fell into the gorge. I hear their cries—pleading, begging. It's like the viaduct is stretching taller and taller each time I cross it. It's... it's haunted."

The word "haunted" hung in the air like a dark cloud. Even though most of the engines had been brushing off Percy's claims of hauntings in the shed, it seemed like the notion was starting to take root in all of us. The strange happenings across the island were becoming harder and harder to ignore.

Gordon's words sent a chill through me. The Sodor Viaduct was a massive stone bridge spanning a deep gorge, one of the most impressive feats of engineering on the island. I had crossed it countless times myself, but I had never thought twice about it. For Gordon, the fastest and strongest engine on the island, to be afraid of it... something was very wrong.

"I'll go with you," I said, surprising myself. "We'll cross it together, Gordon. You're not alone."

He looked at me gratefully, but there was still hesitation in his eyes.

"That viaduct's seen accidents before," Salty said, who had quietly listened from his corner of the sheds. "Before any of you lot were around, there was a terrible wreck. Engine went straight over the edge. No one talks about it much anymore, but the viaduct's never been the same since."

I glanced at Thomas, Percy, and Emily. Their eyes widened slightly, but none of them spoke. The island was full of old, forgotten stories, it seemed. And now, those stories were coming back to life.