A Chilling Experience

Veraltian winters, in general, are horrible. Five to six feet of snow and sub-zero temperatures are not uncommon in most parts, save for the Southeast, where it is at least sixty degrees year-round. However, on this snowy Saturday morning, an overnight storm dumped nine and a half feet of snow onto Caramel Pass and the surrounding mountain range.

The digital clock on Sobek's bedside table read just past three o'clock when his phone rang, washing the dull ceiling in white light. He stirred, reluctantly removing his arms from around Orion's body, and parting from the warmth he provided was not favorable. With one hand, he answered it with a groan and a barely audible "Hello?" He hadn't bothered to read who was calling.

"Sobek" It was a calm voice, whom he immediately recognized as the yardmaster's, probably on call from his office. "Caramel Pass is blanketed with snow, and it froze overnight. We need the line cleared for a priority freight due at 9 o'clock." The instructions were clear: Sobek was on Rotary Plow duty.

Sobek rubbed his eyes free of fatigue as he processed the instructions given to him. "Okay, I'll be there in thirty." The yardmaster grunted his acknowledgment and hung up. He went to sit up when he felt Orion slip his hands around him, and he smiled "I won't be long." Sobek appeased, meeting Orion's hands with his own, and looking over at his disheveled ginger hair. "I've just got to clear some snow, I'll be back before you know it." He leaned over to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

"Don't die, or else I won't have anyone to keep me warm." Orion groaned, shifting to face him. Outside, the snow had slowed significantly but had not stopped since the night before. He could hear the distant chuffing of engines in action, clearing the tracks for today's trains.

"That's not true, you'll have Roxie, right girl?" A blocky dog's head poked up from the edge of the bed, her rounded snout pointed curiously at them, and Sobek chortled, standing up to fetch his work clothes. It was quite the unfortunate hour, but he was being paid extra, so there was little room for complaint besides the increased risk of an accident.

After washing up and dressing quickly to make himself somewhat presentable, he grabbed his workman's coat and lamp. Even in the age of modern steam, lamps were invaluable when visibility was low. He would grab a quick bite to eat while in the depot waiting for the plow, instead of wasting time at home and eating breakfast. He kissed Orion and Roxie goodbye, before stepping out into the snowy night air.

Flakes slowly collected on his coat as he walked toward the depot, a short distance from his house. He was quite an asset to the railroad operations in town and all along the pass' subdivision. A wild card, if you will. Whether it was a signal monitor, a fireman, or an engineer, Sobek could do it all. Today, that would be put to the test.

The yardmaster was waiting for him on the loading platform, taller than Sobek and quite thin, like an old shunter's pole. Before him on the nearest track was an engine, likely the one Sobek and his fireman would be operating to clear Caramel Pass. This turned out to be true as Sobek approached, and the yardmaster waved a stern hand toward the cab.

She was just beyond fifteen feet tall, and just shy of one hundred feet, from pilot to tender. There was no headlight on the smokebox, it was mounted on the air pump assembly a few feet lower. Her elephant-ear smoke deflectors hid a portion of it, but In its higher place was a horizontal handlebar across the face of the engine. Her eight driving wheels stood an inch taller than the yardmaster, and she gleamed under the yellow platform lights, simmering nicely. The steam leaking in tendrils from the cylinders was inviting, and the hum from the steam generator up top was a comforting noise. "The rotary plow is being brought now, you'll clear the tracks to Western Mountain, turn there, and come back. Taylor is your fireman today, he'll be here shortly. Be careful." Sobek nodded, instructions and warning heeded as he exited to the long hallway leading to the modest breakroom.