*PEEP PEEP*
“Express coming through! Hahaha!!”
It was a bright and sunny morning on the Island of Sodor. Thomas the Tank Engine rumbled down his branch line at incredible speed with his two faithful coaches, Annie and Clarabel. There was nothing that Thomas loved more than pulling his regular passenger train while cheekily pretending to be like Gordon the Big Express Engine.
Annie and Clarabel however, didn’t like going fast at all.
“Thomas! You know we don’t like it when you go this fast!!” Annie complained.
“Indeed! And you know how Sir Topham Hatt doesn’t like it when you reach dangerous speeds! Think of the passengers, Thomas!!” Clarabel added.
But Thomas was having too much fun to listen! And there was a problem with his gear valve. It was stuck on neutral which allowed Thomas to move on his own and trying to bring him under control at this speed would be too risky for both his crew and the passengers! All the driver and fireman could do was keep him steaming and hope that he would tire out soon.
Finally, Thomas whistled and slowed to a stop upon reaching the next station to let off passengers, giving the driver the opportunity to force the gear valve back to manual, allowing the crew to take control.
Thomas looked at the clock hanging from a window in the station and frowned. “Only three more stops until I have to collect milk from the dairy...” he whistled before his driver started him forward.
As they cleared the station, Thomas couldn’t help but wonder something. “Annie? Clarabel? Do you ever wonder if there are other worlds that we can’t see?” he asked.
Annie chuckled. “Goodness Thomas! That was a sudden change of mind!”
Clarabel chuckled as well. “A sudden change indeed! You told us yourself that you’ve traveled on that magical railroad to muffle mountain! Have you forgotten? Why do you ask anyway?”
Thomas looked back to his faithful coaches. “Having my own branch line is great and all but the other day, Emily told me that one of her passengers was studying something called...string theory. It has to do with other worlds that we have yet to even discover! It makes my pistons pump hard just thinking about it!” he excitedly explained.
Clarabel frowned. “Well it is exciting to think about such fascinating ideas like other worlds that we can visit bu-”
Thomas interrupted her. “That’s it! Maybe the magic buffers don’t just connect Sodor with Muffle Mountain but maybe with other railways that lead to other worlds! But could the buffers still be around? It has been a long time…” he wondered.
Annie frowned. “Don’t get any cheeky ideas! You are an engine of Sir Topham Hatt and rightfully belong on Sodor with everyone else! Besides, what would happen to Clarabel and I if you disappeared?” she questioned.
Thomas sighed. “I’m sorry Annie. You’re right. I belong on Sodor and that’s final!” he said.
But Annie and Clarabel didn’t know that Thomas was really kidding as he began to form a plan in his boiler…
The next morning at Tidmouth Sheds, Gordon had fallen ill and was too sick to pull his express. “Oh the indignity,” he sniffled.
But Thomas was laughing, surprised to see Gordon in such a pitiful state. “First you’re lazy and now you’re sick! What a morning this is!” he cheekily puffed.
Sir Topham Hatt arrived shortly with big news for the little engine. “Since Gordon is sick today, Ryan will take Annie and Clarabel while you pull Gordon’s Express. All the other engines have much more important jobs and you’ve proved to me that you are capable of pulling the express as you’ve done before. Be quick now.” he ordered.
Thomas’ crew started him up and off they went. “Yes sir! Right away sir!”
Gordon watched the little tank engine go with an angry expression.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
After waiting for what seemed like an hour, the passengers were relieved to see their train roll up to the platform but weren’t expecting Thomas. But they were late as it was.
The passengers got in, the stationmaster ran up and down the platform for final preparations, the porter banged the doors shut, and at last, Thomas was ready to start.
Thomas was excited but couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong with him but since he was coupled to the train, Thomas assumed it was nothing.
The conductor blew his whistle.
Thomas whistled three times before he pumped his pistons as hard as he could, doing his best to pull the heavy load of passengers. He finally got the coaches rolling and off he went, unaware of what was to come.
“Express coming through!” Thomas whistled as he rolled along the main line with the coaches rattling behind.
Thomas’ driver and fireman worked hard to keep everything in check but noticed pressure building up. They had to slow him down.
At last, Thomas reached the first station with a tired huff. “Hooof...There are more passengers than usual…” he said to himself.
“Gordon’s too sick for his express?”
Thomas’ eyes darted around before noticing a familiar green tank engine. “Oh hello Percy! Yes! I’m pulling his express but...I don’t feel well myself…” he admitted.
Percy’s face showed great concern for his friend. “Really? Well...I could be your back-engine but I still have to deliver these last few mail cars...I’m sorry I can’t help, Thomas,” he apologized, feeling very awful.
Thomas smiled. “That’s ok! I understand that the mail has to be delivered. Besides...I’m sure it’s nothing bad. I’ve pulled the express before many times!” he said before responding to the conductor’s whistle with his own.
Percy smiled back as he watched Thomas pull away. “Just be careful! I heard from Henry that the line up ahead’s been under construction! Go slowly!” he warned.
Thomas took Percy’s word’s into consideration as he steamed away towards the next station.
Then there was trouble.
Thomas’ odd feeling became unbearable until…
*BANG*
Something burst.
Thomas tried to apply his brakes but he was switched to “Manual Control”
The driver and fireman tried everything they could but the brakes weren’t working.
Thomas watched in horror as he realized that he was going faster and faster. “Cinders and Ashes!” he cried.
The passengers were in a panic, confused and frightened.
Thomas then looked ahead and saw that Percy was right. The workmen were away but the line was under repair. The only points that could be used to switch the runaway train were disabled. “Oh no!” he then came up with an idea. “UNCOUPLE ME! UNCOUPLE ME!!” he shouted.
The conductor rushed to the first coach, hearing Thomas. “What’s that?” he asked with his head out the window.
“UNCOUPLE ME FROM THE TRAIN OR WE’LL CRASH!!!!!” Thomas yelled.
The conductor nodded before going back in. A few seconds later, he dangled a makeshift shunters pole made from a wooden cane, some rope, and a hook out of the window. Unfortunately, it was too short.
“Try the door!” yelled Thomas’ driver.
This time, the conductor opened the front door and carefully managed to uncouple the coaches from the engine.
Thomas kept rumbling along the tracks but the coaches were slowing down. The blue engine smiled, knowing he had just saved the passengers. But looking ahead, Thomas was rapidly speeding towards the broken tracks at an incredible speed. A few feet from the tracks were old wooden buffers but Thomas knew they wouldn’t be enough to stop him.
“FLAMING FUNNELS!!”
The driver and fireman jumped from the cab right before Thomas went off the rails, plowed through dirt and fallice, then rammed right into the buffers...or so he thought.
All the passengers saw was a bright flash, a ring of many colors, and the fading steam from Thomas’ funnel.
But no engine in sight…
