bbll22's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
Stories
Little Enid
It was a lonesome night at the scrapyards, no trains were on service, not even 'Arry and Bert. A crane was lowering an engine onto the line foe what would be its last moments in existence. The train didn't speak, it was too scared. It then looked above to see a new crane coming down on it, this crane would lead it to the crusher. The train was immensely scared now, it could sense that its time on Sodor was coming to an end. The crane was getting even closer now, it was almost touching the train. Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. The train looked up, it was very shocked, but then in the distance, it saw a figure coming towards it. The figure then turned out to be the Fat Controller.
"You're a very lucky engine!" he boomed "So, what's your name then?"
"Enid, Sir" replied the engine
"Enid, what a great name!" the Fat Controller then paused for a brief moment, then he continued. "Enid, were going to take you to the menders and make you spic and span before you know it!" The Fat Controller said this with great triumph, he was very pleased indeed. Enid looked stunned.
"Thankyou, thankyou Sir" replied Enid. In no time, Enid's fire was lit, a nearby signalman took up driver duties and the Fat Controller became Enid's fireman. Enid then set off to the menders for a whole new lease of life.
Within the week, Enid has left the menders, she was working perfectly now. Also, Enid had been to the workshops where she was given a new coat of paint to replace her rusted up livery. Now Enid was a dark grey engine with deep red lining on her sides. The fact she was now a fully functioning engine meant that the Fat Controller had set her various tasks. From taking many trucks full of coal to general passenger trains, Enid was fitting in just fine. She'd made good friends with Gordon after helping him out with a very busy schedule of work, for which Gordon was very grateful for. As a result, Gordon gave Enid his duty of taking the Vicar of Wellsworth and various children from the Vicarage on a lovely day out. Enid took on the duty and provided a wonderful day out for the Vicar and the children, so much so, the Vicar gave Enid's driver and fireman a basket of apples each from the Vicarage Orchard. They were very surprised indeed. Enid then returned to her shed after a very pleasant day's work.
The next day, Enid woke up to find the Fat Controller talking with her driver and fireman. By the sound of it, he was very pleased with Enid. As a result, Enid smiled.
"Enid!" said the Fat Controller as he'd noticed she was now awake. "I am extremely happy with you! With thanks to the Vicar's praise, you are now going to be working at the Vicarage Orchard on a more regular basis!" he then added. Enid was shocked, she was very surprised with the news.
"Really Sir?" she than asked to make sure she hadn't misheard.
"Yes indeed! Infact, you're wanted there now by Jem Cole, he wants you to collect many baskets of apples, but be warned, on the way, George the steamroller is doing work on the roads by the Orchard, so watch out!" replied the Fat Controller with a stern voice. Enid didn't reply, but she smiled, so the Fat Controller took it as her response. Enid then tooted her whistle, and set off to collect the apples.
Along the way, Enid passed many engines, she tooted her whistle at them, and they tooted back. She was making excellent progress and record time, nothing could seemingly stop Enid. Meanwhile, in the distance, George was in his typical mood
"Railways are no good, turn them into roads!" he muttered to himself. Today of all days, George wasn't up to his normal speed, so when he encountered a crossroads, he had to take it slowly, but further down the line, Enid was fast approaching, and she wasn't taking much notice, but when she did, it was too late.
"Oh no!" she exclaimed. Her driver immediately applied her brakes, they screeched loudly, but it was still too late. George had near enough crossed the road when Enid clipped one of his rear wheels. As a result, she rolled over, over and over again. Luckily, her driver and fireman had jumped before impact. George was lucky too, he'd only fallen over onto his side, with minimal damage. The same couldn't be said for Enid, she was in a bad way. Her funnel was broken as were her buffers and most of her wheels. She was in a sorry state.
Recovery crews soon arrived to find the severely damaged Enid. They couldn't believe what had happen. Such a cheery, little engine was now an engine that looked like she should be scrapped. Little Enid's smile was now, she was almost at the point of crying. The recovery crews soon took Enid to the menders, but would she ever be the same engine again?