A/N: When I was young, part of this book was read to my class but the teacher never finished it. I finally saw the 2000 movie version and managed to get the full story, but I wondered what would happen if everything didn't work out for the best. Hang on, this one gets a little dark and murky compared to the original; good thing it's just a parody.
Not Necessarily Railway Children
"The Railway Children" is a classic tale of a family and the adventures of their children in early 1900's England. The children manage to contact and befriend a rich industrialist who is a regular passenger on a train they routinely watch near their home. The climax of the story is the successful effort of the industrialist to release the children's father from prison, where he was incarcerated after being wrongly accused and convicted. ('Railroaded' if you will pardon the pun.)
The story is very much a period piece and reflects a time and lifestyle that is long gone. If it were brought up to more elements from modern times some of the events in the story might have gone quite differently. Here are a few examples...
...
"Hurry, bring the sign" Phyllis said as they scrambled to the top of the tallest hill. As Peter and Bobby lugged the roll up the hill, Phyllis scanned the sky; soon they all stared southward waiting for the regular appearance of the jet from British Airways that often carried the Director on his business flight. Soon the blue belly of the airplane was visible as it streaked toward them. They unfurled their sign of "Look out at the terminal" in large letters and waved as the plane flew overhead.
Inside the plane, the Old Gentleman sat back in his first-class seat and relaxed. He glanced out the window and noted how everything looked so small. even from this low altitude he couldn't begin to see any details; even the automobiles looked like micro-sized toys. He pulled his window shade down and closed his eyes for the short trip.
Several days later the children stood outside the fence of the airport in the morning air of a clear day.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Phyllis asked.
"We have no choice" Peter explained. "The Old Gentleman hasn't been able to see our message so we have to deliver it personally. All we have to do is sneak onto the tarmac and hand it to him as he boards the plane for his usual flight."
"Now you look out for guards Phyll, while we make the hole we found in the fence a little bigger so we can fit through" Bobby said. She produced a cutting tool and had Peter hold the fence back while she wrestled with severing the links. Phyllis was intent on watching their work and forgot her job of watching out for any security officers.
Later, in the airport's detainment room, Phyllis sighed. "What does it mean we'll be pensioners by the time we get out?" she asked.
...
"What's that?" asked Peter, the youngest of the three Waterbury children. Although the youngest, he was already as bold as or bolder than his two older sisters. He watched as a tree began to move down the bank of the railway cutout.
"Let's go back" Phyllis pleaded. "I'm getting scared" she announced to her two siblings.
"It's moving down the hill, along with the earth around it" Bobby observed. The oldest of the three, she was the most educated and tended to be the most practical; it was an important trait while helping manage the house while their father was away mysteriously and mother struggled to write to earn money. She rarely used her given name of Roberta.
"It's a slide!" Peter exclaimed as the tree and surrounding rocks made a pile that covered the track. "There's going to be a big accident if we don't warn somebody!"
"Run up the line to the station" Bobby told the children. "We have to get word out."
"There's no time," Peter said "the 11:29 hasn't come by yet. We have to flag the train!" The children made red flags from clothing and ran down the line around the bend but only managed a few hundred feet before the sound of the train could be heard. They waved their flags wildly.
"They won't be able to see us" Bobby said as she jumped on the tracks to continue signaling.
"Bobby don't!" Peter tried to warn. His sister knew a lot about books and history and proper grammer but had no idea how long it took an HST to stop as it traveled down the tracks at 155 mph. She fainted but didn't even have time to fall before the train reached her.
Phyllis hid her eyes as Peter watched the carnage. "Mother is definitely not going to be pleased" she noted behind her hands.
"Dibs on her room" Peter announced pragmatically.
...
The three children sat alongside the railroad by the entrance to a tunnel. They heard a whistle in the distance, and shortly after there was a rumbling as a train at speed burst out the tunnel on its way to the next station. "I'm hungry" Phyllis announced.
"Wouldn't it be grand if we had to rescue someone out of the tunnel?" Bobby asked. "Like one of those paper chase games, where the one runner is the 'hare' and the others chasing him are the 'hounds'. Maybe they could be from the college, and one could fall and get hurt and we'd have to help pull him out and then he'd be really handsome and gentle and smart and we could let him stay until he got better and we could learn about him and if he has a girlfriend…" she continued as she trailed off while daydreaming.
"Would never happen" Peter answered. "They quit doing that game a long time ago because people said it glamatized…"
"Glamorized" Bobby corrected.
"…glamorized animal cruelty with barbaric hunts and was also bad for the environment for all the paper the runner dropped. Now they just run races and give everyone participation trophies."
"Pity" said Bobby.
"I want a trophy" Phyllis said "and a sandwich."
...
"Did you notice that every Tuesday that big cruise ship passes by offshore?" asked Peter as they stood on the hill overlooking the ocean. A large ocean liner passed by some distance away.
"It must be grand" Phyllis said. "Music and food, comfortable beds and so many friendly people on holiday to meet and talk to day and night."
"Maybe someday we'll have money again and all of us can go on a trip like that" Bobby sighed. "It must be very posh onboard such a huge ship. Let's wave them a happy voyage." They started waving their hands and arms.
"Let's use our handkerchiefs" Bobby suggested "so they can see us better." They pulled them out and waved their colorful cloths.
"They're awfully far away" Phyllis said. "I don't think they can see even our handkerchiefs."
"I know, next time we can make flags to wave to them" Peter offered excitedly. "They'll see those for sure!"
And the next time that is what they did, using some white pillow cases tied to some thin tool handles. They waved joyfully as the ship came into site; as it drew abreast it sounded it's horns.
"They see us!" Bobby gushed. "Good trip people!" she yelled. They continued waving and yelling, and noticed that the ship slowed and stopped. A dot appeared alongside the ship and headed towards them, resolving into an outboard boat as it drew closer. It beached itself on the sand, and the children ran down to the water's edge to meet it.
"We saw your distress call" a man said with a worried look as he stepped out onto land. "How can we help?"
"Distress call?" Bobby asked.
"Yes, white flags are the recognized international sign of distress" the man, who was the first officer of the stopped ocean liner, explained to the children.
"I had forgotten about that" mused Peter.
"The captain stopped the ship so we could render assistance. I hope you haven't put us behind schedule for no reason; it's a criminal offense you know."
"Uh oh" moaned Phyllis.
...
"Did you know next Friday is Perk's birthday?" Peter asked as the three children sat beside a stream. "His wife says he's never had a birthday party before."
"Never had a birthday party?" asked Phyllis. "I thought everyone had those. We always do for as long as I can remember." Truthfully, she could only remember up to about seven years back but that was long enough back that she was probably a baby anyway.
"He's the first person we met here" Bobby remembered. "He's always been so good to us and very kind to not just us but everyone else too. I think we should go tell everyone and make it a special day for him."
And that is what they did. They asked all the people around what they could do for Perk's birthday, and they all gave a little something as a gift for a man that was always so kind and hardworking. When the day came the children waited until after he was sure to be home from work, and then wheeled a pram into his house after the door was opened.
"Surprise! Happy birthday!" they shouted and started to sing a birthday song.
"STOP!" he ordered as he stood quickly from the chair he had been sitting in. "Don't go any further. Please, I thank you for the thought but I can't accept your generous gifts."
"Why?" they asked.
"It's a bit complicated to explain, but let's just say that it goes against my religious convictions."
"You've been convicted, like in jail?" Peter asked.
"No, it just means I have certain rules I have to live by. If I break those rules it will go very bad for me in the end. So it means no birthdays for me" Perks added.
"But what about all these things?" Bobby asked.
"I don't care, I don't even want to look at them or see them in my house ever again. Now you bairns be off before I become really cross; be mindful of other people's convictions and don't assume things so much. And don't even think about Christmas pressies either, I'll have none of that commercialism in my house!"
The children shuffled out of the house with the pram. "That was the worst birthday party ever" Phyllis cried.
...
Dr. Forrest finished his examination of Mr. Szczepansky and gave his diagnosis of extreme fatigue and how to best let him recover. As he stepped out of the room he was followed by Bobby.
"So he's going to be better then?" she asked him.
"He'll fully recover once he's had a chance to really rest and rebuild his strength. He's been through a lot with his escape from the dissident's prison."
"I'm glad. But he doesn't have any money at all; I'm afraid he'll have to join your club too" Bobby offered innocently. She was under the mistaken belief that poor people could be part of a special 'club' that would result in the doctor's bills being greatly reduced. She had gotten this advice from Mrs Viney who explained that was how she paid so little for medical treatment. What Bobby didn't know was that the so-called club was an arrangement the doctor set up by...how shall I put this delicately...trading his services for the favors of his poorer women patients.
"My club? Oh...well..."
"Please Doctor Forrest, you are so kind and such a very good doctor" she said humbly with wide eyes. "You will do it, won't you?"
"Well...er...that's not really my cup of tea mind you...you mean with Mr. Szczepansky?"
"Please?" Bobby drug out the word with her eyes getting glassy from an imminent attack of tears.
"I suppose if you insist, I'll give it a try. After all, it is...a...new world isn't it?" he managed to get out, gulping. As a man of the world he had read of such things.
"Oh thank you!" she said as she gave him a big hug. "I know he'll be relieved when we tell him."
"Yes, well, at least one of us will" the doctor said with a confused look.
...
As we can see, the setting and time of the original story really was the best for all involved; everyone did live happily ever after just as it should be.
The End
A/N: A little dark perhaps, but I wanted to do an opposite view of the movie and these are some of the takes that came to mind. Not to worry, the first ideas included Phyllis getting sucked into a jet engine at the airport and Peter getting kidnapped to work as a cabin boy in the Merchant Marines. But those would be a little too dark now, wouldn't they...