THIS STORY IS A SEQUEL TO "MAVIS'S MISTAKE". I RECOMMEND READING THAT STORY FIRST IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY. I'll admit now that this isn't the greatest story I've ever written. Never tried a story with this plot line before, but give it a chance!
It was a busy day at the Ffarquhar Quarry. The quarry was closing for a few days tomorrow, so it could be inspected, and right now, everyone was cleaning up, and making sure the Quarry was in tip top shape. Mavis and I were organizing freight trucks to keep the main part of the Quarry clear.
It had been almost a month since her accident. Things had gone a little rough upon her arrival. Sir Topham Hatt had let her remain in her position at the Quarry, but he had given her a stern talking to. Some of the other Quarry engines were wary of Mavis for a while, but eventually they realized she was still the same engine she had been before she had snapped at Ben.
The relationship between the two of us was lovely. I would occasionally spend the night at the Quarry with Mavis, and stay with her in her shed for the night. I knew it meant a lot to her. We would stay up late, exchanging stories and other things.
We were both thankful she had a private shed to herself.
Ben had eventually come back after being repaired, and both him and Bill treated Mavis with more respect. Perhaps they had finally learned that being cheeky and annoying all the time could cause others to get hurt. Regardless, they had gotten better.
As Mavis moved the last of the stray trucks into the siding, the steam whistle signaling the end of the day pierced the air. Mavis reversed out of the siding, and stopped. I climbed out of her cab, and stretched.
"Ahh, job well done Mavis. This place is looking better everyday!" I said. Mavis smiled.
"Who would have thought that we would actually have to try and keep the Quarry clean? It's usually one of the dirtiest places to work." she said. I chuckled.
"True that. But with the Inspector coming, everything should look its best. Not that you have to worry about that." I said. Mavis blushed. "Is there anything you want to do this evening? You don't have to be in your shed for a few hours yet." I asked. One of the new rules Sir Topham Hatt had recently issued, per my suggestion, is that all engines get some free time after the work day. They didn't have to be in their sheds until ten at night, and the Quarry closed at seven.
"I don't know, what do you want to do?" Mavis asked. I shrugged.
"I asked you first. I'm up for anything, as long as I can be with you." I said. Mavis rolled her eyes, blushing.
"Oh, okay, Mr. Smooth over here. Why don't we go to the drive in movies? Maybe there will be something on we could enjoy." she suggested. I nodded.
"Sounds good. Just let me go clock out, and I'll meet you by the entrance." I said, heading towards the Quarry office. After punching out, I grabbed my jacket and left the building. Working in the quarry kept everyone warm, but it was still a brisk day. I headed towards the Quarry entrance, and found Mavis waiting there. I put on my jacket, and got into her cab. She honked her horn, and rolled out of the Quarry.
"What's your favorite movie?" Mavis asked. I shrugged.
"I haven't the slightest idea. I don't watch many of them." I replied.
"I like romantic comedies, and dramas." Mavis said. I honestly wasn't really that surprised.
"With everything you and I have been through recently, I wouldn't be surprised if someone made a story out of our little adventure to the Mainland." I said. Mavis blushed.
"Hey, we're the only ones who need to remember that trip." she said. I smiled, and gave her a pat.
"I know, I know. Just teasing." I said. Mavis giggled, and after a little bit longer, found an unoccupied track at the drive in movie theater. I climbed out, and went to sit next to her. As the sky darkened, the screen lit up.
"Cult of Chucky" appeared on the screen.
"God, not this stupid movie." I said aloud. Mavis giggled.
"It doesn't have to be a good movie, just something we can enjoy together." she said.
After the first half hour of the movie, I noticed it had gotten rather brisk out. My thin windbreaker jacket was apparently not quite enough to keep the forces of mother nature away, because I was shivering up a storm. I wrapped my arms around my body, and Mavis finally took notice.
"Oh, Anon are you cold?" she asked, concerned for my health.
"N-N-No." I chattered. Mavis smirked.
"Oh, alright then. Because if you were, I was going to offer to have you sit on my bumper, and lean against my bonnet. It's very warm after all. My engine is still running, warm as ever. Wouldn't that be nice? You and me huddled together... embracing the cold with our warmth... relatively alone..." she trailed off. I did nothing for about thirty seconds, before briskly standing up, and walking over to her.
"F-Fine. M-Make s-some room then-n." I shivered, sitting gently on Mavis's side bumper. I sidled up to her, and immediately felt warmer. Mavis apparently found it necessary to tease me some more.
"Oh, but I thought you weren't cold. Or do you just like the idea of being so close to me?" she purred. I let a low growl escape my throat. I really didn't want to admit that I was cold, and that being so close to her was helping.
"F-Fine. I'm cold, alright?" I finally said. Mavis giggled.
"Obviously. I haven't heard you stutter that much since we first began working together. You were so shy and nervous around me those first few days." she said, thinking back to all those years ago.
"Yeah well it's not easy seeing a pretty face for the first time, and holding onto your composure." I said, leaning my cheek against Mavis's side. So warm.
Eventually, the movie ended, but Mavis and I hadn't been paying all that much attention in the first place. The two of us had closed our eyes a while ago, and were enjoying the cuddling. Once the sound of other people starting their cars reached us, we both slowly opened your eyes. Mavis yawned.
"I don't really want to move." she whispered, blushing. I massaged her side, making Mavis moan quietly.
"Me either. But, rules are rules. We've got to get you back home." I said, slowly forcing myself to part with Mavis's warm body.
"But my home is where you are..." Mavis tried to argue. I smiled, and patted her side as I climbed back into her cab. At least it was nice and warm inside. Mavis slowly reversed out of her viewing spot, and trundled back onto the mainline. As she rattled back home, I looked out her window at the track ahead.
Ever since getting her headlamp that Stepney had so kindly given her, Mavis could now go out at night. It was a nice, and somewhat scary experience for her, since she didn't like the dark, but as long as I was with her, she was brave.
Once the Quarry came into sight, Mavis slowed her speed, wanting to enjoy her time with me as long as possible before I'd be on vacation for a few days. She would continue working elsewhere, but I would have those days off.
Nevertheless, she eventually reached the light of the Quarry, and idled over to her shed, before backing inside. Once her engine was slowing, I stepped out, and walked to Mavis's front, and just stared at her for a few minutes. Eventually, she looked at me, blushing.
"Wh-What?" she asked. I smiled.
"Just remembering all we've been through. How I met you, how we instantly took a liking to each other, and how we always got along so well..." I said. Mavis smiled.
"It seems like it was all so long ago." she said.
It may have felt like that to her, but I remembered it all like it was yesterday...
. . .
(Flashback to my first day at the Quarry, the new job.)
The massive Quarry entrance stood before me, making me sweat nervously. The place hadn't seemed so menacing when I was there for a job interview, but now... this was my place of work. My place to make a difference. I nervously stepped foot onto the property, and then made my way to the main building.
Once I opened the door, I put my belongings where I had been told to, and punched in. I'd been told to meet the Quarry Manager at the small singular engine shed in the middle of the Quarry. I had to meet the engine I'd be working with. As I made my way to the shed, several questions ran through my mind.
Would the engine be friendly? Would they like me? What kind of engine were they? How old was the engine?
Several more questions buzzed through my head, until I finally pushed them all out. The flat black steel shed was straight ahead, the Quarry Manager standing next to it. A black engine was sitting just outside of it. I was looking at it from the side, but it looked different from any other engine I'd seen so far. All of its wheels were covered by side plates and cowcatchers. The words "THE FFARQUHAR QUARRY CO. LTD." was written on the side in large white letters, along with the word "MAVIS".
Mavis? That was a girls name. As I finally approached the manager, he looked up, and smiled at me.
"Ah, there you are! Right on time! Excellent work." he turned his view towards the engine. As I looked again, I saw the backside of the engine was covered in black and yellow hazard stripes.
"This is Mavis, the engine you'll be working with. She's worked here for a very long time, and should be able to show you the ropes." he said. I walked to the front of the engine, and my eyes widened as I saw the rest of the engine.
She had a perfectly square face, framed by an even square of black and yellow hazard stripes. A single funnel poked from the top of her front end. She had a very pretty face, but what I noticed about her the most were her lips. They were pointed in the middle, instead of being smooth. It made her look cute.
"H-Hi. I'm A-Anon." I stuttered. The black engine smiled.
"Hello Anon, my name is Mavis." she said. She had a very nice voice. Deep, womanly, and motherly. I blushed upon hearing it.
The dock manager nodded, and walked back to his office.
Mavis and I looked at each other for a minute, before I opened my stupid mouth.
"A-Are you a diesel, or a s-steamer? I can't t-tell. You've got a funnel, so I'm going to guess... S-Steamer?" I asked shyly, hoping the dumb question hadn't insulted her. But Mavis merely smiled, before laughing quietly, until it got louder. I wanted to disappear. Clearly, I had gotten it wrong. Once she stopped laughing, she smiled.
"I see you're not one of the train obsessed Sudrians. I'm a diesel. A diesel shunter, actually. My wheels are covered for Quarry work, so rocks and other things don't get stuck in them. But it wouldn't matter anyway, my wheels have external drive rods, kind of like a steamer. My stack does look a little like a Steamers as well, but it's for my diesel exhaust." she said. I scuffed my foot.
"Oh. Sorry." I mumbled. Mavis smiled kindly.
"Hey... lighten up. I'm not going to bite your head off just because you thought I was a Steamer. I don't mind. In fact, I'm a little honored. Steamers are some of the most elegant locomotives around. The steam, the smoke, and you get to see their systems hard at work. I've sometimes wondered what being a Steamer is like." she said. I looked up at the black diesel.
"R-Really?" I asked. Mavis nodded. I felt a little less nervous.
"W-Well, you're a beautiful diesel. Just as beautiful as a Steamer." I forced myself to say. Mavis look shocked. Nobody had ever called her beautiful before, or compared her level of beauty to a Steamers. At least not in a nice way. She blushed, but smiled.
"T-Thank you, Anon."
(Flashback End)
. . .
I smiled at the memory of all the goofy things I said to Mavis on that first day.
"God, I was a nervous wreck that first day, wasn't I?" I asked. Mavis snickered.
"You were, but you were also pretty adorable. Frightened of a new face, and just wanting to test the waters." she said, remembering back to the first time she met me.
. . .
(Flashback to First Person P.O.V. Mavis first time meeting me.)
"You're new driver will be here soon, or assistant, if that's what you'd prefer to call him." the manager said. I looked at him, a hint of nervousness on my face.
"Do you think he'll like me?" I asked. The Quarry Manager smiled.
"I find it hard to believe anyone could not like you." he said. I sat quietly, questions running through my stack.
What would my new driver look like? Would he be friendly? Would he be okay working with me, a female diesel?
"He's here." the manager said, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked to my right, and saw a man walking towards me. He looked like a nervous wreck. Once he arrived, the Quarry manager stood.
"Ah, there you are! Right on time. Excellent work." he told the man. Then, he gestured to me. "This is Mavis, the engine you'll be working with."
The man looked me over slowly, and curiously. He had probably never seen an engine like me before. I was the only one of my kind on the Island, and I rarely left the Quarry.
While I was in my thoughts, the man had moved to be in front of me. I noticed him gazing at my face, and wondered what he was thinking.
"H-Hi, I'm A-Anon." he said quietly. My heart nearly fell for him then and there. He looked so nervous, like a newborn baby. He was intimidated by me. I wanted to be as friendly as possible.
"Hello Anon. My name is Mavis." I greeted, offering a smile. The man blushed profusely, and the Quarry Manager made his way back inside.
Anon and I looked at each other for a moment, before he looked like he was going to say something. I smiled kindly, hoping he wouldn't feel threatened by me.
"A-Are you a diesel, or a s-steamer? I can't tell. You've got a f-funnel, so I'm going to guess... s-steamer?" he stuttered. My eyes opened wide, and I looked at him. He thought I could be a steamer? That was so sweet!
But I still couldn't help myself from laughing. I felt bad about it, but it was funny. Anon looked ashamed. I finally forced myself to stop laughing.
"I see you're not one of the train obsessed Sudrians. I'm a diesel. A diesel shunter, actually. I've got covers on my wheels for Quarry work, to keep rocks out. But I do have wheel rods, like a steamer. And my stack is for my diesel exhaust, although I can see how it could make me look like a steamer." I said, smiling.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Anon said, looking sad. It made my heart hurt to see this man so sad, although I didn't know why right away.
"Hey... lighten up. I'm not going to be angry just because you thought I might be a steamer. I'm honored, really. Steamers are so elegant, and wise. They way they look and sound, I've sometimes thought about what it would be like if I was a steamer." I said, smiling. Hopefully that made him feel better.
"R-Really?" Anon asked, looking up at me. I nodded. He blushed again.
"Y-You're a beautiful diesel, M-Mavis. Just a-as beautiful as a s-steamer." he said.
I was shocked. Nobody had ever called me beautiful before, or even pretty! And no one EVER compared my looks to a steamers, at least not in a nice way. I was touched by his honesty.
"T-Thank you, Anon." I said, feeling myself blush.
(Flashback end.)
. . .
"We grew used to each other after that first day, didn't we?" Mavis asked. I nodded.
"Very quickly, and I'm glad. Glad I'm here with you now, and glad that I overcame my nerves." I said. Mavis smiled.
"Me too." she whispered, before yawning. I stood up.
"Well, I should probably get going." I said. Mavis pouted.
"Oh alright. Can I have a good night kiss?" she asked. I smiled, and walked over to her. As my lips met hers, I felt at peace once again. Mavis moaned quietly, enjoying the tender touch.
Eventually, the two of us parted. Mavis looked tired, so I quietly walked to the door.
"Sweet dreams Mavis. I love you. See you in a few days." I said. Mavis was already asleep.
As I gently closed her shed door, I knew it would be different to be away from her for a few days, but I also knew I'd get to see her again soon.
Oh, if I only knew how wrong I was.
. . .
The call came early the next morning, as I was pouring myself a glass of milk to go with my breakfast. I had planned on having a few relaxing days, and everything had seemed so... normal.
Then the phone rang.
I answered.
Thirty seconds later, the phone dropped from my hand, and fell onto the hardwood floor. I stood there, shaking. I couldn't even think.
Once I finally could, I was out the door before I even hung up the phone.
The call was about Mavis.
She had been involved in a severe rock slide at the Quarry, as she was just finishing something up before inspection.
She had been destroyed.
