To Be or Not to Be... Friends
...
Luke definitely preferred the quarry. At least there he was used to noise, machines and talking to his best friend, Owen the Incline. Here, he only had grass, flowers, sheep and cows (though he loved stopping to talk to the animals for a while, whilst he pulled trucks.)
"Cheer up, Luke," Said his cousin and friend Peter Sam. "I know you feel at home in the quarry, but it is nice here, too."
"I don't know, Peter Sam. The trucks think I'm a doolally, and they tease me!"
"They do that a lot. Why do they call you that, anyway?"
Luke paused. "Well, I just sometimes like to stop and talk to sheep and cows – and birds and horses."
Peter Sam wondered how his cousin was animal loving, despite his preference for the quarry. He smiled kindly at the younger Kerr Stuart.
"There's nothing wrong with you wanting to be friends with animals, Luke. The rest of us generally don't talk to them though, so that'll be why they're picking on you."
Luke said nothing. He felt that Peter Sam was right. However, he felt that he didn't fit in -he never seemed to fit in, as first his secret about an accident at Brendam Docks kept him from properly fitting in with the engines he now called his friends, and here, he just felt out of place, as he'd only been here a few days, whereas the others had known the line for many, many years.
Suddenly they heard a sharp whistle, and a blue engine drew up beside them. Both green engines jumped in alarm.
"You put the heart in me crossways!" Luke gasped.
The engine grinned. He had a quiff of hair at the top of his face and a charming smile.
"Sorry about that, but I thought I'd stop and say hi."
"Well, it's nice to see you, Mighty Mac!" Peter Sam exclaimed loudly. "How have you been?"
"Well, just the usual. Busy as ever." Mighty replied. "Who's the kid?"
"Oh, Mighty, Mac, this is Luke." Peter Sam explained. "He's new to Mr Percival's fleet."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Luke. I'm Mighty," Replied the engine.
"And I'm Mac!" A voice shouted at the back. This caused Luke to jump a second time.
"Who said that?" He asked nervously.
"I did!" The voice said impatiently.
"Mighty Mac is a double ended Fairlie duplex locomotive. He's got one body, but two faces."
"That's barmy." Luke breathed, before he realised how rude that must have sounded.
"Oh do excuse me, I didn't mean to be rude, but"-
But Mighty Mac just laughed.
"Don't worry about it! We do get that some engines and people aren't used to it." Suddenly, Mighty flashed a grin at Peter Sam as he realised something. "So has he met Freddie and Duke yet?"
"I met Freddie yesterday," Luke answered.
"Yes- Skarloey and Rheneas introduced him. He hasn't met Duke yet though." Peter Sam added.
Mighty gave a light tutting in response.
"Well, bad show old chum. This wouldn't do at all. You better introduce him soon." He winked, and puffed away.
"Who's Duke?" Luke asked.
"Sir Handel and I were mentored by him in our youth." Peter Sam explained.
Luke, intrigued, began to ask about Duke. Peter Sam wasn't sure where to start, but he did know that they should get going.
"We'd best start puffing," He said. "Otherwise, we'll just cause catastrophe."
"Okay." Luke sighed.
But they didn't get very far when a whistle was heard. Peter Sam recognised it, and out of instinct, he stopped.
Luke, however, hadn't been paying attention and he accidentally bumped into an old brown engine in front of him. The engine flew backwards for five seconds before its crew applied its brakes.
Startled, Luke gasped. "Gabh mo leithscéal- an bhfuil tú ceart go leor?" He asked in Gaelic.
"Hmph," The engine snorted. "You should be more careful!"
Peter Sam recognised the engine as his old friend and former mentor, Duke.
"Hello again, Granpuff!" He called out, referring to his nickname of old.
"Hello Stuart. It's been a long time since I saw you last." Duke replied. "Who's your companion?"
"My name's Luke. I'm dreadfully sorry for bumping you, sir." Luke spoke up in fluent English.
"Hm- I am Duke." The old engine replied politely.
"Peter Sam told me a bit about you." Luke added. "I think you sound like an interesting engine."
"Well, one should never boast of their achievements. It would never suit His Grace!"
"Who's his Grace?" Luke hissed to Peter Sam.
"Well, it'll be the Earl of Sodor- Sir Robert Norramby. You remember him, he's Millie's controller."
Luke blushed on hearing the beautiful French engine's name.
"Wait, do you like her?" Peter Sam asked cheekily, causing Luke to blush even further.
He couldn't even attempt denying it. He did like her.
"Um, I like a little..." He said hesitatingly.
Upon hearing a disapproving cough from Duke, the two engines snapped to attention.
"I'd rather not sit here and listen to you talking about romance. That should be reserved for after the workday is over." He said politely. The truth was that it did make him feel uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry about that, Duke." The two Kerr Stuarts chorused, and they scampered off after saying goodbye to the older engine.
...
"Duke's a very nice engine, Peter Sam." Luke commented later on.
"I agree, but sometimes, he can be"- But he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Ah, Peter Sam, just the engine I need!" It was Mr Percival.
"Yes sir?" The dark green engine asked in surprise.
"I need you to go and collect Duncan's good train. He's broken down, you see, and I already have Rusty taking him to Crovan's Gate for repairs. You need to take slate up to Lakeside for the new roof for the station."
"Very well, sir. I'll get onto it right away!" Peter Sam whistled, and he hurried away.
"Right, now who am I going to get to work with Duke?" The Thin Controller wondered.
"Oh, I could do it, sir!" Luke offered excitedly. "I haven't got a lot to do."
Mr Percival considered it. Luke was perfect – Duke was a diligent engine, and the newest member of the Skarloey team had proven to be very determined and hardworking too.
"I don't see why not," He decided at last. "Alright, Luke. You can go and work with Duke this afternoon."
"Oh, thank you sir!" Luke exclaimed happily. He couldn't wait to work with Duke!
...
That afternoon, Luke arrived in the yard, eager to start working with Duke for the first time. This was so exciting!
"Over here, Luke!" He heard Sir Handel's voice shouting on him. Confused, he went over to see what was happening. It was indeed Sir Handel, who happened to be with Duke.
"Hello Sir Handel! Hello Duke!" The little Wren engine called out cheerfully.
"Where is Stuart?" Duke asked Luke, who paused.
"We don't have an engine named Stuart." Luke replied feeling confused as to whom Duke was referring to.
"Granpuff, his name is Peter Sam now!" Sir Handel sighed in exasperation. "Don't mind him, Luke. Peter Sam and I had different names in our young days, and Stuart was Peter Sam's old name." He explained.
"That's alright then," Luke replied in relief.
...
For a while, the three worked hard, shunting trucks and coaches. Throughout it, Sir Handel observed Duke treating Luke with cold civility. Although the little green engine paid this no heed, this bothered the blue engine more than he cared to admit.
So when Luke was away sorting some old rickety trucks to keep him out of the way, Sir Handel asked his teacher what was making him treat Luke the way he was.
"Well, I don't need to like everyone, do I?" Duke reasoned.
"I know, and I'm not saying you should, but Luke's being really nice to you, and you're not shifting anywhere beyond being civil! What's going on?"
This caused the old tender engine to pause. He had heard from the coaches that Luke had once knocked an engine into the sea on his arrival on Sodor. This gave the third oldest Skarloey engine unease about meeting Luke, and he was reluctant to associate himself with the newcomer.
"Alright, the truth is, Sir Handel, I heard about what happened at Brendam when he first arrived. Not even Smudger had ever been that reckless. And then there's the fact that he hid in the quarry for so long. Seems as though he didn't want to face up to the consequences. I know you were wild yourself, Falcon- I mean, Sir Handel, but at least you apologised. That engine does not fit with His Grace's standards. He's an irresponsible delinquent that should be sent back to wherever he came from."
...
Unbeknownst to either of them, Luke heard everything that Duke had said about him. His eyes filled up with tears.
"So ... he doesn't want to be friends with me just because of something that happened in my past? Sir Handel didn't care about it. He remained with me throughout the whole aftermath – even when I felt myself going somewhere I wouldn't return from so lightly. Even if I don't make friends with everyone I meet, I wish they'd stop judging me on that... that incident..."
Sighing sadly, the little green engine reversed out of the yard. He just needed somewhere to be alone.
...
Meanwhile, Sir Handel was cross with Duke, and refused to talk to him.
"It's just old rumours, Granpuff! They were disproved ages ago! Right Luke?"
There was no answer from him, which worried Sir Handel.
"Luke? Please don't ignore me."
But he knew Luke wouldn't deliberately ignore him, so something was wrong.
"He's not here! He must have heard everything! Oh, I must find him!"
Sir Handel flitted out of the yard, hoping to find his friend somewhere and reassure him.
But where to start looking?
...
Meanwhile, Skarloey was enjoying a slow leisurely trip with some coal trucks when he heard a strange noise. He applied his brakes and listened.
"Driver, do you hear that?" He asked, quietly.
"I don't hear anything." The driver replied.
"Wait- I think I can hear something! It sounds like... go on, mate, listen," Said the fireman.
"Alright. Ah, yes, I can hear...crying."
"It sounds like Luke." Skarloey realised, with a sinking feeling in his smokebox.
"We better see what it is." His driver replied.
So he got out and made his over to an old shed beside the line. The doors were shut, but the sobbing was a lot louder. With a tug and a pull, he yanked the shed doors open, revealing a red cheeked teary faced Luke huddled in the berth, with his crew hovering round him, whispering reassurances to him. His sobs were shaky and his frame quivering.
Skarloey drew closer to his friend. "Luke? What's wrong?" He asked softly.
Luke jumped in fright on hearing someone enter, but he relaxed again when he saw it was only Skarloey.
The old engine frowned, and then he carefully entered the shed and gently pressed his buffers to Luke's own. They hadn't done this in a long time, but it was a special action which the engines knew. During his time in hiding, Luke's conscience had led him down darker paths, and it was very hard for him to cope with. The engines although frightened by this change in mind set, all agreed to stick together and not leave Luke for anything. That one touch summed up so much.
This made the green engine feel much calmer and he found his shaking stop.
"Now, Luke, will be able to tell me what's bothering you?" He asked kindly.
The younger engine took a deep breath.
"It's Duke." He said. "He doesn't want to be my friend, you see."
This made Skarloey raise an eyebrow, but, sensing there was something else bothering him, he kept quiet and looked at his little comrade.
"He said to Sir Handel that... that he didn't want to associate himself with reckless engines like Smudger." He finished.
This made the old engine furious beyond belief. How could anyone say that about sweet, innocent Luke?
"He also said...I'm an irresponsible engine who wouldn't face responsibility for my actions!" Luke finished, beginning to sob again.
"Of all the nerve!" Skarloey shouted, but then he remembered who he was talking to.
"Sorry, Luke. I didn't mean to shout just now. Duke has no right to say that about you. He would have had the right if he had been right, but he isn't. You can be a bit careless sometimes, but you've never caused any disasters, and you do redeem yourself. Besides, you were scared of the consequences and hid. I know it wasn't the best thing to do, but you didn't mean to do it- in fact, it had all just been an accident."
"Maybe so, Skarloey. But the fact I was proven innocent doesn't change the fact that what he said still has some truth in it."
...
Those words haunted Skarloey as he and Luke made their way back to the yard. He dropped the trucks off at their destination – he even allowed Luke to be his back engine, as he knew that Luke liked to help others to feel better. This had been a key component in battling his more serious attacks of guilt.
"Skarloey must we face Duke?"
"Yes. I don't know where he got all this nonsense from, but he better stop it right now!"
At last, they arrived in the yard. Sir Handel was still gone, but Duke was still there. He looked as though he wished he hadn't said what he said.
"Duke!" Skarloey puffed in rage.
"Yes, Skarloey?" Duke asked politely.
"Why did you say such horrid things about Luke? He's very upset about what you said."
"I heard it from the coaches." Duke replied.
"Do you know where they got that from?"
There was a sheepish pause from Duke on that question. This told Skarloey everything he needed to know.
"Well, that's enough! The coaches are normally well mannered, and you act much better than this Duke, but both you and they have been very mendacious!"
"I'm aware, Skarloey."
"But why, though Duke?" Luke piped up from behind Skarloey.
"The truth is, I... I don't know why I did all that. I didn't do it with amusement, but I know about reckless engines, Skarloey. Two of them were my mentees."
"Well, Luke's no more reckless than a young, excitable engine." Old Faithful reminded him firmly. "I hope you're sorry."
...
There was a long moment of silence, during Duke looked into the younger engine's eyes, and he could see amidst the hurt and sadness, a glimmer of hope, a speck of kindness – a willingness to forgive Duke and give him a second chance. The thought of being given a second chance, he felt it was more than he deserved.
"Luke, I'm well and truly sorry for what I said. I wasn't the one who came up with it, but I had no right to repeat it or show any prejudice towards you. Could you ever forgive me?"
Much to his surprise, he was met with a kind smile.
"Yes, Duke. I can. What you said still hurts, but after going through what I have in the past due to my conscience, I know I can willingly forgive you and move on."
"Well, seeing as you are moving on, would you mind if I move forward with you- but as your friend?" Duke asked. "Even if you forgave me, I could never forgive myself."
"Of course, Duke. We're friends." Luke assured with a grin. "We'd better go and find Sir Handel and let him know I'm okay."
"I'll go. You two stay here and sort these trucks out." Skarloey suggested, and he puffed away.
And so the two new friends continued shunting trucks, secure in the knowledge and comfort that each had made a new lifelong chum.