Evening was closing in for Sodor. The sun was slowly setting through the clouds and most of the engines were returning home from their day's work. For most of the engines and people on Sodor, this was another ending day. But for two others, it would be a little different.
At Tidmouth Sheds, Emily had settled down with the other engines, and was wondering if David would come visit her again as he had done a few times before since he first came to Sodor. While the other engines talked and exchanged stories to each other, she looked around to see if he was coming, but he didn't. She waited a few minutes at a time between looking out for him, listening to what the other engines were saying.
But after half an hour, it became apparent that he wasn't coming. Emily decided to go looking for him to see what he was up to. After he had reconciled with Donald and Douglas after such a powerful grudge he had held, Emily wondered what he could be up to. So while the other engines continued to talk, she crossed the turntable and slipped away to look for him.
She passed through Knapford Station first, but didn't see him there. She continued someway along the main line, past Maithwaite and Elsbridge, and still couldn't see him. As she passed Ffarquhar, she looked to see him again, seeing as his home was right nearby. But even there, she didn't see him anywhere. Now she was beginning to wonder, hoping he wasn't lost or in trouble.
For a little while more, Emily kept wandering along the line as the sun kept setting. Then as the points were switched on her current course, Emily found herself going along a forest line she had never taken before. She wondered where it would take her and went on her way for a few minutes more. After a while, Emily looked to her left and came to a stop. To the left of her line was a long, black iron fence, and beyond that was a wide, flat field of perfectly green grass…and several gravestones lined up neatly with flowers perched on some of them.
Emily suddenly realized where she was. She was looking at the Sodor Cemetery. A feeling of deep, sacred respect stirred within her as she looked at the cemetery. She could feel her heart beating steadily but heavily as she remained respectfully silent for every stone that had been made for each person. But she still wondered a little about David and where he could be.
Then, from the corner of her eye, Emily saw someone's shadow cast within the trees at the edge of the cemetery. She watched carefully for any movement, until the shadow walked into the setting sunlight and was revealed to be David. It was then that Emily saw him carrying a small white bag in his arm as he walked across the field. She watched him, wondering what he was doing here, while he was seemingly oblivious to her presence. Then his eye fell upon one of the gravestones. As he began to walk toward it, more shakily now, Emily looked at what he was walking toward, and felt her heart twitch when she saw who's grave it was, and the message engraved on it.
"Lawrence Rider. May thou be blessed with peace and love in the Lord's hands. Amen," was written on the stone.
Emily felt her lips quivering lightly as she looked back to David and saw him take feeble steps toward the gravestone and kneel before it.
David smiled briefly, then looked sad again as he blinked, letting a few tears leave his eyes. He reached and touched the gravestone, trying to feel any sense of his father at all. A moment later, he reached into the white bag, and out came a beautiful wreath of white roses. Emily began to cry quietly as she watched David gently place the wreath at the gravestone's base. Then he took out one other thing from the white bag. Something that made Emily gasp and sniffle against her tears. A single red rose that was so beautifully bloomed, it seemed as if it were freshly picked after being watered in the rain.
David softly touched its petals and stood the rose up in the ground in the middle of the wreath. Then he stood up again and bowed his head, not saying a single word. He stayed there for twenty full minutes.
After that, he finally looked up and touched the gravestone one more time. Emily could see his lips move, but heard no voice. Not even a whisper. But she managed to see his lips read, "I love you, father."
Then David looked to his right and saw Emily and began to walk slowly out of the cemetery. He walked all the way to the main gate and left the grounds, then walked all the way up to Emily until he was a yard away from her. They looked at each other, then to the gravestone again. When they looked back to each other, David slowly climbed onto Emily's running plate, still looking a little sad. He drew a handkerchief and softly dried Emily's tears. Then he kneeled, spread his arms and hugged her face gently, resting his cheek on her's.
Emily sighed softly as she felt David hugging her and smiled lightly. David, in turn, felt very comfortable as he felt Emily's warm breath and her soft cheek on his. For about ten minutes, the two friends just stayed there, holding closely and safely together, and continuing to stay silent for the current situation. About ten minutes later, David let go and smiled at Emily for a moment. She smiled back as he stepped down and boarded her cab. Then they set off together on their way home.
Emily huffed quietly back to Ffarquhar Station and let David off so he could go home. By now, the sun was just disappearing over the horizon. Before David left the platform, he turned to look at Emily again. He walked back to her running plate, kissed her cheek and waved to her as he left the station and went home.
When Emily returned to Tidmouth Sheds, the stars were beginning to show in the darkening sky. It was indeed quite a peaceful, but powerful evening. It carried a sense of sadness, but also a sense of friendship, assurance and safety for her and David. She sighed peacefully and fell asleep with a little smile.
And as David went to bed and looked outside his bedroom window at the moon, he managed to smile too. He remembered seeing his father's spiritual likeness with Emily that night, and after what he and Emily had silently done together that evening, he didn't feel so lonely anymore. He silently bade goodnight to his father and went to sleep. And looking down from the stars to David's house, his father's spiritual likeness smiled and silently bade goodnight to his son before fading into the night.
Surprise! I know for a fact none of you could have seen this one coming, cause frankly I didn't see it coming either since Jeremy literally just slipped it under the rug. Yeah so it's another silent story, and spoiling this now, the next story is gonna be another silent story. So until next time, leave your thoughts on this one and we'll see you later.