Chapter 4
Gordon's story
The next morning Thomas racked his brain on how to help his mentor and one of his best friends. He rolled into Brendon docks, still no closer to a solution. He noticed Gordon waiting for his passengers to get off the ship most of them were of the older generation, and had gleaming medals pinned to their chest.
One gentleman hobbled towards Gordon, and rested his hand on him. His medals gleamed in the sunshine, the man limped towards Gordon's face resting on his wooden cane every so often.
Thomas puffed forwards to the old man, fearful that he could hurt himself in the docks. The old man looked disappointed at Gordon.
"Can I help you sir?" Thomas asked
"He doesn't remember me. It's a shame, he was a proud engine, but he always did what was right." The man sighed as he turned away from Gordon and started back to the coaches.
"Please sir, would you mind telling me how you came to know Gordon" Thomas asked curiously.
"Sure young one, but you will have to give me a seat, and I don't want you to get into trouble on my account" The old man turned to face Thomas with a cheeky smile.
"No, I won't get trouble. My crew will find you something to sit on" Thomas happily answered.
Thomas' crew found a box for the old man to sit on.
It was a long time ago...
I was a young lad, and was called up to serve in the army, I was an apprentice fireman before I left home so I was to look after your blue friend, and several other engines. I remember first meeting him and it didn't get off to a good start.
"Henry we must stay together" Gordon told Henry.
"What do you not think I can hold my own here in France? You do realize I'm your brother I can do the same jobs as you, despite my fire box" Henry argued back.
"you're a bad copy, that's all. Besides this is war, if we are going to survive we need each other"
"And your just fat and old, perhaps we could name that hill after you. Since you spend so much time there." Henry retorted.
A young boy, interrupted the arguing engines. He introduced himself to Gordon as his fireman.
"Are you sure? Boy, that you are my fire man, your so small and thin"
"I'm strong, er… Sir and hard working"
The blue engine laughed
"You will be hard working now boy, this is war" Gordon laughed pompously
Gordon noticed that the boy did work diligently getting both engines ready for their work. He even got Henry a good amount of steam. This boy could go far, Gordon told the boy his work was adequate. The drivers turned up, these were solders trained in using steam trains they weren't kind, just direct and followed the orders given to them. Most of the weeks that followed Gordon and I moved troops around and brought back the injured. Henry however carried tanks, weapons, and supplies. It was dirty and hard work, they both had drivers and fire men that were swapped regularly, but the person that was there day after day was me.
We were making good advances until we got to the out skirts of Cherbourg.
I started the two engines the same as everyday, but I heard a a disturbing whisper.
"What do believe in the in the rumors coming out of the Russians, about the camps? "Boy asked the engines.
"They are Bolsheviks, I wouldn't trust them" Gordon instructed the young man.
"Now Gordon they are our allies, without them we would be still stuck in the desert! Do you really want to be there? I know I don't, I'm sure I still have sand in my tubes." Henry corrected him.
Gordon rumbled at Henry for being right, without having the Americans, and the Russians it was only a matter time before the end.
"Pay no attention to rumors, boy. Facts are what matter."
"You've known me for two years now, could you please call me by my name?"
"No, boy"
Henry giggled, he had filled out, but even still compared to the both of them he was a toddler. The crews turned up, the four men looked battle hardy, and by the way they walked both crews were on light duty due to injury. All the crews had guns, but that wasn't the worrying part. There was a lot of ammunition, inside the cab. Both engines looked at one another,
"Boy, what are you doing doing today?" Gordon asked
"I've been told to get every engine, car, and truck ready. The only difference is that everyone seems apprehensive, checking everything in fact. Perhaps we could be…"
"Don't say a word more" Gordon interrupted.
"Boy, find yourself a hospital, and be a stretcher carrier" Gordon ordered.
"but I want to be a hero, a solider."
"No Boy, you will be really useful at the hospital, go" Gordon barked.
I turned away as the crews climbed into the cabs. I would show them both, i was a solider not some errant child. I found a unit that was traveling with Gordon and got aboard. The whistle blew, and off they went with me.
At the end of the line i lined up with all the other men. I could see Gordon resting after the long trip. They were at the front, it wasn't what i had been expecting. There were men resting in rubble, exhausted, bodies littered the side of the road while prisoners dug the graves. Many of the older desperate men asked the young boys for food and clothes.
I hung around the engines, i could see Henry in the near distance, unloading tanks that they needed. Both crews hopped out of the engines and disappeared.
Then i realized he could hear gun fire in the distance.
Gordon noticed an officer walk up, he told him to team up with Henry. He saw the small private, and ordered him to be the fire man. The small private climbed in, Gordon noticed he was nervous, he started to put the coal in the fire box, but instead of chucking in loads of coal he placed them correctly.
"Boy is that you?" Gordon asked recognizing how the coal was placed in the fire box.
"Yeah, I sneaked on the train, I only take orders from officers, not engines" I retorted.
"He has you there, bossy engine. Boy we are transporting tanks, you'll need to save the coal we have for at the end of the line" Henry added, while he was hooked up to Gordon.
"Boy you will have to listen to what I or Henry say. No arguments, if you do we will all come out safe"
"yes sir,"
"Ok, where is that driver?" Gordon, looked around.
The driver, looked at Gordon and climbed into the cab. He checked his gun and then waved to the other driver to move. The time taken to get to where we needed to be seemed long, but it wasn't really. The drivers shut off the steam and left me with both engines.
About ten minutes later, a loud explosion happened to near we where were.
"Gordon, I don't like the sound of those guns. I'm sure they are coming closer" Henry confided
"It's ok, Henry." Gordon comforted Henry.
"Boy, have a look and see how long we have to wait for those tanks to be unloaded"
I peered over Gordon's tender.
"There is still several flat beds to go"
Another massive shell exploded, the Germans were getting closer.
"Boy, get Henry ready. Sort out his fire, and get him ready to go in a moments notice"
I did as I was told, placing the coal neatly in Henry's firebox. Then it all happened in a blink of an eye. The Germans had come into the little valley where we were. Gordon spotted an enemy engine backing away as quickly as possible, and then he must have seen the tanks. Thunder roared across the valley, trees were blown up by passing shells. We were sitting ducks, and so were the men that we had transported.
"Henry get these men behind you, and take them to safety. I'm going to try and slow the enemy down" Gordon ordered with a slight panic in his voice.
The Men ran to the green engine, who already feeling exhausted after fighting all morning. Bullets flied everywhere, they pinged off of Gordon. If he was going to die, it wouldn't be in some scrap yard, but here on the battle field. He thought of home and of Edward, safe.
"Boy I need you to pile, as much coal as you can in my fire box. Boy?"
"A man…. He's just been shot. There is blood"
"Boy, concentrate on my voice. Fill me with coal and keep your head down"
I shoveled coal as fast I could mange.
"Good, boy now unhook me from Henry"
"But I can't, leave you here!"
"No time for arguments, quickly please" Gordon noticed that the German infantry had seen us and started throwing grenades.
"Boy, there is a box in Henry cab, they are grenades. All you do is pull the pin out and throw them"
I rushed to Henry dodging the bullets.
"Now that you have them, you need to throw them on the left, as far as you can" Gordon ordered.
"Now go to unhook me, and return to Henry"
I quickly did what I needed to and climbed into Henry, but there were half injured, men in there all fighting over the controls.
"Boy, quickly get out! a German is about to throw a grenade, and wait for the explosion" Henry commanded.
"get back in and toss the bodies out, quickly! Then turn my regulator to full" Henry shouted.
I followed Henry's instructions, all the way back to the camp. I saved over 100 men who hung on, and also ten tanks.
I did see what happened to Gordon.
He moved on his own.
Gordon could feel the heat from the flames get his boiler bubbling, he concentrated very hard,
Brake off,
Regulator to full,
He felt for his wheels and then willed them to turn.
Now all he had to do is keep the steam super heated to get the most out of the coal.
The blue engine started to move, faster and faster, he went. Driven to save his Sodor brother, determined to save as many people and engines as possible.
"Cowardice was not dignified" he muttered to himself.
Bullets rained on him as he headed for the train, it was like a hundred stones hitting him all at once. Some flew off, others flew into his boiler, in his face, and in his cab. Being the most stubborn engine he was, this was not going to stop him. He reach a good speed and headed straight for the enemy train, that was unloading the tanks. As he came closer to the train, he let off the super heated steam to give him a final boast and extra force. He closed his eyes and thought of Sodor.
"Goodbye" he whispered.
A great sound was heard, screaming metal, and screaming men. Gordon had saved us.
Gordon had made a massive impact on the enemy train, completely derailing him and the enemy, the left over super heated steam blew his boiler cover off, adding more force to the impact. Hot boiling water exploded everywhere burning the Germans, the boiler cover flew off hitting a large number tanks with full force, leaving his tubes exposed, the red hot coal left on the floor, started a fire that spread quickly into the German lines. Gordon smiled as he knew he had been the most useful, and quickly passed into unconsciousness.
Henry saw the explosion, and wanted to cry over his brother, but his last words were to make sure the people were safe. That's what he would do.
When I got to where Gordon laid, he was still alive despite his wounds. His unit against orders, haled him upright on to the rails, still unconscious they moved him to a lean to. The captain, collected any spare metal no matter how small was to mend/save this engine. Knives, forks, pots, pans, signs and any scrap metal lying around got melted to fix him. Being a big engine it took weeks and Henry had been transferred out of the unit. I was the only one who knew anything about engines, so I spent all my free time banging with a hammer to get him to rights again. I never did get him fixed correctly, I never had the right machines. Orders came and he was shipped out.
I found out that he got repaired and then shipped home. It's a shame, he was such a brave engine, I would have liked for him to have been whole after, but it's not meant to be. I'm fact I've still got some fragments of bullets left in me, you young blue tank engine.
"Hurry, hurry please" Gordon shouted to his passengers.
When Thomas looked up he saw the whole dock side was still. All the engines including Cranky, stopped and listened to this elderly man sat on a wooden crate. The Silence lasted for a good two minutes, as everyone absorbed the information. A stout gentle man with a hat walked into the circle of engines, who upon seeing him tried to go back to what jobs they were supposed to be doing at that time.
That night whispers of Gordon's and Henry's story flew around the island, most disbelieved that Gordon could move on his own. The only engine who could possibly know the truth was missing.
Thomas however smiled at the fat controller, who took a shortened version of events then looked at Gordon. Thomas asked the fat controller if Gordon at the end of his working day could have an X-Ray. Thomas told the fat controller about how the gentleman still had parts of bullets in him. Perhaps Gordon some odd bits of metal too?
