The Valley Railway Series
Book 2: Valley Engines
Fire Play
It wasn't long before Smudger and Edward Mann had finished their jobs and pulled Lewis free of the hole, and the following morning, they went back to their own shed to do their own work.
Later in the day, they came back to the Site. All of the open trucks had been covered by tarpaulins to prevent their dangerous content from leaking out. Edward Mann, having done the same work before, was put in charge.
"Listen," he said to Smudger and Candy. "No bickering from the two of you today. Candy, you and I will take the open wagons. Smudger, follow up with the tankers. We'll shunt our trucks onto the upper pear, and the crane will lower them onto the barge from there."
"And what about Lewis?" asked Smudger.
"Don't listen to anything he says," Edward said grimly. "You have your orders from the Little Controller, not him. If he harasses you, ignore him and report him to me."
Edward and Candy buffered up to their trains, and puffed away backwards, with their trains in front of them. Smudger whistled "goodbye" and then ran around to collect his own train.
He was waiting at the signal when he saw Lewis sitting in a siding, being fired up for the first time since yesterday.
"He'd better not try anything today," Smudger grunted to himself. "I don't want to deal with the likes of him."
"It'll be fine," said his Driver as the signal dropped. "Now then, how about before we go to the harbor we stop for coal and water first?"
It was late in the evening by the time Edward and Candy arrived to the harbor with their trains. One of the cranes was soon busy picking up the trucks and lowering them into the waiting barge below.
The sun soon vanished from sight. Edward was worried; Smudger hadn't arrived yet. His train was finished first, so he ran around to the other siding to watch Candy's train be loaded.
Candy carefully shunted her train on the siding closest to the crane. She was just pulling out of the siding and was on the points when Lewis appeared.
"You there!" he barked. "Little yellow box! Move aside there, I have a delivery to make!"
"You're not talking to ME now, are you?" hissed Candy.
"Yes, you!" Lewis said. "Move aside. I've got Orders to bring this truck to your barge!"
"You shouldn't interfere in the middle of a job," pointed out Edward.
"Nobody's talking to you, old timer!" Lewis growled. Edward felt insulted, and the stupid trucks giggled.
"Quiet!" Candy snapped at the trucks. "Edward's right. I'm not letting you through until this job's finished."
Just then, Smudger arrived with his train. "I went for some water and coal," he explained, "but I got held up at the signalbox. Something about..." he stopped, staring at Lewis. "...orders? What's going on? I'm next on the schedule."
"We'll see about that, young one," Lewis puffed. "If I want to move, I'll move!" And quiet suddenly, he pushed Candy, derailing her. He rushed forward and bashed into Candy's waiting train. There was a sudden crack from inside the trucks, and they erupted in flames.
Smudger, Candy, and Edward were horrified. Lewis suddenly looked flustered, wide-eyed and worried, unable to turn a wheel.
Thinking quickly, Smudger moved off the points. "Edward!" he said. "Go get that Army nut out of there! I'll help Candy!"
Edward tooted in reply, and hurried into the siding. As Smudger pushed his trucks clear from the fire, Edward puffed off to the signalbox, with Lewis in tow. Smudger then hurried back to help Candy.
The fire was starting to spread around. "Help me! Hurry!" cried Candy.
Not wasting any time, Smudger was coupled to Candy. He pulled on her his hardest, and it wasn't long before she was back on the rails.
The two puffed away just in time. As they left, a truck fell apart, its burning ashes landing in the barge below. There was a rumbling explosion, and water flooded in through a newly-ripped hole on the side. With the harbor still burning, the barge sunk down into the murky sea water.
At the signalbox, Edward warned about the harbor fire, and before long, the fire department arrived to control the flames. By the time they had put the fire out, the side of the harbor was wrecked.
The following morning the Little Controller came to the sheds to see the engines. "You are all Really Useful," he said happily. "Thanks to your quick actions, nobody was severely hurt, and the fire was contained before it could get out of hand. Well done, all of you!"
As he left, Candy looked bashfully at Smudger. "Thanks for helping me back there," she said quietly. "I really owe you one."
"It was nothing," Smudger said modestly. "We're all engines on this railway. We should look out for each other, right?"
Candy said nothing. She had a lot to think about.
