Chapter Nine: The Curse Prevails

Nearly there, Henry told himself as he roared towards Crovan's Gate. The yellow and white lights dotted around the yard were glowing in the distance like angelic signs of hope and salvation. It was not the end yet for Henry, but once he had cleared here, there was going to be nothing else to stop him reaching Vicarstown and beyond.

Henry could tell that this run from Killdane was helping him make up for lost time. It had taken longer than it should have, as on a clear summer's evening Henry could be done in an hour, yet snowy weather always caused him to slow down. It had made Gordon's Hill a nightmare, and Henry had been afraid for a time that he would slip back down the frosty rails. The rest at Killdane seemed to have given Henry the strength to keep going again, and as soon as Gordon and Edward were accounted for, the big green engine would be able to finish his trip in record time.

I can't wait to get back to the sheds and be done for the night,, Henry thought, I will probably fall asleep before I even hit the buffers! It dawned on Henry that he could very easily be the last standard gauge engine to get to sleep that night, as Gordon and Edward would reach their sheds before him. This bothered the green engine, as he would be all alone should something happen to him. Though never will happen… I hope

Crovan's Gate was getting closer, with the bright lights growing in size every few seconds. Henry could not make out the station or the Works as the snow created an ever moving wall of white, and he wondered if they would be able to see him. He sounded his whistle to let them know he was near so that they were prepared, and Henry hoped for a second to hear the sounds of Gordon or Edward replying with their own whistles, letting him know that they could all pass through, but all he could hear was the howling wind and the gentle rattle of his trucks.

I wonder where James and Arthur got to, Henry asked himself when he got no reply, and Thomas as well… I will have to apologize when I see him next, I really shouldn't have snapped back… Henry felt guilty for a second, hoping it had not upset Thomas too much, but then he heard a short, quiet whistle, and lost his thoughts as he looked around to see where it was coming from. The green engine had not realised how close he had gotten to Crovan's Gate, the snow and wind playing tricks with the distance and the lights, and he could now see platforms and sidings emerging out from the night. A worker was waiting for them near a siding, wrapped up tight in a fluorescent jacket that sparkled when hit by Henry's lamp. He blew the tiny whistle again and signalled that Henry would be coming into the siding.

No sign of the others, Henry thought as he began to slow down, glancing around the rest of the yard and seeing snow was his only company. He tried not to get annoyed about having to wait again, as it was something that seemed unavoidable now, and Henry simply hoped that they would all show up soon.

It all happened in a second.

Henry had been distracted by his own thoughts and his guide that he had not truly been paying attention. As he rattled into the siding, he suddenly noticed two bright headlights like that of a car coming out from the darkness, moving rapidly towards him with a metallic hum that sounded throughout the night. He quickly realised it was some sort of engine, but he had never seen one like that before.

"Who the hell is that?" Henry cried out to his crew as the buffers neared. It took a few more seconds though before Henry realised how quickly the engine was coming towards him, and that the owner of the lights was on the line he had just left… but not the Kipper…

"THE TRUCKS!" Henry screamed, and he sounded his whistle frantically, knowing that his long train had still not cleared the siding. The engine was suddenly near him, illuminated by both their lights, and for a moment Henry got a glimpse of a wide, shocked and unfamiliar face racing past, then a glowing silver blur moving like a giant bullet with the same idea of destruction. Then it disappeared, and Henry braced himself for destruction, fear and shock clouding all other thoughts…

There was a crash that sounded like an explosion, and a great shudder went through Henry's train. He had no idea what exactly was happening, and Henry could only listen to frantic screams, the crunching of multiple trucks at once and the piercing sound of a loud, sharp horn. Something slapped against the back of Henry's tender, and as he slid to a stop, more objects crashed against his body. A lot of them were hard, but Henry heard soft squelching noises and felt things sliding down his body, and knew that fish had flown out of his broken trucks.

"What the hell was that?" Henry's driver shouted as the big green engine came to a complete stop a metre shy of the buffers.

"That was a multiple unit, it had to be the visitor!" The fireman replied, and Henry felt them leave his cab and listened as they ran across the snow. Henry tried to see what was going on but his vision did not extend that far, but it was obvious that, once again, the Flying Kipper had led to a crash.

He would not be making it to Vicarstown tonight.

Gordon could make out the bright beacons of the Crovan's Gate lamp posts in the distance, but there was no sign or sound of Marco, and the big engine could only wonder if he would catch up to him in time.

If something happens, no doubt we will get blamed, Gordon thought as he heard the reassuring sound of Edward puffing behind him, and the big engine put every last bit of strength into lessening the distance between himself and the visitor. It would be very easy for Marco to simply race through the yard and keep going down the line, and Gordon was certain that there would still be engines out there, like Henry and James who were supposed to be taking goods trains. The snow had made the Island seem darker than it really was, and with little other lights outside of the yard, danger loomed everywhere.

Bloody Mainland engines! They think they are so bloody superior, Gordon thought angrily as he gathered speed, unaware how much distance between himself and Edward. I hope a lot of snow falls on Marco or he gets stuck like Daisy did that time. It would certainly put him in his place if us ancient engines had to rescue him! Gordon smirked to himself, eyeing up Crovan's Gate as it got closer and closer, and amused himself with the idea of Marco buried in snow, knowing it was just the thing to put him in his place.

Suddenly, a whistle sounded frantically from within the yard. That's Henry, Gordon thought, what is he whistling about, and where is he? The big engine glanced around for his friend, but Henry did not sound again, hidden by the snow. But then Gordon heard a sound like an explosion, and shouts and screams echoed in the distance. A loud horn came across everything else, and Gordon began to put two and two together.

"HENRY! MARCO!" The blue engine shouted, his imagination creating horrific images in his mind, and he tried to work out if they were true. He forced himself to gather speed and raced into the yard, fearful of what had just happened and trying to work things out for himself, yet the lights only showed silhouettes that did nothing to appease Gordon.

Suddenly, Gordon veered to the right, and the big engine was startled. He switched lines again a moment later, moving across the various tracks spread out around the yard, and Gordon realised he was being diverted away from the crash.

"Wait, I need to help!" He cried out as he switched tracks again, and blew his deep whistle as a sort of warning, but no one paid any attention: everyone from the station and the Works seemed to have spilled out across the yard, running shouting across the tracks to get to the crash, the higher-ups bellowing orders for fire engines and break down cranes. Gordon wanted to help, but his driver went to apply the brakes, knowing there was nothing they could do yet.

No one had noticed the unset points.

Gordon was focussed on trying to make out the crash to his left, beginning to see broken trucks, Henry's green paint and would could be Marco lying on his side. He did not pay any attention to the tracks until he felt his front wheels lift up, and the Gordon looked back around as he found himself driving off the uneven set of points. Stunned, he sounded his whistle in shock as he bumped across the siding and ploughed towards the crowd of workers. They fled from the oncoming engine, yet Gordon was helpless as he rolled across the icy car park. All of his wheels left the tracks, and they hurt going across the tough surface. Gordon shut his eyes as he slipped through sleet and snow, dreading what would come next, but relief thankfully came a moment later as he smacked into something.

"GORDON!" Edward yelled out from behind, and Gordon opened his eyes again, staring directly at the car that had stopped him, now completely crumpled by the massive engine. He tried to see Edward, but he had rolled at an odd angle and could only see both standard and narrow gauged rails that went on towards nothing.

"Forget about me Edward, I'm fine!" Gordon shouted, still reeling in surprise. "What happened to Marco, what happened to Henry?"

Steve had just stepped outside when he realised disaster was about to strike.

The worker was getting irritable. There was very little to do except watch TV or read the paper while they waited for Elizabeth and Mike to show up, which was getting more unlikely by the second. Steve wanted to go home and have a nice, now late, dinner and prepare himself for the holiday season. He did not want to be grumpy and cynical like Geoff, his friend still in pain from kicking the lever and moaning to anyone that would listen, but Steve could not help but be frustrated by it all.

"Where are you?" He grumbled to the night, staring at the car park and wondering if Elizabeth would appear, her space right next to the rails still annoyingly vacant. Steve heard soft whistles and wondered if that would be her, but he turned around and saw it was a worker signalling for an engine to move into a siding. Steve briefly recognized Henry before sighing and turning away, wondering if there was some packet soup he could have to feed his hunger and fill in some more time as they waited for the lorry to arrive.

That was when he noticed another engine entering the yard from the other end, roaring down the track as if they were a runaway. Steve paused and stared at the engine, trying to make out who it was: the body and shape reminded him of Pip and Emma, the High Speed Engine that the Fat Controller had officially brought recently, but even in the dim light he could tell it was a different colour. He followed their path with his eyes as he wondered if it was new, but then he saw where it was heading….

"HOLY CRAP!" Steve shouted, and he watched in horror as the speeding engine slammed into Henry's train. The first trucks it hit were obliterated, and the train seemed to roll backwards from the force. The front of the speeding, unfamiliar engine bounced sideways off the tracks and seemed to roll over, dragging the rest of its body over as well like a flailing metal snake. The crash could be heard across the yard, above the howling wind that was sending snow scattering and disguising the accident. Flickers of fire seemed to appear in the distance, and Steve was as still as a statue, staring at the horrific scene… it had all happened so quickly, but there was no telling what destruction it would leave in its path.

"What's going on?" A worker yelled behind him, and Steve turned as several of his colleagues appeared, the crash quickly getting their attention. Steve looked back, still gobsmacked, wondering what on earth had caused this, and what they were supposed to do now.

"HENRY! MARCO!" A loud, booming voice cried out in the distance, and Steve snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards the noise, but he already could tell it was Gordon, the Express engine who used to stop at Crovan's Gate when he took the fast train. He was moving quickly towards the crash site, though was still a minute away from entering the yard.

If he hits that wreck we'll have a bigger mess on our hands, Steve thought, and he suddenly remembered a series of levers to the sides of the tracks. These were used by the Works to change the tracks when they were expecting a delivery or were testing the functions of an engine so they would not need to rely upon the station or signalmen for the jobs. Steve was not entirely familiar with them, but something had to stop Gordon from joining the crash.

Quickly he rushed along the side of the tracks, past the siding where Geoff had hurt his foot and towards the row of levers. He skidded a few times on the snow and ice, but Steve forced himself to keep going, with only a few seconds left to stop it all. He reached the levers and blindly grabbed the first two with both hands, guessing that these would operate the lines furtherest away, and pulled them towards his body. The levers resisted due to being scarcely used, and Steve feared that they may have frozen over, and sighed with relief when they moved. He thought he heard the points switch, and went and pulled the next two, hoping these would direct Gordon safely away from the site.

"Call the fire department, the hospital and the head office, NOW!" Steve's boss yelled out as he and several others ran out across the tracks, heading towards the scene to see what they could do. Steve wondered if he should go as well, looking around to see if anyone had noted his deed, his mind still shaken from witnessing the accident. A loud, deep whistle sounded, and he looked and saw Gordon rolling across the lines, and he was pleased to see his plan had succeeded. Though the big engine looked upset and was staring towards the site, and Steve felt a sense of pride, knowing he had done good. He decided to go to the site and keep up the good work, and waited for Gordon to pass before running across.

Steve eyed as several colleagues ran past the siding and its lever, and suddenly he thought of Geoff injuring his foot and how he had done so…

"Oh my god…," he gasped, and his fears came true a moment later: Gordon bounced off the rails, unable to stop himself, the points sending him towards destruction. Steve and the other workers scattered as the giant steam engine rolled towards them, skidding on snow and ice, and Steve's pride and happiness evaporated as he thought of his role in this brand new accident.

"Oh god!" Steve groaned, watching as the big engine rolled whistling through the car park, and Gordon could have gone on forever it had did not slam into a parked car. Steve thought he recognized it, and quickly realised that it was Geoff's that now had a Doncaster engine implanted in the side.

Perfect… just perfect, Steve thought, letting out a loud sigh as people now began to crowd around Gordon, and Edward pulled up on the next line. This day had gone from bad to worst in only a few minutes, and Steve turned and looked across at the fallen engine that had started it all, now surrounded by workers and officials trying to sort it out, and he wondered how any of this could have happened…

This railway is so… lower class… you would think if it had been around for so long, they would at least know how to keep it tidy

Marco frowned as he sped down the line, staring at the houses, trees and other rails that made up this railway. He had been disappointed ever since he had arrived at the dingy little station where he was greeted, by a dingy little engine no less, and Marco's thoughts on the railway got worse with every second that passed. All of his friends in London had told him about the smelly, dirty old vintage railway across the waters, though none of their warnings had prepared Marco for he had found. The strange aroma of coal lingered constantly in the air, and on the sides of the railways were ancient cottages that seemed as old as their engines, and Marco was sure that the rails were creaking and groaning beneath his wheels.

And the engines themselves! Marco had met steam engines before, as there would occasionally be some sort of enthusiasts train or an anniversary that required a vintage engine to celebrate it, but they had been very different. They spent most of their time in preservation and were well kept, always with fresh, shining paint and very little dirt. The Sodor engines worked every day, and as a result they appeared rather grimy and dirty, a perfect fit for the line but imperfect as a whole.

Oh, why did I have to come here? Marco thought as he rattled down the old line, noticing some lights in the distance and wondering if this was where he was supposed to stop, though the two blue engines were still behind him. It is like I have gone back to the last century. I have to come all this way just to put on a little performance for some people I do not even care about, for a railway where the last modern engine they got was probably that Evening Star fellow!. Imagine what Martin and Louis will say when they learn I had to come to this place… Marco hoped that his demonstration would be finished as quickly as possible, and then he could get out of here and away from this working museum before he became stuck here permanently.

Marco didn't realise his path of destruction until the last moment.

He was so oblivious to what was happening outside of his own thoughts, trying his best to ignore the railway, that Marco had no idea that he had entered Crovan's Gate. A man in a fluorescent stood at the side of the tracks, having been sent to wait for him, and was blowing a whistle and trying to get his attention, but Marco ignored him and kept going. His driver could not see him as it was so dark and snowy, even with the bright lights suddenly around them, and he wiped the window to try and see where the whistle had come from but saw nothing outside.

Are those platforms? Marco thought, staring around as they suddenly appeared around him. I wonder if this is that Crovan place … The electric-diesel engines thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud, sharp whistle, and he looked around to see a green engine was in a siding, staring at him in fear.

What on earth is that about? Marco thought indignantly, and looked forwards, wondering if it was a kind of warning.

It was then that he saw the trucks.

His headlights caught them at the last possible moment, and his driver quickly applied the brakes, but it was too much for the speeding engine to stop. Marco was stunned, the truck coming towards him like some terrible beast, and he could simply only shut his eyes, bracing for impact, but it was like nothing he had ever felt before.

The trucks exploded at his touch, battering him with hard wood that cracked his windows and a lot of ice and something's cold and slimy that slid down his face. Marco was disgusted, but his fear was too overpowering, blocking all other thoughts. He continued forwards for a few more seconds, more trucks collapsing as he smashed them aside, and then Marco noticed he was jumping off the rails. He must have gone over something, or the force of his crash had caught up with him, but now Marco was tilting to the side, his wheels screeching over the snow covered ground as they left the rails. Marco began to roll to the side, and there was nothing he could do as he began to flip. It had all happened so quickly, everything was a confusing blur, and the electric-diesel had no idea what to say or think…

He came to a sudden stop barely ten seconds after he had hit the first truck, and Marco slowly opened his eyes. He was now lying on his side, snow covering half of his face, with the wreckage of his crash scattered around him. Marco was cold, confused and in pain, trying to piece everything together but his mind seemed to have gone blank. Shouts were sounding above the howling wind, and Marco felt someone clambering over his side, crying out for his driver and conductor.

"What about me…," Marco mumbled into the snow, but no one seemed to hear him. They would get to him eventually though, he knew, someone always cleaned up after crashes. The tilting engine simply lay there, listening to all the sounds and feeling all of his pain, and he wondered what he had done to deserve this as the constant snow slowly began to build up around him.

There are still a few chapters left as we see the aftermath of all the accidents! What's going to happen next...