Rebecca and I found Nia waiting patiently in the yard, and she brightened once she saw us.
"So... Rebecca has chosen you, eh?" she asked once I got out. Rebecca blushed, and I smiled.
"She did. Not only am I her Rider..." I said, holding up my left hand so Nia could see the yellow wheel on my palm. "...but I'm also hers to love." I finished. Nia squealed happily.
"Ohhh, I'm so happy for you! That's wonderful!" she said in delight. I smirked at her enthusiasm.
"Thank you, Nia. It feels wonderful. But for now, we've got to cover the last of the safety topics. We need to head out to the coast line. I spotted a section of track that had warped, and was advised not to be used. We can practice on that, as long as we're careful." I said, climbing back into Rebecca's cab. The three of us chuffed out of the side yard and onto the mainline.
. . .
Rebecca saw the warning flags before I did, and gently rolled to a stop before the warped track. Nia pulled along the track next to it, so she could see as well. I climbed out, and inspected the track. It wasn't warped to badly, so it was safe to practice on, as long as both Rebecca and Nia were careful.
"Okay, so, say you're pulling a passenger train, or a freight train, and you come across a bad bit of track like this here. There are no other ways to go. How do you safely cross it? It's actually quite simple. You go very VERY slowly. In this case, the larger the engine that has to cross it, the better, so Rebecca, I'd like you to start first." I said. Rebecca bit her lip in concentration, and hesitantly chuffed forwards. Her pilot wheel truck began to wobble over the warped rails, leaning and bending with the warp.
"Stop for a moment." I instructed. Rebecca stopped just before her drivers got to the warp. "All right, now the scenario changes a little. A larger engine is better in this case, because they usually have more wheels. The more wheels you can have on the good track during the crossing, the better. In this case, the warp is small enough that only one set of Rebecca's wheels will be on it at a time." I said, gesturing to the space between her front truck, and her drivers.
"Rebecca's pilot truck is past the warp, and it will help her drivers not to come off. However, this doesn't make her invincible. While her truck can rotate, and bend to a degree, the drivers are unmovable, as Rebecca is not an articulating engine. You must be most careful while the drivers are on the warp. Throttle must be kept steady, as increasing it suddenly could make them slip, slide off, or worsen the warp of the track. Go ahead, Rebecca. Carefully." I said, standing back to watch. Rebecca once again slowly chuffed forwards, taking great care with her throttle while her drivers rested on the bad rails.
Eventually, she crossed, and her rear truck and tender were the only part left to go over the warp.
"Okay, the rear truck and tender are the easiest, as her main wheels have already gotten past. Pushing the front truck is the hardest part. Her drive wheels will just pull the rest of the wheels forward, keeping the pulling force straight ahead. Anything could still happen, but it's unlikely. Go ahead and finish, Rebecca. You're doing very well." I instructed. Rebecca smiled, finished the crossing perfectly. Nia had been paying close attention, and was up next.
Once she got lined up on the same track Rebecca had been on, she stopped before the warp.
"It's going to be a little different for you Nia. A little more difficult. You are a smaller engine, and therefore much lighter, which will work against you. Weight is one of the key factors on keeping the wheels on the track. Less weight means the wheels could theoretically lift off easier. Luckily, you as well have a front and rear wheel truck, which will help. Your wheels are smaller however, so it will take more rotations to cross the distance, so you must still be careful. Keep your body straight, and don't make any sudden movements." I said, motioning for her to approach.
Nia slowly started the warp, and slowly but surely crossed it as well as Rebecca did. I clapped.
"Good. Very good, both of you! Keep in mind, if there is ever a warp like this going up, or down a hill, avoid it at all costs. It would surely lead to trouble, with braking and throttle being a large factor of your momentum. Flat surfaces are the only time it's safe to attempt to cross something like this." I said. Rebecca and Nia smiled.
"That wasn't so bad." Rebecca said. I nodded.
"It's easy to get over confident. Just remember, there could be bigger warps, or more jagged warps. They will never be the same." I said, turning to face them again.
"This last safety part we can't practice this time of year, but it's somewhat similar to slipping in the mountains. Icy rails. They can most very dangerous, especially because they don't usually look icy. If it's winter, and you find yourself sliding while trying to stop, what do you think you should do?" I asked.
"Brake as hard as possible, and have the heat from our slipping wheels melt the ice for grip?" Nia guessed. I let that thought bounce around in my head for a minute.
"While your logic makes some sense, it would not melt fast enough. In fact, that would make it worse for the next engine to come along. The only thing slipperier than ice, is partially melted ice, with water on it. No, you actually want to brake very gently, and use your sand. Brake as hard as you can, WITHOUT causing your wheels to lock. If you lock your wheels, your braking efforts become futile. You want to keep as much working friction as you can. The sand will help. We can't practice it, but keep that in mind next winter." I said.
I stayed silent for a few minutes so that Nia and Rebecca could let their lessons sink in.
"Any questions?" I finally asked. Neither engine had any.
"Right, then we're done! I can't think of any other topics, at least not right now. Everything we've covered are common, and always possible circumstances. If you ever find yourself in a state of emergency while moving, remember all these skills, they might help with other things too." I said.
"Thank you for teaching us Anon! The lessons will be very helpful!" Nia said, before blowing her whistle, and chuffing off to get back to work. I turned back to Rebecca, and sighed.
"Now what? That was my job. I don't know what I can do now." I said. Rebecca thought.
"We could go to Knapford, and ask Sir Topham Hatt. He's probably got something planned for when you finished." she suggested. I shrugged.
"Can't hurt." I said, climbing into Rebecca's cab.
. . .
When you walked into Sir Topham Hatt's office, he smiled.
"Classes gone well?" he asked. I nodded.
"Yep. Nia and Rebecca both passed with flying colors." I said. Sir Topham Hatt smiled.
"Excellent! I'm glad all my engines have the skills to be really useful, and really safe. Have you and Rebecca solved your problem?" he asked, looking out the office window at the large yellow Bulleid engine. I smiled.
"We have. Rebecca proposed to have me be her Rider, and I accepted. And... we're... together." I added. Sir Topham Hatt smiled.
"I thought as much. So, you're still looking for a job then?" he asked. I nodded.
"If you have something, it would be great. I know I came out of nowhere, but I really enjoyed working with the engines so far." I said. Sir Topham Hatt smiled.
"Well you're in luck then. Since you're Rebecca's Rider now, you must do something that involves her, and I just so happen to have an opening for an engine assistant for her and her jobs. I'd like to hire you permanently as Rebecca's aid. You'll be with her everyday, everywhere. The perfect job for a Rider." he said. My smiled covered my entire face.
"Oh Sir, that's wonderful! Thank you so much!" I exclaimed. Sir Topham Hatt smiled.
"No trouble at all. I know what it's like to be a Rider." he said, looking slightly mournful for a moment.
"Are you an engine's Rider?" I asked. Sir Topham Hatt forced a smile.
"I was." he said. I cringed.
"Oh. I'm sorry... I didn't mean to bring up anything... painful." I said, feeling stupid. Sir Topham Hatt smiled.
"It's alright. It's been a while since I told anyone. If you'd like to listen..." he said. I nodded, so he continued.
"I started on this railway as a dock worker, back when I was a teenager. I loved all the engines, but I was exceptionally close to one in particular. An dark blue SAR 19D named Ashanti. She was from Africa, and was a very kind and wise engine. She was like a second mother to me. Some days I found it hard to enjoy my work at the docks, but she always cheered me up and convinced me that I had my part to play. I worked hard because of her. So hard, I finally got promoted to a dock engine assistant." he paused, before continuing.
"It was basically what you'll be doing. Riding with the engine, helping them out, helping them see behind them, switching tracks, fueling and watering, and more. I was allowed to choose an engine to work with, and I chose Ashanti. I worked with her for years, and we became even closer than before. I... I loved her, as you love Rebecca. She loved me too, and chose me as her Rider. We had a relationship for several years... until..." Sir Topham Hatt paused to take a shaky breath.
"There was a storm one night. A very powerful storm. I was at home, and Ashanti was working late. This was at the docks, mind you, so the winds were extreme due to the open area. She was moving stray cars around so they wouldn't blow away, and there was a small crane that... got blown over. It landed on Ashanti, and... pushed her off her track. The wind was so fierce, and visibility was so bad that night... nobody noticed when... when she got pushed off the edge of the dock, and fell into the ocean. By the next morning, someone finally realized she was missing, and eventually figured out what happened. But by that point... it was far too late. The fierce winds had kicked up the ocean tide, and she had been carried out to sea. We looked for her for days. Divers, boats, planes, you name it. We never found her..." he said, blowing his nose into a tissue.
"I was devastated. I had woken up in the middle of the stormy night in a panic. I was having difficulty breathing, and was in such pain. As a Rider, I felt everything she did... so I can only assume what I felt... was her drowning. I lay in bed, gasping for breath, until... it was gone. All the feelings of pain, and difficulty breathing. It all faded with one final burst of body wide pain, and then I felt normal. Except... the presence of Ashanti I had always felt inside me since becoming her Rider... was gone as well. When I looked at the hand her mark had been on, her mark was fading. It was then I knew... I had felt her... die. I'd never see her again." Sir Topham Hatt said, burying his face in his hands.
Tears of my own were running down my face.
"I quit working at the docks after that. I couldn't go back, you understand. I got another job higher up on the management pole at Knapford... and was eventually promoted to head controller, as I am now. But I owe it all to Ashanti. Had she not convinced me to work hard, and always do my best to be useful... I don't know where I'd be today. That's why my motto for the others is to be really useful. It's the code I live by now." he finished.
I took a shaky breath.
"I'm sorry. I can't imagine how that must have felt..." I whispered. Sir Topham Hatt pulled himself together.
"I've made my peace with it, at least that's what I tell myself. It's just... still a little hard to talk about. I'm married now, to my wonderful Lady Hatt, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes I just wonder... how things would have gone if that storm hadn't been. I guess I'll never know." he said. I slowly stood, as did Sir Topham Hatt.
"Well... thank you again for the job. I'll follow your motto. Really useful. I can do that." I said. Sir Topham Hatt smiled.
"Good to hear, Anon. There aren't enough reliable people nowadays, so I'm glad I can count on you. Go on, and tell Rebecca the good news. She can resume her jobs tomorrow, with you at her side." he said. I nodded, and walked out of his office, quietly closing the door behind me.
Rebecca looked at you with worry.
"What happened in there? I felt... such sadness from you. He didn't fire you, did he?" she asked, concerned. I shook my head.
"No. No, I work with you now on your jobs. I'm your driver now." I said. Rebecca briefly smiled in joy, but then looked concerned again.
"Then what's the matter?" she asked. I sighed.
"Something Sir Topham Hatt told me. A lot to take in. Always do your best Rebecca, to be really useful. It means more to him than just an engine following orders." I said. Rebecca nodded, not questioning what I meant.
"Let's go back to the sheds. I need some silence for a little bit." I said. Rebecca nodded, and once I had boarded, chuffed quietly back to Tidmouth.
. . .
As Rebecca and I sat quietly together in the sheds, I looked out of the massive open window next to Rebecca.
"Can you imagine if I had gone back in time, and told myself that I would be living on Sodor now? I would never have believed it." I said. Rebecca smiled.
"It's always nice to have something pleasant happen, especially when it's unexpected." she said. I was going to reply, when all hell broke loose.
Without warning, a MASSIVE metal claw reached through the open shed window, and picked me up without hesitation!
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" I hollered in shock, pounding on the metal claw.
"Anon!" Rebecca screamed as I was pulled back through the window. There was a roar of an engine, and suddenly, Tidmouth Sheds was rapidly getting further away. Rebecca couldn't go after me, her fire had gone out. I frantically looked around, before looking down.
A large, long, brownish yellow shape was below me, ripping down the rails at high speed. I knew that color, and that shape. And worst of all... I knew the claw that was holding me.
Diesel 10 had made his move.
Soon we will see what an engine does when their Rider is in danger. Even an engine as sweet as Rebecca cannot ignore the urge of a Rider's engine.