The Valley Railway Series
Book 7: Adventurous Little Engines
Little Rescue
Lewis soon found out about Candy's joke, and this put him in a terrible mood. Kudo, who Lewis had rescued, couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Why should I work where I get no respect?" Lewis told him crossly one day. "It's so frustrating – I don't see a point to it anymore!"
"Respect is earned, not given," Kudo replied. "Perhaps if you stopped demeaning the other engines, they'll come to look up to you."
"I don't demean others!" Lewis snapped. "I just show that I'm superior to them."
Kudo rolled his eyes and puffed away with his trucks.
The following morning, Lewis was woken up early. "They need you back at the Base right away," his Driver told him. "They're cleaning up for an inspection this evening."
"What about the mine?" Lewis asked, opening a sleepy eye. "Who's going to look after it while I'm away?"
"The Little Controller's sending another engine to handle it," his Driver said. "You don't have to worry about a thing."
"Maybe I should show him around," Lewis said, "and make sure he…wait, what am I saying? Who cares about this old mine? Let's get out of here!"
Lewis hurried away to the Base. But all the way there, he couldn't help but think of the mine. He couldn't understand what was happening to him.
At the base, everybody was busy organizing and cleaning up. Several trucks were already loaded with wastes, so Lewis quickly started shunting them away.
He spent all morning moving waste away and bringing supplies, and by noon, he was exhausted. As he rested in a siding, the truck Daichi growled alongside.
"Did you notice how much less track there is?" he said slyly. "They're pulling up your rails, rustbucket! After today, they'll have no more use for you, and you'll be sent away for scrap."
Lewis was flabbergasted. "Rubbish!" he snorted crossly.
"Ah, but it's true!" Daichi went on. "And don't worry, once you're gone, I'll take great care of this place!" He sped off back to work.
It was only an hour until the inspection, and Lewis was at wit's end with Daichi. All day, the truck had been teasing and taunting him, and Lewis was looking forward to finishing work.
Just then, a workman from the mine arrived, and spoke to Lewis's Driver. "There's a problem at the mine," the Driver told Lewis. "Smudger is stuck in one of the tunnels. Do you think you can rescue him?"
Daichi rolled alongside. "What, are you abandoning us?" Daichi growled. "Nothing short of what I'd expect from you, rustbucket."
Lewis had enough. "Stick it up your tailpipe! I'm out of here!" And with that, he hurried away to the mine, leaving Daichi at a loss for words.
At the mine, they were pleased to see Lewis back. "Please, hurry and help him!" they told him. Lewis bravely plunged into the mine.
They found Smudger deep in one of the narrower of the tunnels. His funnel had hit a support beam above him, and he was too terrified to move, thinking the tunnel would collapse if he did.
Lewis stared at him. "How'd you get down there?" he shouted crossly.
"Some trucks rolled down the tunnel," Smudger said, "and I thought I could get them…"
Lewis sighed. "Let's get you out of here before something else goes wrong," he grunted.
Slowly, Lewis advanced toward Smudger, and his Driver coupled them up. Above them, the mine rumbled. Smudger looked even more nervous now.
"Careful…" Lewis said cautiously. He slowly began to advance backwards, gently pulling Smudger forward. Smudger could feel the tunnel beginning to cave in on top of him. He shut his eyes, bracing himself.
Lewis scowled. "Ready?" he shouted. "One…two…" Before he could even say "three", he yanked Smudger backwards as hard and as fast as his wheels could pull. Smudger was pulled forward just as the tunnel collapsed behind him. Where there were once rails was now a massive pile of coal and dirt.
Lewis and Smudger hurried out of the mine and into the sunlight.
Thankfully the ruined tunnel didn't cause much damage and the structure of the mine wasn't compromised, but they closed off the tunnel for safety precautions. Smudger and Lewis were looked over to make sure they weren't hurt.
Smudger was shaken but very relieved. "Thank you, Lewis," he said with a weary smile. "I can't imagine how you did it."
"It was nothing," Lewis said. He was about to head back to the Base, but thinking of Daichi waiting there for him, he changed his mind.
"I…think I'll stay here for a bit," he said. "You know, show you how to do the work, and all. Can't have accidents like that again, can we?"
And with that, the two engines hurried away to find some trucks.
