BLISTERS!
One day, the steam engines of the small railway were settling into their shed after a long day's work. Suddenly…
"AHHHH!" The engines looked up in horror to see Frank hurtling straight towards the shed, a line of ballast hoppers rattling behind him.
"OUT OF THE WAY! I CAN'T STOP!" The small diesel screamed.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Mike shouted and sped out of the shed as fast as he could. Rex, Bert, and Jock whistled and got out of the way just in time. They watched in horror as Frank rocketed by before bursting through the back wall of the shed with a loud "BOOM", causing dust to fill the yards. Once the dust had settled, the steam engines could only gaze in horror at their shed, which now had an enormous hole in the back wall that a woozy Frank was currently sitting in with dented buffers and scratched frames.
"Bust my buffers!" The diesel forced out before groaning in pain.
It didn't take long for the engines to begin cleaning up the mess, and, after Jock had moved the ballast hoppers out of the way, Butch soon arrived to load Frank onto his trailer.
"Ow! My wheel! Ow! Ow! Ow!" The small diesel whined as Butch winched him into place. The Small Controller walked over.
"The accident wasn't your fault, Frank; you'll be repaired at the Dieselworks in no time and then you'll be back as good as new. Off you go then." Butch hooted his horn and rolled away with a whining Frank on his trailer.
"OW! Careful! I can't feel my buffers! OUCH!" Once the lorry had driven away, the Small Controller turned to the steam engines, who were currently investigating the large hole Frank's accident had left in their shed. He walked towards the shed and inspected the hole.
"Well…Frank's unexpected repairs have taken a lot out of our pockets, so I'm afraid we'll have to leave the shed like this for the time being…hmm…" The Small Controller thought for a moment, then got an idea.
"However, I think I have a solution!" The steam engines shared glances with each other.
That night, Rex, Mike, Bert, and Jock didn't sleep well at all.
"Brrr…it's drafty tonight…" Jock shivered. Bert looked back at where the hole in the shed had been; it was now covered by a tarpaulin, nailed to the wall, which did little to keep out the wind.
"Well, it's certainly not a wall…" He muttered. Mike grit his teeth as the wind nipped at his tender.
"This is all Frank's fault! If he had taken care with his hoppers, then we wouldn't be freezing our buffers off with a whole in our wall!"
"Well, what are we going to do about it then?" Rex asked. Bert, Mike, and Jock all gave the green engine a look that caused him to smirk.
"Oh, we'll think of something…something very good indeed…" The other three engines joined Rex's smirking, and the four small engines began to make a plan.
A week later, Frank was repaired, and was very excited to be taken home from the Dieselworks.
"I can't wait to rest in our nice, cozy shed again…the sheds are too big here!" He explained to Sidney as the forgetful diesel shunter pulled him on a flatbed away from the Dieselworks.
That evening, when Frank was finally back on his own rails, he was very excited to return to the sheds. However, he was surprised to see Rex, Mike, Bert, and Jock sitting in front of the sheds, glaring at him.
"Uh…hello." The diesel greeted awkwardly. The steam engines shared looks.
"Hello, Frank." Jock said coldly.
"The works alright for you?" Mike asked, although he didn't seem to be looking at Frank. The diesel raised an eyebrow.
"Um…yes, they were, thank you. Can we catch up in the morning? I'm tired and I'd like a rest in the shed." Frank tried to roll forwards, but the steam engines remained unmoving.
"Can you please get out of the way? I'm tired!" He snapped.
"So are we!" Bert replied with spirit.
"Of what!?" Frank said incredulously.
"Tired of your recklessness!" Jock harrumphed. Rex cleared his throat.
"We've decided that, until you have learned to be careful-"
"And stop smashing holes in walls!" Mike jumped in. The green engine gave him a look before continuing.
"Until you've learned to be careful, and stop smashing holes in walls, you are not allowed to sleep in our shed." He finished impressively. Frank was fuming!
"Says who!?"
"Says the engines who don't like having a gaping hole in their wall." Rex retorted.
"Well, where am I supposed to sleep then!?" Frank spluttered.
"There's a shed at the ballast mines; you're more than welcome to sleep there!" Mike replied. He then snickered to Rex.
"At least you'll be with alike company; the Blisters live in that shed!" Frank raised an eyebrow.
"The Blisters? Those two little black diesels who do the shunting at the ballast mines?" Mike, Bert, and Jock looked to Rex, who chuckled.
"Frank, do you know why the Blisters live at the ballast mines and never come up here?" He asked, smirking. Frank raised an eyebrow.
"No…? Never really had a conversation with them actually…"
"Well, let me tell you…"
"Long ago, when people were building our line over the trackbed of the old one, two little diesels were brought on to assist with the construction by helping with the shunting in the yards. They had no names, but the men called them the 'Blisters' because whenever they were around, they were a blight on the yards. They didn't like being cooped up, but certainly liked being rowdy and causing trouble."
"Losh sakes!" Douglas cried from beneath the ballast chute as a hopper emptied right onto his boiler. As he coughed furiously from the dust, he heard high-pitched giggling from atop the chute. He looked up and glared at the maniacally giggling twin diesels, hidden in shadow.
"Ye silly diesels! Watch where yer unloadin' yer hoppers!" He snapped. The Blisters just continued their high-pitched laughter before one of them blew a raspberry and they scampered away.
"Thankfully, the Small Controller managed to mostly keep them in the yard, where they couldn't cause much mischief…until one day, when a ballast train needed to brought up from the mines and they were the only engines available."
Donald and Douglas, sitting nearby the chute, gasped when they heard two horns and saw a line of ballast hoppers barreling into the yard, the Blisters being dragged along at the rear.
"WHEE!" One shouted. The other laughed and blew a raspberry as they continued to push the hoppers forward. The Scottish twins could only watch in horror as the cackling diesels rocketed the ballast hoppers into the shed, causing it to immediately collapse into a pile of broken wood and steel. As the dust settled, the Blisters' high-pitched laughter could be heard echoing all around; the two diesels had come off the rails but clearly didn't have a care in the world.
"HAHA! WHEE!"
"HEEHEE!" Donald and Douglas shared utterly horrified looks.
"They demolished the shed, causing the men to have to start from scratch; the Small Controller decided he had had enough and sent them off to the ballast mines, where they've been banished to this very day…"
The Small Controller pointed angrily to the ballast mines, causing the two diesels to speed off into the distance, still laughing and blowing raspberries the whole way.
When Rex finished his story, Frank was horrified.
"I-I-I have to sleep in the same shed as those two…demons!?" He hissed. Rex smirked.
"Yup. Better hop to it then!" The diesel could only try to think of a way to retort before simply resigning himself to it and grumbling away.
As it began to grow dark, Frank made his way down the line towards the ballast mines.
"Great! A night stuck at the mines with those Blisters…little monsters…" Suddenly, his eyes drifted; up ahead, there was a siding that went into some bushes.
"A siding?…Maybe I won't have to deal with the Blisters after all! I can just sleep here! Looks cozy enough…" He braked to a halt, his driver switched the points, and the small diesel reversed gently onto the siding. He let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the dense vegetation around him.
"Perfectly comfy…just have to sleep now…just have to sleep, sleep, sleep…" Frank shut his eyes; it didn't last long.
"CACAW!"
"AHHHHHHH!" Frank shrieked as crows flew out from the nearby trees. As the birds flew away, the diesel tried to catch his breath.
"Great! This is just great! I'm either trapped at the mines with the Blisters or I'm shivering out here with the crows…" Suddenly, however, the diesel began to think.
"…I bet they didn't even think I'd make it to the mines." He scowled.
"That's it! I'm not letting those steam engines beat me! If they want to make me look like a coward, they aren't going to without a fight!" He honked his horn and sped out of the siding, rejoining the main line towards the ballast mines.
"I WILL STAY THE NIGHT WITH THE BLISTERS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" He shouted triumphantly and charged onward into the night.
Frank's resolve didn't last for long; when he reached the dark ballast mines, everything immediately felt spooky. His eyes darted around, but all he could see were ballast hoppers, waiting in the sidings. There was no sign of the Blisters anywhere.
"Hello?" He called. No reply.
"…hello?" He called again. The sound echoed around the mines, causing Frank to gulp nervously. Gently, he rolled forward, but stopped in his tracks the moment he heard a low growling.
"Who's there?" He squeaked. Slowly, the growling began to get louder; Frank turned as white as a ghost.
"You know what? Maybe I better go! Sorry to bother you, but I'll be off now! Bye!" He started trying to reverse, but heard the growling even closer now; in fact, it seemed like it was right behind him!
"Hello, mister!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Frank screamed in terror and shut his eyes tightly.
"Oh dear! We're ever so sorry, mister; we didn't mean to startle you!" Frank slowly opened one eye and looked to the line beside him; there were two little black diesels, even smaller than Frank, with yellow and black visibility panels on their front and rear giving him friendly smiles, one toothy and the other, shyer with her mouth shut. The diesel raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"…are you the Blisters?" He asked, equal parts cautious and perplexed. One of the little diesels smiled at him.
"Yes, that's us! My sister is Blister I, and I'm Blister II! We're ever so pleased to meet you!" She greeted politely. Her sister, Blister I, gave Frank a shy smile.
"Hello, sir." She said quietly. Frank was utterly baffled; the Blisters didn't seem threatening at all!
"You, erm, don't have to call me sir; I'm Frank." He said cautiously.
"Well of course we know that, mister Frank! We shunt your trains, remember? We see you all the time!" Blister II giggled; it wasn't a maniacal giggle like Frank was expecting, but a rather innocent one. Frank turned red in embarrassment.
"Ah, yes, of course…I, erm, sort of…broke our shed, so the steam engines aren't too happy with me and sent me to sleep here instead." He muttered. Blister II gasped in excitement.
"We have plenty of room in our shed; you can sleep there!…if you want, of course, mister."
"That was my plan." Frank chuckled awkwardly; neither of the Blister sisters seemed to notice.
"Come this way please; that's where our shed is!" Blister II called excitedly before speeding away, her sister following quietly behind. Frank was about to follow, but a thought crossed his mind.
"Great…my first night back and I'm sleeping in a shed with a hole in the wall…" He muttered, but followed the excited Blisters anyway.
However, to Frank's surprise when they arrived at the shed, he found that the back wall was perfectly intact.
"Huh…actually looks pretty nice." He muttered as he inspected the four-row brick shed tucked into the back of the ballast mines. He rumbled into an open spot, which happened to be between the two Blisters, the first smiling shyly and the second grinning from buffer to buffer.
"Can you please tell us what it's like up at the junction, mister Frank? We don't get to leave the mines much." Blister II asked excitedly.
"Well, erm…it's alright, I guess. We load the ballast hoppers that you two shunt for us onto a chute-"
"What's a chute?" Blister II interrupted, but Blister I hastily shushed her sister. Frank chuckled.
"No, it's fine; a chute is a big metal…thing that we use to load our ballast into the trucks that the big engines bring. We had it repaired recently actually, by a really nice crane named Kelly, and now it's stronger than ever!" He was actually beginning to relax with the two little diesels, who were hanging onto his every word.
"Wow! That sounds amazing!" Blister II gushed. Frank raised an eyebrow.
"You two have really never seen the chute?" He asked. The Blisters shared a look before sadly looking down at the tracks.
"No, mister Frank; we haven't been up to the junction in a long time…we stay at the mines all the time. We'd love to see other places though!" Blister II tried to stay chipper, but Frank could tell that it was making her upset.
"I'm sorry." He replied sympathetically. However, Blister II smiled at him again.
"Oh, don't worry about us, mister Frank; the Small Controller came by yesterday! He had good news for us!"
"Good news?" Frank asked curiously. Both Blisters' faces, even the quiet Blister I, lit up.
"There aren't any other engines available, so we're taking a big train up to the junction in the morning!" Blister II beamed proudly, before gaining a shyer expression.
"Could you please help us with it, mister Frank? It's a lot of ballast, and we're more used to shunting trucks than pulling them." Frank was hesitant.
"Well…"
"Please?" Blister II pleaded, her and her sister looking at Frank with puppy-dog eyes. The grey diesel was uncertain, but his lips curled into a smile.
"Alright, I'll help you two out." He said. The Blisters grinned at each other.
"Hooray! Thank you, mister Frank." They spoke politely in unison. Frank chuckled.
"You're welcome." He replied, before yawning loudly. Blister II blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh dear, we've kept you awake!"
"It's absolutely fine; I'll nod off soon. You two head to sleep without me."
"Goodnight, mister Frank." Blister I said quietly. Frank smiled back.
"Goodnight, Blister I. Goodnight, Blister II." The Blisters shut their eyes and very quickly fell asleep, leaving Frank to smile and shut his eyes himself.
"That wasn't so bad after all…" He yawned before starting to drift off to sleep. However, his rest didn't last long, as a detail began to nag at his mind.
"The men called them the Blisters because, whenever they were around, they were a blight on the yards…"
"The men called them the Blisters…"
"A blight on the yards…"
"Called them the Blisters because they were a blight on the yards…" Frank's eyes shot open and quickly darted back and forth between the two smaller diesels.
"They seemed so nice…but why are they called the Blisters? And why are they stuck down here?" He wondered. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind that filled him with dread.
"It's an act!" He hissed as his eyes widened in shock; Blister I snored innocently.
"They must be taking that ballast train to get their revenge for being trapped here!…and they must using me as their pawn!" Frank was utterly terrified, racked with paranoia; the Blisters remained fast asleep.
"They're going to use all those ballast hoppers to destroy the sheds! The yards! The railway, even! Who knows how far they'll go to get their revenge for their banishment? Crafty little…well, you won't trick me! I'm getting out of here!" The grey diesel slowly began to sneak away from the sheds, but another thought crossed his mind.
"Wait a minute…they'll leave with or without me…and get their revenge regardless!" He looked at the ballast hoppers around the yard and took a shaky breath.
"Well, I won't let them! I'll take them all with me! They'll have nothing to use as a weapon! Who's a coward now, Rex?" Frank quickly sped away to begin his plan to foil the nefarious Blisters…who were still fast asleep in their shed.
Quickly and quietly, Frank began to gather all of the ballast hoppers at the mine into a long line.
"Wot's 'appening?"
"What's the big idea in wakin' us up, eh?" One ballast hopper snapped at Frank as he added her to his line.
"Shush! You'll wake them up!" The diesel hissed in reply, before staring suspiciously at the shed. The ballast hopper raised an eyebrow at the sleeping diesels before looking back to Frank.
"Those two little sweet'earts? They wouldn't 'urt a fly!" She protested. Frank's eyes widened.
"They've got you all fooled too! They must have been planning this for a long time…well, they're not going to succeed, I'll tell you that much!" As Frank sped away to add more hoppers to the train, the hopper he had been speaking to could only look at him like he was crazy.
"Wot are you even talking about?" She asked, bewildered, before Frank bumped another hopper in front of her.
Soon, Frank's entire train had been assembled, and he backed onto the front to get ready to leave.
"Now, just to get out of here, and prevent this crisis once and for all!" Promptly, he began to pull forward with all his might…the heavy train barely began to move. Frank gasped and began to strain even harder.
"Come on…come ON!" He growled, and his engine promptly began to growl in return. Frank gasped and promptly began to shush it.
"No! Be quiet! Come on! We have to get out of here!" Suddenly, Frank heard a familiar voice that made him shudder.
"Mister Frank? What are you doing?" It was Blister II. Frank gasped as the Blisters rolled alongside, looking confused.
"STAY BACK! I WON'T LET YOU BLISTERS HURT ANYONE! ESPECIALLY ME! DON'T HURT ME!" He wailed as he strained harder and harder and got redder and redder in the face; the train still barely moved. The ballast hopper behind him sighed, bored.
"Y'know our brakes are on, right?" She asked. Frank continued to strain, his engine loud enough to drown out the ballast hoppers. Blister II looked on the verge of tears, while Blister I stared at the train with a stoic expression.
"We don't want to hurt anyone, mister Frank! What did we do wrong?" Blister II asked, trying to get closer.
"STAY BACK, YOU LITTLE DEMONS!" Frank shrieked about three octaves higher than before causing the smaller diesel to recoil, frightened. Blister I could see the coupling chain between Frank and the first hopper beginning to stretch and gasped.
"Mister Frank? I think you might-"
CRACK!
"GAAAAAH!" Frank shot forwards after the coupling chain snapped and tried desperately to apply his brakes before the points; they were set against him!
"WHOA!" The grey diesel groaned in pain as he hit the points and came off the rails with a dull "BUMP". As he blinked back into focus, he saw the concerned Blisters rolling closer.
"No!" He squeaked, but couldn't run anywhere. However, when he saw the Blisters' faces, they just looked sad.
"Why do you think we're going to hurt you, mister Frank?" Blister II asked, hurt. Frank, still paranoid, snarled.
"You might think your 'sweet' act can fool me, but you're still called the Blisters! You have to have gotten that name for a reason! You can't trick me with a name like that!"
"We're called the Blisters because our engines have trouble starting in cold weather, mister Frank." Blister I spoke up. Frank stopped dead in his tracks as confusion washed over his face.
"…What?"
"That's how we got our names; our engines have trouble starting in cold weather, so the workmen thought it'd be funny to call us the Blisters and it stuck." The little grey diesel was floored.
"But…but…why are you banished to the mines then?"
"Banished? We're not banished, mister Frank; the mines just needed dedicated shunters and the Small Controller sent us down here since we can't really pull trains on our own." Blister I explained. Frank looked like his world was crumbling as guilt increasingly began to weigh down on him.
"But…you destroyed the sheds?" He squeaked.
"We did, yes, but it was an accident. We took on too many hoppers and couldn't slow them down; that's why we wanted your help for tomorrow…like we said, we can't really pull trains on our own." She replied sadly. Frank was utterly stunned.
"Why do none of the steam engines talk to you then?" He asked quietly. Blister I sighed.
"We don't know…we try to be friendly but everyone just ignores us; we were hoping that you could tell us." As the two Blisters looked expectantly at Frank, he felt more ashamed and guilty than he ever had.
"I heard…a story about you before coming down here; I think the steam engines were just trying to scare me. I shouldn't have believed them…I'm so sorry. I think that story is why nobody talks to you two." To Frank's surprise, the Blisters simply gave him sad smiles.
"It's alright. Thank you for telling us, mister Frank; we're just happy to know the truth." Blister II replied sadly.
"We thought that there was something actually wrong with us…it's good to know that it isn't something we did." Her sister added. Frank, however, still felt guilty and his face contorted in anger.
"It's not alright! You two are the nicest engines on this entire railway, and you're completely ostracized over silly…gossip! I can't believe I actually believed that story…it should have known it was rubbish the moment I saw you two!" However, an idea crossed his mind, and a sinister grin crossed his face.
"Yes…of course! That'll show all of them!" He grinned at the Blisters.
"I think I may have a way to make them stop ignoring you…and teach them a lesson while we're at it too!" The Blister sisters shared a confused glance before looking back to the derailed diesel.
"What do you mean, mister Frank?" Blister II asked. Frank chuckled awkwardly.
"Well, I'll explain after I'm back on the rails; could you please rescue me? I know I don't deserve it, but you two are the only ones around." The Blisters grinned.
"Of course, mister Frank!" They chirped and scurried away to fetch some chains.
"Let's show the steam engines what being scared is really like…" Frank chuckled darkly.
Early the following morning, Blister I, Blister II, and Frank all backed onto the long line of ballast hoppers. Frank had told the Blisters about the plan, and they were very happy to partake.
"Ready for our trick, Blisters?" Frank asked, closest to the hoppers.
"Ready, mister Frank!" They chorused. The grey diesel grinned.
"Off we go then; wait for my signal!" The trio hooted their horns and slowly began to pull out of the ballast mines, dragging the heavy hoppers behind them.
They continued on at a steady pace for a while until they reached the Green. Once they passed under the bridge, Frank smirked.
"Alright…NOW!" The three promptly began to speed up the train. Blister II giggled as the train continued to rattle along.
"This is fun!" Frank chuckled.
"Oh, the fun hasn't even begun yet…"
Back at the junction, the small engines were resting in their sheds as Bert prepared to take the first train of the day; Duck had brought passengers up from the big station, some of whom were going to the small railway and others were transferring into Daisy so they could travel further up the branch line. Duck studied the sheds before raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Where's Frank? The permanent way can't have gone out already…" Rex and Mike shared an amused glance.
"We sent Frank to sleep at the mines last night with the Blisters." Rex explained.
"The Blisters?" Duck asked, confused.
"The Blisters!? What disgusting names for engines!" Daisy gagged from nearby. Mike chuckled.
"Two little diesels who work at the ballast mines…I doubt Frank even got there though; he probably got scared and slept on a siding! He should be crawling back to the yard any minute now." He snickered. Jock raised an eyebrow at Rex.
"Were the Blisters actually banished to the mines?" He asked.
"I don't know; I just know they demolished the shed and were sent to the mines. I embellished the story a bit to really make sure we scared Frank; trick of the trade, Jock." Rex chuckled. Suddenly, a familiar horn honked in the distance. Bert, waiting in the station for his passengers, raised an eyebrow.
"That'll be Frank then." However, another noise followed it that gave all present pause; high-pitched screaming.
"Who on Sodor is screaming their head off like that?" Daisy asked. Mike gave Rex a concerned look.
"Erm…that'll be Frank too." Suddenly, a long ballast train barreled around the bend leading towards the yards, with Frank and two little black diesels at the head; sure enough, the grey diesel was screaming.
"AHHHH! I CAN'T STOOOOOOOP! HEEEEEELP!" He wailed. The four steam engines watched with concern, but Rex, Mike, and Jock's concern turned to horror as the runaway train was directed towards their shed…with them inside!
"OUT OF THE WAAAAAAAY! WE'RE GOING TO CRAAAAAASH!" Frank cried dramatically.
"Our drivers aren't here yet!" Mike cried.
"We can't move!" Jock shouted.
"WE'RE DOOMED!" Rex wailed, and shut his eyes as the train continued to barrel towards the sheds. Duck, Daisy, and Bert could only watch in horror as the ballast train approached the sheds until they heard the screeching of brakes and the train began to roll to a gentle stop. Rex, Mike, and Jock's eyes were still shut tight as they braced for impact, until they heard a voice.
"Hi." Rex opened one eye at Frank's sing-song tone, still hyperventilating. When he saw that the train had stopped and Frank was now smirking at him, with the Blisters out of the way.
"Huh?" Mike and Jock's eyes opened too, and were utterly dumbfounded at the smirking diesel. Frank cleared his throat.
"Rex, Mike, Jock, Bert; meet Blister I and Blister II." The two Blisters shyly rolled alongside the grey diesel.
"Hello!" They chorused happily. All four engines' jaws dropped to their running boards.
"The Blisters are two of the sweetest, kindest engines I've ever met; they were nothing but welcoming to me last night, and I think it's high time you start treating them with the respect that they deserve." The steam engines were still too stunned to respond, so Frank simply continued.
"Say hello to them when you're down at the mines, and thank them for shunting your trains! They work hard and have gotten no appreciation for it!" The four steam engines shared bewildered glances before looking back to the smirking grey diesel and the smiling twins.
"…Yes, Frank." They replied. Suddenly, they heard a loud cooing from the big railway.
"THOSE ARE THE BLISTERS? THEY LOOK ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!" Daisy gushed. The Blister twins blushed.
"Thank you, miss…" They looked to Frank.
"Daisy." He whispered.
"Thank you, miss Daisy!" They chorused.
"So cute! Let me take a look at you two; let me get you some makeup so you can pop more than that drab black color will let you!" The Blisters slowly sidled across the wharf to get closer to Daisy. Duck chuckled as the Blisters rolled alongside on the wharf, amazed by the junction.
"Well, you small engines are certainly full of surprises." He mused. However, he heard a throat clearing from nearby.
"Excuse me, mister…Gwur?" Duck raised an eyebrow at Blister II looking at him.
"Beg your pardon?"
"Oh, I'm sorry! I was just reading the letters on your tank; I thought that was your name." She blushed.
"No, no, my name is Duck. Well, my name is Montague, but Duck's what everyone calls me." He chuckled. Blister II raised an eyebrow.
"Mister Duck, what do those letters on your tank mean then? They look really nice." Duck slowly began to grin from buffer to buffer.
"Well, let me tell you!" As Daisy gushed over how adorable Blister I was and Duck talked a fascinated Blister II's ear off about the Great Western Railway, Frank couldn't help but smile.
"They fit right in." He chuckled to himself.
From that day forward, the steam engines always made sure to thank the Blisters whenever they shunted their trains at the mines.
"Thank you, Blister I!" Bert called before whistling and puffing away.
"Thank you, Blister II!" Mike said before puffing away with his own train. The Blisters smiled.
"You're welcome!" They chorused. As Frank rolled into the mines and saw the Blister sisters working with enormous smiles on their faces, he was glad to have met his two new friends and helped them be a part of the railway.
THE END
And now we have a new duo on the Arlesdale Railway; the twin sisters Blister I and Blister II! For those who don't know, the Blisters are two characters established in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History, and Railways that were never developed in the Railway Series, and are typically interpreted in fan media as male. I decided to make the characters female since we've never really had a female set of twins before and it inspired me to make them into the sweet, polite girl scouts they ended up being (although I also had a great time making them harbingers of chaos in Rex's version of the story as well). Writing Frank in a lead was also a treat, as his overdramatic persona lends itself well to both gags and smaller roles and larger leads such as this where he quickly lets his imagination run away with him. The Blisters will now be recurring small railway characters and interact with the rest of the cast on that line, allowing them to not feel lonely anymore. I hope you enjoyed the introduction of two characters I've been excited to introduce for a long time, and continue to enjoy these stories!
As always, what's next:
- The Horse & Cart - Duke and Cora the Tool Van tell Thomas and the other engines the story of how the reckless Smudger learned to be patient while managing the slow goods service on the Mid-Sodor Railway by learning the value of a horse and cart that repeatedly holds him up at the crossing.
- Over Your Headcode - Fed up with delays and waiting, Vinnie decides to put his lamps into an express headcode while working on his heavy goods trains so he can get special benefits, not realizing that he's headed for disaster after speeding through a danger signal and straight towards the cleanup of an accident.
- Skyler in Shallow Water - Challenged by James to prove that the water is faster than the railway, Skyler the Submarine decides to use the canal as a shortcut, not realizing how quickly said canal becomes shallow and putting her in a predicament when rocks on the bottom of the canal scrape her bodywork and cause her to begin to take on water.
- Pen Pals - While taking stone to the Wharf alongside Arthur for a ship, Paxton very quickly realizes that both Colin the Crane and Owen the Incline Engine are rather lonely and starts ferrying letters between the two…quickly losing track of the job he's actually supposed to be doing by being so focused on nurturing this new friendship!
- Lightning Never Strikes Twice - Stepney the Bluebell Engine's return to the island quickly puts a bitter Class 40 in a horrible mood, especially after he breaks down on a hill and needs to be rescued by the former. However, when Stepney experiences technical problems prior to a railtour, Class 40 is the only one who can step in and save the day.