"I'll tell me ma when I go home
The boys won't leave the girls alone
They pull my hair, they stole my comb,
Well that's alright 'til I go home"
Emily drummed her fingers on the pane of Number 12's cab singing lightly to herself. The hanging heat in the summer air paired arrogantly with the consistent blazing in her engine's firebox. Emily dragged the small step stool she kept in the tender across the cab ramp with her foot. Grabbing the roof in one hand and gripping the pane she'd been musically using, she hoisted herself up into the open air.
"She is handsome, she is pretty
She's the belle of Belfast City
She's a courtin' one, two, three
Pray won't you tell me who is she."
Emily couldn't always remember the words but had no reserves about improvising to solve the problem. The signal ahead remained clear as she laughed joyously letting her hair dance in the wind and smoke.
A calm darkness, a loud voice, and an inscrutable pain as something collided with Douglas' nose and brow.
"Oi! Eat quick ya bastard!" Donald had thrown his brother's lunch pail into the exposed cab as he sidled along the tender toward it, sandwich in hand.
"Och Aye! What're ya doin' ya sod! Tha'll leave a mahrk!" Douglas grappled with the controls of Number 10 as he tried to stand through a distracting mix of pain and fatigue.
"Didnae know you were sleepin' Dougie, hones' " Donald jeered as he ventured up the steps to steady his twin.
Douglas grabbed a fistful of his brother's boilersuit and brought them nose to nose.
"Yeh're a muckle nuisance. I have half a' mind to clobber yeh 'til you're as bruised as meh lunch!" He gestured violently at the spilled contents splayed across the cab floor. A pear, juicily smashed by a container of lemonade, soaked the floorboards.
"Hands off ya git." Donald grabbed his brother's shoulders and pushed him away. "Emily will beh here soon to help with theh slow freight. Weh have to go ALL the wey to Vicarstown! Tha's half a day. Weh won't ge' anotha' chance to eat!" He pulled the crumpled excuse of a sandwich he'd started from his pocket and took a bite. "Hones'ly"
Douglas cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders back putting a hand to his forehead. "I fookin' hate ya." Douglas groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hav ya at leas' got yehr flask?"
Emily waited at the signal. Tidmouth was quiet today as everyone had taken the morning trains up the coastal branch for the day. She was waiting to be switched over to follow suit to meet the twins for a large job when Number 3 came puffing down the middle line. Henry blew the whistle loud and leaned out the cab window giving a gentle wave as he passed Emily. She watched as his long goods train trundled rhythmically past.
"18, 19, 20, 21…" Emily counted cars aloud habitually as they rattled by. And with the brake van ending her game she heard the clunk of the signal and released Number 12's brake. "And we're off and away." Emily looked out the cab window as they pulled through the station. She saw the ocean on the horizon line as her engine swerved over the points.
"Jus' one hit in the arm" Douglas said as he and Donald sat finishing their food in the cab of Number 10.
"No wey. I tol' ya it was an acciden'" Donald reasoned. He was starting to get annoyed.
"Bu' it's no faihr." Douglas gestured at his brother. "Ya near knocked meh lights ou'. I coul' beh dead an' you'd jus' get off scot freeh!"
"Yeh're dramatic." Donald wiped around his face with his black handkerchief before stuffing it back into his pocket. Just then a melodic tone of a whistle resonated throughout the yard.
"Aye there's the lass now." Donald said peeking outside the cab, eager to change the subject.
"Wehlp." Douglas stood and stretched an arm up, dusting crumbs off himself with his other hand. "Bes' be gettin' back to Numbeh Nine ya sod."
Donald turned toward the steps to descend. "Alrigh' yeh Bampot. I'm goin'"
Douglas bit his thumb, and in a split second decision he kicked Donald square in the arse causing his twin to slip and fall right onto his back on the cab floor.
"You gammy bawbag, mother stealin', fudwallopin'..."
Number 12 entered the yard chuffing slowly as Emily pulled up on the second line next to the train awaiting her. As she leveled her engine's cab opposing Number 10's she heard a loud scuffling. Peering across the tracks she saw the two brothers wrestling along the cab ramp, coal pooling around them as they both fought in the soot.
"Boys! BOYS! Oi get over yourselves!"
The two continued to thunk each other with sizable lumps of coal. Emily reached behind her head and pulled off her dark green handkerchief. Selecting a decent chunk of coal out of Number 12's tender, she levied it like a slingshot. With a dark green blur she whipped the ammunition around her head with a twang as it flew between the engines and smacked Donald right in the ear.
"BLOH. DEE. HELL. Emily what are yeh doin' shootin' things off like tha'!" Donald was bowing at the middle repeatedly as he held his ear, ham-pressed, to his head.
"I'm keeping us on schedule! What are you two doin' coupling up on a siding in the middle of the day!"
"We weren'... we jus… HE STAHRTED IT!" Douglas stammered to his feet. "He was tryin' to kill meh!"
The twins erupted into another argument as Emily resolved herself. She took a breath and let Number 12's whistle bellow throughout the yard loud and long. Both twins instinctively brought their hands to their ears and winced as Emily regaled their attention.
"Now c'mon boys. We have a job to do." She rested a hand on her hip and cocked her head to one side. "Donald come here I'll take you to Number nine and be a back engine." Both Donald and Douglas gawked at her. With a gulp each, Donald started out the cab and Douglas scratched his head as he paced briefly about the engine trying to reclaim his composure on what to do next.
The long cavalcade made its way along the winding coastal branch line. The sea breeze washing over the train was a welcome relief as the sun beat down in the afternoon sky. Emily at the back let out 3 enthusiastic whistle blows to Donald in front of her and Douglas at the lead. The twins returned with three deep chirps of their own and Emily could see Donald give a reassuring salute through her cab window.
The signal was green as the engines slowed to cross points through Tidmouth. Engine Number 1 was waiting at the far platform as the long goods train sectioned across it's line. Emily took her eyes from her gauges and looked out the side of the cab as they passed. Emily gave a wave to Thomas standing in Number 1's cab flipping through a magazine. He saw Emily and gave a huge smile before returning the wave.
Emily reset her sights back on the controls and grinned to herself. She looked back out the cab windows and called out "On to Knapford!"
I couldn't tell you why, but I'm having a lot of fun trying paint these scenes I've had in my head for ages. It's just a really good time.
I will say though that writing an accent is awful, but looking up Scottish swears? Amazing. Lol
Thanks for reading -REN