Later that weekend, Stephanie decided to check on Smudger, Ryland, and Damien to see how they are doing with their new jobs.
But, rather than going on her own to venture across the islands, Stephanie decided to take the chance of asking permission from Sir Topham Hatt.
When they were in his office, Stephanie hesitated for a moment about asking him to check on them, thinking that she could be yelled at, but, gathering her courage, Stephanie walked up to the side of Sir Topham Hatt's desk.
"Sir?" Stephanie politely asked, moving her hands behind her back.
"Yes, Stephanie?" Sir Topham Hatt glanced up from the paperwork he was working on after Stephanie spoke as she paused a little.
"Uh, I want to check on Smudger, Ryland, and Damien," Stephanie asked, blushing a little with sheepishness. "It's been a while since I have checked on them after meeting the ghost of Casey Sr and Casey Jones. Do you mind?"
Sir Topham Hatt paused a little after Stephanie asked, thinking to himself about her request, before answering, "Of course you may, but don't be late for lunchtime."
Stephanie nodded her head after Sir Topham Hatt answered and, to his surprise, hugged him around the middle the best she could.
Funnily, her arms could not fully wrap around his middle, so it was cute in a way.
"Thank you, Sir!" Stephanie beamed as Sir Topham Hatt returned a hug to Stephanie.
She released her hug around Sir Topham Hatt and turned to exit out of his office, saying, "I'll be back at lunchtime!"
After that, Stephanie exited Sir Topham Hatt's office, stepping onto the platform to wait for someone to help her around without having to walk all the time.
While waiting, she thought to herself about where she is going to go first?
Should she go to the Skarloey Railway where Smudger works at?
The Ironworks where Damien works with the twins?
Or Misty Island to meet with Ferdinand, Bash, and Dash?
Stephanie spent a minute thinking about her choices of which way she wanted to go, knowing that it would take a long time to return in time for lunch.
So, Stephanie decided to split her time right for the meetings.
She would first go to meet Damien at the Ironworks with 'Arry and Bert.
She remembers where the Ironworks was, but half of her was confused about why most of the locomotives avoid it as if it was a plague.
Why would none of the engines be brave enough to go there by themselves?
Maybe it was haunted there that she does not remember?
Or… was it something else?
Stephanie's nerves got back to her of her decision about going to the Ironworks to see Damien as she put her long brown hair up in a low ponytail to make sure it would not catch on fire on accident.
But she shrugged her thoughts off her mind after pausing a little to think to herself.
Stephanie glanced around for someone to come over to her at the station, waiting patiently.
Soon, Diesel oiled over and noticed Stephanie waiting, stopping next to her with a slightly confused expression on his face.
"What are you doing here, Stephanie?" Diesel asked, cocking a little to the side. "I thought you were with Sir Topham Hatt."
"I was," Stephanie nodded her head. "But I wanted to check on Smudger, Ryland, and Damien. Do you mind taking me to the Ironworks to check on Damien first?"
Diesel paused a little after Stephanie politely asked, blinking a few times, before asking, "Are you sure you wanted to go to the Ironworks? It's hot there and…"
Diesel's voice trailed off a little before he could continue his sentence, unsure about what else he was about to say to Stephanie, feeling like her innocence would be crushed.
"Diesel?" Diesel glanced up at Stephanie, noticing that she looked confused and concerned. "What's wrong?"
A pause came from Diesel after Stephanie asked, before shaking a little, and answered, "No, there is nothing wrong. Come on board. I'll take you to the Ironworks."
Diesel's cab door was opened and revealed to be his driver, with jet-black hair, cold ice-blue eyes, and fair skin.
He noticed Stephanie and knelt down a little to her height, gently picking her up from the ground underneath her armpits as she lifted them up in time for him to place his hands underneath.
Diesel's driver picked Stephanie up and stepped back into Diesel's cab as the door closed behind her.
Since it was very different from a steam engine's cab, Stephanie noticed that there were not many controllers inside, along with pipes, steam valves, and other mechanisms.
"Whoa," Stephanie remarked as Diesel's driver placed her down on the ground. "Is this the inside of a diesel?"
"Yep," Diesel's driver nodded. "Don't touch anything, okay?"
Stephanie nodded her head after Diesel's driver spoke to her before asking, "Do you mind if I hold your leg?"
Diesel's driver paused a little after Stephanie asked before shrugging his shoulder a bit as if he was saying, 'Sure, go ahead.'
So Stephanie wrapped her arms around Diesel's driver's leg, holding it in case she accidentally got tossed forward or backwards or out of Diesel's cab.
After Stephanie wrapped her arms around Diesel's driver's leg, she watched as he pulled a lever that is for Diesel's horn, as he honked twice before starting Diesel up and starting moving forward.
It was much quicker than a steam engine's speed, without having to shovel coal into a furnace or having to wait for the fire to start.
But no matter how amusing it was, Stephanie liked both operations on steam engines and diesels, thinking that both are incredible machines.
The ride to the Ironworks was fast but unusual, without having to stop every time to refill their coal tenders or their water tanks to keep on moving forward.
'Maybe because Diesel runs on diesel oil instead of fire, coal, and water,' Stephanie remarked to herself, smiling a little as she continued holding Diesel's driver's leg.
Once Diesel reached the Ironworks, he slowed down for a little while before entering, glancing over at the rusted remains and faceless engines.
They are either from a steam locomotive or a diesel, including cars and other pieces of scrap.
Many piles of rusted remains surround the Ironworks, as some look less than others.
Most of the locomotives looked as if they were destroyed from a crash or almost rusted and cracked.
All this appearance of 'dead' locomotives makes Diesel's metal body shudder as he stops at the entrance.
"Diesel?" Diesel glanced back over at his cab, hearing Stephanie's confused tone in her voice. "Are we there yet?"
Diesel paused a little after Stephanie asked before responding, "Yes, we are. …Don't panic, okay?"
He stopped at the doors of the Ironworks, honking twice as some smoke came out of air vents on his sides.
The door of his cab opened, and his driver placed Stephanie down on the ground carefully.
"Panic about… what…?" Stephanie saw the empty remains of machines, including steam engines, which made her heart sink.
Diesel noticed the change of Stephanie's expression a little before she glanced over at Diesel, asking, "Is this why no one wants to come here? Is it because Ironworks is a graveyard?"
This seemed to surprise Diesel a little from Stephanie's questions before his driver answered bluntly, "Yes, don't you know the term 'Iron' in Ironworks, Stephanie? It means that when an engine gets too old, it gets destroyed or out of date-"
"They are brought here and scrapped to be reused as something else," Stephanie finished, ducking her head a little low. "I know. I went to an ironworks before."
That seemed to make both Diesel and his driver feel a little suspicious, not only from the tone in her voice about being in an engine's graveyard but looking like she is feeling something… familiar.
She hugged her chest a little with her arms as her hands were on her forearms, looking slightly sad as she stared down at the ground away from Diesel's and Diesel's driver's sight.
Two diesel locomotive horns went through the air after Diesel honked, revealing to be twins.
Stephanie perked when she noticed 'Arry and Bert coming out of the Ironworks, changing her personality from being slightly sad to being herself.
"Hi 'Arry! Hi Bert!" Stephanie greeted as Diesel glared at his driver, blowing black smoke in his face as he was near his air vents. "Can I ask a question?"
'Arry and Bert looked confused when they noticed Stephanie standing in front of the Ironworks, glancing at each other with confusion, before Bert answered, "Sure, what's the question?"
"Do you know where Damien is?" Stephanie asked as Diesel's driver's face was covered in black smoke, coughing a little as Diesel glanced back over at 'Arry and Bert.
"Damien's inside," 'Arry answered, nodding his body over as he mentioned. "But, are you sure you wanted to go inside? I'm not too sure for a little girl like you goin' inside to see all this in there."
Stephanie paused a little after 'Arry answered before saying, "I've been to a junkyard before, so… I can handle it. …Can one of you be by my side in case?"
'Arry and Bert glanced at each other after Stephanie asked, before 'Arry said, "I'll take ya in to meet him, just be careful with him. He's a little… tough."
He honked his horn and entered the Ironworks as Bert stayed outside, watching Stephanie walk into the Ironworks, following after 'Arry.
Once Stephanie was deep inside with all the noises, Diesel cleared his throat, and Bert glanced over at him.
"What?" Bert asked, sounding confused. "Is there somethin' you wanna say?"
"Yes, there is." Diesel huffed. "I want to have a private conversation with you and 'Arry when he comes back over here after meeting Damien."
Bert looked a little confused after Diesel huffed before shrugging it off, deciding to wait and see once his twin brother comes back.
Meanwhile, inside the Ironworks, Stephanie was wincing from all the noises coming from inside.
Flamethrowers were going off, the sounds of saws cutting through metal, and there was a strong smell of iron through the air.
'Arry paused when he noticed Stephanie wincing from the noises around her before covering her ears with her hands when a loud noise screeched through the air.
He went back over to Stephanie after watching her cover her ears with her hands, thinking of how he can help Stephanie find Damien.
"Hey, Steph?" 'Arry spoke as she glanced up at him, looking confused. "Why don't you climb onto my buffers? It's easier to follow me instead of being stuck back."
Stephanie could not hear most of his sentence since the Ironworks was louder than what she was suspecting but understood most of it to piece together 'on' and 'buffers.'
So, Stephanie climbed onto his front buffers and got close to his face, so she would not accidentally fall off.
Once she was on his buffers, 'Arry honked his horn twice as Stephanie jolted a little from his horn as he mumbled, "Sorry." and started with going back into the Ironworks.
Stephanie heard his apology and hand-signed language with her hands, 'It's okay.' with her hands to him to let him know she accepts it, confusing him a little with what she said, but shrugged, figured that it means something else.
Once he reached the turntable, 'Arry slowly turned around to go through the Ironworks to look for Damien until he came across a large steam locomotive with a metal mask on his face, causing him to yelp in startlement, jolting a few feet off the rails.
"Oh, Damien!" 'Arry yelped, squeaking a little like a mouse, before clearing his throat and blushing from his startlement, hoping that the noises muffled his yelp and squeal. "I didn't see ya there!"
Damien said none after 'Arry yelped before his eyes drifted to Stephanie as she hopped down from his buffers onto the tracks.
"Oh, Stephanie wanted to see how you are doin'!" 'Arry gulped a little. "See you soon, bye!"
With that, 'Arry oiled backwards as fast as he could, as Stephanie did not notice that he had left her alone in the Ironworks with Damien.
Stephanie gently smiled as she stared up at Damien and was about to speak when she noticed that the noises could silence her voice.
So, she instead used hand sign language with her hands, signing: 'Hello Damien! How are you?'
Damien's eyes from underneath his mask widened a little with amusement as Stephanie waited for his response.
He glanced around for any ideas on how to respond to Stephanie as she patiently waited for him.
It seemed a little hard on him since his mouth was covered with his mask, including the noises around them.
Mostly because he did not want to speak, too.
So, Damien instead used Morse code through the puffs of his steam from his funnel, reading, 'I am doing fine. How's Sir Topham Hatt?'
'He's doing good, Damien!' Stephanie signed him, impressing him more as he watched. 'He has been working as hard as a locomotive like you and the others!'
This seemed to make Damien blush a little from the compliment, as Stephanie noticed how his steam was puffing a little.
'Although,' Stephanie signed to him as he watched. 'Is there a reason why you are using Morse code? Can't you take your mask off?'
'I can't,' Damien Morse coded her. 'Sparks are going off all around us, and I am worried about getting hurt by them.'
'Oh, I'm sorry!' Stephanie apologized as she continued using hand sign language. 'I guess I was a little silly there. I'm using sign language because-'
She covered her ears when another screeching noise went through the air, sounding like metal was rubbing against each other.
Damien even winced a little from the noise, too, as it went off before stopping.
It sounded like the pointed ends of a screw were being forced against metal.
Somehow, it even got outside the Ironworks, where Diesel, 'Arry, and Bert shuddered from the noise after wincing from that loud noise.
"Will you be careful with that?!" 'Arry called as he glared. "You know we don't like that noise!"
"Sorry!" the worker called back as they returned to their conversation.
Back inside, Stephanie shuddered after the noise stopped, using hand sign language: 'What on earth was that?!'
'That was metal grinding,' Damien answered. 'Imagine nails against a chalkboard.'
Stephanie shuddered again after Damien answered, signing, 'Ugh, that was the worst sound I have ever heard.'
'I know,' Damien nodded in agreement. 'You are wonderful at sign language.'
'Thank you!' Stephanie smirked as she blushed. 'I learned it from one of my foster-father's deaf friend!'
Damien looked more curious after Stephanie nodded before asking, 'What about understanding Morse code?'
'One of my foster-father's friends was from the army like my dad, so he quizzed me on Morse code,' Stephanie explained to him. 'I can understand a lot from Morse code through anything.'
Damien nodded after Stephanie explained, before watching her look around, her expression looking confused.
'Do you know what time it is?' Stephanie signed. 'I don't want to be late for Sir Topham Hatt's lunchtime.'
Damien paused a little as he looked around, too, thinking of where the clock was.
Until someone hopped out of his cab and over to his side as he glanced down at the person.
His driver pulled out his pocket watch and opened it, showing the time to Damien as he nodded, as his driver closed his pocket watch and went back into his cab.
'Stephanie,' Stephanie glanced back over at him after watching her name translated into Morse code. 'The time is 9:30.'
'Ah, just in time!' Stephanie smirked. 'I need to go to Misty Island to check on Ryland, and after lunch, I can check on Smudger!'
'Oh, that's what you are doing,' Damien chuckled. 'I thought you were on your own little adventure.'
'I am, except I got permission from Sir Topham Hatt, so I would not freak everyone out again.' Stephanie giggled before walking up to him. 'Do you mind if you can take me out of the Ironworks? I think 'Arry left without me noticing.'
Damien nodded after Stephanie asked, watching as she carefully climbs onto his buffers before sitting next to his face to be more comfortable and safe.
Once Stephanie was sitting next to his face on his buffers, he whistled his whistle, as Stephanie flinched a little from it, as he mumbled, "Sorry." which she responded in sign language: 'It's fine. I need to get used to it whenever I come here.'
Damien nodded after Stephanie used hand sign language to him, going onto the turntable, and headed to the entrance to meet 'Arry, Bert, and whoever brought Stephanie here.
Outside, 'Arry and Bert looked a little confused after Diesel explained to them about his thoughts, glancing at each other for a moment.
"Are you sure 'bout that, Diesel?" Bert asked, glancing over at him with his twin.
"Well, of course!" Diesel nodded with a huff. "Isn't it strange for an eleven-year-old child to enter a spooky graveyard without having second thoughts?"
This seemed to make 'Arry and Bert pause a little, glancing down at the tracks as they thought about what Diesel said to them.
A steam locomotive's whistle went off inside the Ironworks after the noise died down a little, causing 'Arry to perk a little, saying, "Oh, that must be Damien."
Somehow, Diesel's face went a little pale after hearing the whistle, looking like he remembered something that shook him to the core.
"Uh… 'Arry," Diesel asked with confusion, as 'Arry oiled off to move out of the way. "Who's 'Damien?'"
Just as he asked about his name, Damien exited the Ironworks with Stephanie on his buffers, sitting next to his mask-covered face.
His appearance seemed to make Diesel's paintwork paler than his face, shaking like a leaf in front of him as he looked surprised.
"Hi, Diesel!" Stephanie spoke as she hopped off Damien's buffers. "This is Damien! One of the locomotives I found in that cave!"
She paused a little when she noticed he did not respond to her introduction of Damien, seeing how pale Diesel was.
"Uh, Diesel?" Stephanie spoke with confusion. "Diesel?"
Damien paused a little when he noticed Diesel's expression on his face, confused about how he reacted that way.
But he figured he must have never seen any of the locomotives as big as he was.
So, snapping him out of his shock, Damian whistled his whistle to get Diesel back on earth, causing him to jolt a few feet off the rails.
"Diesel?" Stephanie spoke with a worrying tone in her voice, recoiling a little from Damian's whistle. "Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine." Diesel shivered, shaking himself a little. "Just surprised at how… massive he is."
"You mean how he is built?" Stephanie asked, correcting him. "His basis is a Milwaukee Road's A2 class, and they are made to be this tall! Besides, Damian is friendly, don't let his demeanor get you!"
Diesel zoned out as he stared at Damian with fear in his eyes, not expressing it on his face, as Stephanie's voice drifted off.
He seemed to remember something in his past, as he was going down a railway, speeding as fast as he could to go to the docks.
Suddenly, the almost familiar whistle went through the air, causing him to perk from the noise and glance around, only to watch a giant shadow loom over him.
He noticed the shadow looming over him and sped up as fast as he could but was roughly bashed from behind with a hard shove, causing him to be derailed and crashed against a rock.
"…esel?" Pools of black oil spilled out against the rock, soaking it as a locomotive's shadow appeared. "DIESEL!"
Diesel jolted after hearing Stephanie's voice, noticing that Damian's eyes looked confused and concerned from behind the mask he was wearing.
"Are you okay?" Stephanie asked as he glanced down at her. "You were zoning out."
"I-I was?" Diesel stammered, shaking a little. "Sorry, I just remembered something."
"What did you remember?" Stephanie politely asked, sounding confused.
"Nothing!" Diesel huffed, going into his personality, as Stephanie took a step back with a slightly surprised expression on her face. "J-Just something. Nothing to be worried over about."
Stephanie paused after Diesel huffed, glancing away from him and gripped her left arm, asking, "Diesel? …May you bring me to Misty Island? I want to see Ryland."
Diesel nodded and watched as Stephanie walked around him as his cab door opened, as his driver picked her up from the ground and placed her inside as the door closed.
Diesel honked his horn and went off to a turntable but swore he heard a faint voice spoke, "That's funny. He seemed scared of me."
Not wanting to know who said that, Diesel continued his way until he got onto a turntable, turned back around, and honked his horn, heading out of the Ironworks.
Inside, Stephanie was hugging Diesel's driver's leg, looking slightly confused about why Diesel barked at her when she asked about his memory when he saw Damian.
Did he remember something gruesome in his past he did not want to remember?
Stephanie's stomach turned with sorry as she hugged Diesel's driver's leg a little more, causing him to glance down at her in confusion.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, noticing she was weirdly quiet and slightly sad. "Did Diesel snap at you?"
Stephanie silently nodded her head after he asked as he huffed, glancing back forward.
"You know you can't snap at Stephanie like that, Diesel," he spoke, sounding annoyed at him. "She's just a child."
"I know, I know," Diesel rumbled as he drove down the line. "It's just something personal."
Diesel paused a little after he huffed, thinking about Stephanie's feelings about how he had snapped at her, softly rumbling, "Sorry."
This seemed to perk his driver a little after he apologized, as Stephanie smiled gently and reached over with a hand, gently patting the side of his cab.
"It's fine, Diesel." Stephanie smiled reassuringly. "I shouldn't ask. …Maybe I shouldn't be all that curious either."
Diesel paused after Stephanie spoke, deciding to focus on something else instead, noticing that he was passing by the Search and Rescue Centre, before seeing the tunnel that leads to Misty Island.
He does remember where Misty Island was because he was once searching for a tree for Dowager Hatt in a race with Thomas.
A slight smirk appeared on his face when he remembered his race with Thomas, Den, and Dart.
He passed down the tunnel and through the other side, entering the mysterious island, which weirdly has some fog, but not enough to make things harder for him to see.
Diesel went down the line until he came to the Logging Station, seeing Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand were not waiting for him.
"Where's everyone?" Diesel rumbled with confusion, glancing around.
"HEAD'S UP!" Diesel glanced over to see who called out, seeing a massive bare tree heading towards where he was!
Diesel screamed like a little girl after noticing the tree and rushed forward as fast as he could, as it landed squarely on a flatbed.
After the bare tree landed on the flatbed, Diesel was shaking as he stopped, opening one eye before another, seeing the log had not landed on him.
Nothing happened to him, but instead, it had landed on a flatbed and not on him.
He shakily sighed in relief after moving out of the way before glancing over when he noticed Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand coming over to where he was.
Behind them was an unfamiliar engine he had never seen before, but with the same symbol as they have.
"Ah, it's Diesel!" Bash and Dash smiled as Ferdinand said, "That's right!"
The new engine chuckled a little after Ferdinand nodded in agreement, going to a different track.
Once he went onto a separate track, he asked, "So your name is 'Diesel,' huh? My name is Ryland, and I'm new around here!"
"I noticed." Diesel huffed as Stephanie stepped out of his cab. "You nearly made me crash with that log!"
"Oh, that?" Ryland asked, blushing a little. "Sorry, I was showing off a little. I used to do that in an old logging company a long time ago."
Diesel perked a little after Ryland explained, asking, "Really?"
"Yes!" Bash nodded, as Dash added, "He is strong!"
"That's right!" Ferdinand nodded in agreement as Ryland blushed from the compliment.
He then noticed Stephanie next to Diesel, pushing her glasses into place after being placed down on the ground.
"Ah, hello, Steph!" Ryland smiled. "What brought you here?"
"I came here to check on you." Stephanie smiled back. "How is it working here with the Logging Locos?"
"Crazy at first," Ryland smiled with a chuckle. "I've never seen them as crazy as the guys back then, but, hey, I like it! Sorry about scarin' you back there."
"It's fine!" Stephanie chuckled. "Diesel moved out of the way!"
Diesel sheepishly chuckled as he blushed with embarrassment, which was lucky for them not to hear his scream.
As they talked a little about how their days were doing, Diesel's mind drifted off about how Stephanie reacted after seeing all those… dead locomotives at the Ironworks.
He suspected Stephanie would instantly feel depressed about seeing all the dead engines around, wanting to get out of the place.
It looked a little… fishy for him to see Stephanie like that.
Would all eleven-year-olds react like that?
Diesel instantly tossed the thought of doing a little experiment with a different eleven-year-old, thinking it would be barbaric to do something for a child.
But on the other wheel, Stephanie did say she had been to a junkyard before.
So that was one thing out of his mind that kept bothering him.
Diesel continued to think about his conversations with 'Arry and Bert, knowing that his thoughts to them would spread to some other diesels.
He shrugged a little to himself, knowing that not much of the steamies he remembers would be that open-minded listening to a diesel's conversations about their thoughts about a child.
"Diesel?" Diesel snapped back to reality after hearing Stephanie's voice, glancing down at her. "Are you sure you are okay? You seemed to be dazing in and out a lot."
Diesel stayed silent after Stephanie asked, mumbling, "It's fine, just need some sleep after work, that's all."
Stephanie paused a little after Diesel mumbled before nodding her head and asked, "Diesel-?"
"I know, I know," Diesel nodded, interrupting Stephanie a little as she stopped. "You want to see Smudger?"
"No, I want to go back to Sir Topham Hatt," Stephanie spoke, blushing a little. "It's almost lunchtime."
Diesel 'shrugged' a little after Stephanie spoke, watching her walk around him to his cab.
"So, Diesel," Ryland spoke as he glanced over at him. "Was it you that screamed?"
Diesel's face turned crimson after Ryland asked, puffing black clouds of smoke out of his air vents as he jolted back as Stephanie entered his cab after being picked up by his driver, honking his horn and moving forward.
Bash, Dash, Ferdinand, and Ryland coughed a little as Diesel went by them after puffing black clouds at them, shaking a little as it cleared away from their faces.
"What was," Dash spoke as Bash finished, "That for?"
"That's right!" Ferdinand nodded in agreement, coughing a little.
"I think he did scream." Ryland chuckled a little. "Anyways, let's get back to work!"
Diesel grumbled as he went down the line, still a little annoyed they did hear him scream, although he suspected they did not.
But his annoyance ebbed away as he entered Knapford on time, letting Stephanie off the platform.
"Thanks, Diesel!" Stephanie smiled before turning around and entering Sir Topham Hatt's office.
Diesel blinked a little after Stephanie thanked him, figuring that she would not thank him for taking her around to see the two engines, feeling more perplexed.
"Hey, Diesel?" Diesel glanced over at his driver as he said, "We need to get to an oil tank. You're almost empty."
"Oh, right." Diesel nodded, honking his horn, and went off to fill his tank.
Meanwhile, Stephanie was telling Sir Topham Hatt and Dowager Hatt about her experience in the Ironworks.
It confused the two a little with her adventure at Ironworks, noticing the same thing as Diesel.
But continued to listen as Stephanie talked about her meeting the Logging Locos with Ryland.
She even explained her adventure with Diesel, who came over to help her around after asking what she was doing on the platform, which confused Sir Topham Hatt more but did not express it.
Dowager Hatt sometimes asks Stephanie about her thoughts about school, mostly wanting to ask about the Troublesome Trio as they both nicknamed them.
Stephanie would tell them that 'school was fantastic than being different from being homeschooled,' and the 'Troublesome Trio weren't a threat to her, but just annoying.'
This seems to make Dowager Hatt's mom instincts seem to kick up a little, thinking to herself how weirdly calm Stephanie was with the bullying and seeing 'dead' things around her, not being bothered by it.
It even made Dowager Hatt feel suspicious towards her 'foster-father,' thinking that there is more behind than just a father to her.
After lunchtime was over, Stephanie thanked Dowager Hatt and Sir Topham Hatt for lunch before heading off to visit Smudger at the Skarloey Railway.
When she stepped outside, Stephanie stopped and noticed that Diesel was not there.
'Where's Diesel?' Stephanie thought with confusion, glancing around for him.
Stephanie scratched the side of her head with confusion as she waited for him to come over to the station to help her to the Skareloy Railway when Thomas rolled by, seeing her standing there.
"What's wrong, Stephanie?" Thomas asked, noticing her expression.
"Was Diesel here?" Stephanie asked in return.
"He was," Thomas nodded. "But he went to deliver some trucks."
'Ah, of course.' Stephanie sighed.
Thomas paused a little after Stephanie asked about Diesel before suggesting, "If you want, I could take you to where you wanted to go!"
"Really?" Stephanie perked with a smile.
"Yes," Thomas nodded. "There's no need for a ticket to board the express."
Stephanie giggled after Thomas joked a little before walking up to his cab as the door opened.
She allowed his driver to pick her up from the ground and into his cab, closing the door behind him.
"Where do you want to go, Stephanie?" his driver asked.
"The Skarloey Railway, please." Stephanie smiled. "I would like to see how Smudger is doing."
Thomas nodded after Stephanie politely asked, whistling his whistle and puffing off, heading to the Skarloey Railway as she spoke.
"That's weird," his driver chuckled a little as she hugged his leg. "That's where we are going to, too."
Stephanie giggled after his driver remarked, saying, "What a coincidence!"
Thomas chuckled after Stephanie remarked, whistling as he passed by the switch stations.
The ride to the Skarloey Railway was long but relaxing for Stephanie, liking the gentle rocking and the noises from him, not as noisy as Diesel was.
But she liked both kinds of locomotives and liked how they both are.
When they reached the Skarloey Railway, Thomas stopped near a station, letting Stephanie out as she hopped onto the platform.
"Thank you, Thomas!" Stephanie beamed.
Thomas whistled after Stephanie thanked him before puffing off to deliver his trucks as Stephanie went to find Smudger, being careful with accidentally stepping onto the tracks.
Stephanie ventured deeper and deeper into the railway, looking for a familiar dark green narrow-gauge locomotive with the number two on the sides.
When she noticed a golden yellow locomotive passing by, causing her to turn around and see Duncan.
"Oh, Duncan!" Stephanie called as he glanced over, noticing her.
Duncan was just relaxing at the siting when he noticed Stephanie as she went around the station, being careful with going across the tracks for any incoming engines.
Once she walked over to him, Duncan asked, "Whit are ye doin' here, Stephanie? A thoucht ye were wi' Sir Topham Hatt."
"I was," Stephanie nodded. "But I wanted to see how Smudger was doing, so I came here to see him. Do you know where he is?"
"A dae," Duncan nodded. "Climb on an A'll tak ye tae him."
Stephanie nodded her head and climbed into his cab carefully, moving a little back so there would be room for his driver and fireman to work.
Duncan whistled his whistle and puffed off, going to the yard where the sheds were.
"So, how is your day, Duncan?" Stephanie curiously asked, hugging his driver's legs.
"Och, it's aye the same!" Duncan complained. "There's nothin' happenin' an' aye havin' tae dae the same thin ower an' ower again."
"I know how you feel, Duncan." Stephanie nodded in agreement. "I sometimes wander off when I feel curious, which makes the adults worry a little."
Duncan nodded in agreement after Stephanie blushed, remembering times when they said Stephanie was not where she was, which would make him a little concerned but alert in case he saw her.
"Hou often ye run aff like thon?" Duncan asked, glancing up at her a little.
"Pretty much," Stephanie nodded. "It only happens if I get bored. Sometimes I forget to ask permission from the adults and get them stressed."
She blushed a little as she added, "Mom used to say that to me when I was a toddler."
"Really?" Duncan spoke as they turned the corner as his driver and fireman glanced at each other with slightly perplexed expressions on their faces. "Whit did yer parents dae after findin' ye?"
"They would gently scold me to not do that again," Stephanie blushed sheepishly. "So, I learn a little from my mistakes. What about you? Do you wander off?"
"A wish." Duncan huffed. "But A dinnae know where A coud gae tae. Sae, A endit up stayin' here syne it's more comfortable. A uisually gae tae the yard an' the quarry."
Stephanie nodded in agreement after Duncan huffed, patting his side with her hand.
"But it doesn't hurt to try looking around if you have a chance?" Stephanie suggested. "It doesn't always need a map to adventure around."
"Which gets ye lost easily," Duncan remarked, smirking a little.
Stephanie's cheeks puffed a little as she blushed, mumbling, "It's not my fault I got lost before! I was new here!"
Duncan chuckled after hearing Stephanie huffed with a slight pout at his remark about her being lost before turning another corner.
There was Duke in his shed, talking fondly to Smudger as he was talking with him too.
Duncan whistled his whistle after coming to them as they glanced over and noticed him.
"Hello, Duncan." Duke greeted. "What brought you here?"
"Stephanie wantit tae see Smudger," Duncan explained, confusing the two a little. "She askit permission tae Sir Topham Hatt first."
Stephanie blushed from Duncan after explaining to them as his driver helped Stephanie down to the ground as she walked up to Smudger.
"Hi, Smudger." Stephanie beamed. "It's been a while, hmm?"
"It's only a few weeks, Stephie." Smudger chuckled. "Nothin' happenin' to me yet!"
She blushed again after Smudger assured her before going into a conversation about their day, as Duncan decided to go back to what he was doing.
Stephanie explained about the Ironworks Damian works at, which surprised Duke that she was brave enough to go there as Smudger said, "You went to the Ironworks to see Damie there?!"
She paused a little after Smudger exclaimed, saying, "Yes, you wouldn't believe how loud it was there! Even with all the grinding noises!"
Stephanie shivered to herself from the noises, glad that her ears were not deaf from how loud it was.
Duke and Smudger glanced at each other after Stephanie explained, as Smudger said, "Weren't you bothered by how many... dead engines were there?"
Stephanie paused a little after Smudger asked, responding, "I've been to a junkyard before, and I was fine, although I did need 'Arry next to me."
Duke smiled as Smudger chuckled a little, as he said, "I'm glad Damie is workin' there, though! He seemed to like it very much!"
"Yes." Duke nodded in agreement.
"Kinda reminds me of my brother." Stephanie's face turned from a smile to a light, confused expression, asking, "Who's your brother?"
Smudger paused after Stephanie asked, glancing over at Duke.
Duke was silent after Smudger glanced over at him before slowly nodded.
"Okay," Smudger spoke as he glanced back at Stephanie. "Do you know that we all either come from the same basis or from different types?"
Stephanie nodded her head, listening to the conversation from Smudger.
"Well, I was not the only one in my basis," Smudger explained to her. "I have multiple brothers, sisters, and cousins like me!"
Stephanie perked, as Smudger explained, saying, "Skarloey is my brother, along with Dolgoch and Talyllyn, as Rheneas is my twin."
"Really?" Stephanie beamed. "You have a lot of siblings, Smudger!"
Smudger blushed from Stephanie's remark as Duke chuckled a little.
"One of them was built a little differently, Stephanie," Duke explained. "His metal was thicker than others and was even strong too."
Stephanie cocked her head to the side gently, asking, "Why?"
"Because the builder who made us wanted one that will work at an Ironworks," Smudger explained. "And he was almost the first to be built."
Smudger paused a little along with Duke as Stephanie noticed the silence between the two.
"What was his name?" Stephanie asked curiously.
Smudger and Duke paused a little from telling Stephanie the name of the brother before Smudger finally answered, "His name was Smoother."
"'Smoother?' That's his name?"
Yes, Stephanie, that is his name.
"What is wrong with an engine named 'Smoother?'"
Well, let us explain, Stephanie. We think you are old enough to understand this.
From what I can remember, Smoother was from a tiny railway far away from where we are.
He was nicknamed "The Masked Engine" because he wore a mask over his face.
"Just like Damian! He told me this before when I came over to visit him."
Yes, just like Damian.
Smoother was also the manager's favorite engine because of how hard-working he was, congratulating him on everything he does.
Not everyone likes Smoother, however.
The engines that used to work there were filled with jealousy about Smoother, thinking they were making them feel stupid in front of the manager.
They often called him names and were rude to him whenever they could, but Smoother didn't mind them and carried on with his work.
But one day, the other engines went too far with him.
They tried to pull a prank on Smoother, which caused his shed to go on fire, and Smoother, the Blacksmith Engine, was burnt and killed in the accident.
The other engines didn't want to get in trouble, so they blamed him to the manager after that, and the manager believed them.
"He did?"
Yes, and he was ashamed of Smoother, so he sent his burnt body to the scrapyard that night.
But Smoother's driver was filled with rage from the manager believing the bully engines.
He took Smoother's body somewhere and disappeared into the night.
People believe the driver went to the United Kingdom because he was never seen or heard from again since.
"What happened after that?"
Well, a month later, some trucks were outside the shed and heard the bully engines and their crew laughing in the shed.
It was pretty foggy that night, so the trucks couldn't see through the shed doors.
The bully engines and their crew were telling jokes to each other and listening to some music.
Until the laughter quickly stopped after they heard a knock on the shed doors.
The engines and their drivers thought it was an animal or something, so one of them went to scare it off.
But the engines and their crew did not know what was behind the shed doors.
Because it would not be scared off.
Once they opened the shed doors, the mist cleared, and outside stood the vengeful, modified, and undead engine with eyes described by trucks eviler than the devil himself with the manager's ripped off head attached to his buffer, Smoother.
All the trucks could do was watch as Smoother charged into the sheds to attack them.
They saw the engines and their crew's blood and intestines splatter on the windows of the shed.
The trucks heard the screams of the bully engines and their crew getting finished as he used his flamethrower to burn them alive.
The police were called the next day but only found the mangled dead bodies of the bully engines.
But did not find the killer either.
No one knows or wants to find where the masked engine is now.
Stephanie shuddered after hearing the story about Smoother, rubbing her arm as her hair stood up.
"Do you both know what happened to Smoother?" Stephanie asked, shaking a little.
Smudger and Duke glanced at each other after they explained, as Duke said, "Well, I remember a magical kettle that trapped him."
"'A kettle?'" Stephanie asked with confusion, cocking her head to the side a little.
"Yes," Duke nodded. "The first Sir Topham Hatt trapped Smoother, Dominic, and Alfred in that kettle a long time ago before you were born."
More of Stephanie's curiosity grew after hearing the story about Smoother from the two.
But she also wanted to know who was 'Alfred' and 'Dominic.'
"Who's 'Alfred' and 'Dominic?'" Stephanie asked, sounding more curious.
"Alfred is an evil engine that used to be named 98462," Duke explained. "He used to be friends with Gordon and Crovan, who was called 87546 back in the time."
Stephanie was silent as she listened to the story about Alfred as the two explained to her.
But she was still a little shaken about the history of Smoother.
"But he had a downfall before he could rise," Smudger explained. "He crashed from an accident and came back as a ghost, bent on revenge like Smoother."
"And was he imprisoned with him in the same kettle?" Stephanie guessed.
They both nodded after Stephanie guessed.
"Now, for Dominic," Duke spoke, pausing a little. "I don't remember much of him, but I remember he used to bully Donald many times and was nicknamed 'The Spiteful Brake Van.'"
"But he got crushed by Douglas when he was helping James up Gordon's Hill," Smudger finished, as Stephanie shivered a little. "Served the little-"
"Shh! Smudger!" Duke shushed him. "Not in front of her."
Stephanie giggled after Duke shushed him before continuing to talk to them but was still a little worried about the ghosts they explained to her.
As they talked with each other, Stephanie forgot to check the time since she did not have a clock or a watch.
She even forgot that Duke fell asleep as they were talking, sleeping peacefully.
When nighttime came, Smudger was tired after talking for a long time, yawning a little as Stephanie paused from talking.
"Are you tired?" Stephanie politely asked.
"Yeah, I am." Smudger nodded. "Sorry, kiddo. I've been working a lot."
"It's okay," Stephanie smiled. "I'll leave you here to sleep and head back to Sir Topham Hatt's mansion."
"Mkay..." Smudger nodded, yawning again before falling asleep.
Once Smudger had fallen asleep, Stephanie went to walk back to Sir Topham Hatt's mansion, hoping that she would not be late for dinner or make them worried.
As she turned around the corner and exited out from the station, a single red eye with a silver mask glistening in the moonlight was watching her before disappearing into thin air.
During her walk, Stephanie was thinking to herself about Smoother's story, along with Alfred's and Dominic's.
Smoother's story was creepy, causing her skin to prickle with goosebumps, as Alfred's was a little confusing, but Dominic's was a little worrying.
Was anyone else there alive after that wreck?
An owl's hoot seemed to snap Stephanie back to reality, causing her to look around, seeing that it was coming from a snowy owl.
Stephanie stopped when she noticed the beautiful creature, watching it fly up from the branch it was perching from, and went off.
'Was that a snowy owl?' Stephanie thought to herself. 'I have never seen one before! But incredible!'
After the encounter with the snowy owl, Stephanie glanced up at the full moon.
It was calmly reflecting off the glasses she was wearing as it was in a bright blue color.
It was beautiful with the sky clear as day, and the stars were out and shining like glitter.
It seemed to make Stephanie feel calm as she stared at the stars, noticing that she could see them without clouds blocking them.
Pushing her glasses into place after staring at the moon and stars, Stephanie glanced back down at the tracks, only to stop and exclaim when she saw an unfamiliar engine in front of her.
Since the moonlight was semi-glowing in the sky, Stephanie thought the engine was someone else, or more like a narrow-gauged engine like Smudger, Duke, and the others.
"Oh, excuse me," Stephanie politely smiled as she placed a hand on her chest while bowing slightly towards the mysterious engine. "I'm sorry if I am in your way. Do you want me to move out of your way?"
The engine said nothing after Stephanie politely asked but puffed a little from his funnel, which means 'yes,' in Morse code, just like Damian.
"Thank you," Stephanie politely thanked the engine as she bowed slightly towards them again before moving to the right-hand side of the tracks and walking around on the side. "I'll see you later, and nice paintwork you have!"
After Stephanie remarked on the mysterious engine's paintwork, the moonlight gleamed a little on the locomotive but revealed only the eyes, which had the same single red iris.
The eyes glanced down at their paintwork for a moment, looking a little confused.
Then, they looked over at Stephanie from the corner as she disappeared into the forest.
Whoever had the eyes seemed to be thinking to themselves about her.
Meanwhile, Stephanie continued walking through the moonlit night, feeling a little nervous about encountering a cross Sir Topham Hatt about staying out at night for a little too long.
However, Stephanie had reason to explain to Sir Topham Hatt why she was not coming home at the correct time.
After turning around the bend, Stephanie encountered a brake van that seemed to be left out in the open, but the weirdest part was that no trains or diesels were pulling it from behind.
"Hello?" Stephanie was confusingly greeted, glancing around for any engine for a moment before glancing back at the brake van. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"
The brake van was silent after she asked, staring at her with a semi-angry and semi-confused expression on their face.
Stephanie innocently looked confused from the silent treatment, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.
"Uh, okay, um, do you mind if I walk around you?" Stephanie asked, stuttering a little. "I didn't mean to be in your way, mister. I was heading back to Sir Topham Hatt's mansion, and… I think I got a little lost…"
Stephanie trailed off a little after she explained to the silent brake van, glancing to the side at the thought of what could be happening to her, and maybe could be walking around in circles while following the tracks.
The brake van cocked an eyebrow after Stephanie explained to him before nodding gently, allowing her to walk around him.
So, Stephanie bravely walked past him, still on the siding instead of the tracks, like last time, to not get into any more brake van's or engine's path.
'Maybe in the morning, if I return to Sir Topham Hatt's mansion, I might consider asking him if he could try asking an engine to take that brake van to Knapford…' Stephanie thought to herself as she continued walking. 'Although I have never seen him before.'
After walking around the brake van, Stephanie continued walking through the forest, trembling a little as she noticed the forest looked a little… unfamiliar from the other forests she remembers.
Stephanie fretted she might be lost in the woods, cursing herself for the softness of letting Smudger sleep instead of letting him know he had to take her to Sir Topham Hatt.
Not only that, Stephanie even cursed herself about asking the two previous beings she encountered if they knew where Sir Topham Hatt's mansion could be.
However, Stephanie was unsure if they knew where Sir Topham Hatt's mansion could be since she sometimes gets a ride in his car.
Just as she turned the corner, Stephanie stopped when she encountered two now-familiar beings she had previously bumped into, but the third one seemed to be a mystery.
The moonlight of the moon was hidden behind some trees where Stephanie is standing.
They were also standing at an empty patch in the forest, where there are fewer trees around.
Sighing softly, Stephanie stepped close to the beings, saying, "I'm sorry, but who…"
She trailed off when the moonlight finally revealed itself to her, as she looked surprised to see who was in front of her.
The first being in front of her was the brake van Stephanie had encountered before, but now that the moonlight was out, Stephanie can now clearly see who they are.
The brake van's basis is a Toad D 20-ton brake van and was painted gray.
"You're that brake van back there!" Stephanie exclaimed softly before pausing a little. "How did you get from over there to here?"
The brave van did not answer Stephanie's question until two more appeared side by side in the brake van.
The basis of the steam engine is the same as Smudger's but modified a little differently.
The engine is painted dark blue and has a number four on its sides, and nameplates have the name "SMOOTHER" written on both sides.
He had a black mask covering his face like Damian, except underneath, Stephanie could see that his eye on the left side was red.
Dried blood stains covered every inch of the engine's body, but the most covered were the buffers.
The third engine was the biggest one out of all of them and looking a little scarier.
But it was not too terrifying for Stephanie to run away from the massive metal beast.
The base is a Great Eastern Railway Class S69 4-6-0 and is painted in green, with a dark green lining.
The scleras are black, as the eyes are red.
As Stephanie stared at them, she noticed they were almost pale, as if their color was gone, and looked like they were ghosts!
"You're…" Stephanie spoke before drifting off. "You're all ghosts?"
"Of course," the brake van answered, his voice sounding ghostly. "We always have been."
Stephanie stayed silent after the brake van answered before the dark blue, blood-splattered, narrow-gauge engine appeared before Stephanie.
"But why are you all after me?" Stephanie asked, pointing to herself with a finger. "Did I do something wrong?"
She was nervous about being the next victim on the list to be killed by ghostly engines, but she still had some bravery to talk to them.
"No, you are not in trouble. We are 'after you' because you were… oddly polite to Dominic and me." The engine before her spoke, his voice sounding deep.
The hair on the back of Stephanie's neck prickled slightly from the tone of his voice, calming yet sounding like it was threatening her.
"You even remarked about my paintwork," he continued. "Even though it was covered in dried blood splatters."
"I didn't know who you were," Stephanie softly said, sweating a little nervously. "It was dark outside, and I didn't see the blood."
She paused a little and added, "Although… I have heard stories about you two."
"You did?" the big locomotive asked, cocking a little. "Who told you these stories?"
Stephanie paused a little after the giant locomotive asked before answering, "Smudger and Duke."
Smoother perked a little when he heard Smudger's name, who was masked and covered in dried blood.
"He's still alive?" Smoother asked, his voice also ghostly. "I thought he had come to his time after getting his wheels taken off from him and left behind."
Stephanie shook her head no and explained, "I found him in a cave with two other locomotives, and… well, he has been working at the Skarloey Railway ever since."
They paused a little after Stephanie explained to them, glancing at each other as if they wanted to ask more questions, but were unsure since she had listened to the stories about them.
"Alright then, kid," the brake van, named Dominic, spoke.
"Stephanie," Stephanie corrected him. "My name is Stephanie, Stephanie Allen."
"Okay, Stephanie," Dominic sighed, rolling his eyes a little. "We have questions we want to ask you, and we will let you go back to where you wanted to go to."
"And if I don't?" Stephanie curiously asked.
"Smoother here will show you what he does to naughty kids that do not listen to their parents to not stay up all night." Alfred mocked as Smoother moved forward a little.
Stephanie's bravery dwindled a little after hearing the tone in Alfred's voice, thinking that he was serious.
But she instead gathered her courage again and said, "Okay, what are your questions?"
Alfred smirked as Smoother moved back as he moved a little forward, saying, "First question, what do you know about Gordon, Henry, and Crovan?"
Stephanie paused a little after Alfred asked, answering, "Gordon and Henry are still working and doing fine as much as I can remember, but I do not know who Crovan is."
"You haven't met him yet?" Dominic asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Stephanie nodded her head after he asked, moving her hands up and nervously rubbing them.
"Alright, that's one question," Alfred nodded. "How much do you remember of our past?"
"Only the incidents and backstories," Stephanie answered bravely. "Not much of your past to insult, but I feel bad for what happened to you."
That seemed to make the three fearsome ghosts pause a little after she spoke, as Smoother asked, "Why feeling sorry for us?"
Stephanie paused a little after Smoother asked, as she answered, "Because you all didn't mean to act like this. Smoother, those bully engines bullied you, and your driver was angry at what had happened to you."
Smoother stayed silent as he listened to Stephanie as Alfred looked more confused.
"I know you did your revenge on them, but," Stephanie placed a hand on her chest. "You were hurt, and they had karma coming to them."
Smoother was silent after Stephanie explained, as she turned to Alfred and said, "For you... I think you were arrogant and rude to everyone because you felt like you weren't important. You wanted to show everyone that you are higher than everyone else because you were afraid of being replaced, but got yourself into a position where you-"
"Got myself killed instead after letting my own insecurities get ahold of me," Alfred mumbled, glancing down from Stephanie's eyesight. "I know, I know. Sir Topham Hatt told me that too. 'You were a naughty engine, so you need to get back to where you came from!'"
He mocked the first Sir Topham Hatt's voice as he crossed his eyes before sighing.
Then she turned her attention to Dominic, as he said, "I know, I know. I was being bossy and a pushover. I only made things worse when I made fun of Donald's brother and got myself into this mess."
"Yes," Stephanie nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And-"
"We all need to pay the consequences." they all finished as Stephanie stopped. "We know, Stephanie."
When they spoke the last sentence, Alfred's was a little annoyed than the others, who sounded a little regretful.
"Sorry," Stephanie apologized as she shrugged her shoulders. "Anyways, are there any more questions?"
They all paused a little after Stephanie asked before Smoother said, "Yes, I have one. What are you doing out in the middle of nowhere?"
Instantly, Stephanie remembered what she was doing, panicking as she jolted, exclaiming, "Oh, crap! I forgot!"
She bit the side of her finger as she groaned, glancing around anxiously as she mumbled, "Ohh, Sir Topham Hatt is going to be mad at me!"
"Wait, calm down a little," Smoother said as he moved closer to Stephanie. "What were you trying to do earlier?"
Stephanie paused a little after he asked, answering, "I was trying to go back to his mansion after going to the Skarloey Railway to talk to Smudger and Duke, but instead got myself lost."
"Sir Topham Hatt is still alive?" Alfred asked, sounding a little surprised. "He must be over a hundred years old!"
"No," Stephanie shook her head. "He's the third Sir Topham Hatt."
Alfred looked a little confused after Stephanie corrected him as Dominic perked.
"Oh, I remember him!" Dominic remarked. "He's the current conductor of the railway after the first and second passed away."
Alfred paused a little after Dominic remarked as Stephanie asked, "Well, do any of you know where his mansion is? I don't want to be late for dinner."
They paused a little after Stephanie asked before Smoother said, "I do. But you have to climb into my cab for me to take you there."
Stephanie paused a little after Smoother spoke, stammering, "B-But don't locomotive ghosts take their 'passengers' with them to their grave?"
"That's a different locomotive, Stephanie." Smoother sighed. "But I am doing this for you since you were being nice to us. Only this once, okay?"
Stephanie hesitated after Smoother explained to her before nodding her head and stepping into his empty cab.
Once she was inside her cab, Smoother used his ghost powers to teleport, reaching Sir Topham Hatt's mansion and stopping at the gate to it.
Stephanie felt a little dizzy from the sudden feeling but shook it off with a gentle shake of her head.
"Okay," Smoother spoke as Stephanie carefully stepped out of his cab. "We're here."
Stephanie sighed in relief that he kept his promise to her before turning around to him and bowed to him, saying, "Thank you for helping me."
Smoother's expression looked slightly surprised from underneath his mask but nodded once and disappeared into thin air, leaving behind the smell of melted iron.
Once Smoother had disappeared into thin air, Stephanie shakily sighed in relief after he left before turning around and heading to the door of Sir Topham Hatt's mansion.
She walked up to the door and knocked on it as it opened, revealing it to be Reginald.
"Ah, hello, Stephanie," He politely greeted. "You're on time for dinner."
'In time?' Stephanie thought to herself in confusion. 'I thought I was late. …Oh well.'
She shrugged to herself as she stepped into the mansion, respectfully taking her shoes off before coming further into the house.
As she walked by Reginald after taking her shoes off, he asked, "Do you mind if I ask a question?"
Stephanie nodded her head as he asked, "Why do you smell like iron?"
Remembering being in the Ironworks and near Smoother, Stephanie answered, "I was in the Ironworks to meet Damian. Sorry if I stink that much."
"It is fine," Reginald assured her. "Why don't you take a quick bath to get the smell off?"
Stephanie nodded her head and said, "Thank you." and walked off to the bathroom.
Just as she was going up the stairs, Stephanie noticed there was something black on her hands.
It caused her to pause a little with confusion, stopping herself from touching the stair rails.
Looking at her hands, Stephanie noticed they were covered in black soot, almost as if she was touching coal.
'It must've been from Smoother,' Stephanie thought to herself. 'And he is real! I'm lucky I have survived from him.'
She smiled to herself from her encounter with the ghosts before continuing with what she was doing.
