HENRY AND THE CURSE

It was an average, orinary day on Sodor. The engines were all working hard and no one was complaining. One morning, Henry had to take the morning train.

"I am ready to go!" he called to his driver. His driver looked back. All of the passengers were on the train. The guard blew his whistle and they started up...well, they were supposed to. But Henry didn't move an inch.

His driver jumped out of the cab. "You probably just need oiled." his driver said as he oiled him. After he was done he jumped into the cab and started up again. But Henry didn't move. "Face it Henry," his driver said "Your brakes are jammed. You can't go anywhere." They called for help and Murdoch pulled him away while James toook the train instead.

The rest of the day was spent in the repair yard. The repairmen fixed him up and the next morning he was ready.

"Let's see how you run..." his driver said as he started him up. Henry started slowly puffing. "Good. Now let's take you for a run."

Henry was enjoying his puffing down the line. "We can take the afternoon goods." his driver told him. "That should do some wonders!" Henry replied. Then they saw a the points ahead were set. "We'll just wait on the siding until the other train passes." Henry said to himself. But then it all happened. His driver applied the brakes, but they never came on. When Henry opened his eyes, he saw he was 20 feet from the buffers (or where the buffers were) and about 10 feet from a signalbox.

He was taken back to the yards to be repaired. While he waited, Salty tooted up to him.

"Aye matey, ye be havin some tough times?" he asked. Henry sighed lowly. "I be bettin this be the work of a curse." Salty explained. Henry was perplexed. "What's a curse?" he asked. "A curse be when someone be havin a line of trouble or problems. The ol' curse can only be busted when no more trouble be happenin." Henry was sure that he was cursed.

The next day, Henry was taken for a test run. He started right, and stopped right. "Good." his driver said "Tonight you can take a train up to Edward's station."

Henry spent the day taking passenger trains and that evening he collected some crates of fruit from the harbor. His driver figured that pushing the train would be easier than pulling it. But he was wrong.

All was running well until they got to the viaduct. Some workmen had been working on it earlier that day, but a careless workmen had loosened some track. Henry was heading for trouble.

He started over the viaduct. "All's well." his driver said happily. Then disaster struck. Henry suddenly heard a loud crash and then a few seconds later he heard another crash, that one softer. "What in the name of...?" his driver asked looking out the cab window. He then saw that the first car had jumped the tracks and fallen into the river below. His driver tried to stop, but when he did, all the trucks had fallen into the river.

Henry was now sure that the curse could never be broken. He sadly took a passenger train down the line the next day. "It's hopeless." he sighed lowly. Then all of the sudden, he saw Fergus coming down the line right towards him! "OH NO!" he cried.

But suddenly he was switched onto another line and Fergus slid right by him. "The curse!" he cried "It's over!" He then went home to tell Salty.

"Aye! That be good news for me." Salty told him. "Yah, the curse is gone and it is never coming back!" Henry told him. Salty frowned. "I be hearin that once a curse be gone from someone, it goes to another unlucky soul." he explained. Henry frowned. "But...who?" he asked. Salty smiled. "I think ye shall be finding out soon enough." Salty said. Henry decided to just sleep on it.