WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SMUDGER?
CHAPTER 2: Is This The Way To Amarillo?
"W-what?" the manager asked. He couldn't believe that somebody would want to buy this engine.
The Japanese businessman laughed. "My name is Sosuke Nazo Chitana. I am the owner of the Hasegawa Valley Railway, and we need an engine that can handle rough and steep lines."
Mr. Chitana opened up the door on the side and walked into Smudger's cab and looked him over.
"Um…" said the manager, "that's…erm…nice but how'd you know to come here?"
"Oh, my friend works with some locomotive company by the name of 'Baldwin'. They're stationed in America, and they produce rough-riding locos if I'm not mistaken. I wanted to purchase one of their locos, but they've just sold their last one to a railroad on Sodor. I came to see how much you'd take for him, so how much will you need for him?"
The manager was startled. "Um…does 5,000 pounds sound good?"
Mr. Chitana raised an eyebrow. "I go strictly with American units when doing business, sir."
"Oh, ok…um…how about four thousand dollars?"
Mr. Chitana laughed. "Deal!" he said, and handed him a check. The manager gaped, noticing that the check was for 4,500 dollars. "What's the extra money for?" he inquired.
"I want him to be in the same condition when he arrives at Japan in the same condition he was in when he arrived here.
And he sternly walked away.
Stuart and Falcon were excited to leave to their new work, but were sad that Duke had to stay behind.
"Cheer up, Grandpuff!" called Stuart, "We'll find a nice railway and you can come and keep us in order!"
The three engines laugh bravely, but they didn't really believe that their dream would come true. Stuart and Falcon puffed away from the shed, each pulling a coal truck.
"Wow…" murmured Falcon, "I can't believe that nobody wanted Duke…"
"Yes, I know," sighed Stuart, "And what do you think happened to the other engines?"
"Not sure…hey who's that?" said Sir Handel.
Ahead of them was a green engine pulling a coal truck. Stuart and Falcon didn't remember any other engines sold besides them, and sped up to get a look at the engine. To their amazement, it was Smudger.
"Hey there, how's it goin'?" the American engine laughed.
Falcon and Stuart were shocked. "Whoa…aren't you supposed to be a generator or something?" asked Falcon.
Smudger just laughed and sped up, getting farther from the two. Up ahead he saw a signal box, and the nearby signal was up. He braked, and suddenly derailed. The truck was still on the tracks, but Smudger was…kinda not.
Stuart and Falcon puffed past, laughing at him and disappearing from view.
"Ah crud," grumbled Smudger, "Now what?"
"I don't know," murmured his driver, "but we better get you back on the rails soon, or you might miss the boat."
Smudger was furious. He had just had a great experience in his life, and now he was off the rails with his new life possibly getting ready to sail away from him.
His driver pulled some weird tool out of the cab. It looked like a hammer with two handles crossed with a bicycle pump. He laid it underneath Smudger and started turning the handles.
"What the heck is that thing?" Smudger asked.
"It's this thing I got before we left," he said, "It's a small machine that helps lift small, derailed locomotives back on rails. It doesn't have a name yet, and this is the first prototype."
The thing groaned. The parts underneath Smudger suddenly started moving up. His driver nudged a handle and it inched Smudger back onto the rails. Smudger was very impressed.
"Wow, you shoulda had that when I was workin here," he joked.
His driver chuckled and hopped into the cab. He checked his watch and pulled the leaver. "We better get going," he said as Smudger sped off.
TO BE FRIGGIN CONTINUED