A Bad Day for BoCo
By 01Salty
BOCO the diesel engine was hauling a heavy goods train to Brendam Docks. He loves life on the Island, after his awkward first day all those years ago; he has continually proved to be useful to the railway. That morning, he was given a special job for taking the heavy goods train, as Murdoch was getting one of his wheels replaced.
"We're going well," said his driver, "Keep this up, and we'll give you a wash down for you hard work."
BoCo smiled. He had had a busy week, with the growing industries.
Soon, BoCo rolled into Brendam Docks.
"Ahoy matey," cried Salty, "You're early, captain! Ye should be called really useful."
"Thanks," replied BoCo.
He shunted his trucks for Cranky to load, and trundled away.
On the way back, he trundled through the Yard. He met Diesel.
"Hello," said BoCo.
"Hello steamie lover," oiled Diesel.
Suddenly, a black cat walked across the tracks. It startled BoCo, and made him blow his horn. This scared the cat, which ran into the sheds, knocking over a ladder, which hit BoCo's roof, and broke.
"Oh dear," said BoCo.
"Not just 'oh dear'," smirked Diesel, "You've now got bad luck!"
"What do you mean?" asked BoCo.
"You get bad luck when you scare black cats or break ladders, and you've done both!"
"Nonsense," scoffed BoCo, "Luck or bad luck doesn't exist."
"Have it your way," slimed Diesel, "But don't say I didn't warn you!"
Diesel oiled away quickly, and BoCo snorted. He rolled away, to shunt tankers for Molly's train.
BoCo trundled along the line towards the depot. Suddenly, there was a patch of faulty tracks ahead. BoCo ran over it, and derailed.
"Oh dear," said BoCo, "Maybe I do have bad luck."
Harvey soon arrived, and hauled BoCo back on the tracks. He thanked Harvey, and continued his journey. When he arrived, Molly was waiting.
"You're late," she said, "Please hurry, I have to make up for lost time."
"I'll try," said BoCo, and started shunting tankers.
He had quickly and carefully shunted the tankers, and soon the train was almost complete.
"So far so good," murmured BoCo.
He was shunting the last tankers, when Oily started teasing him.
"Look!" he called, "It's a greenhouse with wheels!"
"Shut up!" scorned BoCo, who wasn't watching where he was going.
He shunted the tankers fast into a siding, and the first tanker hit the buffers, and the tankers derailed.
"Oh no!" cried BoCo, "Now this?"
Molly ended up taking the train ten minutes late, and the last tankers were unable to be taken, as the Breakdown Train put them back on the rails. BoCo helped, but was feeling very sad.
Over the next few days, BoCo was having a tough time. He derailed twice, caused a minor accident, and accidentally made Buster squash the Engine Inspector's bowler hat. He thought he did have bad luck.
"If I continue this," said BoCo sadly, "The railway might close down."
So BoCo ran away to Wellsworth, and backed into the shed there.
"If I stay here," he said, "I can't cause any bad luck."
But while he was there, he saw Bill and Ben pushing a long goods train. The trucks jerked, and broke away. The guard fell out of the brake van, so they couldn't stop.
"Hurrah hurrah!" cried the trucks.
"Oh snap!" cried Bill and Ben.
"Oh no!" cried BoCo, "I must help!"
He rolled out of the shed, and quickly dieseled away along the line.
The trucks were rattling along the branch line rattling and screaming, and Bill, Ben, and BoCo all chased them. BoCo was going as fast as he could, and soon caught up with the trucks. He told Bill and Ben to tell the signalman to change the points onto the runaway siding. BoCo soon was in front of the trucks, but some points ahead diverted him onto the same line!
"Oh no!" he cried; "Now they're after me!"
The trucks surged against him, and he applied his brakes. BoCo saw Edward coming the opposite way down the same line.
"O—eeer," groaned BoCo, ands shut his eyes.
But Bill and Ben did tell the signalman, and the points changed, just in time. BoCo and the trucks swerved onto the siding, and Edward passed safely.
"Bouncing buffers," he exclaimed, "What happened?"
BoCo rolled into the siding, and crashed through the buffers into a patch of hedges. BoCo's driver jumped clear, so luckily no one was hurt. Edward continued onto the next station, shunted his trucks, and came back with Harvey. Bill and Ben helped haul away the trucks still on the rails. The signalman rang the Fat Controller and told him what happened.
Whilst Bill and Ben hauled the trucks clear, BoCo was resting in between two trees.
"Oh dear," he moaned, "I shall have bad luck forever!"
Suddenly, his driver walked up.
"BoCo," he said, "Edward and Harvey are- look BoCo! On your buffer!"
BoCo looked down, to see a plant twirled around his buffer. On the end was a four leaf clover.
"Well, what do you know," said BoCo, "What is it?"
"It's a four leaf clover," said his driver, "It's supposed to bring good luck."
"Oh thank goodness!" sighed BoCo, "My bad luck might be gone now!"
Just then, Edward and Harvey puffed up.
"We're here," said Edward.
"Prepare to be back on the rails," added Harvey proudly.
"I think it has gone," said BoCo happily.
Suddenly, the Fat Controller arrived.
"Ah oh," giggled Bill, "I don't know about no bad luck, here he comes."
The Fat Controller hopped out, and walked to BoCo. BoCo saw him coming.
"Oh dear," muttered BoCo, "What will the Fat Controller say?"
But the Fat Controller was smiling.
"BoCo," he said, "You hay have caused confusion and delay earlier, but today you stopped a nasty accident. You are indeed a really useful engine."
"Thank you Sir," said BoCo, "I didn't think I'd get so much bad luck."
"Bad luck?" asked the Fat Controller, "You only derailed because of the faulty sun-damaged tracks. You couldn't have helped being distracted by Oily, and it was the wind that caused the Inspector's hat to blow off in front of Buster. Luck had nothing to do with it."
"Oh," said BoCo thankfully.
Soon, BoCo and the trucks were back on the rails, and Bill, Ben, and Edward were able to continue with their trains. BoCo's driver took the four leaf clover, and now is in a small pot in the shed where he regularly sleeps. He is quite happy, as no matter how much Diesel says he has bad luck, he is sure he always has good luck, even if it may not exist!
THE END
