Ivo Hugh awoke with the warm orange glow of sunlight shining across his face. He opened his eyes wearily and gave a small yawn.
"Good…morning," He mumbled blinking his eyes so they wouldn't be blurry. Strangely, no answer came. Ivo Hugh looked around, the sheds were empty, it was later than he thought. Why hadn't Skarloey woken him up like he always did? Ivo Hugh shrugged it off, surely the other engines just saw them sleeping and didn't want to wake them. Ivo Hugh, now a bit more awake, gently bumped the back buffers of the engine in front of him.
"Skarloey, we have to get up the others let us sleep in and I don't want you to be late,"
No answer.
Ivo Hugh was puzzled. He bumped him again a bit more firmly this time.
"Skarloey! I said we need to get up! We're going to be late if we stay here much longer,"
Silence. That's when Ivo Hugh really began to notice. Silence, there shouldn't have been silence. He listened but didn't hear a trace of the old engines tired resting breathing. It was just silence.
"S-Skarloey-?" Ivo Hugh asked, his voice taking on a nervous edge. "Skarloey, you-you have to say something-th-this isn't funny okay p-please just wake up and answer me I'm sorry I slept in if that's why you're doing this but please just answer me,"
The air was quiet. Ivo Hugh felt a pain twinging in his smokebox and his voice sounded strained.
"Skarloey whatever I did that was naughty I'm sorry and I'll be better but please this isn't funny anymore please just get up so we can leave and talk to each other—"
Ivo Hugh was met again with the cold silence. Hot tears began to form and tremble in his eyes.
"Skarloey please get up—" He winced his voice pained and hurting with every word. "Please just get up, you have to get up at some point so please just wake up and say something so I know you're okay please I don't like it when it's this quiet,"
The only sound that could be heard was Ivo Hugh sucking in a shuddery gasp as he began to tremble and small choppy sobs escaped his lips.
"Skarloey, please-please you can't stay here we have to leave—" Ivo begged tears beginning to spill down his small face leaving hot wet streaks down his face as the tears puddled on his bufferbeam. Ivo Hugh let out a loud wail followed by a sob. Everything hurt, it hurt so much-the silence was too much. "-Please, please wake up…"
The silence was almost stabbing now and Ivo Hugh let out a sharp wail and pressed up against Skarloey as he cried. Tears dripped from his face to his bufferbeam to the ground and every sob and wail was pained and piercing.
"You HAVE to get up please just STOP IT!" Ivo Hugh shouted. "Please just WAKE UP—"
Two tears fell one after the other from his burning eyes and he sniffled hard and forced down a wail. Ivo Hugh shut his eyes tightly, tears spilling down his strained cheeks and he breathed in sharply. Fine. If Skarloey wouldn't wake up then-then neither would he! Ivo Hugh puffed up against the back of Skarloey and, keeping his eyes closed, gave two slow deep breaths.
"M-Maybe when I wake up, Skarloey will be up too…" Ivo Hugh mumbled quietly, his voice aching as he said it. "He has to wake up…he'll wake up…"
And with that Ivo Hugh kept his teary eyes shut and forced down sobs as he went quiet. He'd wake up soon and maybe then Skarloey would be too and everything would be back to normal. He had to wake up eventually, he couldn't handle it if he didn't…