Summertime Surprises!
Part II: Arthur And Saul
Arthur is always happiest when he is running his Branch Line that runs alongside the coastal village of Norramby. He loves the sea air and the smell of fish, as it is loaded and unloaded from the quay.
Arthur rolled slowly into the quay with some empty trucks and sighed before taking a deep breath and watching as seagulls flew over the horizon and landed atop one of the buildings.
"What's the status report, men?" he asked the workmen unloading the nearby ship.
"Ship's arriving slightly off schedule, matey," one of the fishermen admitted. "Might take a bit of work for us to load up those trucks once it gets here."
"Oh, dear," Arthur wondered with surprise. "That does sound like a concern. Hopefully it doesn't affect our records."
The fishermen sighed and nodded before walking over amongst the other chattering fishermen, as Arthur waited patiently for the ship to arrive.
Ships arrive into port day and night to load and unload crates to and from engines as they bring their trucks in and out of the quay. Lately, however, Arthur and the fishermen have found themselves late with the deliveries...
One night, a ship had just arrived after being caught in rough seas, and Porter waited anxiously for the men to load his vans to take to Brendam for the Flying Kipper.
Arthur had just returned to the station nearby and whistled hello to greet Porter.
"Evening, Porter! Just got back from my coastal route! Lovely night for it. Isn't it?"
Porter sighed and looked over as the men loaded up his trucks.
"Ship's been caught in rough seas," he explained. "It was only a matter of time before it finally arrived, though the dock men can only work so fast to have these crates loaded."
"I'm sure the men are trying their very best, Porter," Arthur reminded him, as they watched one fisherman carry the next shipment of fish up from the nearby stairwell. "There's only so much cargo they can manage at a time, you know."
Porter sighed.
"I know the men are trying their best, Arthur," he admitted. "But Henry's Kipper can't wait all evening, and I honestly think that you and the men could use a bit of help around here."
As soon as the shipment was loaded and the last door banged shut, Porter was ready to go.
"Goodnight, Arthur!" Porter whistled as he quickly left the dock. "Good talking to you, but you might wanna remember what I said!"
And deep down, Arthur knew that Porter might be right.
"Good evening, Arthur!" the stationmaster greeted as he walked up to him at the platform.
"Oh," Arthur gasped, then chuckled nervously. "Good evening, sir."
"Mm, I understand that ship's been caught in rough seas," the stationmaster observed as he watched the ship set out. "Hasn't been more often than not that that has happened, eh?"
"Indeed, sir," Arthur agreed. "In fact, Porter thinks we could use a bit of help, sir. It's not our fault if ships get delayed, but when they do, there's only so much time the men have to unload their cargo.
"You're right, Arthur," the stationmaster nodded. "The Fat Controller did say he had a solution, but I haven't heard from him recently. Why don't I call him tonight and sort this out right away?"
"If, eh, it's not too much to ask, sir," Arthur suggested.
"No, no, not at all," the stationmaster suggested, then headed back towards his office. "Good night, Arthur!"
Arthur whistled and before leaving the dockside for his shed.
As Arthur returned home, he wondered to himself what could be done about the dilemma on his line.
"I hope the Fat Controller finds a solution soon," he said to himself, then trundled slowly home.
The Fat Controller was just about to turn in for the night when he got a call.
RING-RING! RING-RING!
"Hello? Hello?" he spoke into the phone, as a muffled voice came in on the other side.
"Good evening, stationmaster? How can I help you?"
He listened further to the muffle over the phone, his expression becoming more serious.
"Oh. I see."
He listened as the muffle went on, then took a deep breath and raised his hand up.
"Yes, yes. I'll see to the matter immediately." The muffle went on, but he just sighed and nodded.
"Yes, yes. I think I have a solution. Goodnight, stationmaster!"
Then he hung up the phone and took a deep breath before laying back in his chair, before sitting up again and proceeding to call another number.
Next morning, Arthur arrived at the top station by the quay and was about ready to start his day's work.
"Ah," he sighed, as he watched seagulls fly over and land on the dockside.
He took in a deep breath to observe the fresh sea air, and had just slowly shut his eyes when…
"Oi! Careful! You wouldn't wanna break something!"
Arthur opened his eyes with shock and surprise as he heard a voice shout out from the distance.
"W-w-what was that?" he stuttered.
He heard a pair of familiar whistles and watched as Bill and Ben pulled into the dockside.
At that moment, Bill and Ben arrived, and Arthur noticed something rather strange on their flatbed in between!
"Phew!" Bill sighed, feeling puffed out. "At last!"
"Oh, uh, good morning, you two!" Arthur greeted. "What's all the commotion?"
"Our drivers woke us up at 5 o'clock this morning to collect a special special from the Mainland!" Bill explained. "By orders of the Fat Controller, supposedly!"
"Yeah!" Ben agreed from the back of the train. "Only that this chatterbox crane made it difficult for us the whole way!"
"Huh!" the new crane remarked, looking the other way as he was faced against the dockside. "And that's the thanks I get for being cautious!"
SLAM!
Arthur suddenly heard a car door slam nearby him and looked over as a familiar figure walked up, chuckling.
"Sir?" he inquired. "What's going on?"
"Not to worry, Arthur!" the Fat Controller assured him. "I think you'll find that I've made arrangements for just what this line needs!"
"You have?"
"Thank you, Bill and Ben!" the Fat Controller proclaimed. "You have done exactly as I have instructed you to!"
"You're welcome!" Bill remarked snidely, then looked to Ben at the back of the train.
The Fat Controller walked further beside the crane and pointed to him while facing Arthur.
"Arthur!" he announced. "Meet Saul, the Container Crane! I have purchased him from the Mainland overnight because I heard that you and the men could use a bit of help around here."
"Yes, sir!" Arthur agreed, and eyed the newcomer impressively.
"Therefore," the Fat Controller went on. "I made a phone call to the dockside on the Mainland, and Saul came in highly recommended when I asked for a means of transport so as to load cargo into the engines' trucks much quicker than it would be by foot."
Arthur smiled at him and rolled slowly up to Saul, as the Fat Controller looked over at him and continued speaking.
"Sorry if the procedure in getting him here took longer than expected. It's been a while since I last reached out to the workshop, and I only got them on the phone again last night to find that Saul was available."
"Heh! Carelessness!" Ben quietly remarked, Bill giggling along with him from the front of the train.
Arthur stopped beside Saul and smiled at him.
"Hello, Saul!" he greeted quietly. "Welcome to Norramby! I hope that you…"
"Hello, Arthur!" Saul shouted back, startling the LMS tank engine. "Nice to meet you too! Look forward to working with you!"
Arthur smiled as he slowly set about his work, and Saul looked over as the men proceeded towards his flatbed.
In no time at all, Saul was fixed into place, and Arthur had just finished his morning routine worth of shunting to see his new friend hoisted up high.
"I have to admit, Arthur," the crane told him. "I'm not quite accustomed to being up this high."
"You're not?" Arthur inquired confusedly.
"I just came out of the workshop for testing, you see. Apparently, I've been an experiment that the men have been working on long since your controller reached out to the workshop asking for recommendations. At least that's what they told me before these two came to pick me up!"
Bill shot him a glance as he and Ben whistled and rolled away with their empty flatbed.
"Still," Saul went on. "I'll get used to it after a while."
"I'm sure you will, Saul!" Arthur assured him. "It's all in the nature of being really useful."
There was a short silence, before Arthur had another thought.
"And yet it makes me wonder. What exactly does a crane of your type do?"
Saul laughed loudly, much to Arthur's surprise, and settled down as he chuckled quietly.
"Oh, Arthur. I'm a container crane! And a low-profile type too. Would you like me to explain?"
"Oh, please!" Arthur replied. "I've got some time..., I guess!"
"Okay, then," Saul smiled, then began. "Well, being a low-profile type, I'm able to shuttle my crane arm toward and over ships coming in and out of port, so that my trolley may load and discharge containers. That's what they told me in the workshops, at least…"
"Ooh," Arthur wondered, rather impressed.
"Alright, you two. Enough chatter," the head fisherman encouraged. "There are some trucks of shadfish and herring that need to be taken to Beresford at the Canal for unloading. Ship should be here any time now, so keep on the lookout."
Arthur whistled and set off to fetch the trucks, as Saul watched out for the ship on the horizon.
"Ships ahoy!" he shouted as the ship came closer, startling Arthur as he pushed his trucks up to the crane. "Fire away, mateys!"
Arthur stopped right by Saul, as the container crane proceeded to load the first crate from Arthur's first truck.
"Easy does it, Saul," he muttered to himself, trying his best to keep his calm as he slowly hoisted the crate up high and around towards the empty ship.
"Slow and steady does the job right," he assured himself, then suddenly panicked as he sped up whilst shuttling over the ship.
"No!" he shouted, surprising Arthur as he suddenly slowed down and loaded the crate onto the ship.
"That's better!" he sighed with relief, before lifting his hoist and turning back round towards Arthur, who looked up at him with shock and awe.
"What was that all about?" the tank engine wondered with confusion.
"I was playing it safe so as not to cause an accident," Saul admitted, and saw as Arthur shot him a funny look as he loaded the next crate from his first truck.
"I preferably like to stick it to one crate at a time," he admitted. "To me, it's the safest way to go about things."
"I see," Arthur observed, watching as his new friend lifted the next crate over and onto the ship before turning back over for the next.
While Saul worked carefully to load Arthur's crates onto the ship, Edward came along behind Arthur with his own empty trucks.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Hello, Arthur!" he greeted.
"Hi, Edward!" Arthur greeted back. "I'd like you to meet Saul, our new container crane!"
"Oh," Edward wondered, gazing up at the new arrival, as he picked up Arthur's next crate. "Hello there!"
"Hi!" Saul greeted back, then suddenly lost grip of his hoist with surprise.
"Woah!" he wailed, and fastened his grip on the hoist, as his crate wobbled round in mid-air, much to Arthur and Edward's shock.
"Sorry!" he apologized. "Was afraid I'd lose my grip on this one fish crate if I got distracted while talking to other engines. Pleasure to meet ya, Edward!"
Edward watched in astonishment as Saul loaded his current crate onto the ship and then lifted his hoist up and turned around for the next crate.
Saul was doing the best he could to unload Arthur's crates onto the ship as carefully as he could, but the process was taking a long time and it wasn't long before the next ship came along.
Both Arthur and Edward heard the next ship's horn, and Edward watched anxiously from the horizon as it came into port.
"Erm, I don't mean to be a bother, Saul, but do you think you can pick up the pace a little bit?" the blue engine wondered. "I do have to be at the Vicarage Orchard in time for the summer fete."
"I'm sorry, Edward," Saul assured him, "but I can't risk causing an accident on my first day."
Edward sighed and waited patiently as Saul unloaded the last of Arthur's crates before the LMS tank engine was on his way.
"Thanks, Saul!" Arthur whistled.
"No problem, Arthur!" the crane greeted, as the ship for the mainland took off, and Edward pulled his empty trucks further up below his hoist.
"Alright, Edward! Let's get ya all loaded up and ready to go!"
He lifted his hoist over the ship, and Edward watched with surprise as he discharged the first crate from the ship.
"Nothing to it!" the crane remarked, before turning around and lowering the crate into the ship.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Hello, Edward!" Ryan greeted, as he stopped with a line with empty trucks just behind the blue engine.
"Hello, Ryan," Edward greeted. "I'm afraid it may take a while for my trucks to be loaded."
"What?!" Ryan gasped. "B-but...I have to be back at Arlesburgh for the market fair!"
Edward expressed a look of sympathy, before taking a deep breath and looking up at Saul.
"Eh, Saul, maybe two crates at a time might be more suitable," Edward kindly suggested.
"No chance!" Saul replied. "Oh, I'll have ya both loaded and on your way safely and without delay, I assure you!"
He then turned back around to discharge the next crate from the ship, as Edward and Ryan watched him with confusion. Arthur smiled as he watched Saul progress slowly and carefully with the task at hand, before leaving with his fish trucks.
Saul thought he knew what he was doing by working at the pace he was, but by the time he was finished loading Edward's trucks and was ready to begin loading Ryan's, it was already noon!
Edward whistled and left the dockside, as Ryan pulled up under Saul's hoist and looked nervously at the clock from outside the station.
"Oh, dear," he sighed, as he watched Saul discharge the first of his crates from the ship.
Meanwhile, Arthur was ready to make his usual deliveries to all the stations along the coastal route. The journey took him all the way from the Fishing Village and along the coast, where he would get a usual glimpse of the fresh sea air!
"Ah,"' he sighed, and breathed in the fresh air as seagulls flew over him and called loudly. "Nothing like the usual coastal run to ease my axles!"
He soon made it to his next stop at the Church Station, where the men wasted no time in having his trucks unloaded.
"Come to think of it," he wondered aloud to the busy workmen, "I kinda like Saul. He's a bright young chap who thinks of nothing else than to get things done carefully and efficiently."
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"I guess the two of us do have much in common," he told the men at Norramby Seaside Station, the final stop on his route. "We both have a tendency to follow rules and adhere to safety measures when it comes to getting the job done!"
He sighed and waited as the men unloaded the last of his trucks. What he failed to notice was the stationmaster nearby looking down his watch with concern, and then heading back towards his office.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Thank you!" Arthur called, as he made his way out of the station.
As soon as Arthur's trucks were fully unloaded, he made his way back to the Fishing Village, feeling very pleased with himself.
As he arrived back, Saul was just finishing loading up Thomas' last truck, while Norman was waiting behind.
"How's it going, Saul?" Arthur asked.
"Never better, Arthur!" the crane replied, then proceeded to turn the last crate towards Thomas' trucks.
"Nearly there," he panted, trying to keep his composure as he carefully loaded the last crate into Thomas' last truck, the tank engine looking up at him with confusion.
Arthur smiled, as Saul loaded the last crate into Thomas' last truck.
"You're good to go, Thomas!" he exclaimed, sighing with relief.
"Phew!" Thomas sighed, looking the other way with dismay. "About time!"
Arthur watched with surprise as he whistled and left the dockside, then as Norman pulled his trucks under Saul's hoist.
"Please, Saul," the diesel asked. "I do have to deliver some fuel drums to the DieselWorks after delivering these crates to Vicarstown. Do you think you can work any faster?"
"No can do!" the crane loudly replied, as he loaded the first crate into his truck. "Might risk causing an accident if I load more than one crate at a time!"
"But then…I'll be late…" Norman wondered.
"Say no more, fella!" Saul cut off, as he turned around to unload the next crate from the ship. "You'll thank me once I have you out of this dock without making a single mess!"
Arthur smiled and whistled, as he chuffed slowly towards the top station.
"You're doing great, Saul!" he shouted out. "Keep up the good work!"
Saul smiled as he aimed his hoist back towards the ship, though he sped up a bit by accident.
"Woah, woah, woah, woah!" he shouted, and slowly suddenly down, sighing with relief.
"That's better," he sighed, as he unloaded the next crate from the ship. "Not too fast, Saul. Not too fast."
Norman looked up with him with confusion, as Saul turned slowly and carefully around towards his first truck.
Arthur made his way to the platform, where the stationmaster walked out of the stationmaster's office. He looked very concerned.
"Oh, dear," he groaned, scratching his head as he held his pen and paper in hand.
"Is...everything alright, sir?" Arthur asked.
"Not exactly, Arthur," the manager replied. "I just spoke with the stationmaster. It seems as though both the deliveries to Wellsworth and Arlesburgh have been late."
"Oh, no," Arthur gasped. "It can't be! Surely Saul couldn't have taken that long to load Edward and Ryan's trucks."
"That's not all," the stationmaster went on. "Your deliveries along the coastal route have been late as well. The stationmaster just got off the phone with Norramby Seaside Station as I was in his office."
"Oh, dear," Arthur thought. "Perhaps, there's a way in which this can be...resolved, sir?"
"Indeed," the manager nodded, then sighed as he looked at Arthur. "Please, Arthur. See to the matter immediately. We can't afford to have any more delays."
"Yes, sir," Arthur sighed, and quickly set off back about his shunting.
As Arthur shunted more fish trucks into line about the Fishing Village, he couldn't help but escape the feeling that the delays on the line were under his control.
"I don't understand," he thought to himself, as he shunted some trucks out of a siding."How can Saul be the reason why all these delays are happening? He's only being careful about how he loads the engines' trucks, and surely he's preventing something worse than a delay by taking no more than two crates at a time."
He stopped for a second, thinking.
"Or wasn't it one?"
Then he had an idea.
"Two crates at a time!" he thought. "That's it!"
He quickly went back about his shunting, an idea fresh in mind.
Arthur quickly had his next perch of fish trucks ready to load, and immediately told Saul about his plan.
"I must say, Saul," he began, as the crane unloaded his current crate from Arthur's truck. "You are doing an excellent job of working as carefully as you can."
"Thank you," Saul responded, slightly puzzled as he turned around to load the crate onto the ship.
"But you are taking things a little too slow," Arthur admitted.
"Mmm," Saul wondered, as he loaded the crate over and onto the ship before lifting his arm up and turning back round. "So what are you getting at, Arthur?"
"Oh, it's just that it's slowing down progress here at the Fishing Village, and we do need to work fast to have the engines on their way with their deliveries."
Saul gasped.
"Oh, no!" he panicked, wobbling the crate he picked from Arthur's truck around in mid-air before getting a grip of it and looking down at Arthur. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no, no, not at all...," Arthur soothed.
"D-d-did something happen?" Saul shivered. "Was there a...delay?"
"What?! No, no!" Arthur stammered, looking up at him with confusion, then thought, remembering what the dock manager said, before sighing. "I mean...I do think you could work a little faster in case we run the risk of having a delay. So perhaps, you could take a few crates at a time."
Saul sighed with exasperation, but he knew that Arthur was right.
"Oh, alright," he decided. "I'll take two crates at a time, but that's the weight limit for me. I can only take so many at a time without causing an accident."
"Fair enough," Arthur admitted. "Why don't you try two at a time and see how that goes?"
"You got it!" Saul promised, and proceeded to load two more crates from Arthur's truck.
Arthur sighed with relief and managed a slight smile, as he watched Saul lift the two crates up high and turned around towards the ship.
"Problem solved," he assured himself.
But little did Arthur know that he spoke too soon!
Throughout the day, Saul was able to manage two crates at a time, but the engines found that it only meant that he was working even slower!
"Please, Saul!" Henry pleaded with concern. "Can you work a little bit faster? I might be late otherwise."
"Sorry, big guy!" Saul replied. "But this is two crates too many for me to work any faster than this! It's far more important that I have you all loaded without a single slip-up whatsoever…especially on my first day!"
Henry was surprised yet speechless, sighing with concern, waiting as Saul unloaded his next crate from the ship.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Soon enough, there was a long line of engines waiting to be loaded, but Saul was still taking his time!
Next, it was Percy's turn to be held up; the little green engine sighed with concern and exasperation as Saul loaded the last crates into his last truck.
"There!" Saul groaned, as he loaded the crates into his truck. "At last! And without a single scratch."
Saul was feeling quite pleased with himself. Percy whistled as he hurriedly left the dockside, as Sidney pulled up under Saul's hoist. Arthur noticed the nervous look on Percy's face as he rushed by.
"Hmm," Arthur thought. "He seemed to be in a hurry."
PEEP-PEEP!
HONK-HONK!
At that moment, he heard both an impatient whistle and honk as he advanced towards the loading bay.
"Come on, Saul!" James whistled impatiently. "You're holding up a line!"
"Nonsense," Saul murmured, as he unloaded Sidney's first two crates from the ship. "I'm working as carefully as I can."
HONK-HONK!
"Hurry up, you silly great crane!" Diesel snapped, from behind James.
PEEP-PEEP!
HONK-HONK-HONNNNNK!
"Oh dear," Sidney trembled, as he listened to the engines behind him.
"Oh, my," Emily admitted to Rebecca, both at the back of the line behind Diesel. "There is a great deal of confusion and delay going on with this holdup."
"I know," Rebecca agreed. "I don't think the Fat Controller will be too happy about it."
Saul took no notice as the engines whistled impatiently at him, and only proceeded to load the next crate from the ship for Sidney's trucks.
"Come on!" James groaned.
"Hurry up!" Diesel shouted.
At last Saul lost patience, losing his grip and startling with surprise as his crates dropped down into Sidney's truck, causing the diesel to wince an eye and groan.
"That's it!" the crane bellowed. "You engines seriously could have caused me something worse than a delay! You don't think I'm trying my hardest to have you all loaded safely and without messing up?"
James and Diesel gazed at him with surprise, as Arthur rushed quickly in.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Saul!" he began. "I think I just discovered that two crates at a time isn't the solution! You're working a lot slower than you have before! Perhaps you should pick up the pace a little and…"
"I will not be the cause of an accident!" Saul boldly assured him.
"But what if you're the cause of delays?" Arthur suggested.
"And holding up a line?!" James reminded him.
Saul sighed heavily, then tightened his grip as he slowly pulled his hook up and looked at the engines directly.
"Let me make myself very clear," he told them firmly. "This is the pace I choose to work at to have each and every one of you on your way, and that's not about to change."
He slowly advanced back towards the ship, leaving the waiting engines in disbelief. Arthur sighed with dismay and went back about his shunting.
"This can't go on,"' he said to himself. "Saul has gone way too far. Something must be done to prevent further cause of delays on this line, but what?"
Arthur kept this thought in mind, as he went quickly about his shunting, remaining rather concerned about Saul and the delays!
Later that evening, he returned from his last coastal run of the day to find Porter waiting as Saul loaded up his trucks for Henry's Kipper.
"Please, Saul," the dockyard engine asked with concern. "But these vans do need to get to the docks in time for Henry's Kipper."
"Can't do that, buddy!" Saul assured, slightly stressed from all the pressure of having to deal with the engines' complaints all day. "Might screw something up otherwise!"
Porter sighed sadly as Saul loaded more crates into his truck, then lifted up his hook and turned back around towards the ship.
Arthur returned his empty trucks to a nearby siding. By the time he got back to the quay, Porter's trucks were fully loaded, and Saul was fast asleep.
"Oh, Porter," Arthur wondered. "You're still here."
"Yep! Apparently, the stationmaster would like to have a word with my driver, which will make me later still for Henry's train!"
"Oh, dear," Arthur wondered.
"I must say, though," Porter went on. "There has quite a bit of word going round about your new friend Saul. He seems to have been the cause for delays all day!"
"I know," Arthur admitted. "I tried reasoning with him and getting to take two crates at a time, but he only ended up working slower! Then I tried to get him to pick up the pace a little, but he wouldn't listen!"
"Hmm…" Porter thought. "Sounds like a concern you must address sooner than later if this matter is to be resolved."
"But how?" Arthur wondered. "I know Saul means well, so I wouldn't want to get him into trouble."
"But these delays can't keep happening, Arthur!" Porter stressed, both watching as his driver greeted the stationmaster good night and walking back towards his engines. "Something must be done to prevent them from happening any further!"
PEEP-PEEP!
Arthur sighed as he watched him leave, and headed slowly home to his shed.
Next morning, Saul was waiting for the oncoming ship, when Arthur arrived with a line of empty trucks.
PEEP-PEEP!
The sound of Arthur's whistle quickly caught his attention, as he turned around to face him.
"Good morning, Arthur!" he greeted, then sighed as the LMS tank engine shot him a rather serious look. "Look, I feel we got off a bit on the wrong foot. I'm sorry for shouting at everyone yesterday. I just…"
Arthur sighed and looked up at his new friend.
"Say no more, Saul," he cut off. "That's the least of our problems right now at Norramby."
"What do you mean?" Saul wondered.
Arthur took a deep breath and decided to be honest with his new friend.
"Look, Saul. Ever since you've arrived, there have been nothing but delays, and…"
"Oh, no!" Saul panicked. "Is it my fault? Was it something I did?"
"What? No!" Arthur stammered. "I-I-I mean, yes! Sort of, but…"
"Then there is something wrong with me!" Saul groaned. "I knew it! Right from the moment I arrived! I don't fit in here, Arthur! I'm a useless crane…!"
Arthur rolled his eyes and whistled loudly, so as to get Saul's attention.
"Please, Saul!" he begged. "I need you to hear me out."
"Fine!" Saul sighed, settling down a little. "I'm all ears."
Arthur sighed and smiled, so as to make himself clear.
"You're a really useful crane, Saul. Your features are built for the sort of loading and unloading that needs to be done here at the Fishing Village, and I know you strive to work hard, but some things do need to change in regards to the pace you work at."
"Like what?" Saul wondered. "Slow and easy is the only way I know to go about things! I never meant to cause any delays!"
"I know you didn't, Saul," Arthur soothed. "But safety has a time and a place, and while delays are common, it's best to do what you can to avoid them!"
Saul sighed as he heard the ship's horn, signifying that it was coming closer toward the quay.
As the ship arrived, Saul knew Arthur was right, and slowly started to consider his decision.
"Oh, alright," he sighed at last. "Perhaps I can try and work a little faster. How 'bout I take as many crates as my hoist can hold, work as quick as I can and see how that goes?"
"Worth the try, I guess," Arthur agreed. "But you must work quickly. We can't afford to have any delays!"
"You bet!" Saul exclaimed, before turning around towards the ship. "I won't let you down, Arthur!"
Arthur sighed with relief and smiled as Saul discharged the first set of containers from the ship.
"Phew!" Saul sighed, as he turned around with his full load.
"Easy does it, Saul," he said to himself, speeding up a little. "Woah, woah, woah!"
He suddenly lost control of his grip and Arthur shut his eyes tight as he grabbed hold of it again, and sighed with relief, lowering the set of crates into Arthur's first truck.
"There," he sighed relievedly, Arthur opening his eyes and sighing with relief as well.
"Great work, Saul!" he complimented. "That was some fine loading you did there!"
"Thanks! Next load coming right up!" Saul called out, and turned back around towards the ship.
Engines passed through the Fishing Village with empty trucks needed to be filled up with fish crates, and Saul wasted no time in having them loaded and on their way.
"Nearly...there, Edward!" Saul groaned, as he steadily yet carefully loaded the last bunch of crates into his last truck. "There! You're good to go!"
"Thank you, Saul," the blue engine said gratefully, than warmly said, "you are making progress here at Norramby, I see."
"Oh, I'm just learning on the job," Saul admitted. "Never would have done so if it weren't for my pal, Arthur!" He then shouted, "hey, Arthur!" to the LMS tank engine as he shunted a line of fish trucks up near the quay.
"Keep it up, Saul!" he encouraged, as he stopped by to see how the crane was doing.
Edward whistled and left the dock as James whistled and pulled up under Saul's hoist, Nia stopping just a few inches behind him.
"I say," James wondered with confusion, as Saul proceeded to discharge his first load of crates from the ship. "What's all the bustle about?"
"Nothing," Saul replied, as he turned around with his load. "Just being cautious; cautious so as not to cause delays...whoops!"
All of a sudden, a crate dangled from his hoist and he suddenly panicked whilst quickly catching a grip of it and slowly lowering the crates into James' first truck.
"That's better," he sighed with relief, then managed a slight chuckle. "Perhaps I was being a little too cautious that time."
Arthur and Nia laughed along with him, though James just rolled his eyes and sighed with slight annoyance, waiting as Saul lifted his hoist and turned back round towards the ship for his next load.
This was a pretty fun one to write. I introduced my first new character Saul the Container Crane, and his intentions are clear: this is his first work experience after being built on the Mainland, and he is thus very cautious about the way he goes about his work. He is also not afraid to speak and tell others what his intentions are, even if they don't concur. He also has a slight paranoia of delays (a side we'll see more out of him next time we see him), which of course we've seen here when Arthur fills him in on the outcome of his work performance. On the other hand, bringing Arthur back into the fold was also fun. It was nice to stray away from his spotless record side he retained in his debut, but still stay invested in keeping his line in good working order, which benefits as he gradually builds up the courage to stand up to Saul and help him see the errors of his ways. As shown in the beginning from his first interactions with Saul, he can also be rather inquisitive, especially in regards to Saul and his background. I hope you all enjoyed meeting Saul and seeing Arthur. I intend on making their dynamic a regular one whenever they pop up in my future stories, and I hope you look forward to reading the rest of my Summertime Surprises! As always, stay tuned for...
A Fishy Situation - an incident at Norramby with a load of fish causes a few fish to settle inside Thomas' boiler while he's taking on water, unbeknownst to the tank engine and his crew. It causes confusion and delay for Thomas later on while taking passengers out on his Branch Line.
The Summer of George - George tries to spend a stress-free summer without getting angry at the railway, but working around Bill and Ben after they are assigned to work at the RoadWorks as punishment quickly gets him to the end of his rope.
Serenity Saul - Saul attempts to learn from his experience on his first day by rushing the engines on their way with their deliveries, but messes up when he mixes up their loads!
Daisy Crosses The Line - Toby brings the workmen up to Harwick to inspect the line in case of any buckles in the hot sun, but Daisy ignores his warnings so as to keep time with her passengers and lands herself into trouble.