Chapter 4: Strange Bedfellows

The Duke owned a large estate beside the ruins of an old castle, in a little town called Ulfstead. It couldn't be accessed by rail: a horse-drawn carriage had had to carry the Duke and his guests to the estate from the station closest to it.

The imperial family soon found that they had much more to learn about the way things were done on Sodor: for breakfast, they were often served split, smoked herrings called "kippers". And in the late afternoon, the Duke would treat them to tea with cream, usually accompanied by little cakes called "scones". "I can understand giving up chopsticks," Tai-Tai grumbled one evening, as she and her husband prepared for bed, "but does Sir Henry really expect us to live on split, gutted fish?!"

"On the contrary, my cherished cherry blossom," said the Magistrate cheerfully, "I'm starting to get used to his kippers. I mean, once you look past their...appearance, they're actually quite enjoyable!"

"Well," conceded Tai-Tai, "at least he has good taste in pastries: those scones are absolutely divine!"

The Miao siblings, meanwhile, were making the very best of their time at the estate. Sheegwa spent her mornings chasing butterflies on the front lawn, while Dongwa tried to impress the Duke's servants with his Kung Fu, albeit without much success: all he usually got from them was an amused chuckle and an affectionate pat on the head. "What's a guy gotta do to get some attention on this island?!" he complained. "I mean, for crying out loud, how many cats can do Kung Fu?!"

Sagwa was having much better luck with getting attention. The servants were charmed by her antics and free spirit, and they took every opportunity they could to watch her write or draw, whether by the Magistrate's request or otherwise. She was especially adored by the elderly housekeeper, who told her stories about Sodor's history whenever she could.

It began all one afternoon, when Sagwa stumbled upon the Duke's grand library, where books of all colors, shapes and sizes were arranged on enormous shelves. Filled with curiosity, she carefully pawed a book out of its space, then pushed the cover open with her nose. Sagwa found that this book had its pros as well as its cons: she was enchanted by the illustrations, but she couldn't make out the writing at all. Written English seemed even more foreign to her than the very island she was on.

Fortunately for Sagwa, the housekeeper was in the library as well, on her break and sitting in an armchair. The little dark-faced cat pushed the book up to her and meowed politely. "Good heavens; what have we here?" the housekeeper smiled. "Want to hear a story, do you, dearie?" Sagwa meowed again, and bounded into her lap. The old woman chuckled warmly. "So be it!"

Referring to the book as she spoke, the housekeeper told Sagwa the story of the beloved King Godred, a famous early ruler of Sodor, who had lived in the very castle on the estate. Donning a golden crown, and joined by his knights in shining armour, Godred fought off invaders and kept the island safe. "Sadly," the housekeeper finished solemnly, "Godred's crown was stolen and hidden one fateful day, and it hasn't been seen since. True, people have tried countless times to search for the crown; but no-one's found a trace of it."

Sagwa stared with wide eyes: what a terrible thing to happen to such a wonderful ruler! "Well, that's enough for now, love," said the housekeeper, closing the book. "I'd best get back to work-you run along and play."

Sagwa especially enjoyed going outside later in the day, to wait for the trains to pass through the area. Although she couldn't see them, her ears always perked up at the sound of the engines' puffing, and she delighted in hearing the whistles blow. Dongwa couldn't understand what she got out of it. "They're just silly old hunks of metal!" he frowned. "It's not like they're shouting 'hello' to us!"

"Well, the whistle sorta takes care of that!" Sheegwa said brightly.

"Come to think of it," murmured Sagwa, "the day we arrived, our train kind of sounded like it was talking..."

Dongwa burst out laughing. "Quit pulling our legs, Sagwa! Trains can't talk!"

Just then, Fu-Fu, who had taken up residence in a small birch tree, flew down to join them. "Don't be so quick to judge there, Dongwa; Sagwa might be right."

"Really?" asked Sagwa hopefully.

"Sure! Why just the other day, when I was flying around the railway station, a train was just leaving-blew smoke right in my face! I obviously couldn't see much, but I did hear a voice say something like, 'Oh, come along; we're rather late! Oh, come along; we're rather late!', and it seemed to match up perfectly with that 'chugga-chugga' noise trains always make!"

"Oh, Fu-Fu; not you too!" Dongwa smirked. "See you daydreamers later; got things to do!" He swaggered off, still laughing. "Talking trains: that's a good one!"

"We are not daydreamers!" Sagwa yelled after him. "We'll go down to the station tomorrow and prove it! Won't we, Fu-Fu?"

"Sure we will-I mean, we will?!"

The following morning at breakfast, Sagwa asked her parents' permission to visit the railway station for awhile. "Very well, Sagwa," said Mama. "Just as long as someone goes with you."

Sagwa thanked Mama and Baba, wolfed down the rest of her food, then dashed out onto the lawn to find Fu-Fu and tell him the news. "I dunno, Sagwa," he said, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. "I didn't much like having smoke blown at me!"

"But you know the way to the station from here; don't you?"

"Oh, alright. But if I get another faceful of soot, you owe me!"

"I'll always owe you! Remember?" teased Sagwa, remembering how Fu-Fu was always getting her out of trouble.

With Fu-Fu scouting ahead, the two friends made their way out of the estate grounds and along a winding path. The journey on foot took much longer than Sagwa had anticipated, and it wasn't until noon that the small station at Ulfstead Road at last came into view. "Phew!" said Sagwa breathlessly. "I can see why the Duke bothers to keep horses: that trip was exhausting!"

"Not for meeeeeeee...D'OH!" said Fu-Fu, as he collided with a direction sign and fell flat on his back. Sagwa couldn't help but giggle. "Oh, Fu-Fu; stop being so batty and let's go wait for a train!" she quipped.

"Huh! That was so funny I forgot to laugh!"

Sagwa sat down on the platform, while Fu-Fu hung from a nearby tree ("Just in case of...ya know, soot!" he said nervously). They waited for a quarter of an hour, but they could neither hear a sound, nor see a trace of any trains. Just as Sagwa was beginning to feel discouraged, she saw some people coming down the road toward the station: this might mean that a train was coming after all. Sagwa cheered up at once, and even befriended some children who came over to say "hello".

Not long afterwards came the sound she'd been waiting for: the sound of an approaching locomotive's whistle. And she could just see its thick clouds of smoke and steam appearing over the treetops. As the train trundled in, Sagwa gasped in amazement: the engine bore a face on its front! A face much like that of a human-only grey in colour.

Once she had gotten over her shock, Sagwa looked the engine all over with interest: it was painted a handsome shade of light brown, with bright yellow lining. It had a short, stocky body, with four wheels, a shiny brass whistle, and a small coal-tender attached to its back end.

The engine eventually noticed Sagwa, and its face broke into a gentle smile. "Hello there, little one," it said in a wise, kindly tone of voice. "What brings you to these parts, eh?"

Sagwa's eyes widened. "So it's true: trains can talk on this island!"

Now it was the engine's turn to goggle in shock. "Fire and smoke-a talking cat!" he exclaimed. "I must be dreaming!" He shut his eyes tightly.

Sagwa grinned slyly, moved closer to the engine, and pawed at his footplate a few times. "Still asleep?" she asked jokingly, as he slowly opened his eyes.

The engine frowned indignantly, but his expression gradually softened; and then he let out a hearty guffaw. "Young rascal! Ah well: if an engine like me can talk, why not an animal like yourself?"

As his tank was being filled with water, the engine figured he and Sagwa had some time to chat. "Aren't you one of that Chinese Magistrate's cats?" he asked, studying the small kitten. "The ones His Grace claims can write with their tails?"

"Yep, and proud of it!" Sagwa beamed. "How'd you know?"

"Why, I pulled your train the day you arrived. I couldn't help but notice you when I dropped you off here."

"That's right! I just remembered-I saw you at that harbour station! Were you the one saying 'I think I can!' over and over again, as we went up the hill?"

"Indeed I was! You, my dear kitten, have been blessed with good ears. Allow me to introduce myself," the engine went on. "My name is Duke, and I live and work here, on the Mid Sodor Railway."

"Duke?" repeated Sagwa. "Like the Duke back at the estate?"

"Yes. You see, I was named in honour of His Grace's father, Sir John Arnold Norramby. But enough about my name; what's yours?"

"Sagwa. Sagwa Miao. This may sound a little embarrassing," she continued, blushing beneath her fur, "but, well, it means...it means 'silly melon head' in Chinese."

"'Silly melon head'?! How on Earth did you come by a name like that?" Duke asked incredulously.

"Well, I can be kind of silly," Sagwa admitted ruefully. "My curiosity sometimes just lands me in the strangest of situations! But the reason why I got my name in the first place, was because of all the fun my parents had goofing around when they were young."

Duke chuckled warmly. "Well, that explains a lot! It's certainly a privilege to meet you, Sagwa."

"You too, Duke," smiled Sagwa. Wait till I tell Dongwa about this! she crowed to herself.

Just then, a shrill whistle sounded from the far end of the train, and a green flag waved. "That'll be the guard!" said Duke, giving a quick "toot-toot" in return. "Sorry, Sagwa, but I must be off. Running late would never suit His Grace. Goodbye! Goodbye!" And hooshing, "Oh, come along; we're rather late! Oh, come along; we're rather late!" in a dignified manner, Duke rolled away.

Sagwa gazed wistfully after him, until his last coach had cleared the platform. She then joined Fu-Fu back up at the road, and the two of them set off back to the estate.