Chapter Four: Harbouring Emotions
09:42
Port of Barrow
As Edward and Rocky approached the sea, they found that the cold breezes and light snow were being replaced, turning into strong gusts of wind and heavy rain. It seemed the storm was moving across Sodor as was now getting closer to the Mainland, meaning for one wet, cold New Year's.
After a while puffing their way down the tracks, Edward finally arrived at the Port of Barrow. Many ships were moored in the choppy waters, and large buildings and warehouses surrounded them as they headed towards the main railway point. His driver had been told by the stationmaster at the small country station where to go, and had even phoned the signalman to explain the situation. So Edward had no difficulty getting inside the harbour.
"This place makes Brendam Bay look like a fishing jetty!" Rocky gasped, staring around at all the magnificent vessels and the old fashioned buildings standing alongside new ones. But Edward was even stopping to admire the beauty: he was so mad at Gordon that he had been quiet for the whole journey, thinking of all the things he could yell at him when they next met.
"Edward, are you going to say something?" Rocky sighed. They suddenly left the buildings behind, the buildings dramatically replaced with long lines of empty and full trucks, waiting to be loaded, unloaded or taking away. Edward still didn't answer or show any response, simply sending high columns of smoke into the air. Two diesels, the same ones that he passed Gordon earlier, stared with a curiosity and rage at the old steam engine while they shunted their trucks.
"These must be ours!" Edward's fireman shouted, and they came to a steady halt as they saw a row of vans clearly labelled "FIREWORKS".
"I bet there are vegetables in there." The driver said, and the crew laughed heartily as the points were switched, and Edward was reversed back towards the flammable cargo. But as they backed down towards it, Edward looked over at the glaring diesels and finally lost it.
"BLOODY GORDON!" He roared, and angrily jerked backwards. Rocky gasped as he bashed a bit too hard against the fireworks, and port workers stared at the vans cautiously. As they rushed forwards to check things were alright, Edward just blew steam. "I had to go across a bridge in a storm, and work very hard to get through those frozen fields, and then I find out I didn't have to do it! I really dislike Gordon at the moment."
"Come on Edward, your usually nice and kind, why has he pushed you over the edge so much?" Rocky asked.
"I'm angry because he is being selfish, and he has always been a self centred, no good know it all since when I first met him!" Edward yelled. "And I hope he freezes in that siding, it would surely teach him!" And Edward began breathing deeply, sending steam into the air with each puff. Rocky wasn't quite sure how he should respond, and he remained in silence as the workers double checked the fireworks.
Little did they know how loudly Edward had been talking.
The two diesels shunting nearby had been listening to every word that was being said. Their names were Bark and Wood, two moss green, Class 14 diesels. They were owned by a local business tycoon, who had salvaged the two from a scrap heap, only days before they were due to be scrapped. They had once pulled long goods trains up and down the United Kingdom, but now their main job was to collect goods for their owner's trains.
However, Bark and Wood were expensive to run. Even with all of their owner's wealth, he was running out of the money needed for them to work properly. Unless they found a sudden source of income, the two would have to be scrapped again.
"Gordon… that must be that steam engine we passed on the way down!" Bark whispered to Wood.
"It is, I recognise him from an old newspaper at the scrap yard!" Wood replied quietly. The two silenced, waiting for Edward to say more, but it appeared that the ancient engine had vented all of his feelings for the time being.
"We don't need to listen to him anyway, I have an idea!" Bark said, and Wood looked at his twin curiously. "Our boss needs more money, right?"
"Right." Wood replied.
"And the scrap yard pays for drop offs, doesn't it?" Bark continued, and Wood nodded sadly. "No no no! Instead of scrapping us, we take that express engine to the scrap heap and have him turned into a tin can!"
"And then we can get the money needed to keep us!" Wood said excitedly, and the twins honked loudly. Their crews, who had been smoking nearby, looked at the two curiously.
"What are you to on about?" Wood's driver asked. The twins looked at each other, smiling widely.
"We may just have a plan…."