No Free Rides
One day, Edward was pulling a passenger train to Vicarstown and Stanley helped Edward with some of the passengers. It wasn't a difficult job for the two, but the job took a long time.
2 hours later, Edward was resting when Stanley chuffed by. "Hello," said Edward, "That was a long job. Not really tough for me, but it sure took a long job."
"Because there were so many people wanting to go to Vicarstown for the festival," explained Stanley, "I know you are a really useful engine, but this job is taking too long for the both of us."
"Right," agreed Edward, "We must work a little bit faster then." At that moment, the Fat Controller arrived to see Edward and Stanley. "A new engine will arrive to help you two," he smiled, "Please make her feel welcome."
"We will," Edward and Stanley said together. "Excellent," smiled the Fat Controller, "She will be at your station in an hour." "Right," replied Edward and Stanley. An hour passed and both Edward and Stanley heard an unfamiliar whistle.
"Here she comes," said Stanley. The new engine arrived. The engine was almost the same shape as Gloria. Except the engine had a bright blue coat. And she had four leading wheels in front. This was a different kind of engine.
"Hello," said Stanley. "Hi there," said Edward, "Welcome to the Island of Sodor." "My name is Mikan," the tank engine said, "It's a pleasure to meet you." "You too," said Edward.
"Your controller has brought me here to help out with passengers," explained Mikan, "I'm happy to help out with passenger duties today." Edward and Stanley smiled together. "Let's get started within an hour," said Edward. "Right," agreed Stanley. With that, the three engines set to work.
They all took passengers from one station to another. Stanley showed Mikan what they do. "First," explained Stanley, "You get your coaches. Then you take them to the station. Normally, us tank engines do it for the bigger tender engines."
"But I can do that simple job," Edward said, "Normally it's the other big engines that complain about shunting their own coaches for themselves." "I can see that," giggled Mikan. Later, both Edward and Mikan were at Elsbridge Station.
"Now watch," Edward said. He did his job and Mikan watched Edward. The passengers boarded Edward's coaches, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag and Edward started off. "Now it's your turn," Edward said to Mikan before he left. "All right," replied Mikan.
She did the job very easily. It wasn't difficult for her. However, there is one mistake that she made. Her job is to take the passengers to Brendam docks so that they could catch an ocean liner to North America. Mikan waited for her passengers to board the train.
However, she let one mistake happen.
Nonetheless, all the passengers boarded the coaches, the guard blew his whistle and waved his flag and Mikan started. Stanley watched the whole thing. "Uh, I don't know about that one person," Stanley though.
Mikan enjoyed running through the countryside. "The Island of Sodor has nice railways," thought Mikan. "I agree," said her driver.
Then Mikan felt a bump. "What was that?" she thought. Her driver looked back at the coaches. None of the coaches looked damaged. "Probably a bump in the track," said the firemen.
"I'll come back through here," thought Mikan.
She continued on to Brendam Docks.
However, when she got there, there a commotion. When all the passengers exited the coaches, the guard dragged a dumb-looking man to Mikan's driver and firemen.
"A freeloader!" the guard exclaimed. "Uh oh," thought Mikan, embarrassed, "Then I don't think we should have let him on the train then." "He must have snuck into the brake coach while we weren't looking," said the firemen. "We won't let it happen again," said Mikan's driver.
"That's right," agreed the guard and he had the dumb-looking man taken away. Mikan felt embarrassed. "Hey you!" Cranky shouted at Mikan, "Can't keep an eye on all of your passengers, can you?" Cranky laughed.
Mikan felt humiliated, "I made a mistake!" Harvey and Rocky watched Mikan feeling down. "Hey, that wasn't very nice, Cranky!" Rocky shouted. "Yeah, well, she should have kept a better look-out!" Cranky called back.
"You take that back!" Rocky shouted. "I don't think so," replied Cranky. Rocky scowled as he watched Mikan leave with her empty coaches. "Good job of hurting her!" Rocky shouted, "Come on, Harvey, let's get away from this overgrown stack of lumber!"
"If you say so," agreed Harvey, taking Rocky away.
That night, Mikan returned to the sheds, embarrassed. Edward and Stanley puffed in. "What's going on?" asked Edward, kindly. "I let a freeloader on my train today," Mikan answered sadly.
"Oh," replied Edward, "Well, I heard you did a good job with your passenger train today. So just don't let it happen again." "All right," agreed Mikan. "Yes," agreed Stanley, "Just watch who gets on your train next time." "Right," agreed Mikan. The three engines fell fast asleep together.
The next morning, Stanley was taking the morning passenger train to Culdee Fell Mountain station. "I should get there in no time," thought Stanley. But he wouldn't make it there as a set of faulty points diverted him to another track. "That's weird," thought Stanley, "The scenery is different.
"I agree," his driver replied, "We'd better turn back." "Ok," Stanley replied when trouble happen. Stanley saw a train of milk tankers ahead. "Oh no!" Stanley cried, slamming on his brakes. Because of the heavy coaches, Stanley was unable to stop immediately and he plowed right into the tankers.
Milk splashed everywhere from Stanley, to the coaches. The milk splashed everywhere else as well. Luckily, no one had been hurt. But Stanley is in a terrible mess and he came off the tracks. "That this is a milky mess!" exclaimed Stanley. Soon enough, Mikan arrived. "Oh no!" she cried, "Stanley, are you all right?"
"Yes," Stanley replied, "My crew and the passengers are all right, too. But this is a big mess!" Mikan realized something. "This is my fault," Mikan mumbled to herself, "I'll go get help!"
"What?" thought Stanley. She immediately realized this area from yesterday. She looked at a set of points that led Stanley to the goods train. "That bump from yesterday was this set of faulty points!" Mikan declared, "I forgot all about it!" Mikan raced off. Soon, she got Edward, Harvey and Rocky and the breakdown train and began to clean up the mess.
First, Edward took all of the passenger in another passenger train. While the mess is being cleaned up, Rosie took the empty coaches away to be cleaned up.
When Stanley had been put back on the rails, Mikan took him to the repair sheds.
"This is my fault!" Mikan told Stanley, "I forgot all about this part of the railway! I was thinking so much about that freeloader that I forgot about this track! I'm really sorry!"
"It's okay," Stanley replied, "We all make mistakes!" "Yes, I know," Mikan replied. When Mikan dropped Stanley off at the repair sheds, the Fat Controller arrived to meet her.
"Mikan," he said, "Thanks for helping Stanley." "Sir," Mikan replied, "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday." "It's all right," the Fat Controller comforted Mikan, "We make mistakes. Now you know what to do next time."
"Yes, sir," Mikan replied, "We'll watch who gets on the train next time." "That's good," the Fat Controller smiled, "I hope you can work with Edward without Stanley for a few days." "I will!" Mikan replied, "I got to make up for my mistake!" She set off to pick up the next passenger train.
When she arrived at Brendam Docks with her passenger train, she heard the harbourmaster scolding Cranky for what he said to Mikan yesterday. "Now, apologize!" the harbourmaster boomed.
"Mikan," Cranky said to the tank engine, "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. It was stupid of me." "It's okay," Mikan replied, "I made a mistake and I've learned from it." "All right," agreed Cranky.
"That's good," Edward said, coming in with another train, "You have proven to be a really useful engine today, Mikan. Stanley told me." "That's good," smiled Mikan, "Now let's get working! These passengers aren't going to carry themselves." "Right," agreed Edward.
And the two friends set off together.
Days later, Stanley had been repaired and he returned to work immediately. The three engines are now good friends and they enjoy pulling passenger trains together.
