Sara's New Best Friends
One of the engines working on branch lines is Sara. Sara is Thomas' sister, even though the two look different from each other and, in fact, they were built by different locomotive companies. She normally hauls goods trains on Thomas' Branch Line. But sometimes, she works on the main line.
She doesn't mind the extra work. She finds it fun. Even though some of the main line engines teases her about it. "Hey," Henry called out, "It's a branch line engine on the main line!" "Too small to pull the express," Gordon said. "Yeah!" James agreed, "Not a shiny red engine!"
"Oh, you guys are so daft!" Sara exclaimed, trying to get back at them. "Oh really?" Gordon replied. Sara just ignored Gordon and carried on with her work. "Lucky pep," James muttered.
One day, Sara had finished shunting a train of empty trucks in a siding. Soon enough, a little engine puffed up next to her. "Hello," Sara said, "Who might you be?" "My name is Billy," the little engine said, "Well, I may have a problem at first."
"Let me guess," Sara said interrupting Billy, "My brother told me that you gave him a hard time on your first day." "Yes," Billy answered shamefully, "But I'm different now." "I understand," Sara replied, "Well, I must be on my way, Billy. Hope to see you again real soon." "Me too," Billy replied as Sara left the yards.
At once, Sara was then told to take a small goods train to the mainland. When she had arrived, Sara shunted the train in a siding. That is when she noticed two diesel shunters working nearby. "Well," Sara said. "I know what you're thinking," said Sara's driver, "Well, we're done here. Why now?"
"Yes," Sara replied, "I was going to meet them anyway." So Sara puffed towards the two diesel shunters. The diesel shunters noticed Sara immediately. "Hi?" one of them said. "Hello," said Sara, "It's a lovely day, isn't it?" "Yes?" the other diesel shunter replied.
"My name is Sara," said Sara, introducing herself to the two diesels, "Who are you?" "My name is Splodge," one of the diesels said. "No, you idiot!" the other diesel said, "We're not that called by that name anymore. My name is Dodge."
"Oh yeah," the first diesel said, "And I'm Splatter. Splodge is what our former boss called us because he doesn't have time." "For saying two names?" Sara asked, "How silly." "Well, he is silly," said Dodge, "Now we're living a life of jobs."
"You mean," Sara began, "You worked for an idiot evil diesel who wanted to find the magic engine and destroy her. You quit and now, you are doing the jobs you were built to do." "Yes," said Splatter, "How did you know that?" "My brother told me about it," Sara explained, "Thomas the tank engine."
"Right," Dodge agreed, "You know, we're friends with him now." "Right," Sara agreed. "We've worked with him some times," Splatter explained. "Ok," Sara said. "Like one time when we ended up at the Diesel Works," Dodge said. "Oh well," said Sara.
"What else?" Splatter asked. The three exchanged stories, but Sara had more to tell than Dodge and Splatter. "Well," said Sara, "Thanks. I must get going now. Thanks for talking to me." "No problem," said Splatter, "Happy to see you." "Yeah," Sara said, "I must go now. Bye!"
And Sara puffed away to go somewhere else. "Nice steam engine," said Splatter. "We should have thought twice before," said Dodge.
Sara then arrived at another big goods yards on the mainland. Sara noticed a large engine. Bigger than Gordon, but smaller than Big Boy and Mallet. "Hello," Sara called out as she puffed up to the engine. "Hi," the large engine called back.
"My name is Old Maude," the big engine said. "Old Maude?" Sara repeated. "Yes," said Old Maude, "I was the first engine on American railways, with two sets of steam pistons." "Lust like Big Boy," Sara said, "He visited us once with another of his kind." "Right," Old Maude agreed.
"I thought you were scrapped long ago," said Sara, trying not to be insulting. "That was just a rumor spread by midgets with noting better to do with their lives," Old Maude explained, chuckling a bit, "I was preserved." "That's good," Sara sighed, "And your friends over there?"
"Their names are Tom Thumb and Atlantic, "Old Maude explained, "Also from the railway I worked on. They don't talk much." "I understand," Sara said. "It is another story," said Old Maude, "So what have you been doing lately?" "I should ask you the same question," chuckled Sara, "I live here, helping my brother and the other engines."
"Yes," Old Maude replied, "As for me, in the states, I pull tourist trains and help out in small villages." Sara looked puzzled. "I'm not that gigantic," Old Maude said with a smile. "I understand," Sara replied.
The engines were about to say something else when another engine arrived. This engine looked like Rajiv, but different and less decorative. "Hello," the engine said. "Well, more guest," said Old Maude. "Hi," said Sara.
"I am called the Fairy Queen," the other engine said, "I'm the oldest existing engine in the world!" "Wow," said Sara, "You're great." "Thank you," said Fairy Queen, "Just to let you know, Rajiv is my younger brother."
"Nice to meet you," said Sara. "Same," Old Maude replied. After talking to Fairy Queen, Sara puffed away. "See you later," Sara called back. "No problem," Fairy Queen replied. "I can double t that," Old Maude said.
Soon enough, Sara left to go somewhere else. Both the engines, Tom Thumb and Atlantic stared at each other in amazement.
Sara was happy to have met so many new friends.
The next engine Sara met was Hank, another big engine. "Hello," said Hank, "How do you do?" "I'm doing good," Sara replied. Hank explained that he has a lot of goods trains to haul. He also told Sara the time when Thomas tried to do all the work himself.
"Well, that's my brother," Sara chuckled. "Right," Hank said. "I must be on my way," Sara said. "Bye now," said Hank as Sara left. Sara became happy. Other visiting engines who talked to Sara were Boxhill, Duchess of Hamilton and City of Truro.
At one time, Sara even met the steelworks engines form the mainland, Merlin, Frankie, Hurricane, Lexi and Theo. Sara thought three of them were strange looking, but she didn't mind that at all. Sara knew that they were busy at the steelworks, so their visit was really short.
But Sara was happy to have met them.
Upon returning to Sodor, the next engine whom Sara met was Culdee when she stopped by the mountain railway. "How's life going on the mountain railway?" Sara asked the mountain engine.
"Great," Culdee replied. "Excellent," Catherine called back. "I see," said Sara, "Well, good luck on the mountain railway." "We will," Culdee answered back. After Sara left, she continued on with her journey.
Finally, Sara had met Jock, Stafford, Stephen, Millie and Belle on Sodor, too. "Wow," Sara said and by the end of the day, Sara and the engines she'd met had such a great time together. "That was amazing," Sara said to herself.
Also, Sara had came across Diesel 10. Let's say, the meeting with him was tolerable at the time. Well, not really, obviously.
