Chapter 143: Train Stops Play

Stepney was enjoying his stay on the Island of Sodor. He had spent the last week on Thomas's Branchline, and was in the middle of telling Thomas, Percy, Toby, and Daisy all about his railway.

"Wow, Stepney, it must be great working on such a beautiful railway."

"Oh, it is Toby, but your railway is lovely too. It has everything an engine driver could ask for: Its long enough to give you a good run, lots of passengers

to keep you busy, and a quarry! And quarries mean trucks, oh you lucky ducks. I miss taking goods trains on the Bluebell Railway."

This gave Percy an idea.

"Tell you what, I have a goods train to take in a half hour. Would you like to take it?"

"Oh yes please!"

The two arranged it with their controllers, and a half hour later Stepney set off for Hackenbeck with his train.

Stepney enjoyed the run. He loved seeing the new sights, blowing the whistle to everyone he saw, who waved in return. Shortly, he came to a signal. It was red, meaning he had to stop. A cricket club was playing in the nearby field, the game having just begun. This made Stepney smile.

"Ah good, I can watch the game while I wait."

But then there was trouble. The batsmen hit the ball, sending it flying into the air, landing in one of Stepney's empty trucks. Before anyone could do anything, Stepney's signal turned green and he was on his way.

"Wait, Stepney, wait! You have our ball! You have our ball!"

But Stepney couldn't hear them, and drove out of sight.

"Blast! That was our only ball."

"We told you to bring an extra one, Jim, but noooooo. We'll be fine, you say. We wont lose it, you said."

"There's no time to place blame. Come on, we need to get our ball back."

Jim ran to the car park where he found his wife Caroline waiting.

"Come on, love! A train has ran off with our ball and we need to catch it!"

"I told you to bring an extra one, but..."

"Just drive!"

So the team piled into the old car and off they went. But the car couldn't go very fast, and it sputtered along the road.

"Come on, Caroline, pump the gas."

"Jim, you know as well as I do that this car overheats easily. If we go to fast, the engine will go bust and then we'll be stranded."

"Hurry up!"

"Im hungry!"

"Do you want to drive? Because I'll turn this car around right now if you don't..."

"Look! There he is!"

Everyone turned to see Stepney coasting down the line. Everyone began shouting and waving, but Stepney didn't understand. He thought they wanted to race.

"Think they can outrun me, do they? Ha, we'll see about that!"

And Stepney opened the throttle, shooting off like a rocket into the tunnel. Caroline stopped the car at the top of the hill.

"Oh well, we'll never catch him now. May as well go home."

"Come on, Caroline! Where's your spirit of adventure!"

With a weary sigh, Caroline started off once more, the car spluttering all the way up the steep hill. At last, they reached the station where Stepney sat resting. Frantically the players shot out of the car.

"Give us back our ball! It landed in one of your trucks!"

"What?"

One of the players climbed into the last truck, searching and digging until...

"Found it!"

Stepney was embarrassed.

"Im sorry for all of this trouble."

"Ah, its alright. You didn't know, but we must return to our game."

"Good luck with that."

Everyone turned to see Caroline fanning away smoke rising from the car's engine. The work had finally gotten to it, and with one last gasp it gave way,

"Bother!"

"I told you Jim not to push it, but you never listen. Now how are we going to get home?"

This gave Stepney an idea.

"Wait right here."E

He returned a minute later with a wellwagon and a breakvan. Working together, the players, Caroline, and Stepney rolled the car onto the wagon.

The players and Caroline crowded into the brakevan, and Stepney dropped them off at the field on his way back to the sheds.

The players got back just in time, and the game resumed. Elsbridge wound up winning, and they sent Stepney a card to say no hard feelings. And Caroline doesn't mind railways anymore. As she often says:

"They do have their uses, like saving poor girl from having to walk all the way home."