A/N: Another Halloween month has come and gone. To help us end it, we return to our favorite Rack Railway on Sodor. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 119: Godred Runs Again
It was Midnight on The Culdee Fell Railway. Shane Dooiney and his firewoman Sarah were up on the Summit, waiting for the workmen to return. The Summit Hotel was undergoing renovations, and the hotel was desperate to finish on time. At last the workmen returned, tired and ready to crawl into bed.
"I tell you, Sarah, I'm glad we have the morning off tomorrow. After this late nighter, I feel like I can sleep until Monday."
"Amen to that. Come on, we better start heading down."
But before they could, they felt a gust of cold wind run through them, and an engine's whistle was heard.
"Brr, did you feel that?"
"I did, but I'm more curious about that whistle. We're the only ones out at the moment. And that whistle, it seemed… familiar. Too familiar."
Just then, they heard the sound of an engine chuffing down the mountain. A few minutes later, they heard the whistle again, long and loud, before a sickening crash echoed throughout the mountain. Shane and Sarah looked at each other in shock.
"You don't think…"
"We need to get the police out here next morning."
But the police found nothing. They searched the whole line, every gorge and crevice, but they found no evidence of a crash.
"Looks to me like your mind was playing tricks on you," said the inspector, "It was late at night, after all."
Shane and Sarah weren't sure, but since they hadn't found anything they brushed it off as a hallucination.
But the other Culdee Fell workers soon found it to be no mere hallucination. Every night for the next week, the engines on the midnight run would experience a cold rush, here the whistle of a steam engine, then a horrible crash deep down below.
At last, they were all fed up with these strange events and held a meeting in the common house.
"It must be some practical joke. Some teenagers who thought it would be funny to mess with the railway."
"I wish it were that simple, Harry, but how can you explain the puffing sounds we hear? Or the whistle? Or the crashing?"
Lord Harry paused for a second, taking in the question.
"I… I don't know, Wilfred, but there has to be a reasonable explanation."
"He's right. There's no way all of us are having the same hallucinations."
Culdee was silent for a minute, before speaking up.
"Do any of you know what date is coming up?"
Everyone was silent for a minute, racking their brains to find the answer. Then, a look of horror dawned on Ernest.
"Do you mean…"
"I do. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Godred's crash."
Everyone fell silent, as if in respect for the deceased. Finally, Eric spoke up.
"Did he… really go down with the engine?"
Shane Dooiney shook his head.
"No, that's just a bit we add to scare unruly engine drivers. But what really happened isn't much better. Godred did jump out, but not soon enough. He landed on a ledge while his engine tumbled to the bottom. He was alive, but paralyzed from the waist down. Forced to retire, he never was the same again, and kept to himself for the rest of his life. We tried to help him, of course, but he always turned us away, shouting that this is his problem and not ours. One day, he just… disappeared, never to be seen again. To this day, we never knew where he went or if he's still alive. I guess now we have our answer."
Everyone stood in awed silence, soaking in the information. Finally, Alaric found his voice.
"What can we do to stop these hauntings?"
Wilfred was the next to speak.
"My grandpa always believed in the dead. Said that most ghosts come back because they had unfinished business, and the only way to lay them to rest was to help this finish."
Nobody moved, too scared to speak. Just then, Shane Dooiney spoke up.
"Then that's what I'll do. Sarah and I are rostered for the next midnight run tommorow. If Godred is out there, we'll put an end to him."
"Be careful, Shane. Godred was a terror in life, I hate to imagine what he's like in Death."
"I will, Culdee."
The next night, Shane and Sarah made their way down the mountain, stopping in the same spot where Godred had his famous crash.
"Are you sure about this, Shane? There's no telling what Godred will do."
"Its okay, Sarah. Godred doesn't scare me."
Soon, they heard the whistle of Godred's engine, as well as puffing.
"Wait for it… Wait for it…"
The puffing became louder and louder, until it sounded as if the engine was right in front of them.
"Now!"
The thrust the throttle as far as it would go, surging the train forward until it hit something that wasn't there. The mysterious force pushed them back, but they held firm, forcing them into a stalemate. Soon, their unseen foe let up, as if it were never there. Shane and Sarah fell backward, sighing in relief.
There were no more ghostly encounters for the remainder of the renovations. At last, it was time for the hotel to reopen to the public. All of the engine drivers were in the audience as the manager came to the podium.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming to our grand reopening. We have spent the past few weeks making our hotel better than ever. And to celebrate a new beginning we have decided to rename the hotel."
The curtain fell back, revealing the name to be Godred's Peak.
"10 years ago today, the engine driver of the number 1 engine on the railway that climbs this mountain became involved in a terrible accident, never able to drive an engine again and becoming a recluse. Recently, it seems his ghost has returned, recreating his famous crash until Shane Dooiney and his partner Sarah laid his spirit to rest. By renaming our hotel in his honor, we hope that not only will his story live on, but that his spirit may obtain some closure. I now declare Godred's Peak open!"
Everyone in attendance applauded. Unbeknownst to them, there was another guest watching from behind a tree. He was deathly pale, and you could see right through him. He was dressed in a engine driver uniform, and seemed to be not from this time. With a smile, he disappeared, a tear running down his cheek before vanishing from this Earth.