Chapter 2: What a Picture!

It took a long time for Bloom, Riven and Nex to clean Thomas properly, and the twins kept teasing him until Edward and Tecna told them to stop.

"A party of railway enthusiasts is coming soon," Edward said. "We shan't bring them unless you behave."

Bill and Ben were excited. Enthusiasts always made a fuss of them and took their photographs. "When?" they squeaked in unison.

Tecna smiled and winked at Thomas and Bloom. "Next week," she said, "but not if you don't behave."

Bill and Ben promised that they would.


"Is it next week?" they asked Thomas each morning.

Thomas enjoyed keeping the twins in suspense. "Next week never comes," he would answer mysteriously.

Bill and Ben weren't worried, they kept urging Riven and Nex to polish them.

"What's the hurry?" Nex laughed. "The enthusiasts are not going to eat their breakfast off you, you know."

"No," Bill whispered, "but they might if we were Thomas."

The twins thought this a huge joke. It was lucky that Edward, Tecna, Thomas and Bloom weren't there to hear it.


At last, the day came, and Tecna, Riven and Nex agreed to give the engines an extra polish. They were sparkling when Thomas and Bloom arrived with the special train.

Many of the enthusiasts had notebooks, and almost all had cameras. Bill and Ben didn't know which way to look, but they loved it.

Then the visitors lined up for a ride in either Bill or Ben's cab. Their cabs were low, and several visitors forgot to duck, but they didn't seem to mind.


The enthusiasts' visit was almost over when a shunter came running up.

"A ship needs moving before the tide goes down," he said. "One of you see to it, please."

Ben and Nex went at once, and most of the visitors went too, to watch.

Only one man stayed. He had a camera which took "instant" pictures. "Just one more," he kept saying. Soon, even Bill tired of him.

The photographer screwed his camera to a tripod and pointed it at Bill. "This is it," he chortled. "What a picture."


Ben's fireman ran up to them. "Ben and Nex need help," he said. "The ship's going aground, and they can't move it on their own."

"Right, Bill," said Riven. "We can't wait any longer."

He turned a tap, and with a hiss and a roar, Bill vanished in a cloud of steam. At that moment, the photogragher pressed the button. When the steam cleared, Bill and Riven were hurrying off to help Ben and Nex.

The photographer peeled the cover from his instant picture, looked at it and threw it down in disgust.


Ouickly, the engines were coupled together.

"When I say heave, heave," instructed Ben. "One, two, three, HEAVE!"

"Come on, come on," puffed the engines. The cable tightened and stretched. At last, with a shudder, the ship slid off the mud and, towed by the engines, glided into deeper water.


Riven found the disgarded photograph on the floor. All it showed was a cloud of steam, with, very dimly, Bill's funnel at the top. Riven laughed and showed it to Bill.

"What a picture!" remarked Bill, to no one in particular.