It was a beautiful morning and Marcus was very busy. First, he was asked to help Slater at Carlisle Quarry. Then, he had to take some stone trucks to the Port in Barrow. "Slater, will we see you in Kirkby Stephen tonight?" he asked.

"Why?"

"Didn't you hear? There's going to be a meteor shower tonight."

Slater was confused. "What's that?"

"Have you ever seen a shooting star?" explained Marcus. "That's when big space rocks race across the sky. The ones that fall to the ground are called meteors and a meteor shower is when lots of them fall at once. The Tall Controller told us about it. There's going to be a special gathering in Kirkby Stephen tonight and everyone's going."

"That does sound exciting," said Slater, "and I'm sure my Manager will let me go if I get my work done on time."

Soon, Marcus' trucks were ready, and he raced to the Port as fast as his pistons would pump. He wanted to get his work done as soon as he could, so he decided to take a shortcut through Penrith, but as he reached Shap Cutting, a strong wind blew. Then…

"Ouch!" cried Marcus, "what was that?"

"That strong wind must've loosened some rocks," said his Driver. "Hurry, Marcus!" Marcus gathered speed, but the small rocks continued falling as he raced out of the Cutting.

The Tall Controller was at the Port when Marcus arrived. "Ah, Marcus, right on t…Oh my! what happened?!"

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked.

"Look at you; you're all covered in scrapes and scratches."

Marcus gasped. "Rattling rail joints! the falling rocks in Shap Cutting must've scratched my paint."

"Well, thank goodness you and your Crew are safe and that this is your last job for a while," said the Tall Controller. "Now, you must go to the Repair Yard immediately."

At the Repair Shed, Sandy and Loni were surprised to see Marcus too. "It's a good thing you came when you did, Marcus," said Sandy. "Scratched paint like this is no joke. If not taken care of, it can start pealing and that leads to rust." Marcus was glad too; he had seen old parts covered in rust before and it looked very uncomfortable.

"We should be off, Sandy," said Loni.

Marcus was surprised. "You're leaving?"

"We have to; those tracks won't repair themselves."

"But how long will it be until my paint dries?"

"With any luck, you'll be ready to go in time to see the meteor shower," Sandy replied.

"I hope so," said Marcus. So, Sandy and Loni left the Shed, and the painters carried on with their work.

"Why don't you try getting some rest, Marcus?" said the Repair Manager. "That should help pass the time."

Marcus tried to rest, but it wasn't easy; he just hadn't worked hard enough to feel tired. Then, Kenneth puffed in with some trucks. "Hullo, Marcus, I heard about your scratched paint. How are you feeling now?"

"Bored," Marcus sighed, "I can't leave the Shed until my paint's dry and there's no one to talk too."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I wish I could stay, Marcus, but I was asked to deliver these new engine parts before starting my next job. I hope you feel better soon." And Kenneth raced away.

Later, Marcus' new coat of paint was finished, but he still had to stay where he was until it was dry. There was still no one else around and he felt very bored indeed…until Laurence backed into the Shed. "Laurence, do you need repairs too?"

"No, Marcus," Laurence chuckled, "I just came to refill my sandboxes." Laurence looked his friend over. "I must say that your new paint looks great."

"Thank you, Laurence," sighed Marcus, "but I wish I had something to do. My paint still needs to dry and there's no one around."

"I understand," sympathized Laurence, "I've had to wait patiently on my own many times before."

"How did you get through it?"

"Well, I thought about what makes me happy. I thought about exciting days I've had and exciting jobs that I've done. Sometimes, I would even imagine myself doing something else exciting with my friends."

Marcus smiled. "That does sound like fun. I'll try it."

As Laurence left the Shed, Marcus thought about what made him happy. The first thing he thought of was his best friend, Kenneth, and all the fun times they had shared together; they helped each other out when one of them needed help and sometimes, they were both given an exciting job.

Marcus remembered when he and Kenneth delivered cows to Farmer Briar's and when they made a big delivery for the Museum in Kirkby Stephen. That was when Marcus remembered the meteor shower and he imagined himself and Kenneth having fun with all of their friends that night.

Suddenly, Marcus didn't feel so bored anymore and he kept remembering the fun times with his friends and imagining all of their exciting adventures to come…

"Wake up, Marcus!"

Marcus jumped and saw Laurence. "Laurence, what are you doing back so soon?"

Laurence laughed. "I've been gone for hours; look." Sure enough, it was evening, and the sun was going down."

"It's getting dark already?!" Marcus gasped. "Where did the day go?! Is my paint dry yet?!"

"Almost," said a workman, "about twenty minutes more and you'll be ready to go."

"Hurray!" cheered Marcus, "I'll get Kirkby Stephen after all! Thank you, Laurence, you really helped me."

"No problem, Marcus," smiled Laurence, "I'm proud of you."

When Marcus was ready, he and Laurence set off for Kirkby Stephen together. Everyone was glad to see him and Marcus was happy to be with his friends again and when it got dark, they all watched the meteor shower together. "This is one exciting time I'll always remember," said Marcus and his friends all felt the same way.