Letters to a Friend

Chapter 4

It was already getting dark as Leonhard was done with his work. He would have the next morning off, which he was thankful for but did not show it. Not out of pride or anything like that, the last thing the old engine wanted was for someone to think that he hated to work and that he was ungrateful. He rolled back into the old shed, steam shooting from his vents and pistons groaning as he came to a standstill, visibly sighing, happy that the day was finally over. The bigger engine, Hedwig, had not returned yet. It was not uncommon for her to work a bit longer into the night, but the old engine couldn't help but wish she were able to greet him upon his return. Nowadays, they are busier than they have ever been before, if their conditions are any indication of it. They didn't have the time to spend a lot of time together anymore. It makes him miss the time they spent together before... back at home. Leonhard couldn't help but feel down while reminiscing about the past.

Claus looked up at his engine and recognised the look on his weary, tired face. The fireman once had a similar look when he was separated from his son for multiple days looking for a job before he found the one he has now. Now he didn't really know what kind of relationships the engines had with each other. Could they "emotionally" be like parents in that sense? He knew his engine; he remembers how the old engine basically adopted Hedwig the moment she showed up on their old railway. The way Leonhard would mentor and nurture the young engine, the lectures Hedwig would get from him when she did something wrong, the way they would also tease each other but also seek each other's company, for Claus reminded him of his relationship with his son. Hedwig would come to Leonhard to seek advice or comfort from him after a bad day. Claus believes that she genuinely sees him as a parental figure, and from looking at the way his exhausted engine looks over to the empty berth next to him, Claus thinks that is the case.

He patted the old engine's buffer. "Sie kommt wieder," came the comforting words. The old engine smiled briefly at his fireman, trying to cheer him up, but as soon as he looked away, his expression fell again. Claus offered to give him a washdown tomorrow morning, which Leonhard wholeheartedly and without shame agreed to. That made him smile again. Mr. Marshall dropped his fire and prepared his things to leave for home while Claus made sure Leonhard's steam pressure was dropping, all the brakes were secured, and generally checked over the old engine. As it was starting to get darker, it was also starting to get colder. Mr. Marshall tossed Andreas some candy onto Leonhard's tender, where he was sitting, and said goodnight to everyone before closing the shed doors and leaving. Claus unpacked some leftover food as a quick in-between snack before he went out to get some dinner for him and his son. The sheds got a little warmer after that, and Leonhard was getting comfortable.

Andreas, who was still resting on the pile of coal in the old engine's tender, jumped down to the cab with his blanket and the letter. He clambered down to the ground, got a piece of bread from his dad before he left the sheds, and ran to the front of the old engine. Leonhard smiled at the boy climbing onto his buffers with his blanket wrapped around him. Andreas made himself comfortable as he pulled out a piece of paper and waved it at the old engine, who gazed at it with interest before chuckling at the excited boy. That made Andreas chuckle too, happy to see the old engine smiling widely. The young boy asked Leonhard if he would like the letter read to him, which he of course agreed to. Getting comfortable with his blanket wrapped around him, only exposing his head and an arm, the boy cleared his throat and held up the letter enough so Leonhard could see it with his good eye. The letter went something like this...

Greetings and Salutations from Sodor,

We are so happy that you have received our letter and hope to make your acquaintance. Now we will introduce ourselves. Here are Wallace Peterson, Vance Jordan, and James. We live on an island off the coast of England called Sodor. This is Wallace writing this letter, and we would like to tell you a bit about ourselves and our life on this very special island. Most people speak English, but there are still a few who speak the island's native language, Sudric. Wallace here is a Fireman of six years working on the island railway, also known as the North Western Railway, or the NWR. He is 26, full of energy, and often has a hard time understanding sarcasm. He can be a bit all over the place and a bit childish, but never the less, he is a nice, happy, and cheerful fellow who never seems to let bad days keep him down for long.

Vance has been an engine driver for eight years and is 34 years old. He is a responsible and honest man with an ocean of patience who takes care of those around him. He does like to crack the occasional joke and likes to tease his closest friends, but all in all, he is a man who takes pride in his work and makes it a point to look after the well-being of his family and coworkers, who for him are one and the same.

Both of us are the driver and fireman of a very special red engine named James. He is a modified 2-6-0 superheated Lancaster and Yorkshire Railway class 28. We have been his crew for almost 5 years now. James is a mixed-traffic engine, so he can take both goods and passengers, although he mainly prefers passengers over the 'dirty' goods trains, as he would say. He is also the railway's number 5 and is easily differentiated from the others due to his bright red paintwork, which he also takes great pride in. He can be a bit vain at times, but he is a wonderful, hard-working engine with a lovely sense of humour. He also lives with many other steam engines on the island. We are like one big family. Wallace and Vance are very attached to him, and like most crews on the island, all three enjoy working together. James is a kind, caring, funny, and appreciative character, and we have the greatest pleasure of having him in our lives.

We just kind of came up with this idea at random one day, waiting for a storm to let up. Wallace, especially, is really looking forward to a possible response. Effort was put into this letter by all three of us, and we just sent the letter somewhere to a railway in the hopes that somebody's curiosity is peaked and would like to write us back. We would be very happy, especially Wallace; he really wants a pen pal for some reason. We appreciate that you have read our letter all the way to the end. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day, and maybe we'll hear from you.

Sincerely

Wallace Peterson, Vance Jordan, and James

When Andreas finished the letter, he set it aside and examined the back in case there was more. 'That's it, he said to the old engine in his language. Leonhard muttered a quick 'oh, kind of hoping there would have been more. But he enjoyed the letter, and the people who wrote it seemed very nice. He found the idea of a potential new friend exciting. He asked Andreas to read the letter again, to which the boy happily complied. They talked about it well into the night, even when Claus returned with food for Andreas and himself. They showed him the letter as well, which amused him.

The only light by then was the light of an oil lantern at the back of Leonhard's tender. Claus slept in the cab as he found it more comfortable than a pile of coal, but Andreas always insisted on sleeping on the old engine's tender. Leonhard was already asleep, snoring quietly. Claus was tucking his son in when the boy pulled on his father's jacket before he could leave. 'Papa, we could write a letter back, right?' he asked him. 'I'm sure Leon would love a friend; it would give him someone else to talk to, and he would also have something to look forward to; he is always so sad, and this letter seemed to really interest him, and we would also have something else to do that isn't always work'. Claus thought for a moment; he really couldn't come up with a reason why they shouldn't. This was just kind of out of the ordinary for him. But he nodded none the less; if it makes his son and his engine happy, why should he object? He kissed his son on the forehead before taking the lantern back down to the cab and lying down on the floor with his pillow and blanket. He turned off the lantern and went to sleep.