Changes in the Wind: Part I - Thomas and the Forgotten Ones

Prologue

Special Thanks Goes To:

DaAlexanator
Sky_Melody
gaygayden
Davis_02
TheNorthWesterner

For helping me make this the best book I could make.

Changes In The Wind

Part I

Thomas and the Forgotten Ones

That night it was cold, it was in February, things were getting less quiet from January and now trains were getting into the usual routine. The mist had also fallen, it makes it hard for anyone to see. But through it, lights still gleamed whether lamps or houses, none would be wiser to tell you that Barrow-In-Furness was just that, with yellow rays of lights challenging the mist.

At Barrow, laid a railway, most knew it as British Railways, with tens of tracks going to the station and even a yard. The yard wasn't massive but was not small either, it was quite busy too for its size, having two engines shunting for it with trucks and coaches being readied for either the nighttime trains or the next morning runs which would take them where it was needed. These two engines, billowing steam out of their funnels, were shunting, they were tasked to do it. One of them, a Kitson Pug, was shunting like any gloomy night. But the other, a Great Western Pannier, a small one at that, did not like how everything seemed to be going. She watched as her colleague shunted the final vans carefully with the brake van which completed a long train; all trucks were vans.

The Pannier Tank Engine knew this was no fish train, the armed men walking and standing anonymously confirmed it all. She pulled away from where she was and heading all the way from the back of the train to the front. Where an engine was, a once beautiful, gleaming engine which made dull green paintwork look immaculate. But now, wore a dull, dirty black livery, and the face which was colourful and glamourous was now cold and emotionless. The engine came from the same region the curious tank engine came from too, which seemed impossible to see now with how different the two looked from each other, with the tender engine now being so different to what a Great Western engine would be like.

The pannier tank came to a slow stop right next to the tender engine she had gotten to know a bit about. She looked up to the tender engine with a concerned look. "Ava?" she murmured.

The tender engine did not respond, only staring straight ahead with no expression whatsoever. Her once bright eyes laid there with nothing to show no more. "What is this you are pulling Ava?" the pannier tank asked.

Still no response, yet she was still in earshot? Why was she acting in this peculiar way? It was strange and eerie at the same time. Before the tank engine could say anything more, a familiar, high-pitched whistle from a guard was heard from behind, the anonymous, guarded men all got in either van or a small coach behind the tender engine, and a signal's light shone out with the familiar green.

"C'mon las," called the tender engine's driver, "time for us to head back to the facility!"

Suddenly, the shrill whistle from the Great Western locomotive was heard and with powerful wheels turned. The western tender engine pulled away from the departing track and headed off towards the exit of the yards to the mainlines.

The pannier tank engine watched breathlessly as the train soon ran away until out of sight, disappearing through the fog. The Kitson Pug came up next to the pannier tank engine from the same line as the once, standing train. "Y'know kid," he said gruffly, "I don't think it's best yae get into that whole mess."

The pannier tank engine's eyes turned to the saddle tank engine, looking a little offended. "But that's our friend," she protested, "there's obviously something wrong with her!"

"And that's none of our business," said the Kitson Pug darkly, "Lina, we are here to do our job, and so is Ava. It's her business alone, if something is off, we let others do it... not, us."

The Kitson Pug puffed off, heading back to his shed to finally go to sleep. The pannier tank engine sat there, breath had left her boiler once more, and felt helpless at that moment. She thought about the tender engine, the facility the driver mentioned, the strange men, and what her companion had just said. She then paused for a second, then had a rethink of what the saddle tank engine had said.

The pannier then smiled hopefully, she knew that Pug was right. That it was not her business and she would not be able to help Ava one bit. But Lina did know who will as she looked on ahead towards the cliffs and a faint image of a mountain, as she looked on towards the Island of Sodor.