Streamlined Struggle - ThomasNATION Fanstory
June 22, 2024
"Morning, Connor!" Caitlin chirped, excitedly. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing, really." smiled Connor. "I'm just about to head to Ulfstead Castle."
Caitlin gasped. "Really? I'm headed to Ulfstead Castle! We could race there!"
"Really?" Connor sighed. "Caitlin, buddy, I'd love to, but Sir Topham Hatt told me to be careful on the hill. After last night’s rainstorm, I think the tracks are meant to be really slippery."
"Aw, are you scared you'll lose?" teased Caitlin.
"No!" laughed Connor. "And how do I know you're not projecting? Are you the scared one, Caitlin?"
"What?" Caitlin asked. Connor had really done it now. "Oh, it's on now!"
"Okay, you twisted my wheel." Connor rolled his eyes. "Let's do this. First one to Ulfstead Castle is the winner. May the better engine win!"
"I plan to." smirked Caitlin.
Connor chuckled, and soon, the race was on as they raced through the Vicarstown Bridge. It was a high-speed race of epic proportions, the victor unpredictable. Sometimes it looked like it was going to be Caitlin. Other times, Connor would pull up ahead. This race was anybody's game. But the fun soon ended when they reached the hill leading to the castle. Connor had maintained a steady lead, but he was right - the tracks were really slippery. So slippery that Connor couldn’t get a grip on the rails and slid right off, crashing near the mine. Luckily, nobody was hurt.
“Connor!” Caitlin cried as she raced over to the accident site. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” groaned Connor. “I knew racing was a bad idea.”
Later, Connor had to be escorted to the Steamworks. Victor was inspecting the damages.
“Let’s see…” Victor mumbled, “…busted coupling rods, cracked lamp, punctured boiler…”
Caitlin watched on, horrified at Connor’s state...and a little at herself. “This is all my fault.”
“Don’t say that, Caitlin.” Kevin reassured her. “It’s not like you made it rain last night.”
“But it was my idea to have that race.” Caitlin sighed. “If I had just done my job as I was told, none of this would’ve happened.”
Just then, Sir Topham Hatt walked in, looking over his schedule. “Oh dear, oh dear…”
“What’s wrong, sir?” asked Connor.
“Your accident really put Sir Robert’s timetable in a bind, Connor.” explained Sir Topham Hatt. “With you out of commission, I’m not sure we can handle the extra passengers visiting the castle.”
“Surely there’s another way?” suggested Connor.
“I don’t really know if there is one.” thought Sir Topham Hatt. “All the other engines have their other jobs to do. I may need to move some stuff around.”
“What if I took the extra passengers?” asked Caitlin.
“Really, Caitlin?” asked Sir Topham Hatt. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I can handle it.” smiled Caitlin. “If I can sort both the Flying Kipper and the mail in one night, a few extra passengers will be a breeze! Besides, I still feel like Connor’s crash was my fault. I need to make up for it somehow.”
"Well, okay." Sir Topham Hatt smiled. "I'm trusting you to sort both you and Connor's trains. I'm counting on you, Caitlin."
As Sir Topham Hatt walked over to talk to Victor, his last few words stuck in Caitlin's head. "He's counting on me. Huh."
"You okay?" asked Kevin.
"Yeah. No pressure, right?" smirked Caitlin. But whoa, was she feeling way more pressure than she was letting on.
The next day, Caitlin had an extra coach to fit her and Connor's passengers and she was ready to get cracking. She met up with Spencer and Gordon at Barrow-in-Furness.
"Mornin', Caitlin!" called Spencer. "What, no Connor today?"
"No, he's had an accident," Caitlin explained, "so I'm handling his and my train today."
"Bad idea, Caitlin." sighed Gordon.
Caitlin was a little puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"This sort of thing happened to Thomas once," Gordon recalled. "his habit of racing Bertie got out of hand and he had to take his passengers. Had to make all these unscheduled stops."
"That won't happen to me, Gordon!" laughed Caitlin, confidently. "Me and Connor follow the same route. I'll be okay."
"Don't be so sure," sighed Spencer, "this won't end well for anyone. Not you, not Connor, not...uh..."
"The passengers?" Gordon rolled his eyes.
"No, not quite..." Spencer thought. "...oh! I got it! It won't end well for Sir Topham Hatt!"
"...how?"
"If Caitlin doesn't pull through, everyone's going to complain that it's a bad railway. And who are they going to go to?"
"Guys, you're overthinking it." Caitlin chuckled as she left. "I'm tellin' you, I'm going to do okay!"
"Ugh, don't you streamlined engines ever stop?" groaned Gordon.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Spencer, a little offended.
Little did Gordon and Spencer know was that Caitlin's whole "I'm gonna be fine, you guys are overreacting" thing was only a facade. Truth is, she was still really worried. A lot of that pressure was still weighing on her shoulders...or I guess her boiler. You know what I mean. Her troubles were only starting, because...
"Oi!" cried one passenger as she passed through Maron. "That was my stop!"
"Oops!" sighed Caitlin. "My bad."
...yeah, turns out Connor and Caitlin's routes were much different. Left and right, Caitlin kept missing stops, running late, causing delays for other engines and overall messing up the timetable. The passengers grew more and more frustrated, saying what a bad railway it was. Needless to say, Sir Topham Hatt was not amused.
“You told me you could handle a few extra passengers!” scolded Sir Topham Hatt. “All day, I’ve had people yelling and shouting and saying this is a bad railway!”
“I’m sorry, sir.” muttered Caitlin. “I really thought I could manage it. We had the same stops whenever we race!”
“Well, you’ll need to study Connor’s route by tomorrow,” warned Sir Topham Hatt. “We can’t have any more confusion and delay, can we?”
That night, Caitlin had to pop by the Steamworks to talk to Connor.
“Caitlin?” asked Connor. “What’s wrong? You look a little down.”
“I really need your help, Connor.” sighed Caitlin. “You see, when I offered to handle your route, I figured “alright, me and you share the same route, this’ll be easy.” But I didn’t expect it to be so hard. I’m not sure I can keep doing it. I am so sorry, Connor. I wish we had never had that race.”
Connor sympathised with his best friend. “It’s okay, Caitlin. No one gets it right the first time. Not even me.”
“What do you mean?” asked Caitlin.
“It took me a while to nail my route when I first got started at Ulfstead. But y’know who got me through it?”
Caitlin chuckled. “I think I know where this is headed. Is it me?”
“Yeah. You told me that it’ll be hard at first, but once you know the way around, it’ll be a breeze. And now look at me…well, not now, but in general. You and me are both bang on time every time. Just keep at it and you’ll get better. Just like I did.”
Caitlin smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Connor.”
“Anytime.”
Soon enough, Caitlin kept persevering on Connor’s route. It wasn’t easy mesmerising the different stops, but with enough practice, she was able to manage. And not a single complaint!
“Looks like someone’s found their way!” smiled Sir Topham Hatt as Caitlin stopped at Ulfstead Castle. “Not too shabby, Caitlin.”
“Thanks.” laughed Caitlin. “It’s like the saying goes, practice makes perfect!”
Just then, a familiar whistle blared through the castle grounds. It was Connor!
“Hey! Look who’s finally out and about!” chuckled Caitlin.
“Thanks again for taking my passengers,” Connor said, “you were a great help. Did you get my route down okay?”
“I think so,” smirked Caitlin, “I may need a bit of practice before I fully understand it. But now that you’re okay, I may have plenty of time to rehearse.”
“Great to hear.” smiled Connor. “Hey, wanna race back to the Mainland?”
“Nah, maybe some other time.”
"Aw, are you scared you'll lose?" teased Connor.
Caitlin gasped. “Oh, it’s on now!”
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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