#ttte Number Seven

[ttteskits]

Voices

Prologue

The last of the drivers and firemen had just left the roundhouse. Engines numbers 1 through 10 and D2 sat around the turntable, the last few wisps of steam mingling in the cold night air. Snow had fallen softly outside. No doubt they'd need their snow ploughs tomorrow if the weather kept up.

Ten huffed. "Weel," he said, "Seems it wull be an earlie stairt fur Nine 'n' ah th'morra."

A low chuckle echoed from across the turntable. "Maybe so but we do appreciate it." Two murmured in her soft way.

"Yeah." One added, his lamp flickering with excess energy, "Means Tommy won't complain about the snow plough."

D2 or 'BoCo' as the other engines called him, after his driver Beau Cooper, hummed thoughtfully, "I don't know. If this keeps up, you'll all be needing one."

Four groaned dramatically as she always did when something displeased her. On this occasion, everyone agreed.

"You know," Eight put forward, "Back on the Great Western-"

"Eight, dear engine," Three butted in, cutting off the pannier with a suffering sigh, "If we hear anymore about the Great Western, I think everyone's safety valves, or whatever BoCo's equivalent is, might just burst."

Eight hmphed but stayed quiet, creaking on her frames to make her displeasure and indignation evident.

Two, eager to break the tense silence, murmured, "Eight, dear, I think what Three's trying to say is that we all have fond memories from our old railways but there's a time for sharing them."

"Alright, I'm sorry," Eight relented. To her surprise, Nine and Ten laughed heartily.

"Och, lassie," Nine spluttered between laughs, "th' stories ten 'n' ah cuid share fae th' caley railway alone wid be enough tae fill th' nicht if we chattered oan th' wey ye dae!"

Six giggled, "Please, you two!" He said so eagerly his boiler might as well have been bubbling over, "Just one-"

"No!" Everyone else replied with varying degrees of amusement.

Meanwhile, outside the roundhouse, Donald had been watching as the stars fell. He began to walk back to the commonroom when the shout sounded. Unnerved, he walked considerably faster.