The Sudrians: Reversion

Reversion

A reversion is where someone returns to a previous state, practice or belief...

***

Fog loomed across the early morning sky. It blocked the yellow sun, with its light trying to pierce through the thickness. Only to fail. A smaller light gleamed into the fog, trying to cut through itself, but it too failed miserably.

The one having it sit on its running board was a tank engine, a dirty, old tank engine that puffed across the countryside. A long mix-goods some might say he couldn't have managed. But he did. The tank engine's dirt and grime covered him all over, he had not been given a good cleaning in a while. Thankfully, his black paint didn't show the full picture of it, with only a British Railway cress-mark on each side of his large tanks and a number painted in what used to be bold white on each side of his bunker. Now they could be barely seen.

The tank engine yawned as he puffed through the countryside, nothing in his way, nothing could be seen.

It was peaceful for the tank engine. He enjoyed running through the countryside and not having anything distract him.

But it wouldn't be for long.

A loud, piercing whistle was heard through the fog, coming the other way. The tank engine grunted at the sound. He slowed a bit when hearing it and closed his eyes. "Ow," he said.

"Is anything the matter Noah?" asked the driver, concerned for his engine.

"Yeah, yeah," said the tank engine, "I'm fine, no need to worry about me."

Opening a tired, brown eye, Noah looked into the fog. He squinted to see if he could see an engine. At last, he heard the clattering of an engine, puffing fast towards them. The squeaking and groaning of trucks could be heard too.

Eventually, a shadowy figure appeared through the fog. A few seconds that Noah registered the figure coming from the fog, and it finally came out of it.

Noa's eyes widen in shock and disbelief when he saw the engine.

The engine looked gruff and had a hard look on its face, carrying a big, bushy beard that looked unkempt. It didn't look at the tank engine passing by and only stared hard ahead; no movement of the eyes whatsoever. Its paint was dirty and grimy as Noah's, but what the tank engine could see on his tender made his eyes freeze on it.

R.O.D.

Suddenly, the engines wheeshed past, the clattering of black vans followed and a bright red cross across each of them was seen through their dirty appearance. Noah braked hard, his eyes closed tightly. He felt the train behind him bash into him and push him forward, but he was strong and slowed the train down quickly. The sounds of the engine whistling grew louder and louder, piercing into his smokebox and the vans rattled and clang.

There was a sudden bang and Noah's wheels locked on him. He came to a screeching stop. Noah gasped and breathed heavily. "Wooaah old boy," called his driver, "are you alright?"

The engine opened his eyes and then saw nothing. The fog was still thick and showed nothing, but there was no train, no R.O.D. engine, no screaming whistle. Noah calmed himself and his brow furrowed in confusion, then he realised what had happened.

"Sorry sir," he replied, "thought I saw something on the line."

The driver shook his head, putting it back into the cab. "Best continue on then."

As the tank engine started up, he began to breathe steadily and tried to keep it that way.

***