Chapter 1
Her skates rattled over the track as the new train yard cast itself into her vision.
Troubadour, the yard that gets all the talk.
As she came to a halt, she uncoupled herself from the complementary engine that took her to this yard.
“Welcome”, called a larger steam engine, waving her hand in the air, “Lyra, if I’m not wrong that is?”
Making her way over to the steam engine, a smile on her face. The steamer introduced herself as Momma, shaking her hand.
Looking around the new coach could see that the yard had many different buildings, with one big station in the middle. But what she couldn’t take her eye’s off was the shimmering racetrack, with a stand, pushed over to the side of the yard. Her old yard never had anything like that, let alone a stand for the racetrack.
“Let’s head back to my office, and I’ll give you a tour after, hey sweet pea!”
Lyra was already liking this yard much better, it was a shame that none of her old yard friends got assigned this yard with her though.
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“So, I’ve got you down as a Lounge Car. Is that right?” Momma started.
“Yep, that's me!” Lyra rescinded, eagerly awaiting to go on the yard tour Momma promised.
“Perfect, now I can tell you are really wanting to go on this tour but I do need to fill out the ‘New Train’ paperwork!”
“Oh yes, of course.”, Lyra responded, she didn’t even know what to expect. Was she needing to know fancy terms to describe answers to questions she didn’t even know the answers to or what?
“Now, we’ve already established that you’re a lounge car. And what colour are you?”
“White with light blue stripes down the side”
“Very nice, now what do your inside wires run on?”
“Well currently they run on electric!”
“Very well”
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First stop on the tour was the coaches shed.
“This is Belle, Dinah, Pearl and Tassita, they will be your new housemates”, Momma said as Belle smiled, Dinah waved, Pearl came to give her a hug, and Tassita peeked out from behind the door.
“Nice to meet you all”, Lyra said with a smile on her face.
“Have you met the engines yet?” Dinah questioned.
“Not yet, should I be worried?”, she responded.
“No need to fear sweet peas”, Momma interrupted, “Their egos are slightly large, but they mean well.”
Next, on the tour was to the freight shed. There, Lyra met Porter, Lumber, Slick, and Hydra. But also another steamer? Porter explained that they were siblings and siblings live together, Slick wasn’t so convinced.
“As soon as I have enough money, I’m moving out and never coming back to this hellhole”
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“Lyra, Momma. Are you still doing the tour?”, yelled Belle as she came rolling over to the pair just as they were leaving the freight shed.
“Yes dear, onto the Engine Shed next”, Momma called back.
Letting out a breath Belle said “Oh goody, I’ll come with you”
So the three of them continued onto the Engine Shed. Momma knocked on the wooden door. Blue Lightning answered the knock and opened the door.
“Hey Momma, and who is this new little coach?”
“Lyra the Lounge Car, so I expect you’ll be nice to her as she will be moving into Troubadour. Now Belle I trust you to get Lyra home, I’ve got other business to attend to”
While Momma was talking the other engines had caught on to a newcomer and had made their way over to the door.
A gruff voice echoed through the house before reaching the door,
“A new coach, my god do we really need another? Let’s get a look at her then, move Blue.”
The yellow and black engine that were eyeing up Lyra paused as she reached her face. Her breath hitched and she swallowed before saying,
“You got a name?”
“Lyra”
Smirking as she rolled closer. “New paint, fancy stripes, you won’t last a week.”
Then she turned and rolled off, wheels thudding on the metal planks, the other engines parting for her like smoke.
Lyra swallowed hard. She didn’t like the way her chest fluttered.