Goldie needed some time to herself, and so temporarily excused herself from the rest of the group. She took a turn away from the main street and walked until the sound and hubbub of the human world had faded away, and she was now in the gentle landscape of nature. She took a seat on a nearby rock and looked about her, hearing the familiar whistle of a train in the distance. As she glanced over, she heard the gentle rumble of water over rocks, and the whistling of wind through the trees, and the hum of a nearby generator, and... a piano?
"Hang on a moment," she said to herself. "I know this song." She had always wondered how her daughter and her friends had been able to launch off into sudden music numbers with absolutely no prompting or preparation for the music, and she figured this was how it happened. People just gained the knowledge of the music by osmosis and could just fill it in.
Goldie looked up to the sky and decided she might as well go with the flow. It wasn't very often she got the chance to use her vocal chords for this anyway.
"I know how the moon must feel/
Looking down from the heavens!
Smiling at the silly things/
We put ourselves through.
Missing magic each day/
and not seeing the wonder/
That's how the moon must feel!
"I know how the moon must feel/
Starry eyed and contented!
Everything is beautiful/
as it all should be.
Far away from it all/
Never meaning to hurry/
That's how the moon must feel!"
Figuring the next bit might need a bit more breath, Goldie stood up and walked next to a tree, whilst glancing down into a pond and seeing her reflection in it.
"From up there our worries must seem very small!
Maybe that is why he wears a smile!
I'm sure he knows if there is more to life!
I wish I could be him for a while!
"I know how the moon must feel/
Looking down from the heavens!
Smiling at the silly things/
We put ourselves through.
Missing magic each day/
and not seeing the wonder/
That's how the moon must feel!"
Goldie knew for certain that last sentiment was true to her- being away from her family for so long thanks to her work meant she had missed a lot of Sunny growing up. Since the tragic day that had nearly claimed Sunny's life, she had vowed to spend more time with her family, and luckily her new work arrangements made that a lot easier.
"I'm sure he knows if there is more to life/
I wish I could be him for a while!"
That was an unexpected change. Goldie shrugged and returned to the chorus, as the piano was leading her there.
"I know how the moon must feel/
and I can't say I blame him!
Smiling at the silly things/
We put ourselves through.
Never taking our time/
Always running in circles/
That's how the moon must feel!"
As the last note faded out, Goldie turned to leave, feeling as though she was alone. Having said all that, something in her wanted to find Sunny and check on her. She sighed. "How things have changed so fast for us. Whilst working from the UK certainly fits us being a family unit better, I miss the days when we were just an ordinary family. Being a collective wierdness magnet isn't always that much fun."
As she was about to move off, a voice suddenly came from the nearby trees.
"You have a beautiful singing voice."
Goldie jumped and turned round to see the man in the dodgy suit from yesterday. "How long have you been there?"
"A few minutes," Hoffman replied. "I like coming out here to get away from the world. It's certainly quite peaceful."
Goldie was caught a little off guard by the response. Perhaps she had misjudged him and he'd committed a legitimate faux pas rather than be creepy. "Well, it can be nice for a change of scenery. I live next to the sea for the most part." She turned to leave again. "Now, I really must be going as I have things to-"
"I'm here to make a proposition."
Goldie stopped, and turned around. "I've already told you, I'm taken. Unless you mean something else."
"That kid of yours works for the railroad right?" Hoffman said.
"Yes," Goldie admitted. "Gets it from her father. Ever since she was little she basically dreamed of life on the rails. She never really played with dolls or girls toys. Most Christmasses it was Lego on her Santa list, almost exclusively rail or ship related sets. Having said that I've always been interested in engineering, so I've got a fair bit of Meccano lying about." She then stopped in her mind. "Wait a second. How do you know I have a daughter?"
"I know ways of acquiring information." Hoffman nodded back, and looked unbelievably smug. "Well, I'm certain you wouldn't want your darling little girl out of a job, eh?"
"She's actually average height for her a- what did you say?"
"I'm certain you wouldn't want your darling little girl or your silly husband out of a job," Hoffman repeated. "The Strasburg Railroad is in financial trouble, and probably won't survive the season."
Goldie had no way of independently verifying what Hoffman was saying, so decided to check this later. "I see. Why are you telling me this?" In her mind, she suspected he'd talked to Argyle. The way he's spoken about them was making her blood boil.
"You should know why. You're a businesswoman. We businesspeople have to take chances when we can. And this is a perfect chance to strike. I'm offering to go into business. We could buy out the railroad. Transform it into something better. And you'll make a tidy profit, I'd wager. Clearly fitting for a woman with your looks."
Goldie snorted in disgust. "I will not be complicit in the destruction of local heritage. And stop following me. The day I violate my marriage vows is the day Hell freezes over."
She'd only made a few steps when she felt a hand come into contact with hers. "Will you reconsider your plan if I up my offer?"
Goldie closed one of her palms so he couldn't see. "Consider this my response." She wheeled around and punched him in the jaw, her knuckles slamming into his cheek.
Hoffman staggered back, looking confused. "What?"
Goldie glared daggers at him. "That's me being nice. Stop following. Don't touch me. Consider that a warning- Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
She walked away, shaking her head. "He's worse than Boomer. At least he had a concept of boundaries."
Marilyn ran to a stop in the siding at the front of the headshunt, and looked down with relief. "Phew!" she said. "That was lucky! I was nearly through the buffers there!"
Izzy looked out. "We are a bit close. That was certainly too close to call!"
Marilyn laughed. "At least there are no borders near here for me to go flying over."
"A border with no track?" Izzy giggled. "Who would be silly enough to try that?" She hopped out to change the switches and backed Marilyn into a rest siding when all was said and done. Another engine was now taking over for a bit, so Izzy took a break and popped into the mess hut to see Pipp and Zipp had apparently transformed the interior of the hut into a detective's office.
Cool jaz played in the background in the darkened room on an old record player, and a board was illuminated and covered in information. A desk lamp glowed in the dark, and the blinds were down.
"Ooh!" Izzy said. "I like what you've done with the place!"
Pipp looked over. "I can't get a signal, though. This is really annoying!"
"We've got bigger things to worry about Pipp," Zipp said, glancing at the desk again. "These clues are coming closer to being something coherent."
"Whatcha found, Zipperooni?" Izzy asked, looking over the desk. "Hey! Squiggles!"
Zipp shook her head. "Never call me that again. And a detail in Timber's story got me thinking. He mentioned a running number, 311. Obviously many locomotives carried that number throughout history, but I think I've narrowed down the specific one that he was referring to."
Zipp opened a file and put a photograph down. "Clinchfield 311. Built by Baldwin in 1909 for the Clinchfield Railroad, a coal hauling operation that ran from West Virginia and through Virginia down into Kentucky. Quite an engineering feat. But this is where our story gets interesting."
She opened another file. "Whilst doing some digging I found this accident report in CSX's archive."
"What's CSX got to do with this?" Izzy asked. "Aren't they a car retailer?"
"CSX stands for Chessie Seaboard Consolidated Transportation," Zipp explained. "Clinchfield was one of the companies that made up one of their predecessors, Seaboard. Anyway, the accident report reveals that an engine numbered 311 was lost in a crash on the Haysi Branch in Virginia in 1950. And seeing as ghost trains tend to be engines lost in accidents rather than scrapping, I think we may have found our ghost train. The question, did Timber base it on the story or is an actual engine from the Upper South haunting a portion of Virginia?"
"Or," Pipp said, "here's another theory. What if Timber made the whole thing up?"
"Come on, Pipp!" Zipp protested. "We've seen enough crazy magic stuff these last few years to at least have to consider the possibility that ghosts are real. Now is not the time for arbitrary skepticism!"
"Zipp, that's your limit on fourth wall breaks for the day!" Izzy said. "Hope you had fun doing so!"
Once Izzy had left, Pipp looked to her sister. "Well, that was weird."
Another night passed and another morning rose. The Starshines hadn't had the best of nights. Sunny hadn't slept hugely well and didn't seem to be all that responsive when spoken to. Argyle had some paperwork from the University that he had suddenly needed to attend to, so Goldie offered to walk with Sunny down to the engine shops so she had some company on the journey there.
Goldie herself didn't realise it but she was sleep deprived herself, and running on a rather shorter fuse than normal. "So, how was last night?" she asked.
"Don't want to talk about it," Sunny said abruptly.
What was up with her? Goldie was baffled by Sunny's behaviour. She knew everybody had a bad day, but this was so unlike her. She seemed deflated, somehow. Perhaps she was just moody for some reason. Girls her age sometimes were. Goldie decided to try and lighten the mood with a joke. "Well, somebody got out of bed on the wrong side of bed today! Me namely."
That got a laugh out of Sunny- briefly, who then dropped back to her previous expression. On they went, along the sidewalk, seeing as Strasburg gradually woke up, and people began to go about their business and got their stores ready to go. A buggy even rolled past, the indicators suggesting the intention to take a left turn at the next intersection. It looked so incongrous, a vintage buggy with modern direction indicators, and yet it fitted so well for the area.
But Goldie was struggling to focus on the evironment around her. So much was on her mind. She then spotted a bakery. "Sunny, why not take something with you to the depot?" she suggested.
"I'm not hungry," Sunny replied.
Sometimes, human emotions can be suddenly triggered over the smallest of things, especially in people on very short tempers. The bluntness of Sunny's reply set something off in Goldie that she hadn't felt in years.
She abruptly pulled Sunny to one side of the sidewalk and glared right at her. "Sunny, I've just about had enough of your behaviour. Being moody will not get you out of doing as you're told!"
Sunny blinked in shock, and her eyes starting about, clearly frightened. But Goldie was too angry to care.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"
Sunny did so, her eyes wide and her body locked completely rigid, with a distinct 'deer in headlights' look.
Goldie by this point was so cross she didn't care what she said. "I thought you knew better than this. You've been nothing but rude to me and your father this whole morning. So stop acting like this RIGHT NOW and answer my damn questions!'
Goldie was breathing heavily, and as she looked down all the anger left her in an instant. Sunny was looking back at her, looking absolutely terrified. "S- Sunny? I don't know what ca-"
Sunny burst into tears and ran off down the sidewalk, in the direction of the depot.
Goldie dashed after her, realising to her horror what she had just done. "Sunny, wait! I didn't mean it!" She had barely any time to react when she suddenly saw it coming. "SUNNY! LOOK OUT!"
Sunny turned her head just too late- as a truck slammed into her. Everything seemed to go into slow motion as her body flew through the air and slammed into a lamp post.
The driver had, thankfully, stopped, and jumped out as Goldie threw caution to the wind and sprinted across the intersection to where Sunny had landed. She picked her up and looked at her. "Sunny? Sunny?"
No response.
To her horror, Goldie realised Sunny wasn't breathing. She tried to administer CPR, but it didn't seem to be working.
She started in disbelief at what had happened. In just one moment her entire life had been turned upside down.
Sunny, her only child, was dead.
And it was all her fault.
"This is your fault, goddammit!" shouted a voice.
"She couldn't have known!" shouted another.
"Sunny would still be alive if you'd just controlled your temper!"
Goldie looked about in a panic, saw the accusing faces all around her, and screamed.
Argyle was suddenly jolted awake by loud screams. "What the Hell?"
He soon isolated the source of the noise. His wife was sitting bolt upright, her eyes staring forward and her face in an expression of terror. "What's going on?"
"Where's Sunny? Where is she?"
Argyle was confused. "I checked on her about half an hour ago. She was asleep."
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Sunny ran in. "Is everything OK? I heard screaming and-" she trailed off when she saw her mother's face. "Mom? Is everything OK?"
Goldie moved with such speed it caught Sunny by surprise. One moment she was in bed, the next she was next to Sunny having pulled her into a hug. Her words were mostly incoherent, but Sunny could make out one phrase, repeated over and over again.
"I'm so sorry."
Sunny was just confused. "Mom, what's wrong?"
I find it hard to believe, especially since their the oldest rail line in America that still runs unders its original schedule!
Like hell she'd do that!
You had it coming creep.
It's a good theory.
How does that count as a fourth wall break?
eyes staring about,*
Now there's something my dad says to me all the time.
Not again!
She had a nightmare she nearly lost you.
11826648
1. This is Hoffman speaking; we have no reason to believe a word he says.
2. Precisely.
3. Hopefully he'll finally get the hint.
4. You said it.
5.
Izzy is responding to Zipp pointing out these characters have a tendency to engage in arbitrary scepticism.
6. Fixed.
7. I find being ordered to maintain eye contact hard, as I struggle with it (and find it uncomfortable).
8. It's also a callback to a game I've been recording on my YouTube channel.
9. A nightmare I suspect every parent has had.
11826665
I myself still have difficulty with it today.
I'm sure my parents had it when I was in the hospital twice in 2012.
11826691
1. At least we see eye-to-eye on that (pun not intended).
2. Yikes.
11826694
1. touché
2. Except in my case I wasn't hit by a car, it was a rare foot infection I'd gotten weeks shy of my 10th birthday, which I spent my first visit celebrating.
11826696
That does sound nasty. One of my siblings had something similar.
11826770
yep, it's something I'll never forget.
11826787
Hopefully you're better now.
11826571
I try not to use the F-bomb unless it’s necessary. Moreover, I changed up one common swear word because I prefer the way it sounds compared to it.
Comments on the chapter:
Finally! It’s nice to see Goldie showcase the tough-as-nails personality I know her for!
Mr. Potato Head: “Oh, you had to bring that up.”
And Bloody Hell! That was a horrible nightmare!
11827009
1. I've noticed you tend to use fictional expletives in the comments, some of which I wasn't aware of; I initially assumed, for instance, that 'mudscuffer' was a term specific to your part of the world.
2. Well, you did ask in DMs if Hoffman was going to get what he deserved. It only felt good and proper to deliver.
3. That plot hole irritates me as much as it annoys you, so taking the mickey was catharthis on my part.
4. That sequence was a gamble in terms of tone, to be honest. Dark sequences can become unintentionally funny if pushed too hard, so I was playing a constant balancing act.
11827016
Well, you have Star Wars: Rebels and The Mandalorian to thank for those, Zeb got me into saying “Karabast”, Sabine was “Kriff”, Cara Dune - “Mudscuffer”, and All other characters including Mando himself - “Dank Farrik”.
And I’m proud to see it.
Well, that’s not the only one, it’s the fact it was The Daylight that was used for the film. That part really pissed me off. If it were any other steamer it would be a different story.
I found nothing funny in it, Having your offspring die from getting hit by a motor vehicle is one of the worst fears a parent can feel. Moreover, the bit with Goldie missing Sunny growing up, that adds into it.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned or in rainbow dash and Scoterloo case Hell hath no fury like a mare scorned
awesome chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter
11826822
I have been for years. Though I'll remain to have a scar as a reminder of it.
11827020
1. I've picked up a few from 40K- 'frag', for instance. Warhammer Fantasy has mercenaries often derogatorily called 'meatblocks', primarily as canny warlords tend to throw them into the thickest fighting. After all, a dead mercenary doesn't need paying.
2. Np.
3. The use of such an iconic livery was asinine. A British person would react a similar way to an A4 Pacific being used for a similar stunt. Probably why the most recent Mission Impossible film chose to use a freelance design for the Orient Express sequence.
4. I know my mother certainly had that fear when I was young. And well said-being away from family for long periods of time can have an adverse affect on you. I know from living overseas that I really miss my folks.
The sequence is also intended to connect to other subconscious fears-virtually every parent has stopped and asked themselves if they're a good parent. Not only that, within the dreamscape we often have little control over what we say and do-hence why Goldie is acting rather OOC at first.
The final set of lines in the sequence reference the game I've been documenting recently:
11827028
Yup.
11827030
Glad you enjoyed.
11827050
I see. Still, that's better than being six feet under.
11827107
Mhm
11827216
This story shall now take a break until next week.
11827221
I figured. No worries.
11827103
Quite right. And I think my older brother has said Frag before. But I can’t remember.
You can say that again. It’s not just the livery, it’s the engine itself.
But, I always thought the Orient Express was pulled by a different steamer, not the Pacific A4.
I can say the same thing when I’m in North Dakota. And I know too well about the lack of control in the dreamscape.
That’s an interesting source of material to use. But a welcome one.
11827244
Cheers.
11827283
Mass Effect also has characters using the phrase 'fracking new guy' as the in-universe version of FNG.
The Orient Express would have been hauled by many locos during its run across Europe; as depicted in the Lego set, the Austrian locos are most closely associated (although the modern train is mostly electric hauled).
Indeed.
Its themes of loss of control and self-doubt fit many of the themes of this series quite well, I think.
11827453
I think Rocket Raccoon says that in one of the Guardians of the Galaxy video games.
Of course. I also know we have our own version of it here in the US, but I never seen it in person.
I agree.
11827461
Sadly the American Orient Express stopped operating in 2008 owing to the financial crash. A shame really, as the concept looked great; a cross country trip in style. Speaking from experience, sometimes it's nice to see a country from 16 feet above the ground than several thousand.
11827480
That’s disappointing. It would’ve been nice to ride it. But still, I have yet to travel by train.
11827482
Long distance? Yeah, me too.
11827578
That’s right. All train rides I’ve done are excursion trains.
11827852
With the exception of a trip on New Mexico Railrunner, same.
11827854
But one day, that’ll change.
11827858
I intend for that to be the case for me too. Though it's a tossup as to whether to take the California Zephyr, the Empire Builder, or the Southwest Chief.
11827863
The Empire Builder goes through my hometown, so it might be likely I’d take that one.
11828115
Sensible man.