Rosie Takes the Plunge

1 fine day, Gordon wanted to rest in the train engine shed, but Rosie was speaking to Bill and Ben about what happened just 2 days ago.

“It was raining very hard, water was swirling under my boiler, I couldn’t see where I was going, but I struggled on.” Rosie said to Bill and Ben.

“Wow, Rosie, you really are brave.” Bill said excitingly.

“Well, you guys,” said Rosie modestly. “it wasn’t anything really, water’s nothing to a train engine with determination.”

“Tell us more, Rosie.” Said Ben with excitement.

“What the heck are you guys doing here?” hissed Gordon. “this train engine shed is for very popular train engines like us, now go away.

“Crazy little things…………” Gordon snorted.

“They’re not crazy.” Rosie had been enjoying herself. She was fed up ‘cause Gordon had sent Bill and Ben away.

“They are crazy, and so are you.” “Water’s nothing to a train engine with determination, ha!”

“Anyway,” said cheerful Rosie. “I’m not terrified of water. “I like it.” She ran away singing to herself.

There was 1ce a train engine who was terrified of a great big rainstorm………..

Rosie arrived home feeling very pleased with herself. “Crazy old Gordon,” she chuckled.

Oliver was looking at a board on the Quay. It said ‘Danger: Train engines shouldn’t pass this board’.

“We shouldn’t go past it,” Oliver said. “that’s the rules.”

“Why’s that?” Rosie asked.

“Danger means falling down something,” said Oliver. “I went past danger 1ce and fell down a dark pit.”

Rosie looked around at the board.

“I can’t see a dark pit,” she said while looking at the board.

She didn’t know that the foundations of the Quay had sunk, and that the rails now sloped downward to the water.

“Stupid pathetic board!” said Rosie.

For days and days, she tried to sidle past it, but her driver stopped her every single time.

“No you don’t,” she would say.

Then Rosie made her plan.

1 day at the higher station, she whispered to the Freight Cars.

“Can you give me a bump when we get to the Quay?”

The Freight Cars were very surprised. They had never been asked to bump a train engine before.

They giggled and chattered about it the entire way down.

“Whoa, Rosie, whoa!” said her driver, and Rosie checked obediently at the distant signal.

“My driver doesn’t know my plan,” she chuckled.

“On, on, faster, faster!” the Freight Cars laughed in unison.

Rosie thought they were helping her. “I’ll pretend to stop at the station, but the Freight Cars will push me past that board.” “Then I’ll make them stop.” “I can do that whenever I like.”

If Rosie hadn’t been so conceited, she would never have been so crazy.

Every single train engine knows that you can’t trust Freight Cars.

They reached the station, and Rosie’s brakes groaned. That was the signal for the Freight Cars.

“Go on, go on!” the Freight Cars shouted in unison and surged frontward together forever.

They gave Rosie a fearful bump and knocked her driver and fireman off the footplate.

“Yow!” whistled Rosie, sliding past the board.

The entire day was foggy, the rails were very slippery, her wheels wouldn’t grasp.

Rosie was terrified. “That’s enough, you guys!” she hissed.

But it was too late, 1ce on the slope, she went helplessly down, crashed right through the buffers, and slithered right into the water.

“Rosie, I can’t believe you disobeyed the rules.”

Rosie knew where that voice was coming from.

She groaned in disappointment.

The Viking rowed the sailor across in his canoe.

“Please, Mr. Sailor, sir,” said Rosie. “I’m terribly sorry about it.”

“No, Rosie, we ain’t gonna do that ‘til high tide.” “I hope it’ll teach you to obey the rules.”

“Yes, Mr. Sailor, sir.” Rosie said devastatingly.

She was very cold, little fish were playing hide and go seek through her wheels, and the tide went higher and higher.

She was feeling her position more and more deeper every single minute.

It was nearly night time when they brought the floating cranes, cleared away the Freight Cars, and lifted Rosie outta the water.

She was too cold and stiff to move around all by herself, so she was sent to the works the next day on the breakdown train.

“Well, Rosie,” chuckled Gordon. “did you like the water?”

“No, Gordon.” Rosie said angrily at him.

“I’m quite surprised, you need more determination, Rosie.” “Water’s nothing to a train engine with determination, you know.” “Maybe you’ll like it better next time.”

But Rosie is quite determined that there won’t be a next time.

End of Rosie’s new side of the story sequence………………………