//------------------------------// // Regatta // Story: Thomas and Friends: Tales from the Mainland Volume 1 // by The Blue EM2 //------------------------------// Salty and Porter are the engines most likely to be allocated to work the dockside owing to their short wheelbases and reasonable amounts of power. As a result, the workers at the warehouses and wharfs on the dockside have come to know their faces especially well. Whether it be sailors, machinery, fish, or merchandise, these engines are the powerhouse behind the docks and waterways of Falmouth. This is- "Wrong series, mr narrator! You adapted Tugs back in 2021!" Izzy, please stop breaking the fourth wall. Back to the story. Their drivers enjoy it too. Sunny, of course, grew up here, and as such the sea is one of her oldest friends. Izzy grew up further inland, but the sea is still a concept to her, and as such living next to it never ceases to fill her with wonder. One morning, all sorts of new ships arrived. There were ships with white sails, ships with blue sails, and ships with red sails, to name a few. In fact, every colour of the rainbow was represented by the ships bobbing gently in the harbour. "Ooh!" Izzy said. "What's going on?" "It's the Falmouth Maritime Museum's annual regatta," Sunny explained, peering into a mug she was holding. "Lots of people bring their restored boats to Falmouth and exhibit them, and the museum gives them a rating based on numerous factors, such as equipment, quality of build, and what type of boat they are. Somebody brought a paddle steamer along once, which was very popular with the tourists." "Aye," Salty said. "And I can see the sailin' ships made out of sticks and string." "Most modern boats like this are made of a mixture of steel and fibreglass," Sunny pointed out. "It's a sea shanty." Salty sighed. "I can only wonder what going to sea would be like. I've spent my workin' life potterin' up and down the dockside, and never have I been across any body of water." "That's because engines don't float," Porter said. "We tend to sink, which is a horrifying thought." "Yeah, I read that article about engines stuck at the bottom of the Red Sea," Izzy added. "Scary." One of the sailors walked past them, so Salty decided to venture a question. "Excuse me, but have you ever been beyond the horizon?" "Sadly, no," the sailor replied. "The problem with trying to go beyond the horizon is that it keeps moving away from you. It's like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." Izzy perked up. "There's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? That's my next expedition!" "Izzy, that's a saying," Sunny explained. "Trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is a way of saying that somebody's course of action is fruitless." "Oh." Izzy's face dropped, then returned to normal. "I'll go look for something else then." "Besides," Porter said to Salty, "I quite like the rails. Unlike fish. The rails take us to all the places we need to go, even if there can sometimes be errors. One such error meant we missed that gala at Paignton." "Arr," Salty said. "But that did have one positive benefit." "It was the very thing that meant that Sunny and I met!" Izzy squealed. Suddenly, a loud klaxon blared over the dockside. "What does that mean?" Porter asked. "It's a warning," Salty said. "I figured that much out, Captain Obvious." Suddenly, a man ran up to them. "Salty, you're needed for a special mission!" "What's happened?" Sunny asked. "A man taking part in the regatta has been injured, and needs to be taken to hospital. The hospital at Truro lacks a helipad, and there's roadworks, so you'll need to move him by rail. Collect a coach and get going!" "Aye aye, captain!" Salty replied, and once Sunny was back onboard he rolled backwards through the dockside. "Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free..." The man shook his head. "I wasn't in the officer class when I was in the Royal Navy." The injured man was soon delivered to Falmouth station, where he was helped onboard the coach by a paramedic. Salty then set off on his way, climbing through the valleys and over the hills he had come to know so very well. When they arrived at Truro, more doctors were waiting to help the man to hospital. "Bravo!" called Nigel. "You did a fantastic job out there. Even if it was rather unconventional." "That's faster than I normally go," Salty admitted. "But what matters is this man is safe and can be treated." "Though getting back to Falmouth might be an interesting challenge," Sunny admitted. The return run to Falmouth proceeded without incident, and that evening, when work was done, Salty and Porter stayed on the quayside to watch the ships of the regatta bob up and down. "Looks lovely with the evening sun," Porter admitted. "You know, this might be the most stunning place... in the world." "Don't let Charles hear you say that," Salty laughed. "He's very particular about that sort of thing." Sunny and Izzy were positioned slightly further forward on the seafront, also watching the sun. "We sure have had some interesting adventures over the last few months," Sunny reflected. "That's true," Izzy said. "I was just thinking about what Porter said earlier. If the points had been set correctly, we'd likely never have met, and the magic might never have been restored. Funny how life works like that." "That's the butterfly effect," Sunny explained. "Explained simply, it's how very small, minute actions can end up having long lasting consequences, both good and bad. And considering what we've learned in that time about living alongside sentient machines, I can only wonder what lies beyond the horizon." "Yeah," Izzy said. "Where will our adventures take us next?" Sunny smiled. "I wonder that too. But what's most important is that I'll be doing it with you guys by my side." And all was well that positive evening. But Sunny was right, in a way. The times ahead would bring hard challenges and new adventures, as well as new threats to the utopia they had built. But I shan't say any more, or I shall spoil the next story.