"I can barely see a foot in front of my face!" Hitch shouted, as the train flew along the line.
The cab lurched and rocked and swayed as they flew along through the snowstorm. The snow had only gotten worse over these few days, and there were already some delays appearing on the network.
Sunny looked out of the other side of the cab to see objects flying past at higher speeds than she was expecting. "Steady, Hitch!" she said. "We're not out here to win a race! This isn't the Boat Train!"
Rebecca flew along, steam snorting away as she maintained a very high speed indeed. "We'll make it or bust!" she said. "Those passengers are counting on us to get to the concert!"
The radio in the cab buzzed. "Izzy here. Can we slow down a bit? The passengers are being tossed about like peas in a frying pan!"
Hitch checked his watch and the in cab displays. "If anything we need to speed up. That DMU got us severely held up near Axminster, and we have to make up the lost time."
Sunny looked out again into the driving snow and howling wind, and spotted something. "Hitch! There's a warning notice out on the other side of the line! We have to slow down!"
"Cab windows have lightly fogged up, and there is some ice buildup on the casing. Nothing we can't handle. Panicking solves nothing."
Just then, a speed board flew past. "There's the board before Wareham," he said. "We need to start braking when we pass the signal box."
Sunny glanced over again. "The warning notice-"
"I'll deal with it later!"
The train then flew past the signal box, and Hitch applied the brakes. But they didn't seem to be gripping. Rebecca's wheels skidded on the rails!
"What's going on?" she asked.
Sunny looked over. "There was a black ice warning!" she said. "The brakes can't produce enough friction to slow us down!"
"We'll have to put our faith in the carriage brakes then!" Hitch replied, as he glanced out of the cab to see a shower of sparks trailing from Rebecca's wheels.
"Bit sparky out there!" said somebody.
Sunny grabbed the radio. "Izzy, can you apply the handbrakes on the brake coach? It'll give us a bit more braking force!"
"On it!"
"We'll still be coming in pretty hot!" Hitch called.
Another electric rain roared by on the other line, powering into the snowstorm. The train continued to slide along before the station suddenly loomed into view.
"HOLD ON!"
They were down to thirty miles an hour when they hit the front of the platform, and speed continued to drop. The engine brakes finally bit into the wheels, and the formation was safely brought to a dead stop before the signal.
Hitch wiped his brow. "I need a cup of tea after that."
Sunny glanced out of the cab and back down the line. "Looks like we'll need to wait for the support engine to tow our train down to Swanage."
The Swanage seafront was lovely at this time of year. Decorations hung from buildings and lamp posts, and everything you could think of was festooned in lights and other Christmas objects. A record number of wreaths had been put together to be displayed outside buildings, and this was quite the sight.
Not that you would have noticed this based on the scene occurring in the streets. The familiar sight of the Three Havens was proceeding along the seafront stores. They paused outside the butcher's shop. "Jones has outdone himself!" Lady Haven smiled. "That's quite the display, don't you think?"
"Look at that pie!" Zipp said. "I bet Cloudpuff would like that."
Lady Haven looked back at her. "Beef? Don't be absurd. Cloudpuff prefers lamb."
Speaking of Cloudpuff, he was currently on a lead, but still looking through the window and drooling at all the meat produce inside.
Suddenly, Pipp looked over. "Over there! Christmas syrup tasting at the Confectionary Cart!"
The two girls suddenly dashed off at speed. Lady Haven shook her head. "Girls, slow down! The Confectionary Cart isn't going to run away from you!"
She stopped next to the cart, puffing and panting. The winter air wasn't the best for her lungs, and all this running around was a painful reminder that she wasn't getting any younger. "Besides, as your grandfather always said, shopping is a marathon, not a sprint!"
"Didn't he call it a marathon not a race in one version?" Pipp asked.
"Yes," Lady Haven replied. "But at the time he had drunk a little too much sherry. He was, shall we say, rather merry. But why are we racing around?"
"We just want to ensure we see all the stuff we want to see before we need to go prepare for the concert," Zipp said.
"You are aware the same things will be open tomorrow, right?"
It was at that moment Zipp realised there was a bit of a flaw in her plan. "Good point."
Inside the Swanage Concert Hall, Sunny and the others had been guided to the Duchy Box, which gave them an excellent view of the stage, which was currently being set up for the night's proceedings.
When the door was opened, they were delighted to see Misty waiting for them. "Hey guys!" she said. "Nice to see you again."
"I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Misty," Sunny said, as she took a seat around the central table. The table was piled high with gourmet food and drink, all themed for the season.
"Anybody for a pig in blanket?" Hitch asked. "I remember when there was a shortage of these last year."
"We produced more specially," said a voice, and two security guards entered. "Is there anything you need?" asked one.
Zoom looked to him. "This should be an easy job."
Thunder nodded. "But there is a distinct lack of babies, and I doubt they like being sat on."
Meanwhile, Izzy had opened one of the boxes. "There's nothing in them!" she said.
"It's air from Charles," Thunder said. "You know how much he produces."
Izzy put the box to her ear. "I can already hear it calling Porter a blithering idiot!" she joked.
Zoom tapped Thunder. "Good save. I don't know why we didn't just tell them they're decorations for the show!"
"Would you want to ruin that?" Thunder replied, pointing to the gathered friends.
"Fancy sending the punch round another time?"
"Sure thing!" Misty replied. "But I think I may have used too much grape juice..."
Pipp and Zipp still hadn't gotten the memo, and were, for reasons Lady Haven could not fathom, speeding past the shops. "It looks really interesting when you go past them at high speed!" Pipp called.
"You're going to slip on some ice at this rate!" Lady Haven called, as she struggled in vain to keep up. She was even thinking of bringing out that rarest of parental discipline tactics (the full name ultimatum) when her phone buzzed, taking her out of her thoughts.
She checked the message. Final setup for concert in half an hour.
She'd set that as a reminder to herself to get to the concert hall on time, and suddenly her daughter's actions made so much more sense. She turned a corner to see them stopped near the concert hall entrance, glancing at some displays.
"Wow. They really pulled out all the stops this year," Zipp noted.
Lady Haven finally caught up, and stopped behind them. "Well, given that this year we have the performers from two entire towns this year some extra planning was required."
"I don't like where this is going," Zipp said quietly.
"We have to fit in twice as many performers as usual, as it hardly seemed fair to not let the musicians from Paignton not perform their set after all their hard work. So I was able to get them involved and the show this year shall be twice the usual length!"
Pipp tapped her sister. "Sunny isn't gonna like this at all."
Everybody was feeling thoroughly relaxed when the lights in the concert hall dimmed. A brass fanfare sounded, and a voice spoke out. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, please welcome to the stage, Her Ladyship the Duchess of Dorset, Elizabeth Haven!"
The crowd cheered as Lady Haven stepped onto the suitably winty stage. "Good evening, everybody! Owing to the circumstances of the year, fitting the show into the hall was rather more challenging than last year, but I would like to formally thank the hard work of our transport and information staff who succesfully pulled this off. And thank you to all of you for braving the fierce winter weather to attend our wondrous and joyful, joyful and wondrous Great Western Royal Carousel Concert!"
Misty tapped Izzy. "That was quite the tongue twister."
"This year's show is special. This festive tradition was started by the towns of southwest England forty years ago this year, and to pay tribute to that I am honoured to welcome the musicians from the Paignton Community Choir, the Paignton Brass Band, the Isle of Purbeck Chamber Orchestra, and the singers of the Swanage Singers to take you on a festive journey through Christmas traditions in our fair country. Act One of Six will begin with the Middle Ages."
Sunny looked over in shock. "Six acts?" she said. "The program only has three!"
"And now, it is my honour to hand over to the Paignton Community Choir for a trip into plainchant. Take it away!"
By the time it came to Pipp and Zipp's number (which was to conclude the show), most of the audience had fallen asleep. Luckily, a brass rendition of Deck the Halls courtesy of both brass bands woke everybody up.
The MC took over. "And now, to conclude this year's show, a special number composed for this year's performance. It is my greatest pleasure to welcome Ladies Zara Storm and Philippa Petals to the stage. Take it away, maestro!"
Just then, the lights came up on the two girls. Pipp, dressed in cliched holiday gear, looked to be in the moment if a bit tired, whilst Zipp had the distinct look of a deer in headlights.
The bands flowed in with the music as they stepped forward with what could only charitably be described as some form of interpretive dance.
"The fire is glowing/
Friendship is flowing/
It's the feeling of knowing/
It will soon be Christmastime!
"Hooves on the rooftop/
The ringing of the bells/
Lights shining bright/
On the carousel/!
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
The twinkling Christmas Star that shines/
At joyous, joyous Christmastime!
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
The twinkling Christmas Star that shines/
At joyous, joyous Christmastime!
Sleigh bells are ringing/
Young children singing/
The season is bringing/
The joy of Christmastime!
"The gifts that we share/
As our hearts all swell/
As we go round and round/
On the carousel! (carousel)
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
The twinkling Christmas Star that shines/
At joyous, joyous Christmastime!
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
The twinkling Christmas Star that shines/
At joyous, joyous Christmastime!"
Even though the audience were very tired, the number brought the house down, and the hall erupted in applause.
Unfortunately, the timings had been figured out based on the pre-extension version of the show, and the extra numbers had resulted in an overrun of about 90 minutes. As Pipp and Zipp left their dressing rooms, having changed out of their outfits, Lady Haven was very confused. "Where are you two going?" she asked. "The show's barely finished!"
"The railtour needs towing back to Wareham," Zipp replied.
"And we need to drive the engines to move it. We'll be back as fast as we can!" Pipp added.
The two girls dashed down the corridor as Lady Haven smiled. "Helping others in need. The Christmas spirit truly lives in them. Merry Christmas!"
"Thank you, ma'am," said Thunder, who had appeared behind her.