The tale of The Bad Engine

It was the evening before Halloween and all the engines were gathered around ready and eager to start their annual tradition of telling ghost stories. The fire lighter came to set the mood and soon the yard was showered in a warm, orange, glow creating an atmosphere right for spooky tales. The engines took turns telling ghost stories as the moon rose overhead each trying to outdo the last they were all enjoying themselves enormously even the big engines who normally didn't have much patience for silly stories beamed and laughed as Thomas and Percy imitated a ghost haunting an old mansion. Finally it was Henry's turn to tell a story he hesitated for a moment and curiously looked over to Gordon and Edward who appeared cautious at first but then beckoned Henry on. "Tell it Go on it won't hurt." whispered Gordon. "I don't know if I should." he whispered back "It's up to you Henry it is scary." Edward replied quietly. "Are you going to tell a story or not?" James said. The other engines laughed except for Henry who looked a little uneasy. "Come on!" Thomas and Percy said together. "Well alright, here goes." and so Henry began. "Many years ago there was an engine who worked on a far away railway. He was never given a name or should I say never live long enough to be given a name." Henry pause impressively. "You see" he continued "all engines when they are built are friendly and hardworking but once in a while engines come out bad and I'm sorry to say this engine came out very bad indeed. no one knows how he came to be built or what he led him to do the things he did but left a path of destruction that haunts his controller to this very day." Thomas and Percy looked wide-eyed at each other. "The engine thought himself to be a premier engine from a famous lineage but it was actually an experimental engine using only parts of other steam engines the parts didn't fit together very well and made him very mean-spirited and somewhat unhinged. it was painted blue when it should painted black it was not uncommon for the engine to insult the others resort to light sabotage such as bumping them without warning and misplacing trains over small petty squabbles. He was also very easy to anger and fits of rage taking it out on the trucks and sometimes engines smaller then he was. One day he up to one of these smaller engines and pushed him to the edge of the turntable well threatening to knock him in if he didn't cater to his every whim." Edward suddenly gulp as if a bad memory had flashed across his mind. "The big engines were furious and confronted him about his behavior." "Stop bullying engines smaller then you!" they said. "But he wouldn't listen he continued to play spiteful tricks and  threaten that if the big engines ever told the controller about it he'd make them pay. The two big engines thoroughly fed up got up early one morning and met the controller at the station they told him all about what the engine had done but the controller's hands were tight since the engine was on loan." "I can't do anything but put in report to the engine's company." said Henry mimicking the fictional controller. "What happened then?" asked Toby "Well one of the big engines left to take a train and the other remained at the station trying desperately to plead their case. it is said the bad engine was passing trough the yard at the time and saw the big engine needless to say he was immediately suspicious he confronted the big engine in the yard and said "I told you not to tell anyone you'll get yours." "The big engine just laughed believing the engine only to be bluffing." Henry suddenly paused Edward, Gordon, and Henry all look at each other Gordon gave a motion of the eyes encouraging Henry to keep going. "But " Henry said "he was most assuredly not bluffing. the next day the big engine was express train through the junction when suddenly and without warning another engine creamed in to the back of his coaches there was an awful noise as wood, metal, and stone splitted everywhere but what was worse was as the noise of wreck subsided the screams of the passengers those coaches became louder and louder and louder." The other engine's eyes were glued to Henry they didn't dare make a sound. "the bad engine knowing the big engine was just at the line had intentionally missed a signal and plowed into the back of the express train to get even. The side of it was awful the three rear coaches were smashed to pieces and everyone inside those coaches..." Henry gulped "Everyone inside those three coaches perished." The other engines gasped. "The big engine screamed "You've killed my passengers! You've killed my passengers!" "But the bad engine didn't care he just laughed the controller came and see the mess sent the engine for scrap if the controller had only listened to the big engines the lives of those in the coaches might been saves so that is the moral of this story stand up to evil and fight until the very end or the evil might just turn you into ghost." Henry gave a loud whistle making everyone jump. "Wow Henry!" James laughed "That was a twisted story." "I might have the light on tonight." said Percy and everyone laughed. Soon the engines began to the yard to get a good a good night's rest. Gordon, Henry, and Edward however stayed behind as soon as the other were out of earshot Henry's sighed looking very ill. Gordon smiled sympathetically. "A fine performance Henry though I know that's not an easy story for you to tell." "Do you think they knew who we were talking about?" said Edward "The only one who might have known was Thomas but he was too young at the the to remember." added Gordon "you think 98462 was actually scrapped?" asked Henry but Gordon and Edward didn't answer right away. The three looked up at the moon uncertain but hopeful that the bad engine wouldn't come back to haunt them again.