Page 43 of Winter Magic on Railway Lane

All the passengers were looking unhappy as they climbed down from the carriages with some of the younger children looking downright terrified.

‘I can make everyone a hot chocolate, if you’d like,’ offered Katy in a cheerful tone.

But most people wanted to head home as the rain lashed across the platform from the open fields beyond.

‘What a disaster,’ muttered one man as they went past.

Katy and Libby looked at each other with worried glances.

‘I thought it was the scariest thing ever!’ said a young girl, looking thrilled.

‘Excellent!’ replied Libby, nodding in fake enthusiasm.

But the majority of people looked disenchanted and miserable.

Once they were alone on the platform, Libby looked at Katy. ‘I was sort of hoping it would be like Harry Potter on the Hogwarts Express. This was more like a Stephen King movie.’

Katy grimaced. ‘Trick or treat?’ she said, giving her a weak smile.

Libby blew out a sigh. Between Dodgy Del and the weather, it definitely hadn’t turned out to be a treat. It had been a disaster, not only for Ethan but for the whole family. It was likely the idea for any further Cranfield Steam Engine train rides might be over after their very first run.

Ethan stood in the driver’s cab and saw that all the passengers had left the station.

‘They’ve all headed home,’ he said to his dad and grandad.

His dad and grandad nodded but didn’t reply. They didn’t need to, thought Ethan. The disappointment of having to abandon the very first train ride had depressed them all.

Ethan looked back down the track, making a mental note to clear the fallen tree the following day.

As he looked out along the dark track, he realised that given his own skills with lighting, he should have thought harder about how lights could have helped the atmosphere. The train was in darkness, but he could have lit it outside somehow. Of course, it was too late now, but he wondered if he could make a few suggestions for the Christmas train. If it ever ran, of course.

Ryan and the rest of their friends gathered on the platform, no doubt to give their sympathies at the disastrous outcome. Ethan was grateful for their support and help that evening and realised how much he would miss his brother and friends when he flew off to America after the weekend. He had been looking forward to escaping at first, but the help and support that he had received that evening had made him appreciate just how lonely he often felt when he was away from home.

He looked at his dad and grandad and realised that they too would be needing some support. The disappointment might well mean that the Christmas train wouldn’t run. Their dream was over. It seemed a bittersweet anticlimax to what had been such a driving force in both of their lives for such a long time.

For once, there was no excited chatter as Ethan, Bob and Eddie began to shut the train safely down for the night. His grandad was particularly pale and quiet, thought Ethan. Probably the shock of the disastrous evening.

Once all the checks had been made, Ethan climbed down the steps first. He looked across at Libby, and even from a distance away, he could feel her sympathetic gaze. He knew then more than ever that it wasn’t just his family he would miss when he left on Monday.

Bob climbed down next with a heavy sigh before turning to ensure Eddie stepped down safely from the cabin.

However, Eddie’s foot slipped slightly and Ethan rushed over.

‘Steady there, Grandad,’ he said, holding Eddie upright with both his hands until his grandad was safely standing on the platform.

He figured that Eddie was probably a bit overwhelmed by the whole evening. And that he must also be exhausted from the final few months of pushing to get the steam engine working in time for their self-imposed deadline.

But as Ethan stepped around to face his grandad, he saw something else in Eddie’s eyes. Pain and confusion.

And before he could react, his grandad collapsed onto the platform.

26

Hours later, Ethan still couldn’t believe what had happened. One moment they were preparing to commiserate with each other after the disaster with the Halloween train. The next, his grandad was being taken in an ambulance to the hospital after a suspected stroke.

Eddie was still having the medical checks and scans required, so Ethan and the rest of his family were sitting nearby in a waiting area of the local hospital, anxiously waiting for the results.

‘Here you go,’ said Katy, arriving back from the vending machine with some plastic cups of tea. She handed one to Bob, who was sitting next to Ethan. ‘I’m not sure it’ll taste very good, but at least it’s vaguely warm.’