Friday December’s 29th, twenty seventeen
We have transformed our cellar dwelling into the storybook island of Sodor. Both ML and I have been pressed into work (without the appropriate paperwork and approvals) on the railway system of Sodor. We have laid track around the family room, with branch lines around my chair and under Nanny’s.
There is a clear order of things here in Sodor. H is in charge, the equivalent of the ‘Fat Controller’ from Thomas and Friends. Through Christmas the railway and the rolling stock has been much improved. The engine complement includes; Thomas, Gordon, James, Vinnie and the flying Scot. Annie and Clarabel are the two passenger cars for Thomas. He has cattle cars, dairy cars, coal tenders, cabooses and flat cars.
When the trains are moving, the fat controller orders his minions (PopPop and Nanny) to ‘sit down’ and get to work. I am in charge of nothing but responsible for track repair, engine maintenance and supervision of Nanny. I am assigned to keep Gordon moving and make sure Nanny keeps James out of his way. We are hardly able to refill coffee without yells of “PopPop… Gordon” back to work I go. ML is in charge of keeping the fat controller watered, fed and serviced.
H gets right down to the level of the trains and he expects no less of us. When we are all down at floor level with all trains running the cellar sounds just like a train yard. There is snorting, grunting, whistling, coughing, groaning and complaining, but H and I are used to it… more later