One More Check: story transcript
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One More Check
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The shed lamps turned low. Nell rolled into her parking place and stopped beside the little white line. Walter settled on the next track. Nell looked at the line, then at the shadows beyond it. "Walter, could you check where I’ve parked?"
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Walter looked carefully. "Your wheels are just where they should be." Nell thanked him. A lamp dimmed with a soft click. "Could you check again?" she asked. Walter looked once more, but this time he noticed Nell was watching the dark corner, not her wheels.
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"Is it the corner?" Walter asked. Nell’s small headlamp glowed against it. "I don’t like being by myself when the lamps go low," she said. "I kept asking about my wheels because I didn’t know how to ask you to stay."
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Walter gave a quiet puff. "You can ask me to stay." Nell took a little breath. "Will you keep me company until morning?" "I will," said Walter. He rolled closer on the next track. Together they counted the last three lamps as each one dimmed.
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Then came their new bedtime routine: one soft whistle from Nell, one from Walter, and a long, slow sigh of steam together. The shed grew dark and still. Nell could hear Walter breathing nearby. Both engines rested in the same shed until morning.
