Charlie the Choo Choo

Comic credit goes to magicalgametime.com

The following is blatantly ripped off from Stephen King's "The Waste Lands." After reading a few paragraphs of the original story, I fell asleep and dreamt of my own version. Thanks Brain.

Charlie the Choo Choo
Bob Brooks was an engineer for The Mid-World Railway Company, on the St. Louis to Topeka run. Engineer Bob was the best trainman The Mid-World Railway Company ever had, and Charlie was the best train!

Charlie was a 402 Big Boy Steam Locomotive, and Engineer Bob was the only man who had ever been allowed to sit in his peak-seat and pull the whistle.Everyone knew the WHOOO-HOOOOO of Charlie's whistle, and whenever they heard it echoing across the flat Kansas countryside, they said, "There goes Charlie and Engineer Bob, the fastest team between St. Louis and Topeka!"

Boys and girls ran into their yards to watch Charlie and Engineer Bob go by. Engineer Bob would smile and wave.The children would smile and wave back.

Engineer Bob had a special secret. He was the only one who knew. Charlie the Choo Choo was really, really alive. One day while they were making the run between Topeka and St. Louis, Engineer Bob heard singing, very soft and low.

"Who is in the cab with me?" Engineer Bob said sternly.
"Don't worry," said a small gruff voice. "It is only I."
"Who's I," Engineer Bob asked. He spoke in his biggest, sternest voice, because he still thought someone was playing a joke on him.
"Charlie," said the small, gruff voice.
"Hardy har-har!" said Engineer Bob. "Trains can't talk! I may not know much, but I know that! If you're Charlie, I suppose you can blow your own whistle!"
"Of course," said the small, gruff voice, and just then the whistle made its big noise, rolling out across the Missouri plains: WHOOO-HOOOOOO!
"Goodness!" said Engineer Bob. "It really is you!"
"I told you," said Charlie the Choo Choo.
"How come I never knew you were alive before?" asked Engineer Bob. "Why didn't you ever talk to me before?"
"I'm going to murder you Bob," growled Charlie in a low, gruff voice. "When they find your shriveled body, they will lose sleep wondering how long you stayed awake before the steam and ash melted in your throat."
A small WHOO HOOO laced with malice rung through the conductor's car. Steam and exhaust battled their way into each and ever car where Charlie felt feet stomp a romping round his floors. Before the crescendo of screams started to die, Charlie derailed his bodies from the bridge tracks above to plummet into the ravine below.
There was a terrible silence
Then a terrible crash
Then nothing but the low, gruff voice of a broken machine.

Don't ask me silly questions,
I won't play silly games.
I'm just a simple choo-choo train
And I'll always be the same.