Chapter 8
8
Ethan headed back to the bar, enjoying the celebration regarding the successful inaugural journey of the steam engine. Everyone inside The Black Swan Inn had been rushing up to shake his hand, along with his dad and grandad’s. He had managed to snatch a few brief bits of conversation with his friends Joe and Nico whilst they stood at the bar with his brother. Meanwhile, Bob and Eddie had been relishing their success at a nearby table with a constant stream of well-wishers. Finally, when he had a moment free, Ethan joined them to sit down next to the roaring fire.
‘What a day,’ said Eddie, with a satisfied smile.
Ethan thought that it had been a long time since he’d seen his grandad looking so happy and proud of himself. The years of hard work had paid off for his dad and grandad. He was so happy for them both. They had achieved what had turned into a lifetime dream for them both. The steam engine had worked.
‘It certainly was,’ said Bob, before suppressing a yawn.
‘At least we all get a lie-in tomorrow,’ Ethan told them with a grin.
‘You’re joking!’ said Eddie, before giving a hearty laugh. ‘We’ve lots to do yet, lad.’
Ethan was confused. ‘What are you talking about?’ he asked. ‘The train run was successful.’
‘Yes, but it’s not going to stop there!’ replied Bob, looking at Eddie and rolling his eyes. ‘These youngsters don’t have much vision these days, do they?’
‘Don’t we?’ said Ryan, as he sat down to join them. ‘I think my successful coffee shop and pizza takeout service should cast any of your doubts aside.’
Bob waved his eldest son’s comment away with his hand. ‘We were talking about the train,’ he said.
Ethan instantly took a deep intake of breath. He recognised that expression on his dad’s face. It held the familiar sense of determination and obsession which only revealed itself when the train was being discussed. He exchanged a nervous look with his brother, who only gave a bewildered shrug of his shoulders in response.
‘But we did it,’ said Ethan in a faltering voice. ‘You both did it. The steam engine ran successfully.’
So what came next? he wondered.
‘We’ve had a little chat,’ said Bob, glancing at Eddie, who gave him a nod. ‘And we reckon we’re ready for the next phase.’
‘The next phase?’ asked Ryan tentatively.
‘Paying passengers!’ announced Bob.
There was a slight pause at the table as Ethan and Ryan both leaned forward at the same time with a shocked look on their faces.
‘Passengers?’ murmured Ryan.
Ethan stared at his dad. ‘What do you mean? You’re not seriously thinking about taking out those old carriages at some point, are you?’ he asked, flabbergasted.
Two old train carriages had been renovated and upgraded into Airbnb accommodation over the previous winter, to much success. However, there were two more large carriages still in the workshop, but they had never been touched as the steam engine had taken up the main restoration.
‘Of course we want to hook up the spare carriages,’ said his dad, beaming.
‘Then everyone can enjoy the ride,’ added his grandad.
Ethan thought back to when he had last looked at the old pullman carriages properly. As far as he could remember, they still had their seats and were fully fitted, but they hadn’t been used for a very long time.
‘That’s a lot of hard work to get them sorted,’ he said, not wanting to upset his dad and grandad. ‘Maybe by the new year…’
‘Oh no, lad,’ interrupted Eddie, shaking his head. ‘We need it to be up and running sooner than that. Anyway, it’s not like we’re scared of a hard day’s work.’ He sighed. ‘You see, I’ve always had a dream that I could see a Christmas train on the railway line again.’
‘A Christmas train?’ Ethan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
His grandad gave him a watery smile. ‘I went on one with your grandmother many years ago. I’d love to see it run from Cranfield again. So it’s been our secret little goal, hasn’t it, Bob?’
Ethan’s dad nodded in agreement.
‘So we reckon now that the steam engine’s up and running, we can move on and get it ready in time for Christmas,’ said Eddie.
Ethan exchanged a look of despair with his brother. It appeared that his dad and grandad had replaced one obsession with another.
‘That’s a big ask,’ replied Ethan carefully, his mind running through the potential pitfalls and long to-do list.
‘And you’re going to need things like public liability insurance because it will involve people’s health and safety,’ said Ryan, who knew about all of this thanks to setting up the coffee shop.
‘We know that,’ said Bob, with a chortle. ‘And we’ve already applied for the proper licences. We’re just waiting for them to come through.’
‘The carriages are in a bit of a mess though,’ said Eddie, frowning. He looked at Ethan. ‘But we were really hoping for an extra pair of hands to get them up and running, restoring the paintwork and the internal fixings. Plus the train itself needs a new coat of paint.’
‘I’ve got to head off to America for work at the beginning of next month,’ Ethan reminded them. The contract had already been delayed, but there was every expectation that he would be needed from the beginning of November. There was a huge new shopping mall that required his skills as lighting technician.
However, to his surprise, his dad and grandad didn’t seem concerned about him leaving the country.
‘Well, that might work out,’ said Bob, nodding thoughtfully. ‘Because we were thinking of a trial run on the last day of October in any case, so you could always help us with that instead.’
‘This month?’ spluttered Ethan.
‘You mean for Halloween?’ asked Ryan.
His dad and grandad gave a cry of disbelief. ‘Oh! Why didn’t we think of that!’ said Eddie, looking at his son with delight. ‘A Halloween-themed train!’
‘It’s a smashing idea,’ replied Bob, beaming from ear to ear. ‘It could be a real-life ghost train!’
‘That’ll get the punters in for miles around here!’ said Eddie, clapping his hands in excitement. ‘And that was the idea because we plan to raise money for a local charity.’
They both looked across at Ethan, smiling broadly.
‘You’ll help, won’t you?’ asked Bob.
‘Er, of course,’ said Ethan, running a hand through his hair.
What choice did he have? His dad had been through such a tough couple of years and with his grandad saying it was a lifelong dream of his, he didn’t want either of them taking on too much. And yet, he felt trapped into a corner.
‘Don’t you think the end of month date is perhaps a tad ambitious?’ he asked in a soft tone.
But his dad and grandad were too busy looking at the calendar on their mobile phones. ‘It’s perfect,’ Eddie was saying. ‘Halloween actually falls on a Saturday this year.’
‘So no worrying about the kids needing an early night because of school the next day,’ replied Bob. ‘So they can go trick or treating first.’
‘Or we can set up something on the platform instead,’ added Eddie, beaming.
Ethan blew out a long sigh. It looked as if he had some serious work to do before he headed off to America in four weeks’ time.
He just needed to get everything in place before he left, he decided. Then he could leave everything in his dad and grandad’s capable hands.
The trouble was, neither of them were getting any younger and it was a big task they had set themselves.
He looked at his brother, who looked equally concerned.
‘I think I’d better get another round in,’ said Ryan, collecting the empty pint glasses. ‘Whilst you’ve still got time to drink it.’