Paths of discovery - icecoldbutheartwarm
It only seemed like yesterday, that the summer had shone upon this world. Far away from most civilisation, was a railway line, that stretched for miles and miles, going through forest and mountains. It was a line where steam trains ruled.. and diesels were kept away, used in other places, in other worlds. It was a cargo line, a fast line, the steam engines able to be cracked to their full potential at speed. For the drivers and crew that worked on it, working on this line was different, amazing, wondrous.
And then, out of the blue, the winter came. The line was no longer it's reputable shadow. Snow blanketed the line and only certain locomotives could be used now. It wasn't for fast trains anymore, no, the trains had to go slow, to clear the snow that would reform when the train passes. The trip was longer.. and soon becoming unviable. Crews would only work the line when they were rostered now, not volunteering to do it. In either occasion the trains only worked in the dark, where hardly anyone would be up and about.
Tonight, though, might prove a different encounter for one driver. Tonight there wasn't as much snow, so it was safe to operate for the period. The black steam locomotive chugged through the mountains as it's little plow cleared through the snow and brought it's train closer and closer to the destination, very slowly.. The driver, Bowen Chuuno, clad in black overalls, white shirt, black tie and black hat, working the engine slowly, because the snow was a safety and operational concern. The fire of the engine helped keep him and the fireman from the cold. The headlight showed the way as much as it could, but Bowen still had a pair of binoculars to see ahead. You could never be too careful... although there had never been an encounter with anybody on the line, now was not the time to take any chances.
And as the train plowed on, Bowen began to sing a little.
