The clock glared at me menacingly as we stood waiting on the station. The train for Whitby was running late, again. How I wish we’d rushed to catch the earlier train, but then I was too lazy to get up. The wind howled down the platform. It was chilly even for late October, yet the sun still smiled at us from the heavens above. In the distance the church clock sang loud and clear.
Margaret and Lily were talking animatedly to each other as I kicked a stone up and down. My stomach grumbled that I hadn’t eaten breakfast, not my fault I answered. You’ll get your feed this dinnertime. I looked up at the lonely moors, wishing the train would arrive soon. For the millionth time I looked in the direction the train would approach.
The tunnel mouth yawned, a mythical cavern, its dark maw a gateway to the heart of the hill. As the seconds stretched like toffee, a distant rumble began to resonate, akin to the low growl of a slumbering beast. The noise grew in intensity, reverberating through the very stones that surrounded the tunnel's entrance. Then, a brilliant light pierced the darkness within, gradually intensifying, the fire within a dragon's belly.
A burst of steam erupted forth, billowing smoke, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. The steam flowed like a cascade of ethereal mist, weaving intricate patterns that seemed to dance in the air. Within this momentary veil, a silhouette materialized - a majestic creature emerging from the very heart of the earth, returning to claim new prey.
First came the head, adorned with a formidable snout crowned by a towering smokestack that belched clouds of smoke with every defiant snort. Gleaming eyes, orbs of molten gold, glowing with an otherworldly intensity, they surveyed the world beyond the tunnel. The shrill whistle of steam, a dragon's roar, shattered the silence like thunder from the gods, declaring the creature's awakening.
Then, the massive body followed, each carriage akin to a segment of armoured scales glistening in the sunlight. The wheels, churning with a rhythmic cadence, were the pounding footsteps of a colossal creature making its way into the realm of mortals. The symphony of clanking metal, hissing steam forming a mesmerizing melody, echoing the growls and roars of this fire breathing behemoth.
The ground trembled beneath its weight, as if paying homage to its power. As the last carriage emerged from the tunnel, the monster fully revealed itself, a fusion of raw earthly energy fused with human engineering prowess. It hurtled forward with a graceful ferocity, forging a path, asserting its dominion over both the land and the imagination.
In that fleeting moment, the steam train became more than mere machinery; it transformed into a creature of legend, an embodiment of the primeval awe and wonder when dragons ruled the skies.
As the train neared the platform, the beast let out one final triumphant cry. The creature’s momentum began to wane, and it glided forward with a oh so gentle sigh, exhaling after a long arduous journey. With a mesmerizing display of synchronized motion, its wheels slowed their rotation, and the beast came to a halt. Steam continued to rise from its flanks, wrapping it in a warm wet embrace that seemed to blur the boundaries between the tangible and the mystical world.
“Yippee the trains here,” yelled Lily dancing a jig down the platform.
(Written from a prompt to use personification. Part of a story called Early Warning)
