Under the Tree-The Shunting.

The Shunting

• ⤓ Under the Tree-The Shunting.

• ⤓ Under the Tree-The Shunting.

A train story in three parts.

The first part opens with the little engines of the Skinny Controllers railway darting through the old green hills of the Island of Sodor shunting flour barrels. There is a mysterious Hill Figure carved into the chalk of a man with a staff. As the engines twist around the curves and climb up and down the hills they sometimes can hear the strange piping. The Man in the Hills playing along with Pan as the sheep graze on the green hills.

There are many stories told by Bertram to Mr. Perceval. One of my favorites is about how it looks like a giant. It was the place a giant was killed and they outlined it in chalk. But also the idea that we are the giants, the descendents of the giants and that it runs in our blood the same as our land.

The second part is the entrance of the castle grounds. The piping changes into a royal fanfare music. It is in the raw connection to the earth where the kingship is derived and this raw natural impulse when focused becomes a powerful servant. Organized brick work give rise to numerous castles. Gallantry.

The third is further exploration of the mines near the castle as they seem to have been the hiding place for the bandits and traitors who originally stole the crown. A place of rotten timbers and twisted old track. Accidents happen at every turn. But what fortunate accidents, we have discovered the lost crown in the rubble. We discover some great wisdom in the robbers camp. They may not have been traitors after all.

The further adventures "Under the Tree":

Mr. Percival's Dream

Listening to stories about the Man in the Hills till deep into the night Mr. Percival went home and was fast asleep. His sleep was agitated and fitful. Giants eating a gingerbread house. He would wake up and go to work. The train station had become a ginger bread house. Bertram pulls up and points out that its probably a dream, "...but what a wild dream and thank you Mr. Percival for dreaming me into it" and he chuffed away.

The Red Barrels

Red barrels of petrol and oil leak out on the lush green grass on the hills where Hides the Man in the Hill. Mr. Percival wants to get the dirty petrol and oil business rerouted out of his region. The hills are no place to be transporting up to four barrels of this highly toxic substance. So far there has been little change and the whole production seems to be getting favored from insiders from the government and the oil company. There is more money to be made in Petrol than in the scant flour and milk establishments and they are feeling the squeeze. The farmers and the railway have a long history. It remains to be seen how the balance goes.

The Casu Marzu Caper

Thomas was asked to pick up a car full of the Sodor Casi Marzi Cheese. Specially decomposed from the cheese maggots that thrive in the Island environment. It is widely exported through out the whole world fetching a very good price. Not communicating with a Diesel train at the docks there was a smash up and cheese got everywhere.Casu marzu is considered to be unsafe to eat by Suderian aficionados when the maggots in the cheese have died. Because of this, only cheese in which the maggots are still alive is usually eaten. It was a stinky writhing mess that revolted the wash down guy and he puked up his afternoon beer before he knew what was happening. He left to get his buzz back. The other Diesels did not get washed down that day and the stink was offensive to many on the island that day.