Allister Tungsten – What's your malfunction? A question he is often asked from early in his childhood to well into adulthood.

A man in his early forties and dressed in a darkened tanned suit complete with a bowler hat, stands alone for a moment or two, specifically to take in his surroundings, most of which comprises of barren waste land. He takes in a deep breath through his nose and breathes out through his mouth and smiles before taking out a pocket watch from his jacket breast pocket to check the time.

He soon turns, walks about a hundred yards, or so then climbs five thick wooden steps which brings him up and onto a singular train platform. He continues to move along and nods to greet a young lady who appears to be waiting on a train. He continues onto an office window and makes an enquiry.

'Excuse me good sir, could you please be good enough to tell me what todays date is.'

'September fourth' comes the reply from an older gentlemanly attendant.

'And the year please?'

'Excuse me?'

'Please indulge me if you will, I sometimes get disorientated and confused.'

'1893' speaks that older gentleman, himself being quite perplexed.

'Thank you so much. Am I right in assuming that the train to Castletown passes through here?'

'Yes ... it does, in fact there is one due in approximately fifteen minutes from now.'

'Fantastic. If you will good sir, I will take a one-way ticket.'

The ticket is dispensed and paid for and soon the man in the darkened tanned suit, bowler hat and all, begins to pace the length of the platform. He is a little impatient, eager to get on with what he has come to this particular time period to do. He indeed does not have long to wait for fairly soon he can not only hear but he can see a steam train approach. He once again checks that pocket watch of his.

'Would you believe it? Right on time.'

Elsewhere at this particular moment and in a darkened enclosure, five individuals completely covered in black robes, revolve anti-clockwise around a large square wooden table while chanting in unison. One of these individuals' moves out of the circle turns then stops and removes his hood before speaking.

'Master is coming.'

That steam train comes to a halt at the train station, and no one exits at this stop. The man in the tanned suit boards upon hearing the 'all aboard' call and he is followed by the only other waiting person, the young lady he had nodded to.

The whistle sounds twice in quick succession and the train continues on its way and the man being followed by the young lady begin to make their way through the train one carriage at a time. The first carriage is next to full of odd and almost metallic looking people. Men wearing hats, eye pieces and ginger facial hair, and women wearing corsets and bonnets, all of whom have a strange grey epidermis and are moving almost robotically.

Some of these strange people are standing, some are sitting, and some are asking 'what is your malfunction?' possibly even directing such a question at the newest of passengers. The motion of those new passengers is unfazed and continues on from that first carriage and on into a second.

In this carriage there is a total lack of movement and sound. Mannequin like entities of all shapes, sizes and colour remain motionless for the entire time it takes those two new passengers to move through it. Surely this period of time is more akin to something futuristic than something which belongs to the past.

The third carriage is home to characters who may appear to be more at home anywhere else other than on this train. A large mechanical man of sorts, an Alice lookalike lost in her own wonderland and a cybernetic Blackbeard, a land-loving pirate apparently ready for an all-out land locked apocalyptic war.

Movement continues into a fourth carriage. Plenty of room here so seats are taken opposite to one another. They sit in silence though glances are exchanged. A conductor enters this carriage and calls out 'tickets please'. Tickets are shown and checked.

'Castletown next stop' speaks the conductor before he moves onto the next carriage.

The next stop soon comes, and two passengers exit the train and in silence she follows him.

Chanting in the darkened enclosure loudens for a short time then it stops as does the anti-clockwise movement.

'Master, we knew you would come ...'

The man in the darkened robes removes his hood. Tanned suit man turns to the young lady and nods. She is shown to that square wooden table. She is soon strapped to that table. Chanting and movement resume. Tanned suit man once again takes out his pocket watch. As he examines it, he speaks.

'Time to return home, the malfunction will soon be no more.'

Regular programming resumes shortly ...