NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Written by Scrubb1910
James is seen pulling coaches and trucks.
James is a splendid red mixed-traffic engine who can pull coaches and trucks. But sometimes, he can be quite boastful and didn't tell the truth.
James puffs into Whiff's Waste Dump.
One day, James was sent to work at Whiff's Waste Dump. Scruff had to go to the Steamworks so James had to help out. He didn't like that...not one bit!
JAMES: *GRUMBLING* I'm too splendid to shunt! I'm not like Edward!
James was so cross that he biffed some trucks that went right into Whiff pushing him right under the chute. Garbage fell on top of him from footplate to funnel.
WHIFF: *CROSSLY* James! Why don't you watch what you're doing?
JAMES: Well, excuse me for not knowing, but you could've said something!
The Fat Controller is at the scene.
The Fat Controller arrived. He was cross.
TFC: *CROSSLY* I knew it! I had a feeling something like this would happen.
JAMES: How was I supposed to know that Whiff was in the way? He needs to get his glasses cleaned!
WHIFF: *ANNOYED* My glasses are clean, James! Or, at least, they were.
JAMES: Well, there you go!
TFC: *GROANS* Honestly, James! Just because you don't like working with garbage that doesn't mean you can treat other engines like garbage!
JAMES: But-
TFC: But nothing! I've had it up to here with all your lies and excuses and exaggerations! From now on, *FIRMLY* I expect you to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! Do I make myself clear?
JAMES: *SADLY* Yes, Sir. Crystal clear, Sir. Sorry, Sir. (looks at Whiff) Sorry, Whiff.
WHIFF: Apology accepted, James. Now kindly help me out, please.
James does so without any complaint.
TFC: *SMILING* That's more like it. (turns to walks back to his car) *MUTTERING* Engines today... oh, I don't know… (climbs into his car and drives off)
James arrives at Knapford. The Fat Controller is on the platform.
JAMES: Job done, Sir!
TFC: Already? (checks his watch) But it's not even tea-time. (looks up at James sternly) Is this another one of your excuses, James?
JAMES: No, Sir! It's true! I have been working hard and got the job done! Really, I have, Sir! It's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
James is with the Fat Controller back at Whiff's Waste Dump.
WHIFF: That's right, Sir. The Waste Dump has never looked so tidy.
JAMES: Would I lie to you, Sir?
TFC: Hm - well, James, it seems that I owe you the benefit of the doubt. Despite what happened earlier today, you have been Really Useful and Really Honest, too!
JAMES: Oh, thank you, Sir!
TFC: Scruff is coming back from the Steamworks so you are excused from working here.
James felt even happier. Today turned out to be a good day for him and all because he told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But I'm sorry to say that James would enjoy telling the truth a bit too much!
The next day, at Knapford Station, Phillip was busy shunting Gordon's express.
James puffs into Knapford.
PHILLIP: Hello, James! Just finished shunting Gordon's express.
JAMES: I can see that, Phillip.
PHILLIP: Oh, good! By the way, I bet you don't know this and not even Gordon.
JAMES: Know what? What is it, Phillip?
PHILLIP: Well, Gordon sometimes can be a little rough with the coaches. For an express engine, he's even fast asleep!
JAMES: Really?
PHILLIP: Uh-huh. He once nearly overrun a red signal and ignored the WHISTLE sign twice in a row!
JAMES: You don't say!
Gordon backs down onto the express.
GORDON: Express coming through!
JAMES: Don't forget to WHISTLE when you see the signs, Gordon!
GORDON: Hm?
JAMES: And while you're at it, mind you don't ignore any signals!
GORDON: *INDIGNANT* What? Me! Ignore signals and WHISTLE signs?!
JAMES: Don't ask me, ask Phillip!
PHILLIP: *SURPRISED* Hey!
GORDON: *ANNOYED* Oh, the indignity! I've never been so insulted in all my life...especially from a cheeky little diesel boxcab!
Gordon storms off in a huff leaving the Express behind.
PHILLIP: *CROSSLY* Thanks a bunch!
JAMES: You're welcome.
Phillip chases Gordon.
PHILLIP: Gordon, wait! I was just joking…!
The Fat Controller sees Gordon puff off in the distance.
TFC: Fancy Gordon taking off without the Express, today! He can't be in that a hurry! Now, I'll have to find another engine to take over…
JAMES: No sooner said than done, Sir!
James is already coupled up to the train.
JAMES: I'm a mixed-traffic engine, Sir. I can pull coaches and trucks just as well as any engine. It's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
TFC: Oh, er...very well, then James! If you are willing to pull Gordons' express, that's fine by me.
The guard blows his whistle and James departs with the Express.
James felt pleased with himself. He was beginning to think that telling the truth can be so rewarding!
James is at the quarry with Percy and Toby.
Later, James had to collect some stone from the quarry.
JAMES: Fancy Thomas keeping us waiting, eh? Some guaranteed connection, he is.
PERCY: He can be a bit of a procrastinator, sometimes.
JAMES: Thomas? A procrastinator?
PERCY: And a bit of a dawdler, too. Tankee Dawdle, if you ask me.
JAMES: A dawdler?
James smiles smugly at the thought of this. Thomas' whistle is heard in the distance.
TOBY: Talk of the devil, here he comes, now.
Thomas arrives hauling stone trucks and looking exhausted.
THOMAS: Hello! Sorry I'm late - missed my connection at Maron Station.
JAMES: Fine, fine, loads of time, Thomas...or is it Tankee Dawdle? *LAUGHS*
THOMAS: *CROSSLY* That's not very nice, James!
JAMES: Percy said it, not me!
PERCY: Eh?
THOMAS: *CROSSLY* Percy!
TOBY: Erm, well...it's true, Thomas. You have been running behind schedule a little, lately.
THOMAS: Humph! Well, you can take my trucks now. Perhaps, maybe you'll do much better at being reliable and on time than me!
Thomas puffs away crossly. Percy follows him.
PERCY: Thomas! Come back, please!
TOBY: Thomas, come back! Don't be like that!
James and Toby watch on looking rather confused.
JAMES: Well, that just happened. Leave us to do all the work, why don't they?
TOBY: Perhaps we went a bit too far. *MUTTERS* Well, mostly you, I'd dare say.
James rolls his eyes and sniffs.
Emily is at Brendam Docks when James arrives.
JAMES: Hey, Emily.
EMILY: Hello, James!
JAMES: I just brought stone to the harbour. And I had to shunt it myself. Funny of Thomas and Percy to leave me and Toby to do the work. Can't think why...
EMILY: Well, it's not too bad, really. I'm still waiting for Henry with his train to come through. Mind you...he can be a bit forgetful sometimes.
JAMES: Unlike an elephant?
EMILY: I guess you can say that!
James and Emily both laugh. Henry pulls into the dockyard.
HENRY: Hello, there! What's so funny?
EMILY: Oh, nothing.
JAMES: Except for a joke about elephants...not the ones that stick in tunnels when it's raining.
HENRY: Whatever do you mean?
JAMES: Elephants never forget, apart from big green engines!
HENRY: What?!
JAMES: Emily told me.
EMILY: *GASPS* What?! I - I - I d-didn't-!
HENRY: Huh! Very funny!
Henry puffs away crossly. Emily glares at James.
EMILY: See what you've done?
JAMES: All I did was tell the truth, Emily.
EMILY: Well, you didn't have to hurt other engines' feelings!
JAMES: Well, at least I didn't come up with those honest facts about others, didn't I?
EMILY: *SIGHS*
Emily puffs back to work.
CRANKY: And I thought honesty was the best policy.
James began having serious doubts. Every time he saw his friends, he whistled at them, but they didn't whistle back. He couldn't understand why and what was going on. Perhaps telling the truth wasn't particularly fun or rewarding as he thought it was.
That evening, he didn't return to Tidmouth Sheds. He instead went to Wellsworth Sheds for the night and told the problem to Edward.
James is seen at Wellsworth Sheds with Edward.
JAMES: They won't listen to me, they won't talk to me, they won't whistle back to me and they won't even let me apologise.
EDWARD: Yes, James, I know. Toby and Phillip told me all about it today. I was going to ask you tomorrow, but seeing as you came and told me your problem, it saved me the trouble.
JAMES: Edward, what can I do? I couldn't go home to Tidmouth...not while they're all mad at me.
EDWARD: Sometimes, James, the truth can hurt. Maybe if you tried telling the truth and being nice at the same time?
JAMES: Tell the truth and be nice at the same time? How am I supposed to do that?
EDWARD: Well, just be nice and considerate of one another's feelings, validate how they feel, avoid blame, and keep your judgments to yourself.
JAMES: *THOUGHTFULLY* I suppose that could work, Edward.
James went to sleep wondering how he could make things right with the other engines.
It is early morning; James arrives at Tidmouth Sheds and stands on the turntable.The next morning, James arrived at Tidmouth very early.
James blows his whistle loudly.
JAMES: Attention, everybody!
The other engines all wake up suddenly.
THOMAS: Huh? Oh, no...not James, again.
GORDON: *YAWNS* Have you any idea what time it is, James?
HENRY: *MUTTERING* Early bird…
The Fat Controller arrives looking very tired.
TFC: *YAWNS* What's going on? James, what's all this?
JAMES: I just have something to say and it's very important.
EMILY: *EXHASPERATED* Whatever it is, go ahead and spit it out!
JAMES: *CLEARS HIS THROAT* I have said a few things about every one of you like that, and...I am really, really, really, REALLY sorry. Thomas, you are a guaranteed connection and not a dawdler.
PERCY: That's what I tried telling him, but does he listen? No-
THOMAS: Okay, Percy! I get it! I forgive you. And I forgive James, too.
JAMES: Gordon; you may be fast, but you are a sensible engine in your own right.
GORDON: Oh, don't worry, James. I'm over it, now.
JAMES: And Henry; you may be a forgetful worry-wart, but you're our forgetful worry-wart.
HENRY: Do you really mean that, James?
JAMES: Yes! Yes, I do! You are all good friends of mine! It's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
HENRY: James-
JAMES: *GETTING RATHER TEARFUL" And I'm really, really sorry! I'm really sorry I told the truth! It tore us apart!
THOMAS: James…
JAMES: *DELIRIOUS* I promise I'll never tell the truth again!
PERCY: James...
JAMES: Never...ever!
EMILY: James!
JAMES: What?
EMILY: We're all sorry, too. We've all said some horrid things behind each other's backs. Perhaps, from now on, we'll be more careful about what we say about others in future.
TFC: And I quite agree. That would be a very good idea. Perhaps we've all certainly learned a valuable lesson in honesty and being nice at the same time.
ALL: Yes, Sir.
TFC: Anyway, I have a special job for you today, James.
JAMES: Let me guess - trucks, trucks and nothing but trucks, Sir.
TFC: No, James. Because you've worked so hard yesterday, despite what was going on, I'm asking you to pull a seaside special.
JAMES: A seaside special? Really, Sir?
TFC: Would I lie to you, James? *CHUCKLES*
JAMES: Um...no, Sir.
TFC: Well, now, off you go, James. You don't want to keep holiday-makers waiting.
JAMES: No, Sir! I wouldn't! I'm a splendid red engine ready for anything! And that's the truth!
James turns around on the turntable.
PERCY: The whole truth!
ALL: And nothing but the truth!
They all laugh as James sets off on his way.
THE END