It was a few days after Sailor John had lost two more henchmen when they attempted to shoot down Thomas without any orders. At this point, Sailor John had decided to lie low for a while and try turning to any diesels for help. He decided he'd have to try something more subtle without the use of henchmen for now.

Meanwhile, Percy was having yet another frustrating day. He was once again faced with troublesome trucks for company on Thomas' Branch Line. They would not be quiet or cooperate with him at all. Among these trucks were Fred Pelhay and Rickety. They were two of the most notorious troublesome trucks on Sodor. Every engine on Sodor hated them and Percy was no exception. Both trucks could sense Percy was not happy and as such, they took advantage of it.

"Percy!" gloated Fred. "Quit your creepy crawling and talk to your old pal Fred!"

"I'm here too, little caterpillar!" laughed Rickety. "But don't worry. I'm here for you if you need a buffer to cry on!"

"Be quiet!" Percy ordered crossly.

But the trucks kept on with their teasing and taunting. "Oh dear, Fred! Where would the railway be without our little caterpillar?"

"Oh, you're too funny, Rickety!" said Fred. "We'd never have any fun without this little cheeky bug!"

"I said BE QUIET!" Percy wheeshed as he gave them a sudden bump.

"Temper-temper," giggled the trucks.

All day, into the early afternoon, Percy had to deal with endless teasing from the trucks and having no engines to keep him company. It was hard and annoying, but he knew useful engines had to do what they're told. As he worked wearily and stressfully, he began to wish he had someone pleasant to share his work with. He would have liked Thomas or Toby to help him.

But then Percy's mind fell upon Gina again, just like he had been doing every so often ever since she left. Thinking of her was the only thing that even remotely helped him deal with the trucks over the last few weeks. He wished he could see her again so badly. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, so many questions to ask, just so he could hear her lively, lovely Italian voice again.

Ever since he talked to Emily on whether or not he was in love with her, he still wasn't sure if he really loved her, but he desperately wanted to tell her everything he felt about her in one way or another. He really wanted to know if she felt the same about him at all…

Percy finally dropped the trucks off at the Shunting Yard. Now he had to head back to Thomas' Branch Line to deliver diesel fuel to the quarry.

"Too many trucks!" he complained. As he prepared to leave, he heard a whistle that immediately made him feel better. Emily came by with her coaches and stopped beside him. She had been fully repaired with a new safety valve and funnel, good as new. Her first coach was also fitted with a new window.

"Hi, Percy," she said.

Percy looked over and remained silent for a moment…then let out his son manners again.

"Hi, mummy," he peeped.

Emily giggled at Percy's greeting and blew him a kiss. Then she addressed his situation. "You seem tired, Percy. Are you alright?"

"Not as well as I want to be, Emily," replied Percy. "I'm feeling put upon again, too many troublesome trucks slowing me down, bothering me, teasing me…and I keep thinking about…her."

Emily knew too well what Percy meant. He was talking about Gina again.

"I see," she said. "Thinking about her still. Speaking of which…have you decided how you really feel about her? I can recall you came to me for help, asking if you were falling in love."

"I know, Emily," said Percy. "But no. I'm still not fully sure if I'm really in love with her…but she's so special to me!" Percy suddenly paused as he suddenly realized something else. Then he spoke again.

"Actually, Emily…I think I know what may be bothering me…I really like Gina…but I can't stand being unable to let her know that. I really wish there was some way I could talk to her, or hear from her…"

At this point, Percy had to leave to gather the fuel. On the way, he passed Thomas.

"Hello, Percy," he greeted. But Percy didn't answer or even look as he kept huffing on. Thomas was puzzled when he suddenly heard Emily pull up alongside.

"Hello, Emily," he said. "What's wrong with Percy? He didn't say hello to me."

"You'll have to understand, Thomas," said Emily. "He's thinking about Gina again. He really wants her to know how he feels about her. Ever since she left after her visit here, Percy has been thinking about her and wondering if he really loves her…"

"Oh, of course," said Thomas. "I'd be very happy for him if he really is in love."

"Thomas…I think we need to help Percy," said Emily.

"I agree…but how?" asked Thomas.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out…" said Emily. "I'm sure we'll find something that could work…"

When night fell and the stars began to shine through the sky, Percy was ready to leave Tidmouth Sheds to take the mail train. Emily watched him gather the mail wagons from the siding by the sheds and set off into the night. Then suddenly, an idea flew into Emily's funnel. Percy's main job was carrying the mail and parcels across the island. Perhaps if his driver wrote a letter to Gina from Percy, they could send it to the Mainland and onwards to Italy. Then Gina would be able to hear from Percy after all. Emily thought it was a brilliant idea. She decided to tell him first thing in the morning and fell asleep again.

When the sun rose, Emily woke up just in time to see Percy come back after delivering all the mail.

"Good morning, Percy," said Emily. "Come here please…"

Percy crossed the turntable and buffered to Emily.

"Good morning, Emily. What is it?" he asked. Emily told Percy everything she thought of and what she intended to do. Percy was absolutely delighted.

"Oh, Emily!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that? Thank you, mother!" And he leaned in and kissed Emily's nose.

"Oh, you're welcome, Percy," giggled Emily.

"Please sir…will you write a letter to Gina for me?" Percy asked his driver.

"Of course, Percy. As soon as we get our one hour break later today, we'll get to it," said his driver.

Percy was beaming with joy now. He waited endlessly for his one hour break to come along and working as much as he could, wondering what to say to Gina.

Eventually, the time for the one hour break came.

"Alright, Percy," said his driver. "I'm ready." He drew a clipboard and pen and was ready to write. "Well now, what do you wish to tell Gina?"

Percy thought for a moment, then started telling him what to write, making sure he was clear and honest in his words. After about twenty minutes, the letter was complete. Percy's driver sealed it with an envelope and put it in the post box so it would be collected for that night's mail train.

"The letter is all set, Percy," said his driver. "Now it just has to be loaded into the mail train tonight. From there, it will be sent to Italy and eventually to Gina."

"Thank you," said Percy. "Gina will be pleased…at least I hope she will be."

That night, Percy set off with the mail again. But this made him remember his letter…and he began to worry that perhaps the letter wouldn't make it to Italy. He feared it would probably be mixed up in the sorting office and be sent to the wrong destination. He tried not to fear the worst, but since he had such strong feelings about Gina, he couldn't help but worry.

When he finally reached Vicarstown, Hiro was waiting to collect the post bound for the Mainland.

"Good evening, Percy," he said. "I'll take the post from here."

"Th-thanks, Hiro," said Percy. He left the mail wagons for Hiro to collect and watched him leave for the Mainland. All Percy could do was hope and fear that the letter would reach Gina. All the way back, he kept thinking and worrying about what could possibly happen to his precious letter and if Gina didn't receive it.

Eventually, as the sun just began to rise in the dark sky, Percy reached Tidmouth Sheds, really needing some sleep. Emily woke up briefly and saw him turn around and back into his berth.

"Percy?" she whispered. "How are you?"

"I just delivered the mail to Hiro. Now it's off to the mainland and hopefully to Gina," said Percy. "But…"

"What is it, Percy?" asked Emily.

"I just really hope there are no mistakes and my letter really does reach her…"

Emily turned to Percy's berth and buffered to him. "Don't worry, Percy. The mail has never failed on Sodor, and Gina will hear from you soon enough."

"One other thing, Emily…" said Percy. "How will I know how she feels about me?"

Emily smiled and gently pushed Percy inside his berth, making him comfortable enough to sleep.

"If Gina cares about you, she will certainly respond to your message, Percy. I promise you that. For now, just sleep peacefully," she whispered and kissed his cheek. That was enough for Percy as he fell asleep, ready for Gina to reply sometime soon…

A few days later, Gina was working on her railway in Italy, shunting away through the yards for Stella and Giovanni.

"Grazie, Gina," called Stella.

"Good day, Stella!" called Gina. She watched as Stella and Giovanni left the yards and started their day's work. Gina was just about to get back to shunting more trains when she suddenly heard someone call her name. She stopped and returned to her station's platform. Her controller had called her over.

"Si senor, what is it?" asked Gina.

"Ciao, Gina," said her controller. "I just received this letter this morning. It's from Sodor…specifically to you."

Gina perked up when she heard Sodor. "Really, sir?" she asked.

"Si, Gina," said her controller. He handed the letter to Gina's driver and left to get back to work himself.

Gina's driver opened the letter and suddenly spoke up. "Gina? You might want to read this."

"What is it, senor?" asked Gina. Her driver stepped out and showed her the letter. It was from Percy, making Gina squeal with excitement.

"Oh…Percy!" she bubbled as she read the letter. Everything Percy told his driver to write was there.

"Dear Gina,

I hope you're doing nicely since you visited Sodor. Back here,
I've been having a mostly pleasant time. Emily has been looking
after me as my mother figure, Thomas is quite happy as always, and
he had a little rusty situation before taking Alicia Botti to another concert.

As for myself, I've been recently put upon with more troublesome trucks.
So troublesome that I only wish you were here to help me with them with
your first-rate shunting skills. For now, I really hope you're doing well, and I
miss you. Have a wonderful day, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Your little friend, Percy."

Gina was so happy to hear from Percy, even though he wasn't right beside her. She found it only necessary to return the favor.

"Oh, senor!" she gasped. "Please write a return letter to Percy…from me…"

On Sodor, a few days passed. Percy kept up with his work, but found himself constantly wondering about his letter and what Gina would say if and when she received it. He wondered if she really would send a letter back to him. He tried not to worry, but it was all he could do until he received any word on the matter.

Then one day, Percy was at Ffarquhar Station, still worrying about the status of his letter. He was about to ask his driver if he knew anything, when Tom Tipper came by.

"Mr. Tipper?" said Percy. "What are you doing here?"

"A letter for you, Percy…from Italy," he said. Percy's heart flipped suddenly and he looked up. Tom Tipper handed the letter to Percy's driver, who opened it and skimmed it briefly.

"Percy…it's from Gina," he said.

"Gina?!" gasped Percy. "She got my letter?"

"Yes, she did," said his driver.

"It made it!" whistled Percy. "Please read the letter."

Percy's driver held the paper out and read the letter.

"Dear Percy,

I am replying to your cheerful letter. I am very touched to hear that
you're wondering how I'm doing. I can say I've been doing fairly well
on my railway, shunting perfectly as always. I have my friends and rivals
on my railway, but I'm still happy enough. My best friend Stella has
been keeping me happy, and I managed to make my rival Giovanni see
some sense after he complained too much about me pretending to be a
queen. You would have loved to see his face!

On the other hand, I can recall you saying you miss me…well, I miss you too.
I've been thinking about you every now and then myself.
Thank you for your sweet letter.

Your shunting friend, Gina."

Percy was bubbling with so much joy, he had to reply. His driver agreed to write a reply…but this time, Percy would try to tell her about his feelings towards her.

And so, a new letter was placed in the post box, and when night came, Percy took the mail train to Vicarstown again where it was sent to the Mainland once again. When he came back to Tidmouth Sheds, Emily saw him wearing an excited smile. She came to his berth to see what was going on.

"Gina replied to me, Emily," Percy bubbled excitedly. "I've sent her a reply tonight."

"Well Percy, I'm quite happy for you. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear from you again," smiled Emily.

Back in Italy, after a few more days passed, Gina received a second letter from Percy. Her driver opened it, but didn't read it.

"What is it, sir?" asked Gina.

"I think you should read this for yourself, Gina," said her driver. He showed her the letter and Gina read.

"Dear Gina,

It's Percy again. I was very happy to receive your letter after my first letter
to you. I wanted to tell you something else…something more personal and
just between us…I've always wanted to tell you my feelings for you. Ever since
I first met you at the Great Railway Show, I was impressed by your swift shunting
skills…and then when you visited Sodor and helped me shunt just like you, I
began to feel new things about you. I felt that you were a friend unlike any
other friends I had before…especially when you kissed me that evening when
I let you take my berth.

I had so much fun with you during your visit…but ever since you left, I feel that
a little part of myself went missing. I constantly find myself thinking about you…
until I approached Emily about it and I asked her it I was in any way falling
in love with you. I wasn't sure back then and even now I still don't know for sure…
but I definitely have very strong feelings for you that no other engine
made me feel.

I was nervous about telling you, but I just couldn't hold it in anymore…and I
want you to know how you feel about me. You're a very special friend to me,
and no matter how far apart we are, I really hope you understand my feelings.

Thank you and I hope to hear from you again.

From Percy."

Gina finished reading the letter and remained silent for a few minutes, thinking about everything she just read. She did not know what to say about Percy's confession. He actually felt like he loved her. She had personally felt similar feelings for him. Just like Percy, whenever she felt overworked and stressed, she always thought about him and she felt she'd be lying if she didn't view Percy as very special to her too…

After a few more days, Percy was finishing his work in the Shunting Yards and was about to take an early mail train when Tom Tipper came by with another letter from Gina.

Percy's driver opened the letter and let Percy read it to himself.

"Dear Percy,

Ciao, my little friend. I found what you wrote to me very moving and very
touching. I found myself really thinking deeply about it. As you hoped, I do
understand how you feel, and I'll tell you why…I've found myself in the same
situation as you. Whenever things became tough for me, I found myself thinking
about you and wondering what I could say to you.

I am very flattered that you're wondering if you love me. I'm sorry to say that I
can't confirm right now if I'm in love with you either…but I am very confident that
if we continue to communicate through letters, I'm sure we'll find a clear answer
for each other eventually.

But until we meet again, I promise you, Percy: when I'm ready to give you my final
and true answer, you will not be disappointed.

Grazie and bye for now.

Your little queen, Gina."

Percy could not be more excited. He and Gina were very similar in some respects. They both thought on similar grounds about each other and that gave him a sense of confidence…but when he had read the part where she spoke of feeling in love, he felt even more excited. But this was only the beginning of more interactions between him and Gina. There was so much more to say and do and perhaps one day, Percy and Gina would see each other again after all and reveal more secrets to each other.

And thus Percy and Gina have finally found a way to communicate with each other. You can imagine we'll be seeing more letters from them in the future before their inevitable reunion. This was also another story where got inspiration from Enterprisingengine93, from his Season 3 episode "Penn Pals", the idea of engines communicating through letters, and slight inspiration from his Season 3 episode "Percy and Asbestos", in regards to Fred Pelhay and Rickety's inclusion, two trucks who are exclusive to the Railway Series. Until next time, feel free to leave a review, tell us what you thought of this, and I'll see you guys next time.