Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

The Flying Percy

It was a cold, crisp morning on the Island of Sodor and at Tidmouth Sheds, all the engines had woken up, except for Gordon but when the big blue engine finally stirred he noticed the looming figure of the smartly-dressed Fat Controller before him.
"Sir!" exclaimed Gordon with wide-eyed shock. He immediately tried to not look sleepy in the slightest "Am I late for work?" he then asked with apprehension.
"No, not at all..." laughed the Fat Controller. "In fact, I am here to bring you some good news Gordon!"
"Really?" replied Gordon "What ever is it?"
"Your brother, the Flying Scotsman is coming once again to Sodor for a long-awaited visit! He said he'll be here as soon as possible!" declared the Fat Controller. Gordon was surprised. He hadn't seen his brother in years and now he'd be able to see him once more. Gordon wanted to blow his whistle in celebration, but he couldn't as neither his driver or fireman were there yet. The other engines were excited too and beamed wide smiles towards Gordon, they knew how much he'd missed his brother. Gordon's grin was the biggest it had been for some time and just as the Fat Controller was leaving, he had one more message for Gordon.
"Oh by the way, when Flying Scotsman is here, he'll be taking your express duty Gordon. I hope you don't mind, I've got to go now, goodbye!" and before Gordon could reply, the Fat Controller was in his blue car and was setting off into the distance.
"W...w...w...what?" wondered Gordon as the wide grin vanished in an instant. Had he heard that right? Was his brother seriously taking his express duty off of him. He rather hoped he'd misheard. "Huh..." was all he could mutter as he mulled over the thought that for the time being he'd now lost the thing that made him feel very important.

As Gordon sulked, the news had spread about the impending visit of the Flying Scotsman. It was creating a buzz all around, and Percy was seemingly the most excited engine of them all.
"I really can't believe he's coming back! I'm just so excited!" he declared to his close friend Thomas.
"Calm down Percy or you'll use all your energy before he's here!" urged Thomas. He knew how over excited Percy could get and was a little concerned for his green friend.
"I know, stay calm, but I just can't contain myself!" replied Percy. His joy though wasn't washing with some, Henry especially.
"Oh please..." he moaned. "He's hardly going to talk to you, you're small and inadequate..."
"Inaddy-what?" questioned Percy
"He means your not fit for purpose Percy, he's just being mean!" explained Thomas.
"That's not nice Henry!" said Percy.
"I know..." retorted Henry as he slowly pulled away and carried on with his work. He hissed a little steam on his his way and that annoyed Percy even more. He was cross at Henry's remark, but hissing in his face was just mean. After a bit more calming down from Thomas, Percy eventually put it behind him and the pair of them waited for their crew to return from a break, they kept chatting about the Flying Scotsman. It was clear to see he was Gordon's brother, they were both boastful and fast and the pair joked about how Gordon was much slower than his brother. Then, as they giggled a little more a whistle was heard, it bellowed loudly and for a long time too. It dominated the surrounding area.
"Oooh!" Percy squealed in excitement, knowing what it meant. The Flying Scotsman had arrived.

Gordon's brother was thundering into sight and as crowds cheered at the station and nearby engines whistled in celebration, Percy beamed his brightest ever smile. He could feel his face aching at the sheer width of the smile but he didn't care. The Flying Scotsman was important, he certainly was inadequate like Henry had called him. That still hurt Percy but again he put it to the back of his mind as the green vision that was the Flying Scotsman came slowly into the station, the cheers getting louder still as he finally came to a halt.
"Oh please..." he said in his posh voice "I don't deserve all this!"
"Oh I think you do..." then said a voice. Flying Scotsman looked to his left and saw the familiar figure of Gordon pull up beside him. They both smiled.
"It's been a while Gordon..." remarked Flying Scotsman
"Oh it has!" replied Gordon. "Some would say far too long."
"I hope Sir Topham's been keeping you busy." Flying Scotsman then said. "I know I have been."
"Of course." smiled Gordon, although he knew his duties of late most likely hadn't been as strenuous as his brother's. He had his express duty and that was it, it was fairly plain sailing in comparison to long runs like Flying Scotsman. Gordon's smile soon faded at the thought of this but his brother thought nothing of it and then continued to chat with him as people on the station platform looked on in wonder and took photographs. The other engines nearby, including Percy, were still eager to meet Flying Scotsman and hoped that they would soon, but Percy knew he had a busy day ahead of him.
"I'd like to meet him and speak with him." he confided to Thomas. "I'd like him to say I'm a really useful engine."
"I'm sure you will meet him properly." said Thomas. "We just can't interrupt him at the moment, he is Gordon's brother after all, not yours."
"I wish I had a famous brother." Percy then moaned as Toby pulled up alongside him and Thomas. He didn't quite see the fuss surrounding the Flying Scotsman and neither did Henrietta.
"Is it really necessary to meet him?" he asked cautiously to Percy.
"Of course!" retorted the little green engine. "He is famous! I want to meet him and be friends with him. That will make my year!"
"And your sure he'd want to be friends with you?" Henrietta then called out.
"Oh, you're becoming as bad as Henry!" said Percy angrily. He wanted to leave but his crew still weren't back, so he just tried his best to look away from Toby and Henrietta.
"What's got into you?" Toby then asked. Percy didn't answer.
"Henry called him inadequate." Thomas then explained. "He's still hurt about that." Toby saw immediately and made Henrietta apologise even though deep down he didn't feel like she had to. Percy though wasn't in the mood for accepting apologies and not long after his crew returned from their break, he steamed off, not even saying goodbye to Thomas as he departed.
"He's got good friends in the pair of you." said Henrietta. "He doesn't need anymore, especially snooty ones like him." she added in reference to the Flying Scotsman who was still chatting to Gordon. He did acknowledge Percy though as the green engine passed him by.
"Good day to you..." he said rather grandly. Percy was wide-eyed in shock.
"G...g...g..good day to you" he eventually stuttered before steaming off into the distance. Flying Scotsman just smiled before going back to chatting with Gordon.
"He seems awfully nervous for a little engine." he remarked to his brother.
"That's Percy for you." Gordon sniffed before laughing to himself.

Flying Scotsman's visit wasn't a flying visit by any means and saw him stay for far longer than anyone had anticipated. He stayed overnight in a special shed where Gordon joined him and the pair regaled one another with stories. And over the next few days, Flying Scotsman thundered down Sodor's lines with Gordon's usual express and was getting the acclaim of all.
"He is truly marvellous!" marvelled Lady Hatt to her husband on one such journey.
"He really is." acknowledged the Fat Controller. This only made Gordon feel worse about himself and as he took small passenger trains and the occasional freight load, he could see other engines beaming brightly when his brother spoke to them.
"Oh..." sighed Gordon. "No-one looks at me like they do with him. Not even Percy does and he's easily amused."
"Hello brother!" Flying Scotsman then called over as he sped past with more cheering passengers. That made Gordon even sadder but he wasn't the only sad engine about. Percy had been so busy with work that he hadn't even seen Flying Scotsman again since his arrival at the station. He was so desperate to meet him and was annoyed when he found out Thomas had spoken with him before he even got the chance to.
"Why do I have to be so busy?" he wondered. "All I want to do is make friends with a famous engine, its not so much to ask, is it?"
"Concentrate." his driver then called out as Percy made his way to collect trucks to take to the coal depot. Then, as he was coming into sight of the station where Flying Scotsman had arrived the other day, Percy began to hiss all of a sudden. It was a loud hiss that couldn't be ignored and Percy's crew decided to stop at the station and get him looked at.
"You can't stop here." called out the disgruntled station-master as Percy hissed to a halt at the end of the platform. "Flying Scotsman is due to set off here shortly with the express."
"We're sorry," apologised Percy's crew. "But Percy is hissing loudly, he needs looking at."
"Do it in the sidings, not here." the station-master barked. Percy's crew tutted at the rudeness of the station-master and then tried to start Percy once more, but the hissing engine couldn't move.
"Something's broken." called out his driver. "We can't move." he added as the station-master looked on in horror. His face only worsened when he heard the bellowing whistle of Flying Scotsman coming from in the distance. Percy felt embarrassed that he'd broken down but maybe now despite his predicament he might be able to meet Flying Scotsman at last.
"Why is there an engine on my line?" Flying Scotsman asked to his crew as he slowly came into the station. They didn't have the answer and slowed him down and stopped him a sizeable gap away from Percy. "Excuse me..." Flying Scotsman then bellowed. "Can you please move? I'm here with the express!"
"No..." replied Percy very timidly.
"Why not?" asked Flying Scotsman. "You do understand who I am, don't you?" he then asked rather grandly and patronisingly towards Percy.
"Yes I know who you are but I can't move. I've broken down." answered Percy. Flying Scotsman looked indignantly towards the station-master.
"Can't you sort this out?" he asked. The station-master shook his head.
"No, you'll have to push him, we can't afford the express to be late." he said. Flying Scotsman went pale at the suggestion.
"Push him?" he said. "Really? How undignified." he added but he could begin to hear unhappy murmurings from his passengers wondering if they were going to be late. Flying Scotsman couldn't possibly let his reputation be harmed by this and ordered his crew to buffer him up with Percy.
"Oooh." smiled Percy as the big famous engine buffered up to him. "This is novel."
"You're telling me." muttered Flying Scotsman as soon a guard whistled him off and the express was leaving the station but not how many would expect to see it. It was an odd sight to say the least, and as the express thundered down the line, other engines looked on puzzled at the sight they were seeing. James was definitely confused.
"Why is Percy pulling the express?" he asked himself. Thomas was similarly puzzled.
"What's wrong with Flying Scotsman?" he wondered as the bizarre train passed him, Percy smiling the widest he'd ever seen him smile.
"This is amazing!" he declared loudly but Flying Scotsman was in no such agreement and tried his best to not look at anyone watching him. However, it wasn't easy to hide when you're as famous an engine as the Flying Scotsman. That distinctive paint scheme makes him stand out from anyone else on Sodor and the sheer speed of him means only Gordon can compete. Talking of Gordon, the Percy-led express was making its way towards him but Flying Scotsman didn't like the thought of his brother seeing like this in the slightest.
"Having trouble, brother?" Gordon asked sarcastically to Flying Scotsman.
"It's not what you think!" protested a very red-faced Flying Scotsman, but Gordon didn't care, he could only laugh at his brother's dilemma. That had definitely cheered him up even if he didn't know why Percy was heading the train.
"Good old Percy," he then mused. "He does know when to cheer me up." he added as he carried on his way.

Eventually, the unusual express arrived at its location with passengers on the platform all discussing how an engine like Percy was pulling an engine like the Flying Scotsman.
"Did he break down?" a boy asked his father.
"He must have." came the reply.
"I. Have. Not!" retorted a still blushing Flying Scotsman but that didn't stop people from wondering. As passengers departed, Percy was uncoupled from the fast engine and still couldn't believe what had happened. It was unexpected to say the least. He could see in the reflection of windows that Flying Scotsman wasn't so happy though.
"Cheer up!" he called. "We weren't late at all!. We were right on time."
"Its not that that's the issue..." replied Flying Scotsman.
"Well, what is?" questioned Percy.
"You..." came the blunt response. "You do realise that people are going to be talking about this for years to come? My reputation is at stake. I can't have little inadequate engines seemingly pulling me along the line."
"Inadequate?" fumed Percy. "Inadequate? How dare you call me that. I am a hardest-working engine."
"You might be, but you don't pull the express." pointed out Flying Scotsman.
"No, but your brother appreciates the likes of me more than you ever will." sulked Percy. "He might make fun of me but I know he appreciates me. And to think I wanted to be your friend, be friends with a famous engine."
"Well that's not happening after this débâcle." huffed Flying Scotsman. "And you can keep Gordon to yourself. I don't tend to socialise with little green engines." Percy was shocked at how rude Flying Scotsman was being. He wanted to steam away in disgust but couldn't. Flying Scotsman didn't want to hang about either but couldn't with Percy in his way, so the pair remained in an awkward silence until Duck arrived to tow Percy away into a siding.
"You had an interesting day, didn't you?" he said to Percy. "They're calling the express the Flying Percy now." he added. Percy's eyes widened in surprise.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes," answered Duck. "I'd never call it that, sounds silly. But all the children are talking about you."

That thought kept Percy happy for the rest of the day and as he was looked over at the works, all the workmen could ask him was what it felt like to tow the Flying Scotsman.
"Well, I didn't tow him as such..." he kept pointing out but the workmen didn't care and kept asking as they repaired him. When they were done, they left Percy to get a nap but just as he was about to nod off, he had two arrivals.
"Percy." boomed a familiar voice, it was Gordon's. Percy opened his eyes and was surprised by the sight in front of him. "My brother wants to have a word with you." Gordon added as there next to him was Flying Scotsman who looked rather downbeat.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier today." apologised Flying Scotsman. "I shouldn't have said what I did."
"No, you shouldn't." insisted Percy. "It wasn't very nice at all."
"Gordon's told me as much," said Flying Scotsman very sheepishly. "So, I understand if you say no, but I'd like to be a friend of yours. Gordon tells me ever so much about you. The incident in the chocolate factory sounds like quite something."
"It was." beamed Percy as in that moment he forgave Flying Scotsman. He knew deep down that the famous engine didn't mean what he'd said. Yes, he was a bit pompous like his brother but there's a reason for that, he's a famous engine and people expect a lot of him.
"Friends?" Flying Scotsman then offered once more.
"Friends." smiled Percy and for the rest of the evening, he spoke with Gordon and Flying Scotsman about many things. They all laughed and they all smiled. For Percy, or should that be the Flying Percy, he'd made a new friend and appreciated that Gordon had helped him out more than he could have ever imagined.