Little Golden Book Land: The Great Fire

by TTTR

The Story of how Tootle Saved Katy and Little Golden Book town from the Great Fire.

Little Golden Book Land :The Great Fire

*Note: I do not own most of the characters in the story or places. I.E. Tootle, Katy, Scuffy, Little Golden Book Land. These and a few others I do not own. These are property of Western Publishing Company Inc.

*Note: One should have read the Little Golden Book series or seen the video "The Great Harbor Rescue" to know who the characters as I don't explain who they are much and it can get confusing.

[Narrator] This is a story about a magical place called Little Golden Book Land. There was once a time when this little place was almost burned down. Tawny Lion lost his farm and Scuffy grew bitter towards Tootle. But most of all it's about Tootle's Bravery and his love for Katy Caboose.

Tootle opened his eyes slowly. He had been having such a wonderful dream. "Wake up all ya's lazy bums!" roared the stationmaster. It wasn't even light out. What could be so important that the whole station had to be up so early, Tootle thought to himself. He could hear the other engines groaning at this early start as well. "Mr. Stapleton! Mr. Stapleton!" he shouted to the stationmaster. "Not so loud kid. Some of us are sensitive to noises you know." another engine said angrily to Tootle. "Tootle? Is that you?" said the stationmaster. "Yeah, it's me. I wanted to know why were up so early." inquired Tootle.

"Ohh you know...the boss wants you guys serviced today." he said sleepily. Wonderful, thought Tootle.

The trains were sent to a track siding where a maintenance crew was waiting. Tootle watched the first few engines serviced then stared off into oblivion. How long had it been? he wondered. Tootle was remembering the time he and Scuffy and Katy had saved Little Golden Book Town from near disaster. It must be already 5 years by now. He chuckled remembering how scared he had been just to even enter a tunnel. "What a loser I was." It was great feeling to have had the honor of saving the town. Scuffy was so good then. "Pssh" Tootle said aloud. "He's such a glory hound now." he said to himself. "TOOTLE!"

Cried out the Stationmaster. Tootle came back to his senses and started toward the siding. The men hosed him off. Then wiped him clean. It felt good. All that suit was finally washed off. It had been such a long time since it had rained. He had felt so uncomfortable for weeks. Tootle found himself laughing insanely as they brushed his smokestack free of suit. They also cleaned his cabin and wiped it down with protective sealant. Then a man got under Tootle on a small cart and began to check his wheels, gears and hoses. All seemed fine because he was in and out in just a few minutes. They replaced his headlight with a more powerful one. And added two warning lights to his front just beneath his face and the in the back of his fuel car. A technician then went under and began to wire up the lights. "Ouch!" Tootle tooted as he felt a spark go through him as the lights were connected. "All done." cried the chief. "Hehehehe." giggled Tootle. He felt so clean.

"So Mr. Stapleton, do we have anything to do today since, well, we got serviced?" Tootle asked sheepishly. "No, no, Tootle, don't worry, I won't make you work. Just, don't get too lazy." He said turning to go into the Station. "YES!" Tootle yelled. "I'm going to visit Katy. She'll be so surprised to see me."

So Tootle chugged off down the rails toward her station in Big Golden Book Town. She had been moved there 3 years ago. He was sad to see her go. That meant they couldn't hang out that often anymore. She was working with some Freight hauler named Fred. She said it was boring when he'd talk to her and she'd rather be with Tootle. You see, Tootle now that he had grown, was larger and stronger and so the Railway owner decided Tootle should be a Passenger Train. So a little after Katy was moved, Tootle was give 5 cars that he would pull from Little Golden Book Town Station to Soggy Bottom Station on the other side of the Jungle. The trip was only about 50 minutes and it was tranquil, no rush on his part. He made about 3 -5 trips a day depending on how many passengers they got at either station. He usually passed Tawny Lion's slave farm. People were usually taken back to see so many bunnies still in slavery. Tootle didn't really care. He knew they were treated fairly. Never once had Tawny suffered a slave revolt.

Tootle finally arrived at Big Golden Book Town Station and headed for the train house. He looked around nervously, there weren't' any people around. That's odd, he thought. Then he heard her voice. "Tootle!" she said cheerfully. "Hiya Katy." Tootle greeted her. "Where have you been? I thought you were going to visit me last week?" She dropped her head. "I'm sorry Katy, my friends and I went to Cave Town and caused some landslides on some old guys who kept making faces at us each time we passed. "Tootle, that's not very nice." looking sternly at him. "Yahh, I'm sorry Katy. I felt kind of bad afterward." Lowering his head. "It's all right Tootle. Hey, I don't have much time; I have to go accompany Fred on another of his trips." She shook her head sadly. "It's ok Katy; maybe we can hang out next week."

"Yahh all right." she said, "Ohh hey, Tell Scuffy and Beamer I said Hi." "Sure, I will." Tootle said.

Another engine came into view. He was large and Bright Red. It was Fred. "Hey Katy, let's go, I have to haul this shipment of Banana Bread to Ocean view. Maybe we can just take our time on the way back you and me." Fred said smiling. "Ok, yahh, sure. Umm, I'll be there in a minute ok." She answered not looking at him in the eyes. "All right, so is this guy your boyfriend or something?" Fred motioned toward Tootle. Tootle's face grimaced and he blushed profusely. "Uh. No Fred." She said. "All right. But hurry up." He said impatience growing in his voice. "Well I have to go Tootle. I'm sorry he's such a jerk. Come visit me next weekend ok." She said smiling at him. "I will Katy. Bye." He said smiling.

He watched her leave with great sadness. He sighed. She looked so pretty. Why? Why did she have to be away from him? He asked himself. Like she would like me anyway? I'm so pathetic. She was mad at me for doing that thing to those miners. He thought to himself as he chugged home. Tootle had begun liking Katy about a year ago. He first noticed he would stammer and blush when talking to her. It wasn't until a few weeks ago he had overcome that. He felt so embarrassed talking to her. He wouldn't even look at her face half the time. Katy too had grown. She had more freckles that Tootle found really cute. She let her hair grow long and she had a wonderful smell to her. When he'd get back to the shed, he'd do naughty things while thinking of her. Naughty things, trains shouldn't do.

Tootle found Scuffy trying to impress some girl yachts at the marina. "So anyway, you see this smokestack here. It's 100% pure steel. Yahh, not to shabby huh." Scuffy was telling the yachts. "Uhh, Scuffy, Hi." Tootle said. "Hey Tootle. What's up?" , "Nothing much Scuff. Went to visit Katy, but she had to leave. I'm sorry man. Tough luck." Scuffy said apologetically. "If you really want to...Just back her up into the shed and then squirt her some. IN HER FACE!" Scuffy chuckled. "Hahahaha, NO! I'm not sick like you Scuff." Tootle defiantly said. "Sorry, well, I'm a little busy Tootle. If you could come back later I'd appreciate it." Scuffy hinted. "Fine, Scuff, I'll leave you with your whores." With that Tootle raced off.

"He's mean." one of the yachts told Scuffy. "He's all right. He's just lovesick."

Tootle looked for Poky and Shyla. He really wanted to just talk with someone. His heart ached.

He tried the dumpsters around the station but no luck. Being restricted to the track sometimes really sucks. He thought.

In Jungleville, Tawny was passed out drunk with beer bottles lying around him. He had become a heavy drinker these past few years. His slave farm however grew enormously. He had more bunnies now and incorporated slash and burn techniques to clear forest for farming. Today however it would go horribly wrong. One of the bunnies that was in charge or burning the designated areas fell asleep and left the torch on. It caught a few trees on fire and quickly spread to an area that gave access to the rest of the forest. A few of the bunnies smelled something charred and saw smoke rising from the jungle. They dropped their hoes and ran to investigate. They quickly saw what had happened and woke the one bunny up who grew angry at the rest for waking him. But that quickly turned to horror as he saw the flames lick up onto the leaves of the forest canopy. He ran and the rest soon followed. They ran back to the farm where they told the other slaves and soon pandemonium broke out.

Tawny awoke to hear shrieks from outside his house. He yelled out "Shut the hell up you little f*c*s!!!" and wearily rose to his feet. His head pounded. He then looked out to the left of his house and saw red and orange flames burning the storehouses. Oh my God! he thought and then ran to the phone to dial.

Engines were everywhere. Men hooked them up to huge tanks being filled to the top with water. Fire trucks could be heard racing up the old Forest Road. The first of the Steam Engines pulled its cargo 4 water tanks up to Jungleville with Firemen on board. Then Tootle was directed to another line were a man was waiting to couple 4 tanks to Tootle. Tootle did what he was told and backed up to the cars. Good, they were fastened and secure. Then some firemen climbed aboard and shouted to go. Tootle started up. God was it heavy! he groaned to himself.

Tootle raced up the tracked staying behind the engine before him a way back just in case he slowed down fast. Then he saw it. A huge plume of dark smoke rising from the forest. It looked a few miles off. It was about where Tawny's farm was. I hope he's all right! Tootle hoped.

Tawny was indeed all right. he had managed to take some bunnies with him and run up the road to a small stream and wait for a car. He had thought that the fire would not cross the stream and so far he had been right. It stayed on the opposite bank. He watched helplessly though as his farm and that was burned to the ground. He wept.

Tootle could now feel the heat and the image of the train ahead of him was obscured by the heat. Then he was told to stop by the firemen. They got out and fastened the hoses and went off a few meters into the forest. Tootle watched as the Firemen shot gallons of water at the fire. It hissed and crackled as the water hit it. It seemed almost alive, as if the water caused it pain. It would loose ground and then suddenly leap out in a roar at the firemen again from some other region. He soon grew entranced by some the fire. It looked so pretty. Like something nice.

Fred's train was nearing the stream when Katy cried out "Look out!" A large tree on fire crashed from nearby and fell between them on a flat car carrying Banana bread. Katy shrieked and she stopped. Fred was on the other side of the fire. "Help me Fred!" She cried out. "Uhh, I don't know. That fire looks really hot." He said. "I'll go get help!" and with that he left northward chugging hard.

Katy was left alone, unable to move pinned down by a burning log that started to catch the flatcar on flames.

Tootle coughed. All the smoke and steam had gotten into his mouth. The fire had been pretty much put out in this sector. Firemen now walked out onto the blackened earth looking to see if any flame remained under leaves. The Tootle overheard the firemen talking with the Chief. A train had been cut down in the fire on the other side of the forest heading northward. He had left the caboose there and had gotten to Big Golden Book Town Station and told the workers. "KATY!" Tootle hollered. "I have to go!!" He called out. "Calm down, were sending some men over there." Said a fireman. "No, let me go I have to." He persisted. "There is nothing I can do, you have to stay here, and I have a detachment of men with you." Said the fire chief. "You don't understand." Tootle cried in anguish. Then the engine in front of him turned his head around and said to the chief "Look, the boy's girlfriend is the caboose, just let him. I know what it feels like to be helpless and it's not very good. Besides I'm pretty sure he could get there faster than your ground crew could." "I see, fine. Do it." "Jameson, get you're me back on that train, you're going to the nothside." He yelled to the men who had arrived with Tootle. The train ahead of him began to move forward gaining speed quickly. Then once the men had climbed aboard he took off hard and fast.

Scuffy had been summoned along with several other tugboats to assist in putting out the fire along the coast on the northern track. It was hot, Scuffy would later tell Tootle. The flames rose high into the sky. They gobbled up anything they touched. Scuffy could barely see at times the smoke was so thick. Suddenly he saw coming around the bend Tootle Racing fast. He went right under a burning grove of mango trees without even a glance upward. What the hell?! thought Scuffy.

Tootle raced forward and soon found a wall of fire on the railroad tracks. He applied his brakes and slowed. Would he stop in time? He tried all he could. He did. "Katy!" He called out. "Katy!".

No answer. The firemen got out and began to hose down the fire. Then through the wall of flame he saw her. She was unconscious and flames were on the car in front of her. Any minute and they could reach her. The firemen repulsed the fire but a sudden uproar of flame shoot out at them from a bush and they were forced back. Tootle grew impatient. Then the firemen cried out. Something was wrong. There was no pressure to the hoses. "WHAT!!" Tootle exclaimed. He looked helplessly from the firemen to Katy. Then he did it. He bolted backward. "What the hell!?" , "Where are you going!", "Come back here!" the Firemen cried. Tootle backed up and then mustering all his strength he lurched forward. He tore by the firemen and through the fire. An pushed all the cars along with Katy down the tracks toward the junction. Tootle's wheel's burned. In fact he burned everywhere but it didn't matter right now. He raced on. Then he slowed when he saw some fire trucks. They must have seen him because they stopped and men raced about getting their hoses ready and fired at the burning cars when Tootle passed. At last she was safe. They ground to a halt and torrent of water squirted the cars and Katy who woke up dizzy and confused. Tootle hurt so bad he shook violently. The firemen squirted him too. He felt woozy and then drifted into slumber.

It was some hours later before he woke up, in his shed, alone. He must have been pulled there by another engine. Anyway, he felt better. Then he inched out into the light and waited to see if anyone was there. Just a few men walking around, putting away the water tanks that's it. The other engines were off somewhere. That's when he saw Poky. "Tootle, you're all right!" he leaped at Tootle and licked his face. "TOOTLE!!!" he cried happily, wagging his tail. "Thanks Poky, I'm all right." Tootle said.

"Where's everyone?" He inquired. "Uhh, I really don't know. I got here and this place was deserted. I know that Scuffy told me that if you want to see Katy she's resting down by the docks after being hosed down. Scuffy's there with her." Poky barked cheerfully "Thanks Poky" Tootle said.

Poky climbed into Tootle's cabin and they both set off to the docks.

Katy was being worked on. New boards placed where some had been charred. The sound of carpentry was in the air. Scuffy amused her with his talks of bravery he supposedly did during the fire.

"No other boats wanted to come with me. But I stepped forward and went right up to that fire and fired my hose. Sure, I was burned but it didn't matter. I was saving people's lives and that's what counted."

Katy just smiled but didn't take any to heart. She knew he had probably done some help nothing near as stupendous as the tales he told. Then she saw Tootle coming towards her on the dock rail. She beamed with joy and shouted to him. "Tootle! Tootle! Over here!" Tootle saw her and took a left. Scuffy's demeanor now changed he was subdued and sullen. Almost annoyed by Tootle's presence.

He stopped right in front of her. "Hey, so you're getting new sidings." Tootle said. "Yahh I am, I'm kind of happy. I feel new again." she laughed. "Are you ok? I mean, you were in that inferno for quite some time." he asked. "I'm actually quite good despite all that. Thanks Tootle." Scuffy coughed loudly.

"Hey Scuffy so when did you get here?" Tootle asked. "Ohh, I was coming back into dock about half an hour ago when I saw Katy here and some carpenters with lumber." He told Tootle. "Cool." Tootle said knowing nothing else to say. "Hey Tootle. Thanks..."She said softly, almost distant. Tootle blushed. Poky jumped out. Sorry Katy, I was asleep, that train ride made me sleepy. So what happened?" Poky asked. "Nothing much, we were just talking." She told Poky. "Ok." he barked.

The sun was begging to set in Little Golden Book Town. It cast an orange glow across the waves in the harbor. Then Katy turned to Tootle and she told him to come closer and so Tootle not quite sure of what to expect inched closer. Katy put her brakes on as Tootle pushed up onto her deck. Then she bent down and slowly kissed him on the mouth. Tootle broke off suddenly and lurched backward and fell back onto the tracks with a thud. "Aah!" He cried and blushed red. He stared out at the ocean and felt his mouth. Then he turned and looked at Katy. She smiled sweetly at him and he smiled back at her. Scuffy who had seen the whole thing with amazement and awe still had his mouth agape. Then once he recovered from what he just saw. He grew sad and vengeful and so a seed of hatred for Tootle grew in him. For he too liked Katy. So it was in Little Golden Book Town.

[Narrator] That was the tale of Tootle and how he saved Katy from the Great Fire. It was something none of them would ever forget for the rest of their lives.