On the Island of Sodor, Arlesburgh Harbour is a lively, busy part of the railway. Some time ago, its railway had been extended by the Harwick Branch Line which Donald and Douglas, the Caledonian twins, helped to build. They now worked normally at the harbour, but they weren't the only ones who worked here. Percy and Duck had worked together at this harbour and Thomas had taken Emily here on a date after she worked with Whiff. Being by the sea was an interesting way for the engines to work. It gave them a lot of wonder of what lay beyond Sodor and the mainland.
One morning however, Donald and Douglas began to feel a little lonely. Although they had each other, Skiff the Sailboat was mostly busy giving children tours around the harbour, and the twins didn't have much interaction with him.
They spoke to the Harbour manager and asked if any engines could come by to help with the work. The manager telephoned the Fat Controller.
"I'll speak to my engines right away," said the Fat Controller. He drove to Tidmouth Sheds to see all his engines awake and looking happy for another day's start.
"Good morning to you all," he said. "I've received word from the Arlesburgh Harbour that Donald and Douglas need help working there. Two engines will do. Any volunteers?"
The engines thought for a little bit. They liked the idea of working by the sea, but who could go?
"Please, sir," said Thomas. "May I go?"
"Of course, Thomas," said the Fat Controller. "But you'll need a second engine to go with you." Almost right away, Emily spoke up.
"Me, sir. May I go with Thomas? I've hardly worked at Arlesburgh before, and I'd like to work with those twins," she said.
The Fat Controller agreed. "Very well, Emily. You and Thomas shall go to Arlesburgh. Until you two return, Percy will look after Annie and Clarabel and Stanley will do Emily's work."
Thomas and Emily were very excited. Not only would they be working with the twins, but they'd be doing so together…and Thomas could introduce Emily to Skiff.
"Thank you sir!" they whistled happily. Thomas huffed onto the turntable and turned to Emily' berth. He then coupled to her and they both set off for the harbour.
As Thomas pulled Emily gently along the line, he remembered their date to Arlesburgh after she worked with Whiff, feeling sad over remembering her dark days.
"Remember our date there all those years ago, Emily?" he asked her.
"I do, Thomas," she replied. "That was a lovely evening with you. Now we're going to work there for a few days. I'm very excited."
"So am I, beautiful," said Thomas. "I'd like to see those twins again…and someone else for you to meet…"
"Who is it?" asked Emily.
"You'll see soon enough," said Thomas.
Donald and Douglas were waiting side-by-side for their engine helpers to arrive. They wondered who it could be. Porter and Salty worked at Brendam Docks, so it couldn't be them. They thought about Ryan, Percy and Duck…
"Who do you think will come, Douggie?" asked Donald.
"We shall see, Donal," replied Douglas. "It will be splendid to see who it is…" Then they heard two whistles and saw the engines who made them. Both twins were happy to see Thomas again, and happy to see Emily too.
"Hello, Thomas my lad!" greeted Donald.
"And hello, Emily, Thomas' lovely lass," added Douglas.
"Hello, you two," smiled Emily and Thomas.
"Two twins and Sodor's lovely couple at Arlesburgh," said the twins.
"That's right, Donald," said Thomas. "Emily and I are going to be here for a few days, working by the sea."
"I'm very excited to be here for a change. Being by the sea can be a nice way to work," said Emily.
"Shall we get to work?" asked Thomas. The twins and Emily agreed. As the day went on, Thomas and Emily worked together arranging trains of freight and fish around the harbour. They saw cargo ships and passenger ships come by and they heard seagulls calling through the air. Emily found working at the harbour rather busy. She enjoyed being really useful if she could do so for a lot of the day. Thomas was happy to be back at Arlesburgh too, even more so that he had Emily with him. Her beautiful form made working at the harbour so much happier for him.
Donald and Douglas worked together too, arranging other trains nearby Captain Callus' ship.
"A magnificent vessel, ain't it, Douggie?" said Donald.
"Aye, matey," joked Douglas. "That be the ship of some of the greatest pirates there have been."
That evening, Thomas and Emily were next to each other beside the ship, looking out to the sea. They watched the waves in motion out to the horizon against the golden-orange glow of the sun.
"How is it, working here, Emily?" asked Thomas.
"I think it's a very nice change to work by the sea. I don't often work here," smiled Emily. "And that ship right there is one of your finest discoveries."
"Thank you, my love. It's too bad Salty isn't here," said Thomas. "He's sure to be telling tales at the docks…and annoying Cranky."
"Really?" asked Emily.
"Yes," said Thomas. "Cranky seldom gets any sleep. Sometimes he has, when I took the mail and when Diesel had his Christmas Carol, but other than that, he works nonstop…and that gives him his name."
"Cranky is always cranky," smirked Emily.
"Once, Salty was telling a story to Bill and Ben and Cranky became careless with his arm. He dropped a load of pipes on the rails and trapped the engines after the pipes collapsed a small shed," said Thomas.
"Oh, goodness!" breathed Emily. "Well, we're lucky we don't have a careless crane here."
"But Salty didn't mind," continued Thomas. "He spent the night telling Bill and Ben stories about ships lost at sea. The twins were fascinated, but Cranky was still cranky."
Emily giggled lightly. "Well, they have Salty…I have you, Thomas. Why don't we find a shed to sleep in together?"
"Right away, my sweet engine," said Thomas. But before that, Emily went to wait for Thomas while he turned round on a turntable. Then they went to see Donald and Douglas in their own shed first. They were amused to see Thomas facing Emily and pulling her along.
"Goodnight, you two," said Thomas. "We're spending the nights here."
"Very well," said Douglas. "Enjoy your night."
"Goodnight, lads," said Emily as she followed Thomas for a shed. Soon, they found a simple yet comfortable shed overlooking the sea and went inside. As the sun disappeared, the stars began to shine in the darkening sky. Emily looked out again. The ocean looked so magical with the stars reflecting off the water.
"Well," she whispered. "I think I can get used to this."
"Sleeping by the sea," whispered Thomas. "This'll be interesting…and as I promised, you'll meet a special friend of mine one of these days."
Emily smiled at that, then yawned and softly kissed Thomas' cheek. "Goodnight, Thomas. Sweet dreams," she whispered.
"Sweet dreams, Emily. Goodnight," whispered Thomas, and they both fell asleep by the sea.
For a few hours, everything was quiet and still…until Thomas heard a very different sound, unlike anything he heard normally. He opened his eyes and looked all around, listening intently. He heard the slight ripple of the water on the bay. He looked at Emily, who was fast asleep and breathing softly and steadily, just like Thomas always loved. She stirred slightly and nuzzled her nose to Thomas' in her sleep. Thomas kissed her little nose and listened quietly…then in the moonlight, he saw a very faint spout of water far out on the sea…then he heard the sound again. He tried to figure out what it could be. Suddenly, he remembered.
"Whales!" he whispered. He saw another spout on the sea. "Emily…wake up!" he whispered.
Emily yawned and slowly opened her eyes. "Thomas? What is it?" she murmured.
"Listen," whispered Thomas. Another call echoed though the sea-air, grabbing Emily's attention. She was now fully awake.
"What's that?" she asked with wonder.
"Whales," said Thomas. "I think there's a pod out there." Emily looked out to the moonlit ocean. Sure enough she saw another spout of water and very faintly, she caught sight of a whale tail coming to the surface then disappearing again.
"Magnificent animals," whispered Thomas. "It reminds me of the whale Toad found and saved with the help of Oliver and Belle."
"Whales are such beautiful creatures," whispered Emily. "So big and powerful…and free in the sea."
"Just like us, Emily," said Thomas. "Our love is big, powerful and free."
"Of course, Thomas." Emily's eyes dripped a few tears of joy as she watched the whale tails rise and sink in the sea. "Oh, this is so wonderful," she whispered. "We're gonna have so much fun here."
"We certainly will, Emily. Let's go to sleep again, shall we?" asked Thomas.
"Of course, Tommy. I love you," whispered Emily as she softly kissed his lips.
"I love you too, Em," whispered Thomas as the whale-calls lulled him and his angel into a lovely, comfortable sleep.
The next morning, the sunrise illuminated the harbour in a magnificent purple and orange glow. The sound of the ocean waves awoke Thomas, who smiled at the sunrise on the sea. It dawned upon him he was still at the harbour. But his gaze was distracted when he heard something in front of him. He looked to see that Emily was murmuring in her dreams.
"Oh, Tommy…I love you…you're so cute…" she whispered. "Come here…kiss me, Tommy…"
Thomas decided to grant her dream and he kissed her lips, making her eyes open. When Emily saw him kissing her, she giggled happily. When Thomas let go, Emily blinked her lovely eyes quickly and kissed Thomas' nose, making him blush.
"Good morning, my cutie, Tommy," she smiled.
"Good morning, my love," he smiled back. Emily then looked out to the sea with Thomas, watching the sunrise.
"Isn't it breathtaking?" asked Thomas. "Why can't we work by the sea normally?"
"It's certainly a magic feeling here, Thomas. I wish we could work here much more now that I think of it," replied Emily. Thomas puckered his lips and gave Emily a kiss on her cheek. Emily absolutely loved the feeling of Thomas' comfortable lips kissing her so lovingly.
"He-he-he…oh, Tommy, I love your kisses," Emily sighed.
"I love your kisses too, Emily," whispered Thomas. Hearing this made Emily pucker her lips and kiss his cheek in return. By now, Donald and Douglas could be seen working on the line.
"Let's go help them, Emily. And later, I'll show you my special friend," said Thomas.
"I am excited, Thomas. I just hope he likes me…"
"I'm sure he will." Then Thomas and Emily got to work. Donald and Douglas were happy to work with their visitors. Thomas worked with Donald, arranging trucks of fish at the loading depot.
"Working here by ourselves became a little lonely, lad," Donald told Thomas.
"I'm happy to see you two more often again," said Thomas. "But don't you two usually work on the branch line?"
"Aye, we usually do, and occasionally we work on the Main Line and Edward's Branch Line, but primarily, the Little Western is our home and main working place. However since we built yon Harwick Branch Line, meself and Douggie have been situated here. Don't get us wrong, we love it here by the sea, but sometimes we feel so confined. We love working on the Little Western, but we also love working on Edward's line and the Main Line, gives us a chance to stretch our wheels. It's what any sensible engine would be wantin'," explained Donald.
"When you two first came here, I thought you were very practical…I like it."
"Douggie and I are still grateful that your little Percy held that deputation for us all those years ago," said Donald. "If Douggie hadn't escaped from Scotland with me to Sodor...I would've lost me only brother to..." Donald couldn't finish his sentence, the thought still haunted him. But Thomas knew what he was going to say. Douglas had sneaked away with Donald because of dieselisation taking over on the Caledonian Railway. If Douglas hadn't escaped then he would have been scraped. The twins couldn't bare the thought of losing each other to scrap and, after a series of mishaps, they were fortunate enough to stay together on Sodor by the Fat Controller.
"I understand, Donald," sympathized Thomas, remembering losing all his brothers and only sister to the scrap-heap. "But thankfully, despite misplacing my special coach, swapping tenders, crashing into signal boxes and smashing brakevans-"
"All right, all right, we caused a heap of chaos when we got here, don't have rub it all in," said Donald with a slight chuckle.
"The Fat Controller was kind enough to let you both stay here together and you have been ever since. If only you had come to Sodor without Douglas as originally intended when we were struggling through that rough time when the work was too much for us, I don't think we would have managed it if you two hadn't arrived together, especially during the winter," said Thomas.
Donald smiled. "Douggie and meself will always be thankful for the Fat Controller for accepting us. Sodor may not be Scotland, but it'll always be a home to us with many great friends. And you, Thomas, are one very special engine. When we heard that all yer brothers and wee sister, believe me, we understood exactly how heartbreaking it was for you, if we had lost each other, we would reacted just like you did."
"Thank you, Donald. I hope you and Douglas will never have to share the same fate as my siblings did," said Thomas.
Douglas, meanwhile was working with Emily, taking passengers to and from the passenger ships and through the small village. Emily liked interacting with the twins. To her, they were like big brothers.
"So, sister," said Douglas. "How do you like working here by the sea?"
Emily chuckled lightly. "Thomas asked me that already, Douglas. I love being here for a change. Doing different work from what you normally do can be rather fun. How are you and Donald?"
"We've had a lot of success together…much better ever since our silly argument…"
"What argument?" asked Emily.
Douglas told Emily about his twin trouble with Donald. "Once, Donal and I were pulling a train together when we crashed into a broken hay-cart which Trevor was trying to clear from a crossing. I accidentally pushed Donal into the cart, but I argued that he pulled me into the accident. We didn't speak to each other after that."
"Oh, you two," sighed Emily. Douglas looked a little embarrassed, but continued.
"Then, the Fat Controller said he needed someone to help Duck at the Smelters. Although we were twins, Donal insisted he go alone with Duck. I worked by myself, but ended up missing my twin. That same night, I tried to visit him, but he only demanded an apology, irritating me into leaving him."
"Then what happened?" asked Emily. "How did you two reconcile?"
"The next day, Donal's bad temper got the best of him and he crashed through some old buffers. Duck couldn't help him out, so he came to me to warn me. I rushed over and helped Donal back on track...then we began to quarrel over who was sorry, but Duck told us to be happy being together again, and we were." By now, Douglas and Emily had reached the harbour again and their passenger duties were done.
"Well, that's good brother bonding," said Emily. "You disagree but come to terms in the end. Bill and Ben could learn a lot from you two."
"Thank ye, Emily," said Douglas. "Though mind you, one advantage of being here and not on Edward's Branch Line, there's no Bill and Ben to constantly make fun of ya...mind you, there's quite a lot of tricks we've learned from them."
Emily raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And here I always thought you two were some of the more mature engines on the island." Douglas let out a hearty laugh. "Nay, lass, we may be level-minded but we love a good joke with any engine, always have and we always will be practical jokers. But rest assured, we're won't dare try anything rash on a Scotswoman like yourself."
"Well, I never actually have been in Scotland," Emily admitted. "I was built in Britain and spent all my life on the Great Northern Railway before coming to Sodor. But I was designed by a Scotsman, so that must be where I got my Scottish tongue and accent."
"Well, built in Scotland or not, being designed by a Scotsman is enough of a reason for us to call you a Scotswoman, Emily, and a fine one too."
"I wouldn't expect any less from my fellow Scotsmen," joked Emily, earning another laugh from the Caledonian engine.
After that, Emily then went to find Thomas. She wondered if he was ready to show her his friend. She found him waiting for her at their shed.
"Hello, Emily," he whistled. "I'm ready to show you my friend if you want."
"I'm ready, Thomas. Lead the way to your special friend," smiled Emily.
Thomas led Emily to a small shed beside the ship. Workmen opened the shed and inside was Skiff, the sailboat whom Thomas befriended alongside Sailor John during the search for the treasure.
"Hello, Skiff. It's been a long time," smiled Thomas.
"Thomas? Thomas…It's you!" exclaimed Skiff. "I didn't think you'd come along here!"
"I've got someone to meet you, Skiff," said Thomas. Skiff looked beside Thomas and saw Emily. He then fell silent.
"Skiff…meet my girlfriend and eternal love…Emily," said Thomas.
"Hello…Emily," Skiff said slowly.
Emily smiled kindly at the sailboat. "Hello, Skiff. Thomas told me he had a special friend to introduce to me…which is you."
Skiff smiled back at Emily. Then Emily remembered. "I think I saw you once before…" she said curiously. "I saw you, sleeping beside the lighthouse some time ago. I came by here one night, looking for Thomas."
"When was this?" asked Thomas.
"When you were scared for me, Thomas, and I calmed your inner demon. While I was looking for you, I came through here. I saw the ship and I saw Skiff," said Emily. Then she turned back to the sailboat. "Skiff, I heard you saved Thomas' life…while he was chasing Sailor John, you saved him from being blown up by that pirate!"
"It's true, Emily. You have me to thank for saving your friend…I always knew Sailor John was a terrible man," breathed Skiff.
"Thank you, Skiff. You're a very brave boat," smiled Emily.
"And I have a wonderful job now," said Skiff. "I work, taking children around the harbour and village. I just let the wind guide me along."
Emily was very happy for Skiff. Being given such a job while not being an engine was a true gift. "You're such a lucky boat, Skiff," she beamed. "You should be proud to work on a railway."
Thomas realized he and Emily should work some more then turn in. "Well, Skiff. It was lovely to see you again. Keep up being really useful!" he whistled.
"Thank you, Thomas, and Emily!" called Skiff as the two engines went on their way. Thomas and Emily went to take a few passengers through the village for an evening tour. As Thomas and Emily huffed side-by-side with their passengers, they enjoyed the quaint little village and the early evening light. All the same, both engines began to feel ready to go home to their friends.
"Emily?" asked Thomas. "How are you feeling? Do you miss our friends?"
"Not really, Thomas," said Emily. "But I would like to go back to our usual jobs. We'll ask the harbour manager tomorrow morning." Thomas agreed. In the meantime, they went with their passengers through the village until their train was done. By then, the sun was going down, so they set off for their shed. They said goodnight to Donald and Douglas along the way who said goodnight back. Soon, Thomas and Emily returned to their shed by the sea.
"Well, another night's sleep by the sea for both of us," smiled Thomas.
"So beautiful," said Emily. "And maybe we'll hear the whales again…I love you, Thomas."
Thomas kissed Emily's cheek sweetly. "I love you too, Emily. Let the whales lull us to sleep again."
"Of course we will," smiled Emily as she kissed Thomas goodnight. As the sun went down, the stars appeared and the moon shone over the ocean. Soon enough, Thomas heard whale calls far out to sea.
"They're still out there, Emily," he whispered.
Emily heard the whales and sighed happily. "Oh, Thomas…It's so magical out here…so relaxing…so lovely…"
"You're magical, relaxing and lovely for me, my beautiful emerald angel," smirked Thomas as he nuzzled his nose on hers. "Sweet dreams."
"Sweet dreams, my cobalt star," whispered Emily as she kissed his lips. They both fell asleep, listening to the calls of the whales soothing their hearts and helping them sleep even deeper and more comfortably.
The next morning, Emily woke up first and yawned as she looked out to the sea.
"Good morning, Arlesburgh," she murmured. Then she looked at Thomas, still fast asleep like a baby. Emily kissed him softly on his lips and watched him wake up. He smiled as he saw her looking at him with gentle love and kindness.
"Good morning, Emily," he smiled.
"Good morning, Thomas," answered Emily.
"Did the whales work their magic?" asked Thomas.
"Oh yes," smiled Emily. "That was such a wonderful way to fall asleep. Now, shall we ask the manager about going home?"
Thomas was puzzled at first, then he remembered. "Of course," he said. "Let's find him." So they went to find the harbour manager. It wasn't long before they found him near the boat docks.
"Excuse us, sir," said Thomas. "How is the work doing here? Can the twins work on their own alright?"
"Of course, Thomas. What gives?" asked the manager.
"Thomas and I are beginning to feel ready to go home again. It came upon us yesterday. Could you ask the Fat Controller if he wants us back?" asked Emily. The manager left to telephone the Fat Controller, while Thomas and Emily waited.
"I'll be happy to go home, Emily. To Tidmouth Sheds, the best place to be," said Thomas.
"Or Black Loch," replied Emily. "Those are the best places to be anywhere." Just then, the manager returned.
"You two can go back to your yards if you wish," he said. "The Fat Controller would be pleased to see you again."
"Thank you, sir," said Thomas, and he turned to Emily. "We'll leave this evening."
"Works for me," said Emily. "Let's work with the twins once more, shall we?"
"Sure, Emily," agreed Thomas. They went their separate ways to work with the twins one last time. Douglas and Thomas worked together on the passenger line while Emily helped Donald arrange freight at the depot. All four engines had fun talking together and working together and enjoying the seaside. Emily was feeling ready to go home, despite missing the twins. Thomas, too was ready to leave so he could see his friends again. Edward, Henry, Percy and even Gordon and James.
By that evening, Thomas said goodbye to Donald as Emily did with Douglas. The twins were disappointed to see their friends leave, but were still happy they were able to see them again.
"It was lovely having visitors, you two," said Donald.
"And a good evening to both of ye," said Douglas.
"Thank you, my brothers," whistled Emily. "Goodnight!" The twins whistled back until Thomas and Emily were out of sight. As they went back along the main line, familiar features passed by. The trees, stations and hills. It felt good to go back to normal.
"We're going home, Tommy," said Emily. "That was a lovely time by the sea with you."
"Same here, Em," answered Thomas. They both smiled at each other as they went home. When Thomas and Emily returned to Tidmouth Sheds that night, they checked the berths. Edward, Henry, Gordon, Duck, an empty berth, James, and Percy.
"Wait…Duck?" asked Thomas, looking back at the Great Western Engine. Only he was awake while everyone else was asleep.
"Good evening, Duck," said Emily.
"Hello you two," said Duck. "I was called here to help Annie and Clarabel on your Branch Line, Thomas. How was your time at Arlesburgh?"
"We had quite the time, Duck," answered Emily. "You should have been there. The twins, whales, the sea…"
"And the ship," added Thomas. "We had a wonderful time."
"Happy to hear," said Duck. Then he saw there was only one berth open. "Now that you two have come home, I'll be on my way," he said.
"Actually, you can stay, Duck," said Emily. "Thomas and I can share a berth…after all, we are a couple."
Duck was a little surprised. He thought leaving would help Emily feel more at home, but knowing that she and Thomas were in love, he understood their plan. "…Have it your way. I'll leave tomorrow morning, so I'll say goodbye now," he said.
"Right," said Thomas. He looked over to Emily.
"Ladies first," he said. Emily turned round until her tender faced the open berth…and her face was looking at Thomas.
"Pamper me, Thomas. Kiss me, my love," she whispered. Thomas came onto the turntable and he and Emily softly kissed each other's lips. Duck smiled proudly at the two engines. He nearly chuckled as Thomas pushed Emily into the open berth.
Thomas looked at Duck and winked. "Goodnight, Duck," he whispered. And he resumed kissing Emily and pushed her into the shed.
"Hm-hm…Goodnight, my good friends," smiled Duck as he went to sleep and allowed the star and angel to enjoy their love.
Thomas had left many kisses on Emily's face while she giggled happily then kissed Thomas all over his face in return.
"I love you, Thomas. Thank you for such a lovely time by the sea," she whispered.
"I love you too, Emily. You're most welcome to go anywhere with me," said Thomas.
"Wherever you go, is where I will go. Goodnight," smiled Emily, kissing Thomas once more.
"Goodnight, Emily. I love you," whispered Thomas as he and his angel fell asleep, happy and satisfied to be home again after their days in Arlesburgh.
And another story down. So the first episode of Season 20, "Sidney Sings" has aired, and if you want my first impressions, I was pleasantly surprised. It's a very fun episode with some humorous moments and it didn't feel repetitive like Seasons 13-16. I think Sidney is a great character with his own little charm, he's the Dory of Sodor, blue and forgetful, which I think will make him a fan favorite, like how Paxton was when he was first given roles. I think my rating for it is an 8/10. Very enjoyable, Sidney was brilliant and I hope the rest of the episodes this week continue to be great. So leave a review telling me what you thought of this story and tell me what you thought of "Sidney Sings" as well if you've seen it. Until next time, see ya later.