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And cue the theme!
...
I'm glad we settled that like men.
You punching me in the face until I gave you money was like a man?
Definitely! Next episode!
...
Gordon was cross.
I'll give you a moment to recover...And we're back. Specifically, he was explaining the reason for his crossness to the other five engines currently staying at Tidmouth Sheds. James had suggested that in order to celebrate Henry's successful return, they should have a sleep over party of some kind. Thomas had snarkily asked why they didn't just get their wheels done and spin the oil can at the same time, but Edward had latched onto James's rare good suggestion and ordered everyone to attend on pain of being nagged.
And now, in the morning after, Gordon had lost his cool from all the attention he wasn't getting. "Why should Henry have a new shape?!" He raved. "A shape good enough for me is good enough for him!"
"But Gordon, Henry doesn't keep eating the cream cakes all the time!" Percy protested, for he was very annoyed that Gordon had stolen his midnight feast.
Gordon ignored Percy, as he was want to do. "He goes gallivanting off to Crewe-"
"More being carried off on a flatbed spewing metal up." James interrupted.
"-leaving us to do his work-"
"While he was potentially dying."
"-and then comes back saying how happy he is!"
"How dare he be happy." said Thomas with a completely straight face, for mocking Henry had taken a break for a while.
"IT'S DISGRACEFUL!" Edward had blocked out what Gordon was saying once more. "And there's another thing-"
"With you!? You amaze me." Percy deadpanned.
"-HENRY WHISTLES TOO MUCH!" Henry mouthed a 'what is he on about' to James, who did the engine equivalent shrug. "No respectable engine whistles loudly at stations."
"Pot and kettle." Percy muttered.
"It isn't wrong, but we just don't do it."
Poor Henry could feel his morale being sapped from him. Percy, who had sort of developed a bit of a liking for the big green engine, puffed up.
"Never mind Henry. I'm glad your home again. I like your whistling!"
"Thanks buddy!" Henry turned to Gordon. "Hey Gordon! Percy's getting my tender when I die!"
Gordon ignored Henry as he puffed out to take the express. "Goodbye Henry! We're glad to have you with us again, but remember what I said!"
"How could I forget?" grumbled Henry.
...
Later, Henry pulled a train to Wellsworth. Edward, bemoaning the lack of kind and pretty yellow female engines to talk to, had not listened to a word that Gordon said and so greeted Henry's whistle cheerfully.
"Hello Henry! You look great!"
"Aw, really?" said Henry, who had become relatively nicer.
"You know, it's odd the things you miss. I was so pleased to hear your happy whistle yesterday!"
"Thanks pal!" Henry said. "You know, it's odd too that-" He paused, as a faint sound reached them. "Ssssh, sssh, can you hear that?"
Edward's face moved in a way that would indicate a sort of tilting of the head. "Sounds like Gordon. Ought to be Gordon. But Gordon, loud-mouth that he is, doesn't whistle like that."
...
It was Gordon. As he rushed through the country, he had a expression of sheer agony on his face, as though he was hearing the baying of the hounds of hell. He had come rushing down one of the lesser hills at a tremendous rate. He didn't look at Henry and he didn't look at Edward, though this was standard Gordon behaviour. He screamed straight through the station and disappeared.
In the silence that followed, Edward let out a soft sound. "Wow. Well."
"It's not wrong." chuckled Henry. "But we just don't do it."
"That a...in joke?"
"You were at the sheds this morning!"
"Do you actually listen to what he says anymore?"
"Touche. Oh well, it went like this-"
...
Gordon rushed up his own hill and was screeching along the line. The noise was awful. Several women went into labor, a mine collapsed in under itself, several firemen rushed out to emergencies that weren't happening, the television was ruined and most importantly, several opera singers got insanely jealous.
Gordon tried to enter Knapford Station with a fair amount of calm and dignity, but everyone was holding their ears and shouting what Gordon could do with his express train. The Fat Controller held his ears too.
"TAKE HIM AWAY!" He bellowed "AND STOP THAT NOISE!"
"BUT SIR, SHOULD WE REALLY KILL GORDON!?"
"NO! THE WHISTLING!"
"WHAT?!"
"WHAT?!"
At last, Gordon puffed sadly away to Vicarstown, but he wouldn't stop with his whistling until two fitters climbed up and smacked his whistle about until his whistle valve was in place.
"OUCH!" BE CAREFUL!"
The two fitters stared at each other, aware that silence hurt their ears now.
...
That night, Gordon slunk into the shed. His face was that of a engine who had heard the sound of scrapper's tools in the next room being sharpened. He was glad that for a short time, the shed was empty.
Key words being short time.
James arrived first, and stopped in the bunk next to Gordon. He grinned evilly, until Henry arrived. Gordon sighed.
"It isn't wrong." murmured Henry to no one in particular. "But we just don't do it."
Gordon glared at Henry, but didn't trust either his voice or his pride to respond back to him. Percy arrived shortly afterwards, and the four remaining engines prepared to sleep.
No one mentioned whistles.
Much.
...
The next morning, Henry felt happy once more as he pulled a express train. "I feel so well! I feel so well!" he chanted cheerfully, and his good mood infected the coaches.
"Trickety trock, trickety trock!" hummed the coaches. Henry still had no idea what that meant, but he had not heard it for so long that he began singing along with it.
Then he saw some boys on Title Screen Bridge. "Peep peep! Hello!" he said cheerfully. The boys smiled.
On the other side of the bridge, a pained and much crosser Henry came to a stop. "OH! OH!" He bellowed in pain. The boys weren't the usual boys who just waved, took his number and cheered the engines (AKA, the simpler townspeople in a nutshell) but they thought it was much more fun to drop stones on him instead. The Island was rather sparse for entertainment for boys.
The coaches were heart-broken. "They've broken our glass! They've broken our glass!" they sobbed. The Fireman and Mr Carlin got out to check the passengers for injuries. No one was really hurt, but they were cross.
"CALL THE POLICE!" they roared.
"But where will we find Sting at this hour of the day?" asked Mr Carlin.
"Call their parents! TO WHIP EM!" shouted a older gentleman. The Fireman shook his head.
"No. Leave it to Henry and we." Carlin said.
"What will you do?" they asked as one.
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Are we going to get in trouble for this?"
"Probably."
"Yes! Yes!"
"Well then." said Mr Carlin. "Henry is going to SNEEZE at them!"
Henry shrugged. He knew his germs would probably be able to put a small horse down for the count, so he was okay with this. He had had it with people disrespecting him. As they puffed off to the loop station, the boys flipped them the bird.
...
Word had spread, and arriving back at Lower Suddery, many people were waiting to see what Henry was going to do.
"Henry's plenty of ashes." noted the Fireman. "It would be best if we kept all windows and doors shut until we pass the bridge completely."
"Why bother? This'll scare the hell outta them!" Carlin cackled. "Henry's as excited as we are! Aren'tcha boy!"
Henry was feeling stuffed up and had a expression like his was constipated, so he didn't respond. They slowly puffed off towards Title Screen Bridge again. Soon, they could see the boys, and they all had stones with them.
"Are you ready, Henry?" asked Carlin. "Sneeze like that dwarf when I tell you...NOW!"
Henry frowned. They hadn't gone over the discussion of what he was actually meant to do in this situation and both men had just assumed that he had known what they were talking about. So he decided to do the first thing that came into mind.
"ATCHOO!" he bellowed, and sent steam and ashes rushing up out of his funnel, covering the boys with ashes til they were as black as...coal. No controversy there thank you!
"Well done Henry!" said Carlin, proud that Henry had totally understood his complex plan.
The boys looked at each other in shock. Ashy shock. They then turned and saw their parents coming, looking angry. They looked at each other and ran as fast as they could.
Henry went home very pleased with himself. He had taught Gordon and silly boys a lesson, with merely a whistle and a sneeze.
And every time that the two engines passed each other for the next week or so, Henry would deviously grin and whistle loudly. The wince on Gordon's part was worth it, every time.