MAVIS AND THE LORRIES

Based upon "Mavis and the Lorry" by Christopher Awdry and "Horrid Lorry" by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton

Adapted by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

While Daisy was at the Steamworks, she had gotten to meet the new engine, Emily. While some of her worn parts had been replaced and she wasn't as rusty as she once was, the Stirling single still had a long way to go before she was ready to run under her own steam.

"It's a pleasure to finally have a female steam engine around here," Daisy purred. "I know there's four others on the Kirk Ronan branch line and helping to restore the Norramby branch line right now, but they are on long term loan, so they aren't officially owned by the North Western Railway."

"That explains why I'm steam engine number twelve," Emily commented. "Or I will be, once I'm restored." She then frowned. "By the way, Daisy, how did you get damaged?"

"I, er, had a bit of an accident with some tunnel rubble," the diesel railcar sighed. "I missed a red flag."

"That is rather irresponsible!" snapped Emily. "Especially if you had passengers at the time. Did you?"

"…yes."

"I'm surprised that the roadways didn't do your job after that," Emily grunted. "Disobeying a red flag and putting passengers in danger! I've never heard of anything so reckless."

Daisy said nothing to that; the Stirling single had made a very good point. Though she was still worried about the roadways comment.

Bertie wouldn't hurt us, she thought to herself. Thomas said that he's harmless.

Eventually, Daisy was back on her wheels and headed back to the Ffarquhar branch. Much to her surprise, she saw Nicole the Midland single on a goods train.

"Nicole?" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Goods traffic had spiked in your absence," she explained, "and with Thomas covering your runs on top of his own, someone else had to be called in."

"What about Percy, Toby and Mavis?"

"They're busy enough with their own trains as is," Nicole replied. "Now you're just in time for your next passenger run, and I can take a goods train back to the new branch line."

"Thank you again, Nicole." And on that note, the two engines parted ways.

That evening, the five engines met up at the sheds.

"There's so much to do," sighed Percy. "We may need Nicole back here after all at this rate."

"With this being the start of summer," said Toby, "our branch line's going to be busier than ever."

"Hmm…" Mavis was pondering the situation. "Do you four remember those lorries that were here when the bridge was out?"

"Yes, I think so," said Thomas. "What about them?"

"Maybe they can come back and help with the goods work," she suggested.

"I don't know, Mavis." Toby seemed to tense up. "What if they take too much of our workload?"

"Sir Topham Hatt would never allow that," Percy assured. "Besides, we do need help, and Bertie helps us with the passengers, right?"

The others couldn't help but note that Percy had a good point, and after suggesting it to Sir Topham Hatt, he agreed to the idea.

A few days later, the four lorries returned to the Ffarquhar branch line.

"We'd be delighted to help you," smiled Lorry 4. "It's so good to see you again."

"Welcome back," said Mavis warmly.

"We do need all the help with the goods traffic we can get," added Thomas.

"I still don't get this queer place," muttered Lorry 1. "Garden sheds on wheels, a coach that seems to haunt the rails, a little green goblin, a blue puffball and a waspy box on wheels."

"We might not live up to your standards," said Toby firmly, "but we're still useful."

"Useful?! Pah!" snapped Lorry 1. "Just you toodle off."

"Toodle?!" spluttered Toby.

"Oh, go hide in a tunnel, Horrid Horace!" snapped Bertie.

"Is that what his name is?" asked Daisy.

"It is now," replied Bertie, as the first lorry fumed away.

"You've not taken a page from Oliver's book, have you?" joked Thomas. Bertie couldn't help but laugh.

"T-To be honest," said Lorry 2, "n-none of us r-really had names."

"Oh," said Percy sympathetically. "We'll have to think of some for the rest of you."

"That may have to wait," said Lorry 3 firmly. "We've got work to do."

With that, the engines left the sheds - Toby and Thomas collecting their coaches before they did so - and Bertie and the other three lorries drove off on the road.

Whenever the engines or road vehicles encountered Horace, he would often boast about his superiority to rails and would drive recklessly whenever he had an important delivery.

"Out of my way, you orange slug!" Horace shouted as he sped past Terence, hauling a cartload of hay.

"Oi!" snapped Terence. "You could have caused an accident." But all the red lorry did was laugh rudely as he sped on his way.

"O-oh dear," stammered Lorry 2 as he followed behind Terence at a sensible pace. "T-terribly sorry about that."

"It's not your fault," smiled Terence, glancing back at the yellow lorry. "Did he rush by you as well?"

"Y-yes," he sighed. "I… I just get n-nervous w-whenever he does that."

"Might I ask, why are you always stuttering?" Terence asked. "You seem to do that all the time, even when there is no danger."

Lorry 2 sighed. "I… I h-had an accident a f-few years ago, wh-where I fell off t-the side of the road, wh-when it was slippery due to the r-rain" He couldn't help but let out a few tears. "I lost… I… m-my pr-previous driver d-died in the accident."

Terence let out a gasp of shock. "No vehicle deserves that at all."

"No, w-we don't," agreed Lorry 2.

"I'm sorry for your loss," sighed Terence. "Your driver, he or she, must have been a good one."

"He was," Lorry 2 said wistfully. "H-he was called… Alex."

Terence then was lost in thought for a moment. "Percy said you didn't have a name," he said at last. "Do you want to be called Alex, in honor of your driver that you lost?"

Lorry 2 managed a smile. "V-very well," he agreed. "C-Call me Alex from now on."

Down at the farm, Lorry 3 was with Percy picking up some fruits and vegetables.

"When's that farmhand going to get here?" muttered Lorry 3.

"He'll be down shortly," Percy sighed. "Horses can't go as fast as engines or lorries."

Sure enough, Farmer Crowe arrived with his horse Pete.

"Hello, Percy," he smiled. "And, oh, I see we've got a newcomer. Farmer David Crowe at your service."

"He's one of the lorries who came to help us when the bridge was out," Percy explained.

"Is that right," remarked Farmer Crowe. "Well, it's good to have you back on the branch line. There's a lot to do."

"Indeed," sighed Lorry 3. "I've got to hurry if we're to make all these deliveries on time."

"Alright, keep your paint on," chuckled Farmer Crowe as he started to load up the trucks and lorry. "So, how long have you been on this island?" he asked the green lorry.

"A few months, give or take," Lorry 3 admitted. "I've mostly been working on the roadways that don't run by the railway."

"I see," said Farmer Crowe. "And how have you found this change of pace?"

"It's been fine," replied Lorry 3. "So long as I've got a job to do, I'd do it. Though I do not approve of Horace's comments about the railway."

"I'm glad to hear that," smiled Percy.

"Same here," agreed Farmer Crowe. "I love sending my goods by either train or lorry, so long as both of the roadways and railways remain in order, and they get delivered safely. You're a welcome addition to the roadways, er… oh, I never got your name."

"That's just it," Lorry 3 admitted. "I don't have one." He paused. "What did you say your name was again? David?"

Farmer Crowe nodded.

"I think I like the sound of that," Lorry 3 said quietly. "Yes, David. I'd like to be called David from now on."

"David it shall be!" grinned Percy, and even Pete seemed to nod his head eagerly.

Later on, at Ffarquhar station, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel had come in with their usual passenger run, and Lorry 4 was dropping off some supplies at the station.

"Hello," called the blue lorry. "Nice to see you three."

"Nice to see you… er…" Thomas didn't know how to address her.

"Oh, it's okay," she said. "I don't really have a name to go by."

Among the passengers Thomas had let off was a little girl and her mother. The little girl went towards some flowers and asked her mother to take a picture of them with her camera.

"Oh, those flowers are beautiful," smiled Lorry 4.

"They're my mother's favorite," replied the little girl. "If I find some wild jasmines that are safe to pick, I'll make a flower chain for her."

"I didn't know jasmines were a type of flower," gasped Annie.

"Now that would've been nice to know for the Best Dressed Station Competition," remarked Clarabel.

"Indeed," said Thomas. "I always assumed that Jasmine was just a girl's name, not a flower."

Lorry 4 pondered this statement. "Jasmine… sounds rather exotic. Yes, I like it."

"That seems to fit you," smiled Annie.

"Jasmine it shall be from now on," agreed Clarabel.

The new names for the lorries came as good news for the island, though Horace was not pleased with how he got dubbed with his name.

"Why that, of all names?" the red lorry complained that evening. "I've done nothing wrong to earn such a title!"

"Could have fooled me," grunted David.

"I'm just glad he hasn't met the likes of George or Bulgy," muttered Jasmine. "According to some stories, those two are just as bad as this one."

"W-who are they?" stammered Alex.

"George is a steamroller who caused trouble for the little engines, and Bulgy's a double decker bus who landed himself in trouble with a low bridge," explained Jasmine.

"I-I wouldn't want to r-run into them," Alex whimpered.

"If those two do show up, I'll teach them a lesson," David said firmly.

"Ha! Sounds like they're on the level," Horace grinned. "Roads should rule this island, not railways."

"But we don't carry as much as the engines do," argued David.

"Besides, we're here to work with the engines, not against them," added Jasmine. "I just wish the lorries at East Anglia could've seen that too."

"They managed to get rid of that garden shed and henhouse on rails," scoffed Horace. "We could do the same with these kettles and oil guzzlers!"

"Th-they've been nice to us," gasped Alex. "W-why are you being like this?"

"Don't worry about him, Alex," Jasmine soothed. "Let's just get some sleep. We've got another busy day tomorrow."

The four lorries did so, with Jasmine giving Alex one last gentle look before both closed their eyes. David glared in Horace's direction before he fell asleep, and Horace rolled his eyes.

"I'll show 'em tomorrow," the red lorry muttered to himself.

The next morning, Horace went to work at the quarry.

"Oh, why did you have to come up here?" grunted Mavis as she shunted some trucks for Toby to pick up.

"The others are busy on the roadways of the branch line," snapped Horace. "So sorry to disappoint."

"I just hope you're out of here soon." Mavis double checked the train. "Okay, just need the brake van and then we'll be good to go."

"Actually, Mavis," said her manager, "we've got more trucks. You'll have to take a load down after Toby."

"Just what I needed," Mavis sighed with resignation. To say she didn't like this job was very incorrect; she loved a chance to stretch her wheels, but Horace had put her in a bad mood.

"Who does that Horace think he is?" asked the orange truck.

"Indeed," said the Bennett and Co truck. "It's no wonder Bertie called him 'Horrid' when he saw him the second time."

"What do you say we teach him a lesson next time we see him?" giggled Old-King Coal.

"The sooner that lump of steaming scrap iron is dealt with, the better," agreed the teal truck.

The other trucks all giggled, but Mavis was too focused on her work to notice what was going on, and Horace was being loaded with stone too.

"Is that all you got for me?" the lorry scoffed. "I can carry far more than that!"

"I'm pretty sure that's all you can carry," said his driver. "The rest of the stone is going in Toby and Mavis' trains."

"It'd take ages for them to bring all that stone down to the station!" argued Horace. "I'd be doing them a favor if I took it all myself! Now load me up and be quick about it!"

"I guess we could give you a bit more…" trailed his driver skeptically. "But any large amounts and it'll all fall out of you."

Reluctantly, he loaded more stone and it was at this point Toby and Henrietta arrived.

"What are you doing with all that stone?" gasped Toby.

"I'm taking over your work now!" grinned Horace.

"No, he's not," grunted Mavis. "There's no way he can get every stone down to Ffarquhar. The first train's yours, Toby. I'm following with a second lot."

"Ha! You'll take forever to get there," laughed Horace. "I'll get there quicker than you can say 'Duke of Sodor'."

"Duke of Sodor," retorted Henrietta before turning to Mavis. "Thanks for arranging the trucks for us."

"Happy to help, as always," smiled Mavis as Toby backed onto his train. "Say hello to Daisy when you see her at Ffarquhar for me."

"Of course," replied Toby, ringing his bell when he heard his guard's whistle. "See you later."

Horace was soon making his way down the road to Ffarquhar. Because of the weight in his trailer, he wasn't going as fast as he'd have liked.

"Come on!" he grunted. "We won't beat that garden shed or oil guzzler to the station at this rate."

"Why do you think you're going slow?" retorted his driver. "At this rate, we may cause a traffic jam." Horace looked ahead to see that a bicyclist was riding faster than he was driving.

"Good day, mates," called the bicyclist as she rode past. "Lovely day for a bike ride."

Horace eventually made it to the quarry crossing, the same one where Thomas once confronted a policeman over safety.

"Finally!" he grunted. "I didn't think we'd ever get there."

"Says the one who wanted to beat two trains to the station," muttered his driver. By now, Toby and Henrietta had long since made it to Ffarquhar, but Horace was confident about at least beating Mavis.

The lorry's hopes were dashed as he was just crossing the tracks when he felt something snap from underneath him and came to a stop, right in the middle of the crossing. His driver hopped down from the cabin to inspect.

"Well, would you look at that!" he exclaimed. "Your axle's gone and snapped clean in half! No wonder, what with all that stone you were carrying."

"Well, that's just great!" snapped Horace. "Why didn't you tell me all that stone was too much for me?!"

"You were the one who insisted upon carrying all that stone by yourself!" his driver snapped back. "We'd have been better off using Terence!"

Before Horace could say something back, he heard the sound of a train approaching, followed by a diesel's horn. His eyes widened when he realized the danger he was in.

"Get me off of the crossing!" he shouted in a panic.

Meanwhile, Mavis was coasting down the line. The chirping of the birds and the soft breeze had calmed her significantly, and she was enjoying herself.

"I guess I really did need to stretch my wheels today," she said to herself. "It's beautiful out here. The rails are dry, the sun's shining, Horace is on the crossing…" She gasped. "Oh my! Driver, we'd better brake!"

Unfortunately, the trucks decided to not heed Mavis' words, and surged forward.

"On, on!" they screamed. "Teach that Horace a lesson!"

"Stop! Stop!" yelled Horace in terror. His driver had ran for cover, leaving the lorry on his own.

"I can't!" cried Mavis, her brakes screeching as the trucks pushed against her.

Then everything seemed to happen at once! Mavis rammed straight into Horace, and the lorry had been thrown onto his side, landing straight into a nearby ditch. In the process, Mavis had come off the rails with her buffers and cowcatcher dented.

"Oww…" groaned Horace as he lay in the ditch. He had received a black eye from the impact, and a tooth had been knocked out.

"What did you think you were doing, you lump of steaming scrap iron?!" she growled.

Just then, the woman from earlier had pedaled over. "Mavis, what's happened?"

"Oh, hello, Constable Regaby," she sighed. "I just had a run-in with that horrid lorry over there."

"It wasn't my fault!" Horace protested. "That waspy box on wheels tried proving rails were superior to roads and so she decided to ram me off of my wheels!"

"That's a lie, and you know it!" snapped the lorry's driver. He then explained to Constable Regaby about Horace getting overloaded to try and prove a point.

"I was wondering why I was able to overtake him earlier," sighed Constable Regaby. "Right then. I'll have to see what I can do about punishing this lorry for disobeying the law. I'll have to get in contact with his owner. Mavis, I'll also see who's available to bring over Judy and Jerome and take you to the Steamworks."

It wasn't long before a breakdown lorry was called onto the scene. He had six wheels, his cabin was painted yellow while his trailer was navy blue with the words "Sodor Heavy Recovery Unit" in capital letters painted on both of his sides in white.

"Are you alright?" asked the breakdown lorry to Mavis.

"A few dents, but otherwise not too bad," sighed Mavis. "Just wish I could say the same thing for Horace."

"I see," sighed the breakdown lorry. "My name's Butch, by the way. I'm sure you'll be back in working order soon… err… Mavis, I think your nameplate says."

"That's me," she replied. "Crovan's Gate always does a good job with us, so I'll be fine."

"Horace will be fixed up at the garage too," assured Butch, "and he'll learn sense… I hope."

"I wouldn't keep my buffers crossed," sighed Percy as he came up with Judy and Jerome. "Horace was a terror to us even before this accident."

And I'm sorry to say that Horace didn't change, even after he and Mavis were both mended.

"That waspy box on wheels tried to run me down, I know it!" he would complain to anyone who'd bother to listen.

"And I suppose you just grew buffers out of your bumper," muttered David.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means we've heard it all before," sighed Jasmine. "And you've been lying this whole time."

"W-why do we have to p-put up with you?" groaned Alex.

Just then, the lorries' manager came up, having heard about Constable Regaby's police report.

"Horace!" he scolded. "I am most disappointed with you. It was bad enough with you being rude to the engines, but breaking the law and getting into an accident with one of the engines in a partnership with the North Western Railway? I won't stand for this nonsense any longer."

"Wh-what are you doing to do with me, sir?" asked Horace nervously. For once, he didn't think so highly of himself right now.

"You are going to be sent away from this island so we won't have to deal with you anymore!" he growled.

"But… where will I go?"

"I don't care!" snapped the manager. "Get off this island right now."

Reluctantly, Horace drove off, with Alex, David and Jasmine glaring at him as he did so.

"In better news," said the manager, "I've signed up an agreement with Mr. Packard. You three are to work part time with the Pack. Would you like that?"

"Oh yes, sir! We would, sir!" the three lorries smiled.

And indeed they did. Alex, David and Jasmine all fondly remember their time helping on the Ffarquhar branch line, and would love to do it again, but get on rather well with the Pack too. Jasmine especially hit it off with Isobella.

"You don't know how happy I am to have another female vehicle here," she smiled, though it wasn't as bright as she would have liked. "It hasn't been the same since my sister disappeared."

"I hope you'll be able to reunite with her someday," said Jasmine sympathetically. But that's a story for another day.

THE END

Author's Comments

The eighth episode of Series 5 Redux is here, being a mashup of Mavis and the Lorry and Horrid Lorry. For those who are confused about who Nicole is, I suggest reading North Western Origins on Rachel's page to understand the context. For the lorries, I decided to give them distinct liveries and personalities as the lorries in canon all felt interchangeable with little distinction. Horace is Lorry 1 and remains red and rude to the other engines; Alex is Lorry 2, painted yellow and rather jittery; and David is Lorry 3, painted green and takes his duties seriously. Jasmine is Lorry 4, an obscure character from the Round the Rails board game made by Ravensburger, painted blue and is quite chirper. I feel that's way more interesting than three lorries who act and think the same way. I hope to include them more often in future stories as there's a lot that could be done with the road vehicles of Sodor. Mind you, this is not the last we've seen of Horace.

Upcoming stories:

- Double Teething Troubles

- A Better View for Gordon

- The Old Warrior

- Lady Hatt's Birthday Party

- Gordon and the Gremlin