The Winx Club's Sodor Adventures - Season 1

Episode 24: Gordon Takes a Dip

Gordon was resting in a siding. "Sometimes," he thought," it's really tiring to be such a large and splendid engine. One does have to keep up appearances so."

"Peep, peep, peep, peep! Hello, lazybones!" whistled Henry.

"What cheek!" spluttered Gordon. "That Henry is too big for his wheels. Fancy speaking to me like that! Me, who has never had an accident!"

"Aren't jammed whistles and burst safety valves accidents?" asked Percy innocently as he and Musa pulled up.

"No, indeed! High spirits might happen to any engine; but to come off the rails like Henry did... Well, I ask you! Is it right? Is it decent?"

Then it was Henry and Flora's turn to take the Express. Gordon watched them getting ready.

"Be careful, Henry. You're not pulling the Flying Kipper now; mind you keep on the rails today."

"Just ignore him, Henry," said Flora calmly, "Gordon's just jealous."

Henry went off in a huff, and Gordon yawned and went to sleep, but not for long.

"Wake up, Gordon," said Aisha. "A special train's coming and we're to pull it."

"Is it coaches or freight cars?"

"Cars," said Aisha.

"Cars?" said Gordon. "Pooh!"

Gordon's fire was slow to start, so Edward and Tecna had to push Gordon to the turntable to get him facing the right way.

"I won't go, I won't go," grumbled Gordon.

"Don't be silly, don't be silly," puffed Edward.

At last Gordon was on the turntable. The movement had shaken his fire. It was now burning nicely and making steam. Gordon was cross, and didn't care what he did. He waited till the table was halfway round.

"I'll show them! I'll show them!" he hissed. He moved slowly forward, to jam the table. But he couldn't stop himself, and slithered into a ditch.

"Ooh!" he hissed. "Get me out! Get me out!"

"Not a hope," said his fairy friend. "You're stuck, you silly great engine, don't you understand that?"

She telephoned Sir Topham Hatt.

"So Gordon didn't want to take the special train and ran into a ditch? What's that, you say? The special's waiting? Tell Edward and Tecna to take it please, and Gordon? Oh, leave him where he is. We'll get him out later... Yes, goodbye."

On the other side of the ditch, Mitzi, Bloom's school rival from Gardenia, was having a good time, teasing Gordon.

"Boy, doesn't he look silly!" she laughed. "They'll never get him out." She began to sing. "Silly old Gordon fell in a ditch, fell in a ditch, fell in a ditch, Silly old Gordon fell in a ditch, All on a Monday morning."

"Shut up, Mitzi!" said Aisha crossly after telling Edward and Tecna to take the special train. "It's not funny! Go bother somebody else!"

"Fine," replied Mitzi huffily, "have it your way." And she snorted off.

Gordon lay in the ditch all day. "Oh, dear," he thought, "I shall never get out."

"Don't worry, Gordon," said Aisha, "I'll keep you company until the cranes get here. But I hope you'll learn your lesson about freight trains."

And Gordon did.

Soon that evening, they lifted Gordon and made a road of sleepers under his wheels to keep him from the mud. Strong ropes were fastened to his back end, and James and Henry, pulling hard, managed to bring him to safety.

Late that night, Gordon crawled home, a sadder and wiser engine.

The End