HENRY'S ANIMAL ARK
It was Christmas Eve on the Island of Sodor, and as expected, snow had come, but it was heavier than usual, and the engines were finding it difficult to work, particularly Henry, who had been taking heavy trains of goods to and from the docks.
"I can hardly feel my wheels it's so cold!" Henry complained as he puffed along, "Why should I have to put up with these conditions?" In the distance, he could see the Sodor Animal Park, along with a man standing on the platform, huddling a shivering monkey in his hands. Henry frowned as he slowed down and stopped at the platform.
"Everything alright, Headkeeper Jack?" he asked. Headkeeper Jack solemnly shook his head.
"Afraid not, Henry. This cold has been too much for our old boiler, and now it's broken down. We need that boiler to keep the animals warm, or else they could end up freezing!" Henry instantly felt guilty about griping so much about the cold.
"Oh dear, that sounds like quite the predicament. Is there anything I could do to help?" Headkeeper Jack sighed.
"I don't know, to tell you the truth. We placed an order for a new boiler, and it was supposed to come today at Brendam, but it hasn't shown up!" Henry thought for a moment.
"I'm on my way to the docks myself. If I can, I'll try and find out what's keeping that boiler for you." Henry whistled and started rolling away, leaving Headkeeper Jack to worriedly look down at the monkey, which had tried wrapping part of a scarf around itself for warmth.
"Those poor animals… I'm lucky, I at least have a fire with me at all times to keep me warm," Henry mused to himself as he pulled into Brendam Docks. Emily had gotten there just before he did, and had braked to a halt beside Cranky.
"Sorry it took me so long to get here, Cranky," Emily called up, "But this snow's causing havoc everywhere!"
"Too bad for you," Cranky sneered, "You wasted your time coming here." Emily raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" she asked nervously. Cranky rolled his eyes.
"That ship isn't coming, that's why." Emily and Henry gasped.
"Wait, why?!" Emily cried.
"Pah! It's always 'why' with you engines, isn't it? Don't know, don't care." Cranky turned around, ending the conversation. Emily and Henry shared a horrified look. Just then, the two heard a horn and Salty rolled up with some trucks.
"Argh, he's just messing with ye, me hearties. That ship will come, just not until after Christmas. I hear the sea's frozen over."
"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" Henry spluttered, "It'll be too late by then! What'll happen to the animals?" Salty grimaced.
"Er, sorry, matey. Only trying to be helpful."
"What kind of a question is that?" Cranky snorted, turning back around, "They'll-"
"We're not going to let it get to that," Henry interrupted quickly, "There has to be another way to keep them warm… there has to be!"
"Maybe we could take them somewhere else, somewhere that's still warm," Emily suggested. Henry grinned.
"That's it! Brilliant idea, Emily! I'll speak to The Fat Controller about it! He'll have to understand!" Henry whistled and hurried out of the docks. Cranky watched him leave, scoffing.
"Only Henry would care so much about silly animals. What have they ever done for anyone?"
"Look, an elephant!" Salty called out. Cranky yelped and looked all around.
"Where?!" Salty, Porter and Emily burst into laughter as Cranky scowled.
Meanwhile, Henry was racing to Knapford as quickly as he could. He approached the Animal Park again, Headkeeper Jack still standing on the platform with the monkey.
"Henry? What's happened?"
"The ship can't make it, Jack, but I have an idea!" Henry called, but was already out of sight before Jack could ask what that idea was. Jack sighed and patted the monkey on the head.
Henry pulled into Knapford, about to call out for the Fat Controller, when he saw him on a ladder, trying to place a star on top of the station's Christmas tree. Henry glanced at James, who was watching the scene with bemusement.
"What's he doing, James?"
"He insisted he put the star on the tree," James explained, "Something about him wanting to personally help with the decorating for a change. Doesn't look like he's going to actually do it, though." Henry looked back to the Fat Controller, who was visibly struggling to stretch his arm enough to reach the top.
"You're almost, there, sir!" a workman encouraged, holding the ladder steady.
"Just another… erm… foot!" another added. The Fat Controller sighed in defeat and started clambering down the ladder.
"It's no good… I'm just not as flexible as I used to be. Sorry, lads." He hopped onto the platform, startled to see Henry.
"Henry? When did you get here?"
"Sir, there's an emergency at the Animal Park! The boiler has broken down, and the new one can't make it, so we need to take the animals someplace warm in the meantime!" The Fat Controller was about to reply when James spoke first.
"If you want to talk about someplace warm, I just got back from the Steamworks, and it was blistering in there! I don't know how they get anything done in there without melting!"
"That's quite enough, James," the Fat Controller cut in, "but a very good idea nonetheless. Henry, there are some special trucks for carrying animals in the yard. I want you to collect them and take all of the animals that you can to the Steamworks." Henry smiled.
"Thank you, sir!" He rushed out of the station as James groaned.
"Why did I say anything…" While the Fat Controller's back was turned, one of the workmen hurriedly climbed the ladder and easily placed the star on top of the tree. The Fat Controller turned around, saw this and glared at him.
Henry rolled into the shunting yard, scanning the sidings for the special trucks. Suddenly, he spotted Stanley shunting them away. Henry gasped.
"Stanley, wait! Stop!" Stanley looked back and braked as Henry rolled alongside. "What are you doing with those trucks?" Stanley raised an eyebrow.
"Shunting them into the goods shed. These won't be needed until spring at the earliest, may as well save some space."
"But I need them!"
"You do? What for?"
"No time to explain, Stanley! Just give me them!" Stanley relented and reversed away so Henry could couple up. Henry whistled and hurried over to them.
Soon, Henry was out on the main line again, hurrying back to the Animal Park. However, he didn't get very far before he could see Donald and Douglas up ahead ploughing the snow, with a coach between them. Henry groaned as he had to slow down.
"Come on, you two! What's the holdup? This is an emergency!"
"Emergency or no, laddie," Donald said, annoyed, "we have tae clear th' tracks, or engines lik' ye would get stuck fast." Henry rolled his eyes.
"I'm more powerful than you, I'd have no trouble clearing the snow by myself!"
"Says ye," chuckled Douglas, "Snow disnae care if ye have somewhere tae be or nae. Leave it tae th' experts."
"But I have to get through!" Henry protested, starting to get desperate, "There are animals that are very cold and need my help!" The twins shared a look. "Please!" Douglas sighed.
"Alright, lad. Ye can pass through, just this once." He and Donald rolled onto a siding in order to let Henry roll by. Donald glared back at Douglas.
"What'd ye dae that for?"
"He seemed tae be telling th' truth. In any case, if he does get stuck, maybe it'll teach him a lesson, eh?" Henry flew by the siding, spraying the twins with snow as he passed. Donald spat out some from his mouth and gritted his teeth.
"Ye better be right…"
Headkeeper Jack stared worriedly out into the snow, hoping there would be some sign of the boiler soon. The monkey in his arms was started to get agitated from being in the cold for so long.
"It's okay, little fella. You'll be all warmed up soon." He heard a whistle and looked up; suddenly, he gasped; Henry puffed triumphantly in, hauling a long train of special trucks behind him. "Henry? What's all this?"
"We're going to be taking all the animals to the Steamworks! It's nice and warm there!" Henry smiled proudly.
"Wow, what a Christmas miracle! I'll tell the other keepers to start rounding up the animals. Thank you so much, Henry!" Henry grinned.
"The pleasure is all mine," he said with an air of importance. Soon, the other keepers had been told about the plan. Henry was amazed as elephants, giraffes, camels, monkeys, hippos, zebras, ostriches and even a giant panda walked into his trucks. Jack, still holding his monkey, climbed aboard Henry's cab.
"I know, we've quite the selection here, but you need one to draw a crowd! It may be a bit of a heavy load, but I'm sure you can do it, right, Henry?" Henry tried to smile.
"Of course! No trouble at all," he agreed, secretly a little intimidated by all the large animals. Henry's driver glanced at the monkey.
"Do we… have to have him in here?"
"Don't worry, he doesn't bite," Jack reassured, though the monkey seemed to be glaring at the driver. The driver grimaced.
"Well, if you say so… Ready, Henry?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Henry muttered. He blew his whistle, causing the monkey to screech loudly in the cab. The driver jumped back as Henry rolled out of the Animal Park.
Henry started his long journey to the Steamworks; it was hard work pushing through the snow as well as hauling the heavy animals, but he kept going regardless. However, there was trouble ahead. Henry groaned as he approached a very large snowdrift.
"Oh no! We'll never get through that! Where are Donald and Douglas when you actually need them?" Henry managed to brake just before the snowdrift, letting off a lot of steam. The steam flooded the cab, and the monkey started screeching again. Henry winced. "Oops." Jack poked his head out the window.
"Where are we supposed to go now? It's only going to get colder out here." Henry frowned until a thought struck him.
"Maybe we could head to Tidmouth Sheds? Our boilers and fireboxes are pretty hot, they could keep the animals warm."
"I'm sorry, Henry, but that's just not feasible," Jack sighed, "Your boiler is hot, but it's too hot; what if the animals burn themselves on you? That's not even mentioning that it might take a long time for the new boiler to arrive; I don't think the Fat Controller would like it if you all had to stay in the sheds for days on end."
"And I'm certainly not going to stay in the shed for days with this thing," the driver added, pointing nervously at the monkey. Jack chuckled. Henry narrowed his eyes at the snowdrift ahead of him.
"Then I suppose that leaves only one option…" Henry's sandboxes dropped sand on the rails so he could get a good grip. He looked down at his snowplough. "Snowplough, don't fail me now…" He whistled and slowly started to move. He quickly sped up, charging at the snowdrift. Snow flew in all directions, coating Henry in a cold layer of white, but he didn't care as he whooshed through the tunnel. The three men cheered.
"Well done, old boy, well done!" the driver cheered. Henry grinned and surged ahead in the direction of the Steamworks.
However, another obstacle came when Henry arrived at Gordon's Hill.
"Are you sure you can make it up there, Henry?" Headkeeper Jack asked worriedly, "Maybe we should-"
"No, I can," Henry insisted, "It'll be easy. Just you watch." Henry whistled and raced up the slope with a will. He was about halfway to the top when he heard a whistle. To his surprise, Rebecca was coming down the other side with one of her secondary express services.
"Rebecca? What are you doing out here?"
"Same reason as you, I imagine; doing work!" Rebecca ogled at all the animals aboard Henry's unusual train. "Wow! What's all this, Henry?"
"Sorry, Rebecca, I'll explain later!" Rebecca frowned as Henry approached the top.
"If you say so! Oh, Henry, wait! There are deep snowdrifts down at the bottom! Be careful!"
"Sure thing, Rebecca!" Henry called, though he didn't sound like he really meant it. Henry rolled over the top of the hill and started cascading down the other side. Henry tried his best to brake, but the heavy weight of all the animals pushed him onward, and the icy rails made it difficult to grip. "This was a mistake!" Henry yelled as he rolled around the bend at the bottom of the hill and flew into a snowdrift. The driver poked his head out the window.
"Well, that's torn it; you're not going anywhere now."
"N-No!" Henry stammered, "I pushed through the last snowdrift, I can get through this one too!" He tried moving forward, but the snow was even heavier than the last drift, and his wheels barely moved at all. Henry eventually gave up and groaned. "It's no use… We really are stuck this time."
Down the main line, Donald and Douglas were still at work clearing the tracks for the other engines, Donald still bitter about Henry.
"Muckle nuisance… It's tae give 'im a good buffer bashing, I be wantin'." Douglas was about to reply when Emily rolled up, looking frantic.
"Have either of you seen Henry? He was supposed to be at the Steamworks by now, but they say he hasn't shown up!" The twins smirked at each other.
"Are ye thinking what a'm thinking, Dougie?"
"Aye, Donnie. Looks like ol' 'powerful Henry' ended up in a snowy situation!" The two started to laugh, much to Emily's confusion.
"It's not funny, you two! He has precious cargo with him! They could be out there all night!" Douglas chuckled.
"Dinna fash yerself, lass. We'll get 'im out in a couple of puffs." Donald and Douglas each whistled and rolled away to the rescue, leaving Emily behind.
Meanwhile, Henry was growing colder and colder by the minute. He was feeling miserable and was starting to fear for the worst when one of the elephants trumpeted loudly behind him. Henry gasped.
"That's it!"
"What's it?" inquired the driver curiously. Henry grinned.
"Elephants are very powerful creatures! A long time ago, me and some workmen were pushed out of a tunnel by a circus elephant! So, if one elephant could do that, why can't two push me and the rest of the animals through the snow?" The driver and Jack looked at each other.
"Do you think it'll work?" the driver asked. Jack glanced at the elephants, who were starting to look restless.
"Well, it's better than the alternative. Let's give it a try." Jack led the elephants out of the trucks and towards the brake van. Jack nodded and the elephants started to push. Up front, Henry could start to feel himself moving.
"Yes, yes, that's it! Keep pushing!" Henry called back. As the elephants continued to push the train onward, two deep-toned whistles sounded out. Donald and Douglas rounded the bend, each with determined looks on their faces.
"Dinna fash yerself, Henry! Seems ye weren't so powerful after…" Donald broke off, gaping at the sight before him. "Dougie, I haven't gone mad, have I? A'm really seeing what a'm seeing?" Douglas looked just as confused as Donald. Henry looked back and burst into laughter at the looks on the twins' faces.
"Hello, you two! Fancy coming all this way to rescue me, when I rescued myself!" By this time, the elephants had managed to push Henry all the way through the snowdrift, and he could continue on his own again. "Ah well, maybe next time you'll be luckier, eh? Cheerio!" Donald and Douglas were stunned as Headkeeper Jack led the elephants back into their trucks. Henry, still laughing, whistled and headed back on his way.
For the rest of Henry's journey, he kept fighting the snow, constantly pushing heavy amounts of it aside with his snowplough. Nonetheless, he kept going for Jack and the animals. By the time he arrived at the Steamworks, he was exhausted. Victor was waiting from him at the entrance.
"Henry, my friend, you made it! Thank goodness; I was almost starting to think you weren't coming!" Henry smiled wryly.
"I thought the same, to be honest. It's only thanks to the elephants I'm even here." Victor raised an eyebrow.
"Elephants?" Henry chuckled.
"It's a bit of a long story. Come on, let's get inside. I don't think I can stand another moment in this snow." Victor and Henry rolled inside the Steamworks. Headkeeper Jack hopped down from the cab, taking off his scarf.
"You weren't lying when you said it was warm in here, Henry," he remarked. Henry smiled, but was startled to hear two familiar whistles. Henry looked back, surprised to see Donald and Douglas entering the Steamworks, rolling alongside him.
"Donald? Douglas? What are you two doing here?"
"Wanted tae get oot o' th' cold," Donald explained simply. Douglas gave him a look. "Oh, and er, congratulate ye."
"Congratulate me? Why?"
"Ye took on a terrible blizzard just tae mak' sure thae animals were safe," Douglas cut in before Donald could reply.
"And I can't thank you enough for it, Henry," Jack added, "Without you, these animals might not have lived to see next Christmas." Henry blushed modestly.
"Oh, er, it was nothing, really." Donald smirked at Douglas.
"Och, look at that, Dougie! Now he's modest! A rare sight indeed!" The twins laughed, causing Henry to scowl.
"Alright, alright, that's enough, you two," Victor interrupted, "You all should head back to Tidmouth now." The three engines shared a look and came to a silent agreement.
"Actually, Victor," ventured Henry, "I'm not sure we'll be able to make it through the snow back home. Can we stay here for the night?"
"Are you sure? I'm not certain if sleeping with animals is the most… pleasant thing."
"Perhaps not, but it's better than getting stuck in another snowdrift," Henry huffed wryly, causing Victor to laugh.
"Point taken. Goodnight, you three."
"Goodnight, Victor!" all three engines said at once as Victor rolled away, leaving the three engines to look out into the darkening sky.
"I'm sorry for being boastful," Henry mumbled at last. Donald snickered.
"Come again?" Henry glared.
"I said I'm sorry. Ugh, look, I was just worried about the animals, and-"
"Aye, dinna fash yerself; we get it, laddie."
"Oh…" An awkward silence between the trio until Henry broke it. "Merry Christmas, you two." The twins smiled.
"Merry Christmas, Henry." The three engines shut their eyes and fell fast asleep.
Author's Note: Getting closer and closer to the present; this one was written in February, so only last month, which is pretty short in writing time. It seemed a bit odd to me that Thomas got all the international side of things in Season 22, and still got a couple Sodor episodes too. So, considering that, that inspired me to rewrite the episode, and I swapped him out with Henry. This was partly because I felt he deserved something to do in S22, but also just to shake things up a bit. For the same reason, Tidmouth Sheds isn't really involved. Not because I think it was dumb in the original, just again to spice things up. Another change is the addition of Donald and Douglas, who to me make this story. I loved writing them and their interactions with Henry, which makes it more of a shame they didn't even show up in S22. Me griping aside, I hope you enjoyed this, even if at the time of me posting this, it's long past Christmas.