A DESPERATE TIME
That evening, Edward had joined Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and Emily at Tidmouth Sheds. It was only for the evening, but Edward was sure BoCo and Philip would alright at Wellsworth; after all, the five engines needed his support during a distressful time, and he needed theirs as well. Thomas was missing, and goodness knows what could happen to him if he wasn't found.
"Why must something always go wrong on this railway?" James grumbled. "First Thomas gets sent to Harwick and ends up with a pirate chase, then Henry and I nearly get trapped in a Steelworks on the mainland, and now this!"
"All things happen for a reason," Edward insisted. "If Thomas had not been sent to work on the new branch line, the pirate ship and the treasure would never have been discovered, Sailor John never would have gone to prison, and Skiff would still be working for him. And if you and Henry not had your misadventure on the mainland, Frankie would still be tricking engines into staying at the Steelworks with her, Beresford would still be bothering engines out of loneliness, and the experimental trio wouldn't have a home of their own. Sure, bad things do happen involving us, but something good always turns out in the end."
"He does have a point," Henry agreed.
"But that was within Sodor and the mainland," Gordon argued. "Thomas is miles away in Africa, a continent that's mostly sandy desert and wild life."
"That's not all Africa is known for," muttered Edward. Emily noticed that Percy was looking anxious, more so than usual.
"Are you okay, Percy?" she asked.
"What if Thomas never comes back?" Percy asked. "What if he gets stolen while in Africa, and broken down to be sold?"
"I'm sure Thomas won't be broken down," Emily insisted gently. "There are probably some nice people in Africa who will help him out."
But Percy wasn't convinced; before anymore could be said, he raced out of the sheds.
"Percy, where are you going?" called Henry. But the little green engine didn't reply.
At the carriage sheds, Annie and Clarabel were fast asleep. They were suddenly woken by a shrill whistle.
"What on earth is going on?" demanded Annie.
"I was having such a nice dream too," yawned Clarabel. The whistle was coming from none other than Percy.
"Annie, Clarabel!" he cried. "We have to find Thomas! He might be in trouble!"
"Thomas in trouble?!" the coaches gasped.
"He's ended up in Africa," Percy explained, "and we have to find him and bring him back to Sodor!"
Normally, Annie and Clarabel would've brushed off Percy's plan as a foolish one, but the thought of their engine being in danger kept them from thinking clearly.
"How are we supposed to get to Africa?" Clarabel asked.
"We don't know the way," Annie insisted.
"We go the same way Thomas did," said Percy. "By ship from Brendam Docks!" Percy coupled up to the coaches and was just pulling out when...
"Hold it right there!" Percy stopped and looked over to who had called out to him. It was Toby. He was just dropping Henrietta off at the sheds after taking the workmen home from a night shift at the quarry.
"Toby, we have to rescue Thomas!" Percy insisted. "He's lost in Africa!"
The tram engine raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think this is a good idea, Percy?"
"Of course I'm sure," Percy insisted. "Friends are supposed to help each other."
"But what about the branch line?" asked Toby. "Henrietta and I can't manage everything by ourselves, and we're struggling enough in Thomas' absence as it is, even with Stanley and Amanda's assistance sometimes. Besides, is it worth risking yourself, Annie and Clarabel getting lost as well?"
Percy didn't say anything at first; Toby's words had sunk in quite deep.
"I... I didn't think about that." After uncoupling from Annie and Clarabel, Percy puffed back to his shed. The two coaches were disappointed as well.
"Sorry if you two got your hopes up," Toby apologized.
"We get how you're feeling," added Henrietta. "If Toby got into trouble, I don't know what I'd do either."
"You're right, Henrietta," Annie admitted.
"We'll try to get back to sleep," Clarabel added. With that, the coaches went back to sleep.
A few days later, it was time for Emily to depart for Canada, but she wasn't alone. Glynn the coffee pot engine had been loaned by the Earl of Sodor, Sir Robert Norramby, to lead the Best Decorated Engine parade along with an open-topped carriage to carry a brass band in.
"This is quite exciting," Glynn proclaimed. "I can't remember the last time I got to lead such a special event as this."
"Just be careful on your surroundings," Emily suggested. "Canada's much different from Sodor."
"There are many places around the world that are even bigger," Glynn insisted.
"I wonder why the ship hasn't left yet," Emily wondered. Her answer came with the sound of more whistles. She was surprised to see Spencer and Caitlin pull into the docks, as well as an unfamiliar engine with four wheels painted in blue and yellow.
"Spencer? Caitlin?" Emily asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?" She then looked back to the unfamiliar engine. "And who's that?"
"I'm Logan," said the blue and yellow engine. "Nice to meet you."
"We're partaking in the Great Railway Show as well," explained Caitlin. "Spencer and I are competing in the Great Race."
"But what is Logan doing here?" Emily asked.
"I'm filling in for Thomas at the Shunting Competition," Logan explained.
"We heard about what had happened with Thomas getting lost," said Caitlin. "How are you taking it?"
"I'm being brave as I can," Emily insisted. "Poor Percy was real upset and even tried to take off to Africa with Annie and Clarabel to find Thomas. Thank goodness Toby talked him out of it."
"Indeed," said Spencer. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing when Thomas got lost." He sighed and looked down at his buffers. "He was one of the first to forgive my actions when I tried to get Hiro scrapped..."
Before long, the three engines were loaded onto the ship with Emily and Glynn. Emily was happy not to be going alone, but she was still worried about Thomas.
"I hope you're alright, Thomas," she muttered quietly. Just then, a horn sounded out, and the ship pulled out of the docks towards Canada.
Meanwhile, Henry was delivering a goods train to Vicarstown station. Rosie was nearby, shunting in the yards.
"Hello, Rosie," Henry called over to her. "How are you settling in at Vicarstown?"
"I've been doing fine since I was transferred here," said Rosie. "Dennis is fine company, but I do miss working on Thomas' branch line whenever I was needed."
"I'm glad to hear," Henry said. "I've been alright as well. Though to be honest, sometimes I wish I didn't have to go all the way back to Tidmouth sheds once I finished my Flying Kipper routes."
"It must be rather tiring having to make a long distance back just to get some sleep," said Rosie. "Why don't you ask Sir Topham Hatt if you could transfer to a new shed? That way, once you're done pulling the Flying Kipper, you can instantly get some sleep."
"Hmm," said Henry. "I'll have to think about that. I could probably give it a try before making a decision." Henry puffed away and left his goods train for Rosie to rearrange in the sidings.
A while later, Henry was returning to Knapford station when he saw Sir Topham Hatt standing on the platform.
"Hello, sir," Henry greeted. "What are you up to right now?"
"Well, Henry," Sir Topham Hatt explained, "the sheds at Harwick are in need of a little touching up. That means Ryan and Daisy will need a place to stay until it's finished."
"Why don't they stay at Tidmouth sheds?" Henry suggested. "Ryan can take Thomas's berth, and Daisy can borrow mine."
"But where will you sleep?" Sir Topham Hatt asked.
"Perhaps I could spend the night at Vicarstown," Henry suggested.
"Very well then," said Sir Topham Hatt. "I'll go tell Ryan and Daisy the news."
That night, Henry rolled into Vicarstown sheds.
"Oh hello, Henry," Murdoch greeted in surprise. "What are ye doing up here?" Henry quickly explained about Ryan and Daisy's situation and about his conversation he had with Rosie.
"Oh, I see," said Bear. "Well, you know what they say; the more, the merrier."
"Just as long as you don't make any noise while I'm trying to sleep," grunted Dennis.
"Oh, it's not like you don't snore loudly at night," Rosie smirked. The gray diesel just rolled his eyes.
"I'll try to be quiet," Henry promised.
"Don't take Dennis seriously," Bear insisted. "He's just a fusspot."
"I'm right next to you, you know!" the gray diesel retorted. "How am I expected to work hard if I don't get my beauty sleep?"
"By 'work hard', ye mean dawdle about in the yards all day," Murdoch sighed. Dennis' protests were drowned out by the laughter of Bear, Rosie and Henry.
"Is it any wonder I was sent up to work the yards?" Rosie giggled.
"Things have been a lot tidier here since you were transferred," said Henry. "I don't know what we'd do without you here."
"Thanks, Henry," smiled Rosie. "I do my best."
"We're glad to have someone new to talk with at night," added Bear.
"We don't know if it's a permanent change yet, you two," Henry told them. "I mean, with Thomas missing and all, it's shaken up everybody."
"I do hope he's found soon," sighed Rosie. "He could be alone and frightened."
"Reminds me of when James got trapped in that Steelworks," Henry added.
"Och, dinna even go there," shuddered Murdoch. "Just ye and James bringin' it up gives me nightmares."
Before long, the engines drifted off to sleep. They had a big day ahead of them. All the same, Henry had had thoughts about transferring to Vicarstown in the near future... but that's another story.
Author's Comments
Now that the engines have heard about Thomas' sudden disappearance (if you haven't, I recommend starting from the start to see how we got to this point), things aren't looking too good for them at the moment. That doesn't stop Emily from partaking in the Great Railway Show in Canada along with Glynn (to lead the Best Decorated Engine Parade), Spencer, Caitlin (both for the Great Race) and the merchandise-exclusive character Logan (replacing Thomas for the Shunting Challenge). Not only that, we're given a proper explanation as to why Henry eventually ends up sleeping at Vicarstown once Thomas returns to Sodor. I felt the sheds there were a bit-underpopulated and so I brought in Dennis to sleep alongside Henry and Rosie there. (By the way, Norman's redundant; Dennis is more interesting to work with.) And yes, I do plan a future rewrite of Journey Beyond Sodor alongside a rewrite of The Great Race in the future. Just don't ask me when, because I don't know.
Next time, we see Emily and Glynn partake in The Best Decorated Engine Parade!
