Buzz Buzz
Based upon the story by Rev. W. Awdry
Adapted by Rachel Ravens
Takes place between STLOE and F&W
The next day, Gordon had to go to the Steamworks for a new dome. Unfortunately, he was met up by Sir Handel, who was getting the morning passenger train ready with Gertrude and Millicent.
"Hello, Gordon," chuckled Sir Handel. "What's happened to your dome?"
"Don't ask, Sir Handel," grunted the big engine. "Just… don't ask."
"Too late, I already did," he laughed. "Engines losing domes? Whatever next?"
But unfortunately, Sir Handel hadn't noticed his wheels slipping.
"Ouch!" he yelped. "Oh come on! Not again!"
"That's what you get for teasing others," scolded Skarloey as he left to get the old coaches.
"But I didn't even come off the line on purpose!" cried Sir Handel as his crew came out to re-rail him. "Oh, the indignity…"
"That's my line!"
Down at the Wellsworth branch line, BoCo was taking some trucks down from Brandam Harbour to Tidmouth, when he saw a traction engine moving in the orchard. The signal was red, so he was able to stop and chat with him.
"It's Trevor, isn't it?" he asked. He had seen Trevor in the field quite a fair bit on his travels, but he didn't have a chance to properly talk to him until now.
"That's right," smiled Trevor. "And you're BoCo. Edward's told me quite a bit about you."
"Likewise," replied the diesel. "You look very bright and cheerful today."
"Oh, I am," said the traction engine.
BoCo then started to hear a buzzing noise. "Trevor," he asked, "do you hear that?"
"I do," said Trevor. "It's the bees. They're all in these boxy things called bee hives. I'm taking them to the station. The Vicar says his bees make good honey and he's giving some of them to his friends."
"I hope they are careful," said BoCo. "Driver says bees can sting you."
"That's true," said Trevor, "though this mostly happens if you upset them."
"Well, I also hope the Vicar's friends like the honey," smiled BoCo. "Good luck with giving them to people."
"Thank you," the traction engine replied. The signal clunked and BoCo pulled away.
Meanwhile, Duck was resting in the sheds. He had done his shunting in good time and his crew were chatting outside. He then heard the sound of a diesel horn.
"It's BoCo," he said quietly, tensing up.
"Hello, Duck," smiled BoCo warmly. "Mind if I drop in?"
"Er… I guess," Duck said hesitantly.
BoCo came carefully onto the turntable and backed into the berth on Duck's right.
"I know you're not exactly comfortable around me," BoCo said quietly. "It's because of Diesel spreading lies last year, isn't it?"
Duck sighed. "Yes, BoCo. I… I still get flashbacks every once in a while."
"That must have been horrible," BoCo sighed. "No engine deserves that kind of treatment. I'm glad Edward was able to bring comfort to you during that time."
"Y-yeah," Duck gave a small smile. "Edward is just bursting with kindness. There's not a bad bolt in him. Did you know," he added, "Edward just kept on refusing to go to the Steamworks because of his various acts of kindness?"
"No," gasped BoCo. "What do you mean?"
"Well, before I came, Edward was determined to try and figure out how to help Skarloey and Rheneas with their locomotive shortage." Duck began. "He didn't want to go to the Steamworks until that was under control. Then, when Toby had to go to the Steamworks, Edward refused to go again, as he wanted to keep the railway afloat during the Summer rush. When Toby came back, it was the Christmas rush, and he kept going. And then, he still refused to go when Percy was brutally teased from his incident with a baggage trolley and when I was bullied by Diesel."
"Goodness," remarked BoCo. "Did he ever go to get repaired?"
"He did," said Duck, "after he caught James when he ran away." The pannier tank then sighed. "We were all concerned for him, even James and Gordon. But, I guess Edward has a bit of a stubborn streak too."
"So it would seem," said BoCo. "I'm glad he listened in the end. Speaking of listening, Bill and Ben only seemed to listen to Edward at first."
"Oh, the tank engine twins at the China Clay Works." chuckled Duck. "Yes, I remember those two."
"I remember the first time I met those two," BoCo laughed to Duck. "They nearly made my eyes pop out. Have they ever played tricks on you?"
"Goodness me, yes." Duck chuckled. "But their joke on me was nothing like what they pulled on James when he first came to Brendam Docks with them there. They spoke into pipes and pretended they were one ghost. This was during the time that he, Gordon and Henry believed I spread lies about them."
"Well, in that case, it served James right," said BoCo.
"You know," said Duck. "I sometimes call Bill and Ben 'the bees'."
"A good name," chuckled BoCo. "They are terrors when they start buzzing around."
Duck hadn't realised it at the time, but he and BoCo were getting along like a house on fire. Any tension he had initially felt had melted away. The two of them were so enthralled in their conversation, they didn't see James bustling into the sheds.
"What's that, Duck?" He snorted. "Are you terrified of bees? They're only insects after all, so don't let that buzzbox diesel tell you differently!"
"His name is BoCo," Duck said firmly, "and he didn't. We…"
"I wouldn't care." James interrupted. "If hundreds were swarming around me, I'd just blow smoke and tell them to buzz off."
"Buzz, buzz, buzz." retorted Duck cheekily.
James left in a huff.
"Oh yeah, James, I left the coaches at platform… one." Duck sighed, not sure if James heard him. "So sorry about that, BoCo," he turned his attention back to the diesel. "He'll come around."
"I sure hope so," BoCo said quietly.
"Fancy that!" cried James as he headed for Knapford. "First Duck absolutely hates diesels, now he's chatting away with that new one as if he's on a picnic or something."
"Dook 'n' BoCo talking?" asked Donald in surprise when he was about to buffer up to his goods train. "Urr ye sure, James?"
"Listen carefully, and then you'll understand," grunted the red engine.
Donald did so, and heard the voices of Duck and BoCo drifting toward him.
"Dook really seems tae trust BoCo…" Donald noted quietly.
"I would beware of that diesel, Donald," muttered James. "Watch your back!"
"Bit we wur wrong aboot Rusty," Donald argued. "We cuid be wrong aboot BoCo tae."
"Donald, you fought through diesels just to keep Douglas safe!" James snapped. "You don't want any bad fate to fall on your twin again, do you?"
"O' coorse nae!" Donald burst out, "Bit…"
"Then think twice before speaking to that diesel." James buzzed away to get the express, leaving Donald utterly conflicted.
Sur Topham Hatt wants a' engines tae be safe. Donald thought as he pulled the train out of the yard. He did allow BoCo tae stay 'n' sent Diesel back. Bit at th' same time, Douggie 'n' Ah hud a brutal time getting 'ere... Ah dinnae ken whit tae think.
James then backed onto the express, with many passengers excited and keen to get on board.
"This must be a treat for James," said one of the passengers. "He doesn't pull the express too often."
"Oh, it is a treat," grinned James, overhearing the comment. "I'll have a smooth run with this train for sure."
"Mind your backs," called one of the porters, who was walking behind with a beehive on the box. "Careful, Fred, careful!"
"I know, Bert," said Fred. "If the bees get out, there will be trouble."
Suddenly, an old lady appeared out in front of the two men.
"Watch out!" called Fred, stopping much too quickly. The box slid off the trolley and smashed on the platform.
"BEES!" cried one of the passengers, and they shot back into the station like magic.
"What the?" gasped James, and started to hear a buzzing noise. "That's not Harold…"
The bess were too sleepy to be cross, and found the station very cold. They flew over to James' fireman; who was trying to couple James to the train; and wanted him to mend the hive.
"Whoa!" he gasped, rushing back into James' cab and ducking deep down, putting his jacket over his head.
"What's the problem?" asked the driver, and the moment the driver asked, the bees swarmed around him too. "Bees!" He grabbed the shovel and tried to swat them.
"Ouch!" yelped James. "Watch my cab sides!"
"Sorry!" called the driver.
The bees, disappointed, turned their attention to James, as his boiler was nice and warm. They started to swarm him happily.
"Buzz off," hissed James. "Go on, buzz off!"
But the bees just stayed, as any smoke James made had blown away.
"Ugh, this is getting ridiculous…" he groaned, and some bees landed right on his boiler.
Suddenly, one bee landed on James' hot smokebox, and burnt it's feet, and shot upwards to the top of the station in anger, thinking James stung it on purpose.
"Er… that's a bit of a strange place for a bee to fly," James said quietly, feeling nervous. Then the bee dove right back down, and stung James right back on his nose.
"Ekkkk!" he shirked, his nose turning red in the process. He then started puffing away at top speed. "I've had enough of bees for one day!"
"So have we!" agreed the driver as he threw the regulator open.
Douglas meanwhile, had come in with a goods train and was taking on coal, when he witnessed what happened.
"Uh och." he gasped. "This wull nae gang doon weel wi' Sur Topham Hatt."
And indeed it did not.
"James has left the express behind due to some runaway bees?" he gasped. "Now what are we going to do? Henry's down the other end of the island and Gordon's still getting his new dome fitted."
"The express is much too heavy for me," sighed Duck. "Besides, I've got to put Douglas' goods train back in the yards."
"I think I could try," said BoCo. "But I've got to get my return goods back to Brandam."
"Ah dinnae hae ony trains fur a while." Douglas realised. "Ah cuid tak' yer trucks, BoCo, 'n' then ye kin tak' th' express."
"Good plan, Douglas," smiled Sir Topham Hatt. "That solves both problems."
BoCo gently backed down on the coaches and was coupled up.
"Okay, BoCo," said his driver. "We'll go carefully."
"I hope I don't have another near break down," sighed BoCo.
When the guard's whistle blew, BoCo started carefully out of the station, leaving Douglas deep in thought as he buffered up to BoCo's goods train.
"He pat his trains ahead o' his-sel," the Scottish engine said quietly, "Mibbie we wur wrong tae misjudge BoCo… 'lik' we wur wi' Rusty."
BoCo managed to get to Crovan's Gate, and make up a bit of time on the way.
"BoCo?!" gasped Peter Sam; he had Ada, Jane, Mabel and Cora in tow. "We were expecting James. What happened?"
"Oh, he was being as busy as a bee," he chuckled.
"Too busy to pull the express?" Peter Sam blinked in surprise. "That's a first."
Just then, the two engines and the coaches and guard's van saw James racing down the middle track.
"Go away, bees!" he cried. "Go away!"
"Oh!" chuckled Cora. "I didn't think you were that litrual with your explanation, BoCo."
"A big red beehive on wheels," laughed Jane. "Now that's something I'd never thought I'd see."
Later, when James had arrived at the other end of the line, he was almost out of breath.
"What can we do now?" he grunted.
"Why don't we try spinning on the turntable?" suggested the driver.
"I don't want to be spun like a top!" the red engine exclaimed. But then he saw the bees still clinging to his boiler. "Alright, alright, fine!"
James reluctantly puffed onto the turntable and his crew got out of the cab. They started to spin James around like crazy.
"Ugh!" he cried, trying his best to keep his eyes closed. "Are the bees gone yet!"
"Nope," sighed the fireman. "Maybe we can try to wash the bees off at the water tower."
"I do like it better than this idea... " James sighed, and still dizzy, he was moved off the turntable to the water tower. The driver turned on the tap and tried to drench the bees. But they clung harder to James' boiler.
"Oh, come on!" grunted James. "Just buzz off, would ya?"
Just then, BoCo came up with the express.
"I don't think that will do much good," said BoCo. "Might I suggest you-"
"I don't need advice from you!" snapped James. "I know, I'll rush through the tunnel really fast to smoke the bees off."
The driver and fireman shrugged, and the tap of the water tower was turned off. James left without a word.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz." chuckled BoCo. "He'll learn… eventually."
"Buzz off!" James cried as he shot through the tunnel, taking Johnson by surprise as he came up with some trucks to go to Barrow on the up line.
"What was all that about?" he wondered.
But much to James' dismay, the bees just wouldn't leave him alone.
"It's no good," sighed the driver. "We'll just have to go to the orchard on Edward's branch line and fetch another hive."
"Alright, fine," James grunted, but his reply was drowned by the sound of buzzing.
Back at the Brandam branch line, Douglas was explaining the situation to Edward.
"Oh dear," laughed the old engine. "Poor James. Though I'm glad BoCo could step in for him."
"Looks lik' yer prediction cam true," chuckled Douglas, "Boco really did pull th' express. Though th' ainlie reason why he a'maist didnae wis fur he wis worried aboot his trucks."
"Well, he and I had a talk a while back when he first arrived," said Edward. "He said to me that trains must get through no matter what."
"He haes a guid wirk ethic," smiled Douglas. "Ah will gie him that."
Down at the orchard, the Vicar was waiting anxiously for James after his driver called him about what happened, and his builders just finished constructing new hives.
"My bees really did cause problems today," sighed the vicar. "I'll send up the jars of honey next time…"
James pulled up next to the orchard. The bees all caught sight of their new home, and eagerly flew in, settling in comfortably and warm once more.
"So sorry about all this," apologised the Vicar. "Thank you for saving my bees."
"I guess that's alright then," sighed James. "I'm just glad they're gone."
"It's a pity it's not Christmas," added the Vicar with a chuckle, "then we can call you James the red-nosed engine."
James' crew burst out laughing, and even James himself had to admit, that was pretty funny too.
"Come on, James," said his driver. "What you need is a good hose down."
James gratefully puffed off to the washdown.
When he was all cleaned up, Edward came from the Brandam branch with a passenger train.
"James," said Edward cheerfully, "I just heard from the Vicar about what happened. He tells me you were 'the bee's knees.'"
"Oh, not more bee jokes…" muttered James.
"No, no," chuckled Edward. "'The bees knees' means you were really useful. The Vicar was grateful to have his bees back."
"Oh!" James had a smile creep onto his face. "Well, in that case, that is great news. I shall continue to be 'the bee's knees' for the rest of the day!"
He raced off back to work, greatly cheered up from what transpired, even though BoCo ended up taking the express.
The End
Like the previous episode, meshing the TV and RWS versions worked really well here, an ultimate cut of the episode. I even included a little subplot with Donald and Douglas and their conflicting views on BoCo, which will be resolved in the next story. I loved fleshing out what happened when BoCo took the express. I mean, okay, in the books Duck took the trucks, but I decided to have Douglas do that so we could flesh out what his thoughts are on BoCo.
