After James' accident, the engines who slept at Tidmouth Sheds had to find other places to sleep while it was repaired. Some were more displeased with the situation than others.
"The indignity…" grumbled Gordon. "Count on James to ruin the sheds and leave me without a place to sleep."
"You're more than welcome to join Henry and me at Vicarstown." said Emily.
"Well, Emily, the express departs from Knapford in the morning, so I have to stay on this side of the island." sniffed Gordon.
"Well, don't forget that there's always a spare shed waiting for you at the waste dump!" chuckled Henry.
The other engines laughed while Gordon wheesed steam indignantly. Eventually, Gordon agreed to stay at Knapford Sheds with the shunting engines, while Thomas and Percy rejoined Toby up at Ffarquhar. Edward, however, wasn't sure where to stay. That evening, he was shunting in Wellsworth Yard when Philip rolled in with some oil tankers.
"Good evening, Edward!" he buzzed.
"Oh...good evening, Philip." replied Edward.
Philip could see that Edward was feeling conflicted.
"What's the matter, Edward? Why the long face?"
"Well, James ended up crashing into Tidmouth Sheds, so I don't have a place to sleep for the night."
"Oh, that's a shame." remarked Philip. "We did warn him to be careful though!"
"Yes we did." chuckled Edward, remembering earlier that day when James had sped past them.
"If it makes you feel any better, I've never really had a place to sleep either." went on Philip. "I mean, of course I've had places to sleep, but I've never had a regular shed to come back to every night. I try to sleep at the Dieselworks, but the bigger diesels usually take up all the berths! So I usually just sleep in one of the sidings."
"I'm very sorry to hear that, Philip." said Edward.
"Of course, there was one time when I did get back in time to secure a berth, but Diesel really wasn't pleased about me taking his spot. He bumped me against the back until I gave it up. I do wish I could stay with you at Tidmouth Sheds, you all are much nicer."
Edward smiled.
"You can drop off those tankers in the rear siding, Philip."
Philip shunted the tankers into the siding when he noticed an old stone shed at the back of the yard. There were two berths, both of which were taken up by empty trucks. He suddenly got an idea.
"Edward! Edward!" he called. "There's a shed at the back of the yard that both of us could sleep in!"
"That shed is mainly for trucks and coaches." said Edward. "It's kind of you to offer, Philip, but I'm sure I can find a proper engine shed-"
"Yeah, but if we just move the trucks, there are two berths just for us! There are plenty of sidings in this yard, Edward. Plus, if you were to stay here, you'd be right at the start of your branch line!"
Edward thought for a moment. He looked back at the old shed, and then at Philip, whose eyes were gleaming with excitement.
"Alright then." he said at last. "I don't see why not, if only for one night."
"Yay!" Philip exclaimed in delightment. "This will be so much fun, Edward. A sleepover, just the two of us!"
Edward finished his shunting while Philip cleared out the shed. When night fell, both engines settled into the old shed. Edward was looking forward to a good night's rest, but Philip was still excited and wanted to talk.
"Sure it's a little drafty, but with a little more work this old shed can be good as new!" bubbled Philip.
"I really don't mind, actually, as long as it means having a place to sleep." Edward remarked. "Good night, Philip."
"You know, James must have been being really reckless to have a crash like that. Almost as reckless as the time he came off at the bridge. Luckily, I was there to rescue him! If I hadn't been there, he would have fallen and gotten toppled by all those trucks he was carrying…"
Edward opened a sleepy eye.
"Eh, Philip…"
"Of course, in addition to saving James, there was the time I raced Gordon and beat him! Have I told you about that?"
"I was there, Philip. Remember?"
"Oh, right! Of course you were."
Edward lay helplessly awake as Philip chatted away into the night. He hoped that the little engine would eventually tire out and fall asleep himself, but Philip just kept talking away. Edward finally managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn to hear Philip greeting him.
"Good morning, Edward! I was just talking about how I met Toby before you fell asleep. Anyway, we found out that we don't need to like the same things in order to be friends! How about that?"
"I really must be getting to work now, Philip." yawned Edward. "And good morning to you, too."
"This was fun, wasn't it Edward?" chirped Philip. "We really must do this again sometime."
"Uh, yes." Edward winced. "We must."
Throughout the day, Edward felt fatigued as he did his jobs. He took advantage of every break he had to rest his eyes. He knew he had to find another place to stay if he wanted to sleep well. He stopped by Tidmouth Sheds that afternoon to find the Sodor Construction Company hard at work.
"Hello, Edward!" greeted Alfie.
"Good afternoon, Alfie. Do you know how long it will take to repair the sheds?"
"Well according to Miss Jenny, I'm afraid it could take up to three weeks."
"Three weeks?" groaned Edward.
"Yeah, sorry Edward. We do have our regular duties to stay on top of as well. This job was a surprise for us."
"You're telling me…" grumbled Max. "Now quit dawdling and get me loaded already! Monty's waiting for me at the dump."
"Yes, Max…" muttered Alfie.
Edward decided it would be best for him to stay close to his branch line that night, so he puffed to Brendam Docks at the end of the day.
"Of course ya can drop anchor with us, matey!" Salty agreed enthusiastically.
"Oh, thank you." said Edward.
"We usually just sleep under the shipping company building."
"Just promise to clear the way when the first train arrives tomorrow." advised Cranky.
"It's so exciting to have Edward joining us!" bubbled Carly.
Edward, Salty, and Porter, and the cranes all said their goodnights and began to doze off. But Edward hadn't been asleep for long when he began to hear noise. He heard Cranky snoring loudly and Salty singing sea shanties in his sleep. He tried to ignore them, but just couldn't seem to focus on sleeping.
"Uh, Porter," he asked, "would you mind getting them to quiet down?"
"You'll get used to it." yawned Porter. "I had trouble sleeping myself when I first arrived, but now I can't seem to fall asleep without it."
Edward sighed and just tried to focus on the sound of the waves. The night passed and daylight came. Edward was only just starting to fall asleep when he was suddenly shunted from behind. He yelped in surprise.
"Well well well, what's this Ben?" came a cheeky voice.
Edward instantly recognized Bill and Ben playing their usual tricks.
"It seems as if these big blue trucks are in our way, Bill! What should we do with them?
"Oh, knock it off." Edward grumbled sleepily.
"Ah, top of the mornin', shipmates!" greeted Salty. "Just leave yer clay trucks here and Cranky'll take care of 'em."
"Huh?" replied Cranky, mid-snore.
"Fancy to see you here so early, Edward!" remarked Bill. "I thought you weren't supposed to order us about until ten!"
"Didn't you hear, Bill? Edward's shed got destroyed, so he doesn't have a home!" giggled Ben.
"I suppose I'll be off then…" yawned Edward. "Get back to the clay pits now, you two."
Edward pulled into Wellsworth to find Philip eagerly waiting for him.
"Morning, Edward! Where have you been?"
"I spent the night at Brendam."
"Well it doesn't seem like you slept that well. You should come back here tonight!" Philip suggested.
Edward really didn't want to spend the night listening to Philip's chattering again.
"Oh...well I have to be at Crovan's Gate first thing tomorrow, so we'll have to see."
Without saying anything more, Edward set off. Philip felt rather disappointed.
"Was it something I said?" he wondered to himself.
Edward decided to sleep at the Steamworks that night since his first train would be leaving from Crovan's Gate station.
"Have a good night's sleep, my friend." soothed Victor.
Edward shut his eyes, finally feeling like he would get some decent rest. But an hour later, he awoke to the noise of workmen hard at work overhauling James.
"Sorry about the noise, but the Fat Controller really needs to have James working again as soon as possible!"
James looked sheepishly at Edward.
"Hi, Edward…" he chuckled nervously. "Nice of you to come visit."
"Likewise…" Edward replied through gritted teeth.
Over the next few nights, Edward just couldn't seem to get a decent night's sleep anywhere he tried to stay. He tried staying at Whiff's Waste Dump, Arlesburgh Harbor, and even Hiro's Hideout, but just found a new disturbance to keep him up every time. His lack of sleep was unfortunately beginning to catch up with him. One day, as he was approaching Knapford, he fell asleep while he was moving. Then there was more trouble; he had run a red signal and was wandering mindlessly into the junction. Gordon stopped just in time to let him pass.
"Edward! Look out, you silly old engine!"
Men waved and shouted from the platform, but still Edward slept. The signalman switched the points for the yard. Percy was filling some trucks at the coal hopper when he noticed the sleep-puffing Edward headed right for him. He gasped and loudly peeped his whistle.
"Edward! Wake up! Look out!"
Edward finally opened his eyes and jumped in horror when he realized what he was doing.
"Whoaaaa!" he cried.
He applied his brakes, but it was too late. He bumped Percy under the hopper, spilling coal all over both of them and sending dust flying everywhere. When they finally stopped, Edward felt horrible.
"I'm so sorry, Percy!" cried Edward. "I fell asleep while I was going, and I never meant to cause such a mess."
"I forgive you, Edward." replied Percy. "It seems as if you haven't slept well these past few days.
"I haven't…" Edward sighed. "No matter where I've tried to sleep I always end up tired. I just wish Tidmouth Sheds will be finished soon."
"Well, Philip told me that you stayed with him at Wellsworth a few days ago. He wants to know why you haven't been back since."
"To be completely honest, it's because he won't stop chattering." confessed Edward. "It was very kind of him to arrange a place for us, but I really need my sleep."
"You should talk to him about it then." advised Percy. "I'm sure he'll understand. He really likes you, and looks up to you as a role model. Kind of like I did when I first arrived."
Edward smiled, remembering when he guided Percy around during his first days on the railway.
"Thank you, Percy. I'll do just that."
That night, Edward returned to Wellsworth. Philip was delighted to see him.
"Hi, Edward! I'm so glad you're back! You'll never believe what happened to me today. I just can't wait to tell you-"
"Actually, Philip," Edward interrupted, "I'd like to talk to you about that."
Philip was surprised.
"About what?"
"Well...about your chattering. Look, I really need my sleep, and in order for me to stay with you, I need for you to be quiet at night. Don't get me wrong, I like listening to your stories, but I'd prefer if you could wait until morning to tell them. After a long day of work, I just need to be able to fall asleep peacefully."
"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" responded Philip. "I may not be that good at being quiet, but I can certainly try just for you, Edward! Of course, that means I'd have to find something else to do like count sheep or-"
"You certainly can try doing that now." chuckled Edward.
"Oh right, sorry! I'll let you have your sleep, no problem at all."
"Thank you very much, Philip."
Edward stayed with Philip night after night. He rested much better, and looked forward to starting the day chatting with the young boxcab. He grew very fond of his new routine, so fond that he almost forgot about going back to Tidmouth Sheds. Eventually, the sheds were finished, and the engines returned, including a recently repaired James.
"James would like to say something to you all." announced the Fat Controller.
The engines all looked at James, who blushed guiltily.
"I'm sorry I was so careless. I promise from now on that I will be a lot more careful and not show off as much."
"We're very glad to have you back, James." said Emily.
"Yes, and I hope you'll consider all of us the next time you feel like acting foolish." retorted Gordon.
"Welcome back, James." greeted Edward.
He then looked to the Fat Controller.
"Sir, I'd like to say something, if you don't mind."
The Fat Controller turned around.
"Yes, Edward?"
Edward took a deep breath.
"Well...I've been staying with Philip at Wellsworth these last few weeks, and...I've grown to become rather fond of it. And, seeing as it's right at the start of my branch line...I would like to request to move there."
The engines all gasped in shock. The Fat Controller was surprised, too.
"Well...I don't really know what to say, Edward, especially since you've lived here at Tidmouth all these years. But, seeing as you are happy at Wellsworth, and it is your branch line, then it's completely fine with me."
"You mean you're leaving?" frowned Percy.
"I'm afraid so." replied Edward. "I'm getting older, and would prefer to be closer to my work. Plus, Philip's still a young engine, and he's never really had a shedmate, so I think it will be good for him as well."
"But...you can't just leave!" protested Gordon.
"I think he can, Gordon." said Thomas. "It is his choice, not ours."
"Indeed, and this is a change I feel that I need right now." agreed Edward. "I certainly will miss you all, though."
"We'll miss you too, Edward." sighed Thomas.
"And we'll still see each other all the time at Wellsworth!" Edward told his friends.
None of the engines knew much of what to say, except for goodbye and that they would miss him. As Edward headed off into the night for his new home, the other engines just sat in silence. Thomas spoke up at last.
"Seeing as we now have an empty berth, I wonder if someone else will be joining us…"
"Too soon, Thomas." boomed Gordon.