Seasons Of Giving!
Part II: Rosie's Headlamp
Moral: persistence pays off/give things back after you use them
Late one winter evening, Henry arrived back at Vicarstown after pulling the Flying Kipper.
PEEP-PEEP!
Henry pulled into the station and let out a loud yawn as the men unloaded his wagons.
"Now, it's off to the shed for a rest," he sighed happily.
However, the stationmaster was on the platform and suddenly noticed something strange about Henry's headlamp.
"Hmm…" he thought, as he observed the headlamp, which was somewhat dimming.
He walked up to Henry's crew, who had just exited their engine.
"Excuse me, driver, fireman. But may I please have a word?"
Henry watched with confusion as his driver and fireman followed the stationmaster into a corner of the station, and the three men talked amongst themselves.
Rosie yawned and sighed as her crew quickly put her fire out, and hopped off her cab.
Meanwhile, Rosie was just settling down for the night when Henry chuffed in beside her.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Good evening, Rosie!" he greeted.
"Good evening, Henry! How did your day go?"
"Went well for the most part," the big green engine admitted.
"The most part?"
Rosie raised an eyebrow with curiosity.
"Trains ran well and on time. However, when I got back to Vicarstown this evening after pulling the Kipper, stationmaster noticed that my headlamp was dimming. Now I'm to drop it off at the SteamWorks first thing in the morning and wait for the men to find me a spare one."
"Oh, dear," Rosie wondered. "But...what about your morning train then?"
"Oh, the stationmaster made arrangements with Wellsworth Station for BoCo to pull my passenger train instead. I should be back from the SteamWorks to pull my next train." Then he thought hard and sighed. "If the men find me a temporary placement in time, that is."
Rosie thought hard for a moment about how she could help her friend Henry. Just then, an idea flew into her funnel.
"I know how to help you make it back in time for your next train, Henry."
"You do?"
Henry looked confused, but Rosie just laughed.
"Why, yes. The solution seems simple enough. Why bother waiting round in the SteamWorks when I can simply let you borrow mine until your old one is repaired?"
Henry was surprised.
"Me, Rosie, borrow your headlamp?"
"Yes,"' said Rosie, smiling as she looked up at her headlamp shining bright. "It's very distinctive after all, and it could help you see a lot better in the dark."
Henry smiled.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Rosie. But I simply can't just borrow your headlamp like that. Besides, you may need it as well."
"No, I don't. The only time I ever leave Vicarstown is to drop off your Kipper wagons at the Docks in the morning." Henry thought for a moment, looking up at the headlamp above Rosie's funnel. "Think about it, Henry. You need this headlamp a lot more than I do."
Henry smiled over at his good friend, deciding that he wanted to make her feel good.
"Alright, Rosie," he said kindly. "If you're so sure, then I'll gladly borrow your headlamp."
"Yay!" Rosie cheered excitedly. "You'll love it, Henry! Oh, I just know you will!"
"And," Henry added, cutting her off by surprise, "I promise to return it to you as soon as my old one is repaired."
"Oh, eh, right," Rosie chuckled, her face slightly red with embarrassment.
Henry yawned loudly, catching Rosie by surprise.
"Good night, Rosie."
"Good night, Henry," Rosie yawned, and they both fell happily asleep.
That night, the wind picked up fiercely and snow began to fall deep and hard, blowing against the biting wind. Henry and Rosie were well and truly locked up in their sheds, safe from the storm.
As Henry slept quietly, Rosie sighed as she looked out at the storm with concern, then decided to shut her eyes and go back to sleep.
Next morning, Rosie's crew helped Henry's crew the headlamp on Henry's front. They both watched as they did so, and Henry was more than happy once it was fixed on.
"Are you sure this is okay, Henry?" his driver asked, Rosie's crew looking over at her concernedly."
"Yes," Henry beamed, looking down at the headlamp on the front, square in shape with a flat, shiny, round bulb placed in front of it. "I'll have it back as soon as my old one is fixed."
"Hmm," the driver thought, looking who put his hands above his head in confusion.
"Okay," he decided, then he and the fireman hopped aboard his cab, as Rosie's crew hopped aboard their engine.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Thank you, Rosie!" Henry whistled, as he slowly left the shed.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Any time!" Rosie whistled back. "Take your time with it!"
Then she sighed and smiled, before heading out of her shed to start her morning's work.
At the SteamWorks, Henry watched as the men looked over his dimming headlamp.
"Say, Kevin," he wondered to the yellow crane working nearby, "how long do you think it'll take for the men to fix my lamp?"
"Eh, I don't know, Henry. Not too long, I suppose. Maybe a day or so…"
"We aren't sure how long it'll take, Kevin," Victor sternly corrected, as he rolled up beside them. "You'll just to wait, Henry, and in time, the men will have your lamp ready for you."
"Thank you, Victor," Henry sighed, smiling as he looked down at his shiny temporary replacement.
"In the meantime," Victor added, "I do have a small request for you, Henry."
"What's that?" Henry asked.
"Well, the overnight storm has brought the telephone lines down and they should take a while to repair."
"Oh," Henry gasped, widening his eyes with surprise.
"So what I need you to do, Henry, is check back in more regularly for your headlamp. At least twice a day. You never know when we may have it ready for you."
"Thank you, Victor!" Henry whistled, as he slowly reversed out of the SteamWorks. "I'll be sure to do so."
Rosie arrived at Brendam Docks to drop off Henry's wagons.
"Good morning, Carly!" she called as she passed her.
"Mornin', chuck!" the yellow gantry crane as she watched Rosie pull up to Cranky, and Porter got ready to pull her wagons.
"Good morning, Cranky!" she whistled.
Cranky turned around and looked down at Rosie. But instead of saying good morning, he looked rather concerned.
"Rosie," he wondered. "Where's your headlamp?"
Rosie smiled as she was in uncoupled from her trucks, and Porter pulled them away.
"Henry has it," she explained. "I let him borrow it while his old one is being repaired at the SteamWorks."
"But…" Cranky thought. "I don't understand. Couldn't Henry have used his own spare headlamp from the SteamWorks?"
"Eh, yeah," Rosie wondered. "But I figured he'd need it more than I do."
"Hmm, well I wouldn't be too sure about that," Cranky admitted.
"Why not? Henry has to pull the Flying Kipper in the evening, and all I do is sit around in Vicarstown and shunt trains. I was more than happy to lend it to him so he could be back in time for his next train."
"Not having a headlamp could be a potential hazard, Rosie," Cranky pointed out. "You never know when you need that headlamp for yourself."
"Cranky's right, chuck," Carly added. "Even we cranes need headlamps for protection and see what's going on around the dockside at night.
"I'll be fine," Rosie assured them. "Don't worry about me."
Then she set off back for Vicarstown, Cranky sighing as he watched her disappear, then turning back around to await the oncoming ship.
Henry arrived back at Vicarstown just as BoCo returned from the morning route.
"Thanks for filling in for me, BoCo," the green engine told him.
BoCo chuckled.
"Any time, Henry," the Metropolitan Vickers diesel kindly replied. "It was nice experiencing the morning passenger bustle for a change. Edward and I usually alternate between goods and passengers on a regular schedule, and this morning, Philip took the trucks in my place."
Soon he was uncoupled and honked goodbye to Henry and he took off back for Wellsworth, Henry whistling goodbye to him in return, as he switched tracks and backed down on his train.
Henry was soon ready to pull the next passenger train, and left as soon his passengers got on board and the guard's whistle blew.
"Thank again, Rosie!" he whistled as he passed her.
"Any time, Henry!" Rosie whistled back, as she shunted her line of trucks further forward for the next train to arrive.
Later that night, Henry waited as Porter had his Kipper vans ready.
"Here are your vans, Henry!" the dockyard engine said, before backing down, switching tracks and rolling up beside Henry.
"Say!" he remarked, looking over Henry's front with surprise. "That's a pretty cool headlamp. Must have been nice of Rosie to let you borrow."
"Yes," Henry sighed. "It was. I just hope she's doing alright on her own."
Cranky turned around to face Henry as Porter took off.
"Then you shouldn't have allowed her to lend it to you, Henry," the crane bluntly pointed out. "You're an older engine than she is, and you should be aware of that."
"But…she insisted I borrow it, Cranky. She said I needed it more than she did…"
"I know all about what happened regarding that headlamp, Henry. And my suggestion to you would be to return it to Rosie and check back with your old headlamp."
"Okay, Cranky," Henry smiled. "I'll check back with the SteamWorks first thing in the morning."
Just then the last door slammed and the guard's whistle blew, so Henry left the Docks as soon as he could to begin his evening journey.
Back in Vicarstown, Rosie kept herself busy shunting from one line of trucks to the next for Oliver's train. However, she couldn't really see as well without a headlamp.
"Ow! Ow!" one truck groaned, as Rosie suddenly banged into it, sending it flying into the others.
"Watch it, Rosie!" another shouted.
"Sorry," Rosie sighed and rolled slowly back just as she heard the sound of Oliver's whistle, watching the Great Western engine pull into the yard with his brake van, Toad.
"Ah," she sighed, as Oliver's lamp shone brightly towards her. "Much better!"
"Good evening, Rosie!" Oliver greeted. "Is, eh, everything alright?"
Rosie reacted with surprise, startling both Oliver and Toad.
"Huh? Me? Oh, yeah, eh, I'm just fine, Oliver. Just have, erm...Toad uncoupled and I'll have him hitched to your train."
She chuckled nervously and scampered quickly away, leaving Oliver in confusion.
"I wonder what's gotten into her," the Great Western engine wondered aloud, as the shunter uncoupled Toad.
"I don't know, Mr. Oliver. But I did notice she was missing her lamp."
"Hmm, yes…" Oliver thought.
Rosie wasted no time in shunting Toad up to Oliver's trucks, but Toad was still concerned as his red lamp shone brightly and clearly in Rosie's direction.
"I don't want to be of any disturbance, Miss Rosie, but wherever is your lamp?"
"Henry's lamp was dimming, Toad," Rosie explained. "So I offered to lend him mine until his old one is repaired."
Oliver listened closely as Toad was hitched up to his trucks.
"Are you sure that's safe?!" he asked out of disbelief, then he smiled. "Surely I'd never leave for my evening train without my headlamp."
"It's not safe for any engine to travel without one," Toad added, raising an eyebrow at Rosie with a look of concern.
Rosie smiled.
"You both worry too much. I hardly leave Vicarstown yard anyway so it's not like I'll be needing it back anytime soon."
Before either of them could answer, the guard's whistle blew and Oliver was ready to go. Rosie went off to do more shunting.
Meanwhile, Henry was enjoying himself on his Kipper run. He was able to make each delivery on time...
At Maron Station, the guard's whistle as soon as the fish was unloaded, and Henry whistled as he left the station.
...and the headlamp shone bright against the track as he made his way along the Main Line.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Good evening, Gordon," he called as he approached him.
POOP-POOP!
Gordon whistled right back at him as he thundered by with the express. Henry approached a red signal and waited as James passed through with his goods train. The signal turned green and Henry chuffed on his way again, approaching Percy in the distance.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Good evening, Percy!" he whistled.
"Good evening, Henry!" Percy whistled back, as he passed by with the mail train. "I like your lamp!"
Henry smiled as he trundled happily along the track, his lamp shining brightly against the track.
Henry's penultimate stop was at Kellsthorpe, before making his way home. On the way, he had just manage to pass through Crovan's Gate over by the SteamWorks, but didn't remember to check back for his headlamp.
Henry passed a set of telephone lines by the SteamWorks, looking up in surprise at the men attempting to repair them.
Henry arrived back at Vicarstown, ready to turn in for the night, as the men unloaded the fish from his wagons.
Henry yawned and waited as the fish crates were unloaded onto the platform. As soon as the job was done, he made his way back to the shed.
By the time Henry got back to the shed, Rosie was already sound asleep, so Henry decided to settle down and fall asleep as well.
Henry waited as Rosie brought him his coaches the next morning, and as soon as all his passengers were aboard and the guard's whistle blew, he was ready to go.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Bye, Rosie!" he called out.
"Bye, Henry!" Rosie called back. "Have a nice day."
She was just about to leave and fetch Henry's wagons when the stationmaster approached her on the platform.
"Excuse me, Rosie," he called. "Over here, please."
Rosie, confused yet slightly nervous, rolled slowly into the station and stopped to face the stationmaster.
"Yes, sir?"
"Yes, erm, first of all, where's your headlamp?" the stationmaster replied.
"Em, under repairs, sir," Rosie explained, slightly red.
"Oh, okay. Well, I'd, eh, get that sorted as soon as you can. Second off, there is a special goods train that is due out to Bridlington tomorrow night, and you'd be able to take it."
"Me, sir?" Rosie gasped, slightly hesitant from not having her headlamp.
"Yes. You seem relatively closest out of all our shunters so I'll just ask someone from the Shunting Yards to fill in your absence. Do you think you can do it?"
Rosie wasn't sure if she would have her headlamp back on time, but she was also not an engine who liked to let anybody down.
"Eh, sure, sir! I'll be ready for it."
"Good," the stationmaster sighed. "And, eh, check on that headlamp of yours right away. Otherwise I'll have to give this job to another engine."
"Yes, sir!" Rosie stammered, before scampering off to fetch the Kipper wagons.
Rosie dropped off Henry's wagons at Brendam, where Salty and Porter were shunting nearby.
"Good morning, Salty, Porter!" she whistled.
"Ahoy, matey!" Salty honked, Porter whistling after him, then he looked at her with concern.
"Oh, still haven't gotten that headlamp back, have ye?"
"Oh," Rosie wondered with surprise. "How did you know about...that?"
Cranky turned to face her, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh," Rosie chuckled nervously, then sighed.
"I have a train due out to Vicarstown tomorrow night, and I'm worried that Henry's old headlamp won't be fixed in time."
Cranky sighed and groaned.
"That's why you should check back with him and insist he checks back with the SteamWorks!" Cranky remarked.
"B-b-but...he's my friend. Surely I can rely on him to stay on top of things."
"Well, it's bad enough you two got yourselves into this mess," Cranky continued. "Surely after a day, Henry's old headlamp should be repaired by now."
And deep down, Rosie knew Cranky was right.
Meanwhile, Henry was at Knapford Station, having a chat with Thomas over his passenger break.
"The new passenger route seems to be running rather well for me, Thomas. I'm able to get to sleep earlier and I can always leave the station knowing that my Kipper wagons will be taken care of. I owe Rosie a lot for being helpful towards me about it."
"That's nice, Henry! I'm glad to hear you're doing well," the tank engine replied, then he looked down at his lamp with curiosity.
"Is that a new headlamp, Henry?" he asked.
"No, Thomas. It's Rosie's. She let me borrow it while my old one is at the SteamWorks being repaired."
"Oh. How long has it been there then?"
"Um…, a day."
"A day?"
Before the conversation could go any further, the guard's whistle blew, and Henry was ready to go.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Bye, Thomas! Nice talking to you!"
Thomas watched Henry leave the station, reserved to his own thoughts.
"If Henry's lamp has been at the SteamWorks for a day, then maybe it could possibly be repaired by now. Usually the use of a spare headlamp would take a day, if not less.
Just then, his guard's whistle blew and he left the station along his Branch Line route.
Later that evening, Thomas was at the SteamWorks, having his firebox cleaned out. He saw, however, that Victor looked rather concerned.
"Is...everything alright, Victor?" he asked.
Victor sighed, and looked Thomas straight in the face.
"Thomas, have you happened to see Henry at all today?"
"Yes, I did, Victor. Right before taking my next passenger train. Why do you ask?"
"Well," Victor explained, "he dropped his headlamp off at the SteamWorks yesterday morning because it was dimming and needed repairs. I made a simple request for him to check back in with us, and he hasn't since then."
"Oh," Thomas wondered. "So I...guess Henry's headlamp is repaired then."
"Yes, my friend. It's been so since this morning. And the telephone lines are still down. The men are trying their very best. Do you think you could remind Henry next time you see him to report back here and collect his headlamp? Surely Rosie might need hers back by now."
"Yes, Victor," Thomas promised, looking rather concerned. "I'll be sure to do so."
Victor managed to give his friend a slight smile as the men exited Thomas' cab, and the tank engine whistled as he headed home to the sheds.
Rosie had just turned in for the night, and decided to stay up and wait for Henry to return so she could ask for her headlamp back.
Rosie sighed and sat patiently, then her eyes widened as she heard the sound of Henry's whistle.
"Ah," she sighed, as he saw the big green engine chuff onto the turntable, turn round and reverse in beside her. "Good evening, Henry! How was your day?"
"Fine, thank you, Rosie. Everything seemed to go well. I'm really grateful that you were able to spare me this lamp of yours. It works wonders."
"Oh, well, em, I'm...glad you like it," Rosie chuckled nervously, unsure of what else to say.
Henry widened his eyes with surprise.
"Is...something the matter, Rosie?" he asked.
Rosie was startled.
"The matter? Heh? Oh, no, Henry. Nothing's the matter. Everything's fine. Fine."
She chuckled nervously once more, as Henry watched with wonder.
"You seem to be nervous…" he pointed out. "Are you sure…?"
"Me? Nervous. Oh, no, no. Not at all, Henry. Just a little overwhelmed from shunting around all day. Nothing a good night's sleep won't help."
"Hmm…" Henry wondered, then yawned. "Okay then. Good night, Rosie."
He slowly shut his eyes, smiling peacefully, as Rosie sighed and shut her eyes as well.
"Good night, Henry," she said softly, and settled down in her berth.
As much as Rosie tried to fall asleep that night, she couldn't help thinking about what would happen if she didn't get her headlamp back from Henry soon.
….
Rosie was making her way along through the night pulling her goods train out to Bridlington. The biting wind made it very difficult for her to press forward as snow blew right up into her face and she coughed as she continuously spat it out.
"I can...do it," she panted. "No headlamp…(cough)...needed for this job (cough cough)."
She made her way towards Vicarstown Bridge and over, certain that her journey would go well. Suddenly, she saw a bright glow of light up in the distance.
"Hmm…" she wondered. "That oughta help me see a little better."
As he got a little closer, she tried to make out what it was.
"Oh dear," she thought, "I wonder if that could be an…"
PEEP-PEEP!
"Look out!" Connor shouted as he approached her.
"Oh, no!" Rosie cried, and shut her eyes.
…
PEEP-PEEP
Rosie woke with a start to the sound of Henry's whistle as he slowly left the shed. She sighed with relief as she made her way out of the shed and waited to turn round and make it on her way.
As Rosie had the passenger coaches ready at the platform, Henry decided to double check with her if she was alright.
"Are you sure everything is okay, Rosie?"
Rosie didn't want to make Henry feel bad and trust that he was keeping on top of the repairs for his headlamp.
"Eh, yes," she chuckled, blushing a little. "Everything's fine, Henry. I just have a good train due out to Bridlington this evening, and I was only thinking how long of a journey it would be. That's all."
She chuckled again, and Henry managed to express a slight smile, and left the station as soon as his guard's whistle blew.
"See you later, Rosie!" he called.
Rosie whistled back as she watched him leave, then sighed and chuffed off to collect the Kipper wagons.
Henry's morning run went off without a hitch, but by the time he had arrived at Knapford and was given a break before his next train, he had still not remembered to visit the SteamWorks, as he had a chat with Percy and Philip at the junction.
"It's simply amazing," he told his friends, looking down at the lamp. "Much of a unique sort if I should so say so myself."
"It does," Percy agreed. "I do remember you wearing it the other night."
"Does...anyone on Sodor have a lamp like that?"
"I don't think so, Philip,"' Henry proudly replied. "At least not placed against their funnels, so Rosie's must be a special case. Anyway, I must go now. My next passenger train is due out shortly."
Then he slowly reversed into the station and backed down on his coaches as his passengers got onboard.
The Fat Controller was in his office filling out some paperwork when the telephone rang.
"Hello," he called, as he heard a voice quickly reply over the phone. "Oh, hello, foreman. How are you?" He listened carefully, widening his eyebrows as he sat back in his chair with surprise.
"Oh," he gasped. "I see."
Just then, he heard the sound of Henry's whistle and watched him slowly leave the station from the office window.
"Oh, no," he gasped, then quickly replied to the foreman over the phone. "Eh, um, no worries. I'll see to the matter at once. Goodbye!"
He quickly hung up his phone and ran outside his office to see Henry's pull out of the station, just as Thomas pulled up at the next platform.
"Oh, Henry," Thomas called. "I have some news for you about your headlamp."
"Wait, Henry!" The Fat Controller called, waving at him. "Wait!"
But Henry didn't hear either of them as he made it on his way.
The Fat Controller sighed as he slowly paced about the platform, thinking hard as Thomas watched him with surprise.
"Hmm," the Fat Controller thought, "I think I'd better pay a visit to Vicarstown later."
Thomas expressed a worried look as he watched the Fat Controller head slowly back to his office, then sighed as he waited for his passengers to exit and board the train.
Later towards the end of the afternoon, Rosie had just shunted one last line of trucks and was ready to take a short rest before shunting trucks for her evening train.
Rosie watched as Diesel honked and left the yard with his trucks.
She reversed into a siding to rest when the stationmaster came to see her.
"Ah, Rosie," he said. "There you are. The Fat Controller is here and he'd like to see both you and Henry in the station as soon as Henry gets back with his passenger train."
Rosie was alarmed.
"Eh, yes, sir," she stammered, a little jumpy. "Right away, sir."
She rushed out of her siding and towards the station platform just as Henry got back with his last afternoon train. The Fat Controller was waiting on the platform, and he did not look very happy.
"I'd like to have a word with you two," he told them both firmly. Henry and Rosie looked at each other, rather surprised, as the Fat Controller walked further toward the end of the platform, looking at the big green engine.
"The telephone lines near Crovan's Gate are working again, I have recently received a phone call from the SteamWorks this morning, Henry," he explained. "You were supposed to check back in more regularly for your headlamp since the telephone lines were down."
"Oh, right," Henry chuckled nervously. "I do remember Victor telling me that now, sir."
"Well, your headlamp has been repaired for over a day now," the Fat Controller continued. "However, I would very much like to know what you are doing with Rosie's headlamp, and what you, Rosie, are doing without one, especially since you have a train due out this evening!"
"I know, sir," Rosie sighed. 'You see, sir, when Henry told me that his headlamp needed fixing, I insisted he borrow mine since I figured he many need it more than I do. All I do is shunt is trains in Vicarstown after all." The Fat Controller listened hard as Rosie continued. "But I knew I had a train due out to Bridlington tonight, and I just didn't know how to ask Henry for it back without giving him the impression that I didn't trust him with checking back with the SteamWorks."
"That's why you should never be too afraid to ask, Rosie," the Fat Controller assured her, "and you should also take in mind that lending Henry that headlamp put you at considerable risk with your own work."
"Yes, sir," Rosie sighed ashamedly.
The Fat Controller then turned to the big green engine.
"As for you, Henry, I do believe you owe Rosie an apology."
"Yes, sir," Henry sighed, ashamed, then turned to Rosie. "I'm sorry, Rosie. I did promise you I'd return your headlamp to you as soon as my old one was repaired, and I forgot all about Victor's request."
Rosie managed to give her friend a smile in forgiveness, as Henry looked back over at the Fat Controller.
"Please, sir," he asked. "I'd like to return to the SteamWorks and collect my headlamp so I can return Rosie's in time for her train, but I also want to make sure my passengers are looked after."
"Hmm…" the Fat Controller thought, then was startled by the sound of Caitlan's whistle as the streamlined engine entered the station.
"Ah, Caitlan," he sighed. "Do you have a job at the moment?"
"No, sir. I don't return to the mainland until tonight."
"Oh. Splendid. Can you take Henry's passenger train then while he heads to the SteamWorks?"
"Yes, sir!" Caitlan replied eagerly. "I'd be glad to!"
"Thank you, Caitlan!" Henry whistled, as he chuffed off to collect his headlamp.
The Fat Controller sighed and headed back towards his car, as Rosie awaited in Vicarstown for Henry's return.
At the SteamWorks, Henry's headlamp was quickly fitted back on and he was happy to have it back.
"Sorry for not checking back in with you, Victor," he said.
"Don't worry, my friend," Victor assured him. "We all make mistakes at times. That's why it's always best to learn from them."
Just then, they heard a clashing noise.
"Sorry, boss!" Kevin called.
Victor groaned and smiled over at Henry, who smiled right back at him.
In no time at all, Henry's lamp was fitted on and he made his way back to Vicarstown, where his crew helped to fix Rosie's lamp back above her funnel.
"Thanks for taking the time to bring my lamp back, Henry. I'm sorry you had to miss your train. What are you doing next?"
"Since Caitlan is still out with my passenger train, I have a bit of time to spare before going to fetch the Flying Kipper. Perhaps I can sort out trucks here in the Goods Yard while you take your train over the mainland."
"Thanks, Henry! That'd be a great help!"
"Any time, Rosie," Henry whistled as he chuffed off to shunt some trucks. "It's the least I can do to be a good friend back to you for letting me borrow your headlamp."
Rosie smiled at her friends and rushed to fetch her trucks for her evening train.
As nightfall came, Henry and Rosie were well on their way with their evening journeys, both with proper headlamps fitted over their front.
Henry stopped at a signal as Percy pulled up with his mail train.
"Good evening, Henry," he whistled. "I see you have your old headlamp back then."
"Yes, I do, Percy," Henry responded, as they watched and listened to Gordon pass with the express. "Even though it's been at the SteamWorks for over a day. Just forgot to check back in and collect since the telephone lines were down. It's all resolved now, and Rosie has her own headlamp back."
"That's good news," Percy responded as his signal turned green, and he was ready to continue his journey.
"See you later, Henry!" he whistled, Henry whistling back at him as his signal turned green and he was continue along with the Kipper.
Rosie made it to Bridlington Good Yard all in good time that night, and she was feeling very pleased with herself.
Rosie sighed and smiled up at her headlamp, glad to have it back as the men quickly unloaded her wagons. One diesel rolled up across from her as another stopped just beside her.
"Say," one remarked. "That's a pretty distinctive headlamp ya got there, youngster. Wouldn't you agree, Vince?"
"Yes, Ulli," the diesel next to Rosie replied. "I would."
"Thanks!" Rosie told them. "I'm just glad to have it back."
"Back?" Vince asked, surprised. "Since when did you not have it?"
Rosie sighed and smiled, deciding to tell them the story.
"Well," she began, "it all started a few nights ago when Henry came back from pulling the Kipper."
Ulli inched in closer, from across the next track, as he and Vince listened on, intrigued.
As Rosie's trucks were unloaded, she happily told the diesels at Bridlington of Henry and her headlamp.
Well, this was a nice opportunity to continue with the Henry/Rosie dynamic. Credit to Chase The Ferroequinologist for helping me see through the idea. Rosie's headlamp is distinct enough that I thought Henry borrowing it at her insistence would create a different sort of conflict as Henry forgets to check back in with Victor, not intentionally but still building upon the ongoing conflict of the story. I also found a suitable roles for Thomas and Cranky here so as to support the lessons Henry and Rosie learn in the story: to return things after you use them, stay on top of things like remembering to prioritize (in Henry's case, checking back in for his headlamp), and persisting in asking for things back, something Rosie doesn't bring herself to do in the story but learns from it regardless. The telling-off scene with the Fat Controller was a rarity for this story, since I thought it'd only be fit for the conflict to end with him getting involved. I'm pretty far along in my winter set now that the semester's over for me, and the next couple stories should dig deeper into the holiday spirit of the season. It was sure fun to write Henry and Rosie again; I hope you all enjoyed this story, and like always, stay tuned for...
All Alone On Christmas - Theo notices how lonely Beresford is at the canal and wants to cheer him up by bringing him a party, but is too afraid to ask Frankie who feels rather out of the holiday spirit.
Percy And The Christmas Tree (based on 1986 Christopher Awdry annual of the same name) - it's Christmas Eve, and Percy is late with the holiday mail due to heavy drifts of snow, so Elizabeth bluntly calls him out for it. However, when Elizabeth breaks down delivering trees to Tidmouth market, Percy comes to her rescue and delivers the trees on time.
Millie Plays It Safe - a firework display is to be set up at Ulfstead Castle for New Year's Eve, though Millie thinks the spot Samson has chosen is unsafe and looks around the castlegrounds for a safer spot.
And coming in 2020…
The Power Of Words - Big Mickey has a hard time communicating with other engines, though when Cranky's arm needs repair, Big Mickey must manage in his place and overcome his problem.
Turn 'Em Into Roads - George is tasked with guiding Philip and the workmen in laying some tarmac down for a level crossing on Edward's Branch Line, though when he feels BoCo is intentionally avoiding him, he schemes to get revenge on the Metropolitan Vickers diesel by causing trouble for both him and Philip.