The Good Side Of George
Note: the song I wrote for this story: Rebecca's Spring Ditty is based off the melody of I've Got No Strings from the 1940 Disney film Pinocchio. Hope you enjoy!
The sun shone brightly over Tidmouth Sheds. Rebecca the Yellow Engine yawned as she chuffed slowly out of her berth, and watched as James chuffed sturdily off the turntable.
"Good morning, everyone!" she called.
"Good morning, Rebecca!" Thomas whistled, as he stopped alongside her.
"Lovely day. Isn't it, Thomas?" she remarked. "Lucky for me, I have plenty of trips to make to keep myself busy as usual."
"Oh, I see," Thomas chuckled, then both looked as the table turned round towards them.
"Oh, um, were you meaning to go first, Rebecca?" Thomas wondered.
"After you, Thomas!" Rebecca offered. "I'd rather you go first for coal and water so you can be on time for Annie and Clarabel. Your Branch Line is important."
"Oh," Thomas thought, surprised, as the table turned towards him, then he made his way on.
"Thanks, Rebecca!" he whistled.
"Any time, Thomas!" she called after him, then sighed and watched as he made his way off.
Rebecca is an engine who likes to see the best in everyone and make others feel good about themselves…
"Thanks, Percy!" she called out, as the saddle tank engine brought her her coaches.
"Any time, Rebecca!" Percy whistled, and rolled quickly away.
Rebecca waited as all her passengers got on board, then left the station, whistling at Thomas as he left the Junction with Annie and Clarabel.
"Have a good day, Thomas!" she whistled.
"You too, Rebecca!" Thomas called back.
Rebecca rolled quickly further out of the junction and caught up with Gordon and the express.
"Keep it up, Gordon!" she called out.
Gordon was surprised.
"Oh, well, um, thanks, Rebecca!" he replied, then sped quickly away along the express line.
"Wow!" Rebecca gasped, as she watched the express set off. "Gordon must be really strong to pull the express all on his own!"
It is never difficult for Rebecca to start off her morning in good spirits. However, not everyone on Sodor found it quite as easy…
"Oof!" George winced, as the flatbed he was on rattled from behind.
"Watch where you're going, careless crane!" he snapped to Harvey from up front.
"Whoops!" Harvey chuckled nervously. "Sorry, George."
"Huh!" George scoffed to himself. "Silly railway engines! I'll show them just what roads are made for. They'll see! They'll all see!"
George the steamroller was on a week's probation from having recently caused trouble on Edward's Branch Line, with Harvey assigned to monitor his behavior. All the same, George decided to have some fun and stir up trouble for other engines as they passed.
"Well, look!" he called out to Toby as he passed with Henrietta. "If it isn't the ol' teapot himself. Pulling that ol' henhouse you call a coach?"
Henrietta gasped in shock.
"How rude!"
"Ignore him, Henrietta," Toby soothed, then sighed. "I'm afraid George is always like that towards the railway."
Next up, George saw Norman and the workmen doing maintenance alongside the Branch Line.
"You're so slow Harvey and I will have the Main Line under supervision before you can on the Branch!" he shouted as he passed, taking the diesel by surprise.
Harvey sighed.
"Please, George," he said patiently. "The men and I do have a responsibility for you, and must report your actions to the Fat Controller so he can defer to the Council on your behalf."
"Huh! The Council would never approve of me doing menial jobs like this had they known what I was signed up for."
"Oh dear," Harvey sighed hopelessly, as he continued along the line and saw some fallen branches on the line up ahead.
Soon, they arrived at a section of the line where branches had blown over due to high winds the night before. Harvey got to work at lifting the bigger branches, as the men surveyed the line for any twigs laying about.
"Ah!" George sighed quietly, as he rolled steadily about the ground to overlook the men tending to the line. "Another glorious day with the commoners..."
POOP-POOP!
George listened to the sound of Gordon's whistle as a workmen waved his green flag to slow down the big engine.
"Oh, the indignity!" Gordon groaned, as he came to a complete stop. "What could stop something as important as the express?"
"Sorry, slick steam!" George replied. "The men and I have more important work to do than any of you railway engines! You'll just have to wait!"
"I can't wait!" Gordon groaned. "The express is a guaranteed connection!"
George feigned a look of sympathy, as the workmen looked up at the tracks on the express line.
"Everything seems in order on the express line," a workmen confirmed. "You're good to go, Gordon."
POOP-POOP!
George winced with surprise as he watched the express take off, then rolled slowly back towards the line, watching as Harvey and the men checked it over. He sighed and took a deep breath, shutting his eyes, then opening them with surprise to the sound of Rebecca's whistle.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Grrr! Now what?!"
"Good morning, Harvey!" Rebecca greeted, as she stopped just before the section of her line that was being tended to.
"Hello, Rebecca!" the crane engine chuckled. "Sorry for the delay. The workmen are checking for fallen branches along the line."
"No bother for me, Harvey! I'm sure you and the men are doing a fantastic job!"
"Ahem!"
Rebecca looked over in surprise to the little green steamroller sitting beside the line, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Oh. Erm...good morning, little fella!" she greeted.
George felt insulted.
"Little fella?!" he spluttered. "Who do you think you're referring to, ya big...big...?!"
"Oh, um…" Rebecca stammered. "I, uh…"
"Huh! You railway engines are all the same! I didn't sleep a wink last night! And just when I get a moment's peace, engines like you show up out of nowhere and start me calling me names!"
"Oh, well, I'm sorry. I only said good morning."
"Huh!" George spluttered. "What's so good about it anyway? Having to make face with a big yellow tin kettle like you?"
"Oh," Rebecca gasped, confused. "Well, eh, I was only being friendly."
"Pah! Get scrapped!" George remarked.
He proceeded to keep on the lookout as the men looked inspected the line, as Rebecca looked back towards Harvey.
"Is everything okay with that steamroller today, Harvey?" she asked.
Harvey sighed regretfully.
"I'm sorry, Rebecca. But that's George, and he's surely no friend of the railway. He won't hesitate to cause trouble with every opportunity he has."
"B-but...I don't understand. Surely there is a good side to him."
George widened his eyebrows with surprise when he heard this, then quietly grit his teeth.
"I'm afraid not, Rebecca. It's just a part of who he is, and he's earned himself a week's probation for it. The only one who can change that is George himself."
"Huh!" George snorted.
"You're good to go, Rebecca," a workmen conformed. "Steady as you go now."
"Thanks!" Rebecca whistled, and continued along the line, saying to herself, "there must be a good side to George. I'm sure there's a way I can help him redeem himself."
Both Harvey and George overheard this, Harvey expressing confusion at such a thought, as George grit his teeth.
"GrrrrrrRRRRRR! Who does she think she is? I'll show her to…!
"George!"
George looked back over as the foreman walked up to him.
"Your job is to watch as we supervise the line so you can do it yourself the rest of the week, NOT be rude to other engines," he firmly reminded him. "If you want the Council to receive a good report, you'd best learn your place."
"Huh!" George scoffed. "I know my place."
And he rolled back over to watch the men tending to the line, sighing with exasperation.
Rebecca arrived at Vicarstown Station to drop off and pick up passengers. The bustle of the station couldn't help but make her more cheerful after her encounter with George.
"Good morning, Henry!" she whistled, as her passengers disembarked the train.
"Good morning, Rebecca," Henry hurriedly replied, then his guard's whistle blew.
"Sorry, Rebecca," he whistled as he slowly left the station. "Must be off. Bye now."
"Oh," Rebecca thought surprisedly, as she listened to the train thunder out of the station. "Have a nice day then!"
"Oh, oh," Rosie whistled as she pulled into the station platform. "Bye, Henry! Have a nice day!"
But Henry was too far away to hear either Rebecca or Rosie.
"Huh," Rosie sighed disappointedly, as Rebecca quickly took notice.
"Are you okay, Rosie?" she asked. "I'm sure Henry wasn't intentionally avoiding saying goodbye to you."
"No, he wasn't," Rosie assured her. "He was just too far away to hear either of us. Henry and I are good friends and had a great talk the other night at the sheds. I know he'd never ignore me on purpose."
Rebecca listened carefully to Rosie's kind words, knowing that Henry was a good-hearted engine deep down.
"Anyway, I must be off," Rosie finished. "I have to drop off Henry's kipper wagons at Brendam. Have a nice day, Rebecca!"
"You too, Rosie!" Rebecca replied as she watched her friend leave, then was left to her own thoughts.
The guard's whistle blew and Rebecca was back on her way again.
"If Henry is a kind engine deep down, then I'm sure George must have a good side to him too."
Then an idea flew into her funnel.
"That's it!" she thought. "I'll just show George how useful he is by telling him how good of a job he's doing! I'm sure it will make his day a lot better!"
She chuffed sturdily along her route feeling much better about things.
Rebecca arrived back at Knapford where the Fat Controller was waiting for her on the platform.
"Good day, sir!" she greeted.
"Ah, Rebecca," the Fat Controller replied, walking closer towards her. "You're back. Seeing as you have no job at the moment, I do have one in particular I'd like you to fulfill."
"A job?! For me, sir?!" Rebecca wondered excitedly. "What is it, sir?"
"I'd like you to take some empty trucks up to the quarry, and have them loaded with stone and deliver them to Ffarquhar."
"Yes, sir!" Rebecca replied. "I'll get straight to it, sir!"
"Good," the Fat Controller beamed. "The trucks are waiting on a siding in Knapford Yard. Take care now."
Rebecca whistled as she left the station.
"Yes, sir!" she responded excitedly. "Thank you, sir!"
The Fat Controller sighed with relief and headed back towards his office.
"Come along, you trucks!" Rebecca called out, as she backed down into the siding, then sang out: "wakey, wakey."
One of the trucks yawned and opened a sleepy eye as the shunter coupled them up.
"What's going on?" one truck yawned.
"Is that Rebecca?" another yawned.
Rebecca chuckled.
"Why, of course it's me! And we're all off on an adventure to the Blue Mountain Quarry!"
"The Blue Mountain Quarry?" the trucks wondered, all chattering amongst themselves.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Off we go!" Rebecca chanted, and pulled the empty trucks out of the siding and steadily through Knapford Junction.
"On! On! Faster! Faster!" the trucks chanted from behind.
But Rebecca just sighed and observed the lovely spring scenery all around her.
"Take it easy now, you trucks," she said kindly. "We do have quite a ways to go. How about a little song?"
"Oh, alright," one truck sighed.
"It better be good!" another called out.
Rebecca sighed happily then began to sing out:
"Oh, it's another lovely spring day
And I've got no worries
As I just pull these trucks along
Off to the stone quarry
We've got quite a way to go but that doesn't bother me
Nothing can stand in our way as we chuff along with glee
So I just pull these pull these trucks along
Observe what's all 'round me
Singing this little happy song
Rebecca's Spring Ditty! Yay!"
Then the trucks sang out:
"We've got quite a way to go but that doesn't bother us
Nothing can stand in our way"
"No time to fumble and fuss!" Rebecca joined in, then they all sang out:
"So we just happily observe the lovely scenery
Singing this little happy song
Rebecca's Spring Ditty!"
Harvey and the workmen were tending to a fallen telephone pole on the track up ahead, George listening to the noise as he supervised the work from nearby.
"Oh no," he groaned. "Not her again."
"Yes, we sing this short happy song
My very own Spring Ditty!" Rebecca sang out, as she stopped just before the telephone pole.
"Oh," she gasped, "what's happened here?"
"Hello again, Rebecca," Harvey sighed, as his arm was fixed into place. "Sorry, but the heavy winds last night blew this telephone pole down."
"No worries!" Rebecca assured him. "These trucks and I have time to spare."
"We do?" one remarked.
She then looked to see George glaring at her from nearby.
"Oh, hello again, George!" she greeted.
"You again?!" George spluttered. "Isn't there anyone else on this Island you can annoy?! You have those wobbly wood wagons chattering and singing behind you for a start!"
"Oh," Rebecca gasped with surprise. "Well, I'm...sorry if our singing disturbed you, George. Surely you must be doing a stellar job helping Harvey and the workmen with their work!"
"Grrr...ahhh!" Harvey groaned, taking Rebecca by surprise as he struggled to pull the telephone pole up.
The men crouched down and tried to lift the pole up against Harvey's hoist. Butch the Breakdown Truck and Kelly the Crane also tugged away, eyes shut, faces red and their hooks hitched to the pole. Rebecca chuckled nervously at the commotion, as George rolled his eyes and sighed with exasperation in spite of Rebecca's words of encouragement. Just then, an idea flew into Rebecca's funnel.
"Keep it up, guys!" she encouraged, startling George as he looked over at her with a glare. "You're all doing great!"
"Ugh! Nearly there!" Harvey groaned, eyes shut as he and the men pulled and pushed the pole steadily up for Butch and Kelly to pull aside.
At long, the track was cleared and the telephone pole was lifted down to the side.
The men clapped and cheered, as Harvey sighed with relief.
"Yay!" Rebecca cheered.
"Pah!" George snorted.
Rebecca sighed and looked over to the steamroller, managing a big smile across her face, only to get a glare and a raised eyebrow in return.
"Is there…anything I can do to make your day any better, George?" she asked.
"Ha!" George scoffed, then thought for a split second.
"Oh, I know," he decided, his eyes widening as he managed to smirk right back at her, then rudely remarked, "go and derail yourself! That would give me something to laugh at!"
He let out a laugh loud and long, as Rebecca sighed sadly with a feeling of hopelessness. Just then, a workman walked up and waved his green flag.
"All clear, Rebecca," he said. "Off you go now."
"Oh, erm, enjoy the rest of your afternoon, Rebecca!" Harvey greeted, as she passed.
But Rebecca took no notice, looking to the other side as she slowly continued on her way along the line.
"Oh dear," Harvey thought surprisedly, watching back over as the workmen chattered amongst themselves.
Rebecca was making good time on her route, though the trucks noticed she wasn't singing anymore.
"Come on, Rebecca!" one shouted.
"Sing us a song!" another demanded.
Then they began to reprise:
"Oh, it's another lovely spring day
And we've got no worries
As we rattle and roll along
Off to the stone quarry
We've got quite a way to go but that doesn't bother us
Nothing can stand in our way
No time to fumble and fuss!
So we just happily observe the lovely scenery
Singing this little happy song
Rebecca's Spring Ditty!"
They giggled and chattered in line behind Rebecca all the way to the quarry.
Meanwhile, George was very cross about Rebecca.
"Hmph! Make my day any better, huh?!" George rebelled to himself, rolling around in a circle. "And ol' George only had to tell her himself!"
Then he stopped, an idea fresh in his mind.
"Oh, yes," he decided. "Go and derail herself, I told her."
He chuckled quietly, slowly making his way back towards Harvey and the workmen.
"Big ol' miss smiley face will get a surprise worth waiting for," he assured himself, closing his eyes and sighing happily.
At the Quarry, Rebecca told the little engines all about George.
"I only said good morning to him," she told Rusty and Skarloey. "But he only took offense when I referred to him as 'little fella' and began to call me names. I never meant to offend him."
The little engines looked at her confusedly for a split second as she let out a sad sigh.
"I just don't think he likes me very much," she admitted.
Rusty and Skarloey glanced over at each other before shifting their eyes back over towards Rebecca. Skarloey sighed.
"You'd best remain on the lookout when encountering George, Rebecca," he warned. "He can be a real nasty piece of work."
"Skarloey's right, Rebecca," Rusty added. "That George can be rather difficult to deal with."
Sir Handel overheard the conversation as he shunted some trucks into a nearby siding.
"Difficult?! Ha! Nonsense!" he boasted, taking Rebecca by surprise as she shifted her eyes towards him.
"I put George in his place once just as he was causing trouble alongside my line," Sir Handel began.
"Oh, my," Skarloey groaned, as he and Rusty exchanged concerned glances with each other.
"That steam roller just wouldn't stay out of my way. And when I finally had room to pass, he rammed into my trucks on purpose."
"Oh," Rebecca thought surprisedly, as Rusty sighed heavily and listened to the rest of the story."
"I had nothing to do with the mess that was caused, but I'm pretty sure I was the one who made George go away."
"Really?" Rebecca wondered.
"Point being," Sir Handel finished proudly, "the best way to deal with that kind of steam roller is to simply show him who's boss. That way you'll have the higher ground…"
"That's quite enough, Sir Handel!" Skarloey snapped. "Back to work now!"
Sir Handel rolled quickly away as Skarloey sighed and looked at Rebecca.
"Ignore him, Rebecca," Skarloey advised. "The best way to deal with George is to simply avoid him in general. That way you won't be bothered by him."
Rebecca sighed as her trucks were filled up with stone, and she whistled and rolled away.
As Rebecca made her way towards Ffarquhar, she wondered to herself if Skarloey could be right.
Harvey and the workmen were doing a maintenance check for signals along another section of the line. George has been given the task of warning approaching engines whether the signal was green or red along the main line, but he was enough fun provoking other engines as they passed.
DING-DING!
"'ello, 'gain, teapot!" he called out to Toby, as the tram engine stopped at a red signal, but this time Toby sighed and smiled, looking the other way so as to avoid confrontation.
George widened his eyebrows with surprise.
"You're so slow, that signal's not the only one holding you back from being on time!"
Just then, Toby's signal went up and he was back on his way, Henrietta smiling at George as they disappeared in the distance. George grit his teeth at this when…
PEEP-PEEP!
He heard Stanley's whistle and saw the silver tank engine approaching up ahead with some coal trucks.
"Look sharp, silver steam!" he taunted as Stanley passed. "Or else you'll never have those trucks delivered by teatime!"
"You're not going so quickly yourself, George," Stanley fired back, Percy and Charlie chuckling as they passed by on the other lines.
George felt insulted.
"W-why that little… Grrahhh! Puffball! I'll show him to…!"
Then he remembered.
"Oh, yes," he realized. "Big ol' Miss Goldie Locks could be coming along any time now. Best to deal with her first."
"George!"
George shifted his eyes in surprise over to Harvey looking over at him from across on the other line.
"We need to switch the points to let Paxton through," the crane engine explained. "Is the signal red?"
"Em, George thought, looking up at the green signal on the main line. "Yes! Good to go, Harvey!"
"Thank you, George," Harvey beamed. "Good to go, men!"
George smiled as he shut his eyes and took a breath of fresh air, pleased with his plan.
Unfortunately, the signal on the main line was green instead of red. The overnight storm had blown it down and damaged it. It was put up again though the men hadn't quite repaired the lever yet, so the signal was down when it was meant to be up. George knew this all too well...
Down the line, Rebecca was still pulling the trucks along on her way to Ffarquhar, though she didn't quite sing along as they had expected.
The trucks hummed and chattered da-da-da-da to the melody of her song as she pulled them quickly along the line.
"Come on, Rebecca! Sing along!"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
But Rebecca just sighed and continued along without a word, the trucks muttering to each other in confusion.
"Who's she to back out of our fun?" one whispered.
"She's lucky we never gave her any trouble so far!" another whispered.
"Let's show her who's boss," decided another.
"Pay Rebecca out! Pay Rebecca out!" the trucks whispered to one another.
Rebecca steadily made her way along and had no idea that the trucks were conspiring against her.
Further up the line, the men proceeded to stand right before the points to signal Paxton to enter through with his goods train.
"Good to go, Paxton!" one called out, as the green diesel approached.
"Oh, well...thanks!" Paxton honked as he made his way over the points.
"Huh!" George remarked, as he watched Paxton make his way onto the main line with his train. "That's a pale shade of green!"
"Green?" Harvey wondered confusedly, as he rolled slowly forward and stopped right beside the signal, looking up at it in horror.
Harvey overheard George's comment and thought he was referring to the signal, when he was really making a remark about Paxton's green paint.
"The signal is green!" Harvey shouted. "And the main line isn't clear! Stop, Paxton! Back up!"
"What?" Paxton wondered puzzledly, the middle of his train stopping on the points.
"Wait, Harvey!" George called. "I didn't mean…"
But it was too late. Men came running over to the scene, and one of them waved his red flag to warn Rebecca. George watched with surprise and disbelief as Paxton slowly reversed back onto the other line. Then he heard Rebecca's whistle, watching as the big yellow engine approached from up ahead.
"Oh, dear," Rebecca sighed, as she saw the flag. "Must slow down."
But as she applied her brakes, the trucks surged forward.
"On! On! Faster! Faster!"
"Oh, no! Oh, eh…, oh my!" Rebecca wailed. "I can't stop! HELLLLLP!"
George sighed happily and watched with interest as Rebecca pressed her brakes hard, gradually slowing down as she approached the set of points up ahead.
"Look out, Paxton!" she wailed as she inched closer.
"Oh, my!" Paxton whimpered, backing his last few trucks down as Rebecca approached.
"I'm stopping! I'm stopping! Errr….ah!" Rebecca groaned, shutting her eyes as she slowed down right before the signal.
George watched with his eyes widened, waiting for something as she came to a halt by the signal, Paxton backing his last few trucks down onto his line.
"Phew!" he sighed, looking over at Rebecca with relief.
George's mouth jerked wide open with disbelief at the recent series of events. Rebecca slowly opened one eye to see George glaring and raising an eyebrow, then quickly opened the other.
"Oh," she realized. "I...didn't crash."
"No," Paxton chuckled. "I must admit though, it was a rather close encounter. You were clever enough to brake, Rebecca."
"But I don't understand…" Rebecca wondered.
Harvey beamed and looked at George.
"George was left on surveillance over the broken signal to warn us when main line engines were approaching," he explained. "And it's a good thing he was. If it weren't for his warning about the green signal, you would've had yourself a nasty accident, Rebecca."
"What?!" George spluttered, rather puzzled. "I did no such…!"
"George!" Rebecca exclaimed. "You saved me?!"
"Well, I, eh...I mean I only…eh…"
"I knew it! I knew there was a good side to you. I knew it all along!"
"Quite right, Rebecca," Harvey agreed. "George's actions were heroic. Definitely worth an honorable mention to the Council on his behalf. I shall notify the Fat Controller at once."
"Oh, leave that to me, Harvey," Rebecca suggested, as she was cleared to go.
"Bye, George!" she greeted, as she took off along her route.
"Huh!" George muttered, as he watched after her in confusion.
Later at the end of the afternoon, Rebecca arrived at Knapford Station just as the Fat Controller exited his office to see George, followed by a group of gentlemen in blue suits.
"The Sodor Island Council," he recognized, as they all walked up beside him, Rebecca and Harvey. "But what are they…"
The Fat Controller sighed and put his hand up to silence George, much to the steam roller's surprise.
"Well done, George!" he began. "I've heard great things about your efforts today, and I thought it only fit to report to the council on your behalf."
"You did, sir?"
"Yes, George. And the men and I have decided to take a vote and came to an agreement over what would be a fitting course of action."
George listened surprisedly as the Fat Controller took a deep breath and finished his sentence.
"The Council and I hereby agree to take you off probation, George," he finished. "Tomorrow morning, you will be put right back on schedule!"
"Oh," George wondered. "I, eh, don't know what to say, Sir Topham, sir…"
The Chairman sighed and stepped forward, putting his hand on the Fat Controller's shoulder.
"Say no more, George," he assured him. "One good deed is convincing enough for us to welcome you back."
He exited the station towards the parking lot, as the Fat Controller sighed with relief, smiling and waving at George, Rebecca and Harvey as he headed back toward his office.
"Good for you, George," Harvey congratulated as he left the station.
Rebecca winked at George, who edged closer to talk to her.
"Why did you put in the good word for me?" he wondered curiously.
"Oh, George," Rebecca beamed. "That's what friends are for! Seeing the best in one another! It's the best I could do for you considering how you saved me!"
"Huh!" George grunted.
George didn't know what to make of Rebecca's kindness; he hadn't been very kind to her and he didn't know how to say thank you.
"Erm, see you later...ahem…eh…"
He struggled to think of her name, but Rebecca didn't mind helping him.
"Rebecca," she finished.
Then she left the station, calling out, "goodbye, George! It was nice meeting you."
"Friends," George wondered, as he slowly made his way out of the station. "Hmmmm…"
George mumbled quietly to himself as he made his way back to the RoadWorks. Rebecca, on the other hand, was in rather high spirits.
"Hello, Thomas!" she greeted, as the tank engine backed Annie and Clarabel onto a siding and was uncoupled from them. "How was your day?"
"Not bad, Rebecca," the tank engine replied, as she stopped right beside him. "How was yours?"
"Oh, quite eventful. You'll never guess what happened to me today."
"What?" Thomas wondered, listening with a smile as they rolled along side-by-side.
"I think I found that there actually is a good side to George!" Rebecca exclaimed.
"Oh," Thomas gasped confusedly, "how did you do that?"
He listened with intrigue as Rebecca began.
"Well, it all started this very morning when I first ran into George helping Harvey and the workmen along the main line…"
As the two friends chuffed home to Tidmouth side-by-side, Rebecca proceeded to tell Thomas all about her day's experiences!
As the sun went down, George slowly and steadily made his way home, reserved to his own thoughts.
"Hmm…" he wondered. "I guess that Rebecca isn't such a bad engine after all. I wish all engines railway engines were like her. In fact, from now on, I may even try to control my temper."
"Out of the way!" Max shouted as he rushed past, taking George by surprise.
"Pardon me! Coming through!" Monty shouted, as he raced past on the other side, soaring after Monty.
"Huh!" George sniffed, as he made his way towards a level crossing just outside Maithwaite. "Well, at least with the railway…"
"This was all your fault, Ben!" Bill shouted, derailed from just beyond the crossing.
"My fault?!" Ben spluttered. "You were the one pulling the train, Bill!"
"You pushed me, you mean!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
George found that he had spoken way too soon, as he had to wait for help to come and lift Bill back on the rails, before he could proceed on his route home!
"Grrrrrrr…AHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed loud and long in frustration, as the twins argued back and forth.
Phew! Another story down, and back-to-back with the one before it. While the other story was just the basic structure of George causing havoc and getting punished for it, this was taken in a different direction; his ending may seem unearned up to the last scene, though its justified in the sense that he allows Rebecca to bring out the good side of him by making it look like he redeemed himself and takes the credits that others give him so that he can feel good about himself and get back to his usual jobs as soon as possible. Speaking of Rebecca, she was an absolute blast to write in the spotlight here! Her interactions with George were such a charm to write, considering their opposite personalities. Harvey was also fun to include in a supporting role, keeping on the lookout for George's antics, as was the variety of engines that George made rude insults towards. That last scene was only a sneak preview for what would be the conclusion of George's arc in this set, which fold in the DVD later this summer. Having said that, I do believe I'm nearing the end of my standard 20 for this set. Up next we have...
Oliver Sent For Scrap - Oliver never tires of boasting about the time Douglas saved him from scrap. However, his boastfulness gets the better of him when he is sent to take some scrap trucks to the scrapyard, and Iron 'Arry and Bert plan to scrap him.
Belle Calls In Sick - Belle takes on bad water from a water tower by the Rescue Center and has to wait in her shed while the workmen inspect her.
And coming this summer: Thomas & Friends in Summertime Surprises
Teamwork (based on Teamwork by Christopher Awdry) - by the time the holiday months come, Jock has proven himself worthy and starts getting ideas above his station. However, his cockiness gets the better of him when he has to double-head a train with Mike.
Arthur And Saul - a new crane named Saul arrives at Norramby and Arthur quickly takes a liking to him and his cautious ways of going about work, though finds that it eventually starts to cause delays.
A Fishy Situation - an incident at Norramby with a load of fish causes a few fish to settle inside Thomas' boiler while he's taking on water, unbeknownst to the tank engine and his crew. It causes confusion and delay for Thomas later on while taking passengers out on his Branch Line.
The Summer of George - George tries to spend a stress-free summer without getting angry at the railway, but working around Bill and Ben after they are assigned to work at the RoadWorks as punishment quickly gets him to the end of his rope.
Serenity Saul - Saul attempts to learn from his experience on his first day by rushing the engines on their way with their deliveries, but messes up when he mixes up their loads!
Daisy Crosses The Line - Toby brings the workmen up to Harwick to inspect the line in case of any buckles in the hot sun, but Daisy ignores his warnings so as to keep time with her passengers and lands herself into trouble.