Summertime Surprises!
Part III: A Fishy Situation
It was a beautiful summer morning; the sun shone brightly, and Thomas the Tank Engine remained in high spirits as he pulled Annie and Clarabel along his Branch Line!
"Ah!" he sighed, as he observed the beautiful scenery all around him. "Nothing like a beautiful summer breeze."
He approached Toby up ahead in the distance, trundling slowly along and pulling Henrietta behind him.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Good morning, Toby! Henrietta!" he whistled.
DING-DING! DING-DING!
"Good morning, Thomas!" Toby rang, as he passed him.
"Lovely day, isn't it?" Thomas wondered to his coaches.
"You seem to be taking it rather steadier than usual, Thomas," Annie wondered, smiling a little.
"Oh," Thomas thought, trying to think hard of what to say. "Well, uh, I'm only making sure not to...uh...bounce my passengers around like peas in a frying pan. We all know the Fat Controller wouldn't like that."
Clarabel chuckled.
"Oh, really?" she wondered teasingly. "Is that it or are you just worried that we may end up saying we told you so?"
They both laughed, and Thomas managed a slight chuckle too.
"You two are always teasing," he laughed.
HONK-HONK!
At that moment, the pair heard a familiar honk, and at that moment, Bertie the Bus toar into view.
"Morning, Thomas!" the bus greeted. "Care for a race this morning?"
"Would I ever?" Thomas replied.
"No, no, please!" Clarabel begged.
"Not this morning, Thomas!" Annie added. "We already feel rushed off our wheels as it is!"
Thomas rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Fine," he said dully. "Sorry, Bertie. Maybe some other time."
"Suit yourself," Bertie laughed, then honked his horn as he tore off in the distance.
Thomas sighed with disappointment as he continued along towards Dryaw.
Soon enough, they reached Dryaw, though Bertie was there, dropping off and picking up passengers.
HONK-HONK!
"Feeling a little down, Thomas?" he wondered cheekily. "You could have had a sporting chance at beating me that time, I'm sure."
"I could have definitely beat you, Bertie," Thomas assured him. "I had the capacity for it too."
"Oh, really?" Bertie chuckled.
"It would have been quicker too, given that my next job is to pick up fish from Norramby and deliver it along the Harbour Line," Thomas explained. "I think we all know how quick I'd like to get that job over with."
"Ooh," Bertie thought cheekily. "You don't seem to like fish very much. Do you, Thomas?"
"Please," Thomas begged, then looked away in disgust. "Don't ask."
Bertie waited as the last of his passengers hopped on board, then chuckled as he took off. Thomas sighed and waited as his passengers before leaving the station as soon as his guard's whistle blew.
Thomas wasted no time in returning Annie and Clarabel and left them in their carriage shed.
"Slow down, Thomas!" Annie told him, as she and Clarabel were backed into their shed. "What's the hurry?"
"Don't worry, Annie and Clarabel," he told them as the shunter uncoupled him from them. "I'll be back to fetch you as soon as I deliver those smelly fish trucks! It shouldn't take too long."
"Take your time, Thomas," Clarabel yawned, as she and Annie rested in the shed. "We've plenty of time before our next train."
PEEP-PEEP!
"I know," Thomas whistled, as he chuffed away from the shed. "But the sooner I get the job over with, the better."
The coaches watched with surprise as Thomas rushed out of sight to find some trucks.
Thomas quickly found empty trucks in a siding and was coupled up.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Come along now!" he demanded, whistling loudly.
"That's not the way to speak!" the trucks whispered to each other. "We'll show him!"
But Thomas took no notice as he pulled the trucks sternly out of the siding and along the line towards Norramby.
On the way to Norramby, Thomas strived to make it to his destination as fast as he could, but the troublesoeme trucks were making the journey very difficult for him!
"Hold back! Hold back!" they whispered to one another.
They began to giggle aloud before jerking forward and backwards, causing Thomas to wail and roll his eyes around with surprise. They began to sing:
"Thomas doesn't want to pull the fish
But we're gonna make him take longer!
Thomas doesn't want to pull the fish
But we're gonna make him take longer!"
"Quiet!" Thomas ordered, and bumped them hard so as to get them to stop. "That will be enough nonsense from all of you!"
"We'll give him nonsense!" the trucks whispered quietly to each other, and giggled quietly as Thomas carried on, taking no notice.
He arrived at the Fishing Village all in good time, as Saul was busy unloading crates from the ship.
HONK-HONK!
"Thanks, Saul!" Norman called, as he rolled away with his trucks full of fish crates.
"Any time, Norman!" Saul replied. "Thanks for stopping by!"
He then turned around to see Thomas advance right under his hoist.
"Good day, Thomas!" the crane greeted.
"Hi, Saul," Thomas dryly replied. "Please, do you think you can get these crates loaded as fast as you can?"
"I'll try my best!" Saul replied, then turned around to unload his first set of crates from the ship.
Thomas sighed with exasperation and suddenly noticed the nearby water tower.
"Phew!" he sighed with relief. "I was in such a hurry this morning that I forgot to take on water."
Then he whistled loudly at the nearby tower operator.
"Fill me up, please!"
The tower operator wasted no time in opening Thomas' and injecting the water from the fountain inside it.
"Ah," he sighed, settling down a little as he heard a familiar whistle.
"Hi, Thomas!" Arthur greeted, as he pulled into the quay. "Just got back from my morning coastal route. How are things?"
"Fine, I guess, Arthur," Thomas wondered. "But I'll feel much better once these fish crates are loaded and I have them delivered to Knapford Harbour."
He then whistled loudly at Saul.
"Hurry up, Saul!" he called, as the crane dispatched a load of crates from the ship. "What's taking so long?"
"Nearly there, Thomas!" Saul called back, slowly and carefully lifting the crate up into his hoist.
Arthur chuckled.
"Have patience, Thomas. Saul's working on the amount of crates he's taking and the pace at which he's working, but he also can't work too quickly."
He watched as Arthur went back about his shunting, then sighed, reserved to his own thoughts.
"I haven't all day to wait around for these trucks to be loaded!"
Then he whistled even louder at Saul.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Hurry up, Saul!" he called, as the crane turned slowly around with his load.
PEEP-PEEP! PEEP-PEEP-PEEEEEEP!
All the loud whistling was making Saul nervous as he jerked quickly to a stop right past Thomas' first truck, and his top crate fell off his hoist.
"Oh, no!" he gasped. "Back up, Thomas."
Thomas looked up in shock to see the crate falling towards her, and quickly tried to back up, though the trucks prevented him from doing so.
"Hold back! Hold back!" they chattered loudly, preventing Thomas from going backwards.
Thomas wailed and shut his eyes as the fish crate smashed to the ground. Thomas opened one eye and smelt a weird smell before opening his other eye.
Fish was all over the dockside, and some even landed over Thomas' roof!
"Pee-ew!" he groaned in disgust. "What a pong!"
The trucks laughed and laughed, and even Saul managed a slight chuckle as well.
"Whoops! Sorry, Thomas," he apologized, lowering the rest of the crates into his trucks as the tank engine glared up at him with confusion. "Didn't mean for that to happen. Not to worry, though. It'll soon be cleared up."
Thomas sighed and looked the other way. The operator shut the water from the tower off as soon as his tanks were full. Saul proceeded to load the crates into Thomas' first truck and lift his hoist back up for the next load.
Soon, the dockside was cleared and the rest of the fish crates were loaded into Thomas' trucks.
"You're good to go, Thomas!" Saul exclaimed. "Sorry again about the incident!"
"No worries, Saul," Thomas sighed. "I'll get it cleaned off as soon as I can."
Then he whistled and left the Village as soon as his guard's whistle blew.
Thomas hurried on his way to Knapford Harbour, determined to make up for lost time. But along the way, he began to a familiar smell.
"Oh, dear," he groaned. "It seems as if I still smell of fish. The sooner I find a washdown, the better."
"We still have a schedule to keep, Thomas," his driver assured him. "We'll have a washdown later when we get the time."
Thomas groaned with dismay.
"My friends and passengers will smell me from miles!" he complained.
"Uh oh," one truck teased. "Sounds like Thomas has gotten himself into a fishy situation!"
"Serves him right for being impatient!" another giggled.
Then they began to sang out:
"Thomas is going to smell of fish!
Thomas is going to smell of fish!"
"Will you please be quiet back there?!" Thomas groaned, and bumped them crossly so as to get them to stop.
The trucks all settled down and quietly chattered amongst each other, as Thomas sighed with relief.
"That's better," he said quietly to himself, and continued along towards the Harbour.
Thomas arrived at Knapford Harbour and was happy to say goodbye to the fish, as his crates were unloaded from his trucks.
Thomas looked up and smiled as his last set of crates was unloaded from his last truck, then heard Percy's whistle and watched as his best friend pulled in with some stone trucks.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Hi, Thomas!" Percy greeted as he stopped at the platform, then suddenly detected the scent and groaned.
"Oh, dear," he wondered, trying hard not to chuckle. "What happened to you?"
"I'd rather not talk about it at the moment, Percy," Thomas replied, then kindly assured him, "but don't worry. I'll have the stench cleaned away later when I have the time."
He then whistled and left the docks, leaving Percy in surprise and confusion.
Thomas rushed back to the yard as fast as he could, and made his way over to the carriage shed to collect Annie and Clarabel.
"I'm back, Annie and Clarabel!" he called, and bumped suddenly into them, causing them to groan and wake up.
"Whoops! Sorry," Thomas chuckled. "I was just in a hurry and…"
"Back already, Thomas?" Clarabel wondered.
"Oh, dear. Whatever is that smell?" Annie added.
"Eh, not much time to do explain," Thomas meekly replied.
He waited as the shunter coupled him up, but backed away too due to the smell. Thomas quickly pulled the coaches away towards Knapford.
"I say, Clarabel," Annie wondered. "Can you smell a smell?"
"Eh, well, now I can," Clarabel replied with curiosity. "Yes, a funny musty sort of smell."
Thomas blushed a deep shade of red as he advanced towards Knapford Station and stopped at the platform.
PEEP-PEEP!
"All aboard! Get in quickly, please!"
"Oh," Gordon scoffed from nearby, as he pulled away with the express. "The indignity!"
"Oh, bother!" Thomas groaned.
"Phew-wee, Thomas!" James remarked from the other side of him. "You stink!"
HONK-HONK!
"I'd say!" Philip added, as he brought the red engine's coaches into the platform, and tried his best to hold back the smell.
Thomas watched with embarrassment as his passengers embarked Annie, groaning and chattering amongst themselves.
"Goodness me!" the Fat Controller groaned, covering up his nose as he walked out of his office and over towards Thomas.
"Uh oh," Thomas gulped.
"Thomas!" the Fat Controller demanded. "What on earth!"
He coughed loudly, and Thomas looked away with embarrassment as his guard's whistle blew.
"Long story, sir! No time to explain!" he quickly said, and tugged hard at his coaches on an impulse.
"Thomas!" they both wailed.
"Oops! Sorry, Annie and Clarabel!"
Both James and The Fat Controller watched with surprise and disbelief as he left the station.
"Phew!" Thomas sighed, as he made his way about the Junction. "That was close!"
"Red signal, Thomas!" a nearby Stafford called, as he shunted some trucks up to Charlie's train.
"Woah!" Thomas wailed, and pinned on his brakes hard, stopping right at the signal.
"What's going on with you, Thomas?!" Annie demanded.
Before Thomas could answer, he heard Charlie laughing as he was hitched up to his train.
"Phew!" the purple engine chuckled. "That's a funny smell there, Thomas!"
Stafford smiled as he backed up from the train and watched Thomas at the nearby signal and Diesel approaching up ahead.
"Oh, no!" Thomas groaned. "It's Diesel! He's sure to tease me as well!"
HONK-HONK!
"Phew-wee, Thomas!" he taunted, attempting to hold back the smell. "You are a smelly tank engine!"
He giggled aloud as he passed by, causing Thomas to grow more and more impatient.
"Come on!" he pleaded aloud, looking up at the signal with anxiety.
At last, his signal turned green and he sighed with relief as he continued along.
"Steady, Thomas!" Clarabel cautioned.
"We don't want to upset our passengers," Annie reminded him.
"I know, I know," Thomas replied, and made his way steadily along the line away from Knapford.
But everywhere Thomas went, other engines detected his smell from miles!
Henry sniffed the smell as he approached Thomas up ahead.
"My, oh my," he groaned, and looked the other way with disgust as he passed Thomas.
"Oh," Thomas moaned, and looked the other way with embarrassment.
There was worse to come, as Thomas approached Spencer up ahead; the Duke and Duchess were on board!
"Dear, oh dear," the private engine wondered. "Not a very refined smell, is it?"
Thomas took nothing notice and rushed quickly past, as the Duke and Ducches groaned and coughed at the smell from onboard Spencer's coach!
"It seems like everywhere I go, engines detect my smell right away!" he confided was to his coaches. "Whoop…!"
He bounced up and down suddenly, and listened to a funny sound from inside.
Soon enough, Thomas began to notice a funny tingle from inside his boiler.
"Uh, oh. Not a good sign. Can you hear that, Annie and Clarabel?"
"I can," Clarabel replied.
"A strange, funny sort of sound. Hmm..." Thomas thought, not wishing to guess what it was.
"Thomas," Annie wondered. "Did...something happen while you were at Norramby?"
"Mmm…"
Thomas thought hard, as the tingle rattled around in his boiler. He took a deep breath and decided to admit the truth.
"Oh, alright," he decided. "I was in such a hurry to finish my job delivering the fish trucks that I, eh..., distracted Saul by trying to get him to hurry up and caused him to drop a crate on me by accident."
"Oh, dear," Annie wondered, then suggested, "then surely that explains the smell…"
"...and the rattling in your boiler," Clarabel finished.
"I don't know," Thomas replied. "I mean...I hope not."
But nevertheless, he maintained a serious expression on his face, as he advanced further along the line, approaching Dryaw up ahead.
Thomas' first stop was at Dryaw, but as he arrived, Bertie and Bulgy were both there at the level crossing.
"Oh, my," Bertie wondered, attempting to hold back his laughter as he detected the smell. "Whatever happened to you, Thomas?"
"Eh…" Thomas stammered, but suddenly hiccuped and jumped as he reacted to the tingle in his boiler.
"Pah!" Bulgy remarked. "Who knows what to tell with those railway engines?! Wouldn't be surprised if it was...boiler ache or something!"
Thomas blushed with embarrassment, as he watched Bulgy trundle slowly away over the crossing and Bertie look over at him with concern as he rolled over the other side and out of sight. Just then, Percy pulled into the station with his trucks.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Hi again, Thomas!" he greeted.
"Hi, Percy," Thomas replied, then suddenly reacted to the tingle in his boiler and groaned.
"Oof!" he winced.
Percy heard the tingling sound right away and looked at his best friend with concern.
"Are you okay, Thomas?"
"Yes. Fine, Percy." Thomas tried his best to keep his composure.
"Then...what's that funny sound coming from inside your boiler?"
"Eh…, what sound, Percy?"
There was an awkward silence, as Annie coughed at him, signaling him to tell Percy what happened.
"I...I...I, mean, I have no idea, Percy. My boiler's been acting kind of funny today." Percy eyed with him with confusion as he spoke, as Annie and Clarabel sighed with dismay. "Perhaps it's a...leaky tube or something of the sort…"
He chuckled nervously.
"But not to worry. Nothing a visit to the SteamWorks won't fix when I'm done with all my jobs for today…"
"He had an incident with a fish crate at Norramby, Percy," Annie explained.
"Oh," Percy thought, understanding a little more.
"Which would also explain the smell he's been carrying around," Clarabel added.
"What?" Thomas stammered. "No! I-I-I mean…"
But his words were drowned out by passengers groaning and coughing as they made their way about the platform, reacting to the smell, as Thomas sighed with dismay.
"Thomas," Percy suggested. "This is my last stop, so perhaps I can take Annie and Clarabel from here while you have yourself checked over at the SteamWorks."
"Oh, wonderful idea, Percy!" Annie chirped.
"Indeed! Capital!" Clarabel added. "Then, Thomas, you can figure out what's wrong with your boiler."
"Yes," Annie agreed.
"No!" Thomas snapped, taking all three of his friends by surprise, then sighed and settled down a bit."
"I mean, I'm sure the incident at Norramby couldn't have been a contributing factor. Thank you, Percy, but I think I can manage from here."
At that moment, his guard's whistle blew.
"Are you sure?" Percy wondered worriedly. "You don't seem fine to me, Thomas."
Thomas whistled and made his way out of the station, whilst reacting with surprise to the tingle in his boiler.
"Woah!" he wailed, causing the coaches behind him to groan, then proceeded slowly along.
"Thomas!" Percy called after him.
But Thomas was already well on his way again.
Percy sighed with dismay, as the men continued to unload his trucks.
On his way to Toyreck, Thomas couldn't stop himself from reacting to the tingle in his boiler!
"Ugh! Ugh!" he groaned, stopping all of a sudden and then starting again, panting heavily.
The passengers aboard chattered aloud as they bounced around in their seats.
"Thomas!" Annie demanded. "Whatever is going on now?! My upholstery is rattling, and you're upsetting your passengers!"
"My luggage is flying about flying about everywhere!" Clarabel moaned.
"Sorry!" Thomas groaned, as he forced the coaches along again and forced his passengers to grip their seats tight. "I don't know what's going on with me!"
"I really think you should have taken Percy's advice and let him take us while you reported to the SteamWorks," Annie suggested.
"I must...carry on!"
Thomas coughed and groaned as he came to a stop and then started up again, forcing the train along
"Woah!" the coaches wailed from behind. "Thomas! Slow down!"
His driver gradually let off steam, allowing Thomas to slow down, and then stop and start again.
"There's...ugh...nothing...ugh...wrong with me," Thomas panted, pressing slowly forward.
"I think there is, Thomas," Clarabel assured him.
"I can't...stop now! These passengers...are depending on me...ugh!"
All of a sudden, steam began to erupt from Thomas' funnel!
"Oh, dear," Thomas groaned, rattling about as white steam erupted uncontrollably from his funnel.
"Thomas," Annie kindly suggested. "It's best we stop and see what's wrong with you?"
"I can't...do that!" Thomas groaned. "I must carry on...ugh!"
He continued to rattle about, and it wasn't long before steam began to erupt from his sides.
"Well, I never!" he coughed loudly.
At last, his fireman damped down his fire and stopped him near a siding.
"Help!" Thomas wailed, as his driver got out and uncoupled him from Annie and Clarabel. "I think I'm going to burst!"
"Don't worry, Thomas," Annie soothed.
"You're going to be fine," Clarabel added.
"I don't…(cough)...think so!" Thomas coughed.
His driver parked him in the siding, and then he and the fireman put up DANGER signs all around him for protection.
"Not to worry, Thomas," his driver assured. "We'll call for help and get this whole situation sorted."
Thomas watched him run over to the telephone pole and call for help, as Annie and Clarabel sighed and watched him sadly.
Thomas' driver telephoned for help and soon enough, Nia came along to take Annie and Clarabel from there. A railway inspector was onboard.
"Well, well, well," the inspector wondered aloud, as he jumped off Nia's cab. "What have we here, eh?"
Thomas looked away with embarrassment, as Nia gave him a look of sympathy.
"Don't worry, Thomas," she assured him. "I'm sure the inspector will figure out what your problem is soon enough. In the meantime, I'll keep Annie and Clarabel well looked after."
Thomas smiled at his friend.
"Thanks, Nia!"
"Come along, Annie and Clarabel!" she whistled cheerily, and pulled them away, Clarabel smiling at Thomas until they were out of sight.
Thomas sighed and watched as the inspector spoke with his crew.
"What seems to be the problem here, gentlemen?" he asked.
"There appears to be an issue with Thomas' boiler," the driver explained. "Apparently it's been giving some sort of tingling noise from inside."
"Yes," the fireman added, nodding. "I've given him a good fire, but it gave off more steam than it should have."
"I see," the inspector pondered.
SLAM!
The three men looked over to see The Fat Controller walk out of his car and up to the scene.
"Afternoon, gentleman," he greeted, then looked over to the inspector. "Thank you for showing up on such short notice."
"Any time, sir," the inspector nodded. "I left the station aboard Nia as soon as they called for an inspection."
The Fat Controller smiled and walked towards Thomas.
"Well, now. However did this predicament happen?" he asked out of curiosity.
"I guess we'll figure it out, sir," Thomas suggested.
"Very well then. Not to worry. We'll have this mess sorted out soon enough.
He then turned towards the inspector.
"Begin the inspection!" he said at last.
Soon enough, the inspector looked over Thomas' tank to see what the problem was.
Thomas watched with anxiety as the inspector looked over his tank, with the Fat Controller and his crew waiting down below.
"Eh, what do you see, sir?" the driver asked.
"Hmm…" the inspector wondered, looking closely into the tank. "Everything seems to be in function with his boiler."
He looked further inside as the rest of the men watched him closely.
"Oh," he gasped, nearly falling over the ladder in surprise, but managing to grasp Thomas' side firmly.
"What's the matter, inspector?" the Fat Controller asked.
"Erm, excuse me, sir. But could you please climb up here and tell me what you see?"
"Certainly, inspector," the Fat Controller obliged.
He climbed up the ladder and stood beside the inspector, before looking inside.
"Hmm…" he wondered, looking inside.
"Oh," he gasped, surprised by what he saw. "Oh, my."
The inspector nodded at him before they both climbed down and Thomas watched nervously as they walked up to him.
"Well, Thomas," the inspector wondered. "However did...eh, fish get in your tank?"
"Fish?" Thomas gasped. "I-I-I...I don't know, sir. I mean, I don't…"
"Thomas," the Fat Controller demanded. "Explain yourself."
Thomas sighed and decided to pluck up the courage to tell the Fat Controller what happened.
"A fish crate dropped all over me earlier at Norramby while I was taking on a drink of water. It was because I rushed Saul into loading the crates quicker and distracted him." He thought harder as the men looked at him fixedly.
"I guess that explains how the fish fell into my tank," Thomas finished. "I'm sure it was my impatience to get the job over with that contributed to it."
"Indeed, Thomas," the Fat Controller nodded. "Though I also think that you could have prevented this incident if you had asked another engine to take your passengers and reported to the SteamWorks as soon as you noticed there was a problem with your boiler."
"Yes, sir," Thomas agreed. "I, erm, couldn't agree more."
"Good!" the Fat Controller beamed, then looked over at the inspector. "Well, inspector, thank you for your time. I think I have a solution to getting the fish out of Thomas' boiler."
"You do, sir?" the inspector wondered.
The Fat Controller chuckled.
"Oh, yes. As soon you will soon find out, I was quite the fisherman back in my day."
"Oh, dear," Thomas sighed, looking the other way with dismay as the two men rushed off.
"So what's your plan?" the inspector wondered.
He and Thomas' crew all gathered round as the Fat Controller opened the trunk of his car.
"It's simple," he assured them, pulling two fishing poles and throwing them over to the inspector and Thomas's driver. "We'll do it using a set of fishing poles and a dry bucket."
"Hmm…" the inspector wondered.
"Oh," the Fat Controller remembered, pulling out a frying pan. "And my good pan."
Then he chuckled, reminiscing.
"It's a good thing, I guess, that I forgot to clear out my trunk after my little camping trip last weekend, cause I must say, today, it came in handy."
He proceeded to throw a sack of potatoes over to Thomas' fireman, then turned to the inspector.
"Hand me that over to me. Will you, good man?" he asked.
Confused, the inspector handed him the pole, then the Fat Controller walked over towards the ladder by Thomas' tank.
"Alright, men!" he said at last, standing by the ladder. "Who would like to go first?"
"Erm, I guess I could give it a try," the inspector wondered.
Thomas' crew watched with surprise as he walked over towards Thomas and followed the Fat Controller. Thomas watched nervously as the Fat Controller reeled the pole into his tank.
"Ow!" he groaned, as he poked it around to catch the fish. "That feels awkward, sir!"
"Not to worry, Thomas," the Fat Controller chuckled. "It'll be over soon enough."
He then proceeded to instruct the inspector on how to catch the fish.
The Fat Controller gives the time inspector and Thomas' crew lessons on how to catch the fish from Thomas' tank.
"All you have to do is wait until you feel something pulling in on your pole," he told the fireman, as he held the pole and mulled it around Thomas' tank. "It shouldn't be too soon of a process, but it's a fine skill you might want to master if you want to be an expert at...oof!"
He nearly fell over in surprise as he felt something pull in his fishing pole.
"I think you caught one, sir," the fireman guessed.
"Oh," the Fat Controller chuckled nervously, as he pulled the rope up. "I have now, haven't I?"
Soon enough, all the fish was caught, and the men had a lovely picnic of fish and chips.
Thomas sighed and looked the other way with disgust.
"I just hope they're finished before any of the other engines see," he said to himself.
But he spoke too soon, as he saw Gordon approaching up ahead.
POOP-POOP!
"Dear, oh dear, Thomas," the express engine chuckled, glancing at the commotion with interest as he passed by with his express.
He smirked with pride as he chuffed through, his express coaches rattling behind him.
Thomas sighed with dismay and waited as the men finished their picnic.
As soon as the meal was over, the Fat Controller wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Mmm. That was good. A real treat also, come to think of it, since I forgot my lunch this morning."
He then turned towards Thomas.
"Well, Thomas. I hope this has taught you a valuable lesson."
"Yes, sir," Thomas agreed, feeling a little better as Percy whistled and stopped right beside him, and his crew removed the DANGER signs from his sides.
"Good," the Fat Controller sighed with relief. "I shall be heading back to the station, and Percy will take you to the nearest water."
He then suddenly sniffed at the smell of fish still surrounding Thomas.
"Oh, dear," he groaned, covering his nose. "And a well-needed washdown, I'm sure."
Thomas smiled, as his driver backed him out of the siding and Percy buffered up to him.
"Erm, excuse me, sir," the inspector wondered, "but...I don't suppose you can give me a ride back to the station so I can catch my bus."
"Of course I can," the Fat Controller said. "Hop in."
The two men hopped into his car and took off, as Percy pulled Thomas along.
As Percy pulled Thomas along towards the nearest water tower, Thomas thought of what he wanted to say to his best friend.
"Erm…thanks for coming to help me, Percy," he began. "I only wish I had taken your suggestion earlier, and gone to the SteamWorks to be checked over."
"That's alright, Thomas. I'm just glad to been able to help."
"Yeah," Thomas wondered. "The inspector said there was nothing wrong with my tubes, so my guess is that it's nothing a drink of water and a nice long washdown won't do. Better still, I have learnt something from this experience."
"What's that?" Percy wondered with curiosity.
"Well, for one thing, to accept help when the time calls for it, but for another, I have learnt to have patience, even when it comes to jobs I want to get over with."
Percy smiled, as he stopped his friend by the next water tower.
"Here you are, Thomas!" he whistled. "I think I'll just stay until you're filled up and ready to go again."
"Thanks, Percy!" Thomas smiled, then waited as his tank was filled up with fresh water.
As soon as Thomas' water tank was full, he had a nice long washdown to clear the stench away.
"Ah," he sighed, closing his eyes with relaxation as the workmen scrubbed him down with soap and brushes, until he was sparkling clean again.
DING!
A spark flew from Thomas' paint as he sighed happily. He whistled a thank you to the workmen and went back about his work.
Later that evening, Thomas returned home to the sheds, just as Percy was getting ready to take do evening run.
"Hello, Percy! Taking the mail train now?"
"Yes, Thomas. But I sure hope you're feeling better."
"I am, thank you, Percy. The men gave me a washdown and now I feel good as new."
"That's nice, Thomas. I hope you get a much needed rest."
"I will, Percy," Thomas chuckled, as he made his way onto the turntable, then watched as his best friend set off.
The table turned him round, and he backed slowly into his berth. Emily, Nia and Rebecca eyed him with sympathy, though Gordon and James glanced at each other, ready for a tease.
"Fancy...allowing fish to get in your boiler, Thomas," Gordon mused.
"Oh, yes," James added. "Sounds pretty much like a fishy situation to me."
The two had a good laugh, as Thomas looked the other way and backed farther down into his berth.
Thomas was not amused by the engine's remarks, but he was nevertheless none the wiser, having learnt a valuable lesson from his day's experiences.
He sighed and shut his eyes, happily falling asleep as soon as his buffers touched the bar.
Halfway through Summertime Surprises, it was nice to give Thomas the spotlight this time around. The moment this story came into mind, I thought of making it nostalgic/reminiscent of Thomas Goes Fishing, a goal I think I've accomplished by how the story went with Thomas' problem getting bigger and bigger. Saul was also fun to include in a supporting role and be responsible for the conflict within the story. As for the rest of the supporting cast, it felt fitting to give roles to characters who haven't spoken yet this season, including Spencer, Charlie and Stafford, and provided a bit of comedy for TFC with the whole picnic scene. In the end, Thomas learnt a valuable about patience when trying to rush Saul only started the problem, and about accepting help from others when his problem only got bigger from there. Next up, we got an arc completing my favorite returnee for this season alongside a pair of two more personal favorites...
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.