Bulgy Plays The Fool
Written by Michael White
With credit to Chase The Ferroequinologist
Bulgy the Double-Decker Bus is no friend of the railway and believes that passengers should travel by road instead of rail! Whenever the opportunity may allow it, Bulgy will try to exploit the inability of other engines by taking their passengers away…
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Toby rang his bell loud as the last of his passengers got onboard Henrietta, and looked with sympathy at the waiting passengers on the platform.
"Sorry," he sympathized, "but Henrietta's seats are all filled up!"
"Bummer!" one passenger groaned.
"What about our return tickets?!" another exclaimed.
"However will we get back home now?!" wondered a third.
"Ahem!" Bulgy coughed from nearby.
He raised an eyebrow with them and smirked.
"Wouldn't it be better take the roads instead!" he insisted. "It'd be much more worth the expense, and smoother by bus!"
At that moment, he was caught off guard by the sound of Thomas' whistle.
"Huh?"
He watched as the tank engine entered the platform and stopped, much to the relief of the waiting passengers.
"All aboard!" he called out, as they proceeded to board the train.
"Doh!" Bulgy grunted.
He slowly set off, as Thomas and Toby greeted each other goodbye.
"Thanks, Thomas!" Toby rang.
"No problem, Toby!" Thomas whistled back.
Bulgy mumbled to himself as he trundled out of the station.
"Free the roads from railway tyranny!" he shouted out in frustration, then mumbled to himself, who needs them silly rails anyway?"
Early one summer morning, Bulgy was making his way along the road when he saw Bertie approaching in the opposite direction.
"Good morning, Bulgy!" he greeted. "Where are you off to this morning?"
Bulgy smirked smugly.
"I'm off to Ulfstead Castle, Bertie! The Fat Controller has asked me to help out with the extra tourists!"
"Oh!" Bertie marveled, listening on.
"I'm going to improve it services once and for all! At least it'll be better than my usual tirade of gallivanting around Thomas' Branch all day long!"
"Good heavens!" Bertie gasped with shock, as he passed.
Bulgy sniggered quietly as he continued along.
"Silly rails!" he murmured to himself. "What could be better for passengers to travel on than by roads anyway?"
"Wow!" a voice marveled from above, catching Bulgy off-guard
"Amazing sight from up here!" called another.
"Capital!" agreed a third.
Bulgy looked up with disbelief to see the Red Balloon flying overhead.
"Huh!" he thought to himself. "How silly it is for passengers to ride in such a contraption!"
At the Estate, a large crowd of tourists gathered to wait on the platform! Stephen and Glynn were astounded!
"My, my, Glynn! Have you ever seen anything like it?"
"No, Stephen! Not in all my years!"
"Nor I!"
"Shhh!" Millie sushed them. "Listen, you two! The Earl is about to make an announcement!"
"Quiet, everyone, please!" the Earl calmly insisted, as he climbed aboard the podium.
All at once, the tourists settled down and turn their attention towards him.
"Now, I understand that a lot of tickets have been purchased for tours around the Estate!" he expressed. "However, I regret to inform you that Stephen and Glynn have hardly enough room for all of you!"
The tourists quietly murmured amongst themselves, as the three engines glanced at each other nervously.
"But…" the Earl went on, as the chatter started to die down. "…you're in luck because I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I have made arrangements for special means of transportation by road!"
"Road!" Stephen quietly exclaimed. "Hmm…"
"Without further ado," the Earl went on, "let me introduce to you: Bulgy the Double-Decker Bus!"
He watched as the station went silent and his engines looked at him funny.
"Hmm…" he thought, looking behind him, then back towards the passengers. "That's strange. Sir Topham did guarantee that Bulgy will be here on time!"
At that moment, Bulgy slowly rolled in and the passengers all gazed at him with awe.
"Not to worry," he assured them, "I assure there'll be no delays the moment I get Stephen and Glynn going!"
"Ahem!"
He thought to himself as Bulgy quietly coughed at him.
"Question is," he wondered. "When will Bulgy arrive?"
"Ahem!" Bulgy coughed louder at him.
The Earl looked back in surprise as Bulgy raised an eyebrow at him.
"Ah! Bulgy! You're here! Splendid! Welcome to Ulfstead!"
"Mmm…" Bulgy murmured condescendingly, as he took a good look around.
"I must say, though," the Earl reminded him, raising his hands slightly up. "I did expect you to be more on time!"
"What?!" Bulgy spluttered. "I got here as fast as I could! And on short notice too, you big-big…"
"No to worry though," the Earl inadvertently cut off. "I assure you all that Bulgy's services by road will make your tour of the castle worth the price as much as it would be rail!"
"Hmmm…" Stephen thought with suspicion as he looked at Bulgy's FREE THE ROADS sign, then murmured over to Glynn, "we'll just have to see about that!"
Glynn wondered in reaction with confusion.
"Anyways, must be off!" the Earl finished. "Good luck, Bulgy! I'm sure you'll do a marvelous job!"
He chuckled loudly as he walked off, much to Bulgy's bafflement.
"That silly old buffoon!" he remarked aloud, as his passengers got onboard. "Who does he thinks he is telling me that…?!"
Before he can finish his rant, he suddenly looked at the three engines eyeing him with surprise.
"Well," he wondered. "Whatever are you three idling around for?"
"We're waiting for the passengers, Bulgy!" Glynn cheerfully remarked. "Same as you!"
"Erm…Glynn," Stephen stammered to him, rather distrustingly.
His thoughts were interrupted by Bulgy's loud chuckle.
"Enjoy it while you can!" the bus remarked. "The only reason that old crackpot arranged for me to come help out was so that your passengers could see how superior roads are over rails! By the time they do, rails will be ripped up and you'll all be sitting around in an exhibit where you belong, whilst roads evolve and take over everything!"
At last, his guard's whistle blew as the last of his passengers got onboard. Bulgy took no notice of the hurt and saddened expressions on the three engines' faces as the inched closer to them
"Don't sweat it!" he feigned. "I understand how it feels to be rejected, but I can't help but feel my position deeply as a passenger bus being as superior as I am over the railways! Neither can I help it if the railways are torn up one day in favor of the roads!"
He lurked away as Glynn sighed sadly.
"Be off with you!" Stephen shouted, "you big, overgrown…"
He thought hard of how to finish his sentence but sighed with dismay, as Millie fumed aloud.
"Huh! What a rude bus!"
"Now, now you two," Glynn soothed. "Look on the bright side of things. At least we still have some passengers to keep entertained!"
"It's not the same!" Stephen whistled loudly.
Both he and Glynn set off, but felt a little jolt at their carriages!
All of a sudden, Stephen and Glynn noticed that their carriages were lighter than usual.
"Oh, my," Glynn wondered, as he trundled along. "I wonder if I spoke too soon!"
"I'll give that no-good bus a piece of my mind!" Stephen vowed.
As Bulgy's tour around Ulfstead progressed, his passengers had a wonderful time…,
"Wow!" one passenger marveled, as they took a look around at the Dinosaur Park.
"Would you look at that?" gazed another.
…but Bulgy himself found tormenting the Earl's engines to be much better fun…
"Going a little lightly there, aren't you, slow roast?" he remarked to Glynn, as he spotted the Coffeepot engine coming the opposite way.
Glynn tried his best to ignore Bulgy as he carried on.
"Even these dinosaurs are moving faster than you!" Bulgy went on. "It'd be a suitable exhibit for you when the buses take over everything!"
He was caught off guard by a familiar laugh. He looked up was surprised to see Earl gazing over with the other passengers in the Red Balloon.
"Look over there, everyone! Don't those dinosaurs just look wonderful?!"
"Mmm, yes," one tourist agreed.
"Very much so!" another added.
"Reel us in closer, please!" the Earl added. "I'd like ourt special guests to get a closer look!"
Bulgy gritted his teeth to the sound of his voice, but Gaston was suddenly caught off guard by the sound of a dinosaur roaring.
"GAHHHH!" he screamed.
He frowned as he saw the dinosaur exhibit that he was afraid of moving about the grounds.
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Bulgy took his passengers along on the road by the forest, where they spotted a family of deer running across the green.
"Look, mummy!" a little girl shouted.
"Oh, my, how lovely!" her mother observed.
"Just captivating!" marveled another passenger.
Bulgy saw Millie up ahead dropping off some flower pots for the castle grounds and looked over at her smugly.
"Finally keeping yourself useful, are you?" he remarked, as she glared back at him. "Betcha it'd be quicker by lorry! Surely those will come in handy when the roads take over! I'm sure the old crockpot will find use for you as an old garden shed on wheels!"
Millie gasped with horror, as Bulgy chuckled deviously, but was suddenly caught off-guard by the sound of a familiar laugh.
"Huh?"
Bulgy looked over with disbelief to see the Earl walking up to the groundskeeper,
"Job well done, groundskeeper!" he congratulated. "The garden just looks splendid!"
"But…but…where did he come from?" Bulgy stammered.
He grit his teeth again as the Earl laughed once more.
"And also, fine job, Millie, on delivering the flower pots!"
"Huh!" Bulgy snorted, as he carried on.
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At last, Bulgy arrived back inside the castle by entering the drawbridge amongst the gates passengers off on the platform by the Earl's office. The passengers disembarked, and were all at once gushing about the tour.
"Excellent tour!"
"Just lovely!"
"Never seen the estate by road before!"
Bulgy saw Stephen there, glaring at him.
"Well, well, well," he remarked. "Whatever are you waiting around for?"
"I just happen to have finished a tour myself!" Stephen boldly responded.
"Mmm…" Bulgy thought. "Well, you saw how happy those visitors were with the tour I gave them! They'll all be raving about it soon enough when the buses take over! By then, the railways will be no more and you'll be better off in a museum right where you belong!"
His thoughts were suddenly cut off again by the Earl's laugh. Bulgy looked over in disbelief to see him walking out of the office on his phone.
"Oh, yes, Sir Topham! I think that would be a splendid idea! let's discuss it over lunch someday, shall we?"
Bulgy groaned with exasperation and slowly trundled out of the castle as the Earl spoke.
Later that night, the three engines arrived back at their sheds. They were exhausted from their day's experiences and still cross about Bulgy!
"That bus!" Stephen grumbled. "The nerve of him, I tell you!"
"He keeps telling us that roads will take over!" Millie pointed out.
"He called me slow roast," added Glynn, "and told me I'd be a good exhibit in the Dinosaur Park!"
"He called me a garden shed on wheels and told me a lorry could go faster than me! Hmph!" Millie huffed.
"He told me I was better off in a museum!" Stephen put in. "Surely I don't look that old!"
"Oh, my, you two," Glynn insisted. "Look!"
At that moment, the trio heard a horn honking and looked over to see who it was rolling into sight.
"Well, speak of the devil!" Stephen remarked.
"Shhhh!" Millie hissed.
"Pretend you don't see him!" Stephen suggested.
He and Millie looked away as Glynn looked about with confusion, while Bulgy parked near the shed.
"What a comfortable-looking shed!" the bus marveled. "Better enjoy it while you can. It only means more elbow room, if not more, for the buses once the passengers choose to travel by road instead. By then, the old fool will be done with you."
He thought harder, then chuckled.
"Well, I can only see it myself. The three of you sitting around an exhibit right where you'll be needed…!"
"Ah! Bulgy!"
Bulgy's statement was abruptly cut off, as the Earl walked over. He seethed with fury.
"Marvelous job today with the passengers, Bulgy!" the Earl praised. "I've been receiving requests by more passengers who wish to see the sights by foot, and I'd like you, Bulgy, to take them first thing tomorrow!"
Bulgy grinned smugly at the three engines, who all looked away. He then shifted his eyes back towards the Earl.
"Now," the Earl finished, "all of you get a good night's rest because you have a big day tomorrow! It's going to be one of the greatest summers we ever had, I tell you!"
He rushed off, chuckling loudly, as Bulgy grit his teeth with fury.
"If I get the best of the old fool, it'll be pretty soon!" he seethed.
He yawned and went to sleep, as the three engines watched him with surprise.
PEEP-PEEP!
TOOT-TOOT!
"GAHHHH!"
Bulgy woke with a start to the sound of Millie and Glynn's whistles. Millie chuckled as she waited for the turntable to turn Glynn around.
"Come on, Stephen!" she called. "We must get going!
"Coming" the Rocket engine answered, before quickly emerging from his berth. "Peeeow-woah!"
He was suddenly caught off by the lack of steam from his funnel.
"Are you alright, Stephen?" Millie wondered, as she made her way onto the turntable.
"Truth be told, Millie, I feel quite short of steam! My fire's slow to start this morning!"
"Oh, dear!" Millie groaned, as she made her way off.
Bulgy listened with interest.
"Not to worry, though!" Stephen went on. "Nothing a few spins on the turntable can't fix once I'm facing the right way!"
Millie whistle goodbye to him in greeting and chuffed away, as Bulgy chuckled quietly.
"Indeed!" he remarked smugly.
He trundled slowly away, still chuckling, as Stephen spun around on the turntable.
Bulgy thought he had a brilliant plan in mind to outsmart the Earl once and for all.
At the Estate, many passengers were waiting on the platform, waiting and chattering amongst themselves.
"Oh, my," Glynn groaned, as he said off with his carriages full of passengers. "I sure hope Stephen shows up soon!"
Bulgy snuck into the Estate, smugly watching Glynn set off.
"Coast is clear!" he murmured to himself.
He inched closer towards the platform, as the Earl walked into sight.
"Calm down everyone, please!" he encouraged. "I'm sure you will all make it to your destinations promptly and on time! The only concern is: where is Stephen?"
"Ahem!"
Bulgy coughed so loud at the Earl and even the passengers all stopped to look at him!
"Bulgy!" the Earl exclaimed with relief. "Splendid that you're here!"
"Stephen's taken ill, sir!" Bulgy informed him. "He won't be able to pull passengers today!"
"Oh," the Earl wondered.
He listen close and hard as the chattering amongst the passengers ensued.
"But I do have a solution, sir!" Bulgy went on. "Wouldn't it be better to let the passengers travel by bus instead?"
"Hmm…" the Earl thought, observing the noisy passengers closely.
"You did say that you've been receiving more requests by the road, sir!" Bulgy reminded him. "And besides, I have plenty of room!"
"Hmm…yes…" the Earl wondered to himself.
He thought hard, eyeing Bulgy carefully, before smiling at last!
The Earl agreed to Bulgy's suggestion and soon enough, the passengers were all onboard!
"Thank you, Bulgy!" he shouted out to him, as the bus trundle the way, smirking. "Capital idea!"
He then walked back towards the castle, smiling.
"Thank you indeed!" he quietly repeated to himself.
Stephen whistled loudly as he rushed into the station.
"Wait! he shouted, as he watched Bulgy set off. "Come back with my passengers!"
He sighed sadly as he sat in the station siding.
"All I needed was a few spins on the turntable to get me started!" he remarked to himself.
The rest of Bulgy's passengers were waiting at the castle entrance. Soon enough, Bulgy arrived to pick them up and take them to their destination!
"Ya boo snubs!" he honked aloud, "one in the headlight for the railways too!"
He chuckled smugly as his passengers all hopped aboard. At last, his guard's whistle blew and he was off. The Earl watched him closely from his office window, thinking hard and he listened to the chatter on the other side of the phone!
At long last, Bulgy started along the road that ran through the castlegrounds!
"What a clever plan to try and outdo that buffoon!" he remarked to himself. I still can't believe the ol' fool fell for it! The devil himself couldn't have done no better!"
He chortled loud as he continued along, what was suddenly caught off-guard by a strain in his engine.
"Woah!" he wailed aloud, as he bounced back and forth.
Bulgy found himself moving at a slower and wobblier pace and he found that he was much fuller than usual, as the passengers were all crammed up against the windows.
Passengers from both floors of Bulgy's interior squeezed up against the windows and some even moved around in his seats. Bulgy bounced up and down again!
"Oof! Watch the upholstery!" he groaned aloud.
He proceeded forward, though slowly while wobbling from both sides
Bulgy's first stop was at the park near the forest. This way, the passengers could get a lovely view of what nature had to offer!
"Make it quick!" he honked aloud to the passengers, as they got off. "Can't lounge around all day when we got more sights to see!"
The passengers quickly one about and enjoyed themselves, as they walked about the forest, Bulgy eyeing them closely.
"I say!" one passenger marveled. "Do look at that cardinal!"
"Yes!" another agreed, "and that bluebird too!"
"Squirrels!" a little boy shouted out.
The passengers looked over in awe at a pair of squirrels running against each other up a tree.
"Look, mummy!" a little girl called out, pointing.
The passengers proceeded to look over and see a family of deer scampering across the track, chattering and marveling amongst themselves
"Wow!l"
"Amazing!"
"That is a pretty picture!"
"Huh! What drivel!" Bulgy snorted, looking away.
He honked aloud.
"Alright!" he demanded. "Must get moving! Next stop the ol' Dinosaur Park!"
"Oh, but I do wish we could see more of the forest!" one passenger expressed.
"At least a more thorough tour!" added another.
"Grrrrr!"
Bulgy gritted his teeth quietly, but was suddenly caught off by the sound of a high-pitched whistle.
"Huh?"
He looked over to see Millie stopping right beside him, smiling! Her carriages were half full of chattering passengers!
"Hop on board if you want a trail of the woodland by rail!" she beamed.
"There's hardly enough seats!" one passenger exclaimed.
"We surely can't all fit on that train!"
"Not to worry!" a third passenger remarked, leading some of the tour back towards Bulgy. "Some of us will going to see the Dinosaur Park and probably come back and see the forest again later!"
Bulgy watched with disbelief as some of his passengers boarded Millie's carriages, and the rest of them hopped onboard him! He glared as Millie whistled loudly and pulled away with her carriages full of passengers!
"I'll pay her out for that one!" he seethed with fury, before taking off.
The next stop on Bulgy's tour was the Dinosaur Park, but it wasn't quite what he expected either!
"Welcome!" the groundskeeper greeted, as his passengers got off. "Now, everybody get in line, please! I'm here to give you all a prompt and direct tour of the Park and all its attractions!"
"Mmm…sounds nice…" one passenger wondered.
"Closer up look then we get by bus!" another admitted.
Bulgy spluttered with fury as he heard this, whilst watching his passengers set off for their tour around the Park.
"Great!" he ranted. "First, the old buffoon summoned me for accommodating to his passengers and now this?! Whatever's next?!"
He was caught off-guard by Stephen's whistle, and watched him pass by with his tour, while his passengers watched with awe and amazement at all the lovely sites around the park!
"Well now…!" Bulgy expressed.
He startled at the sound of Glynn's whistle as the Coffeepot engine passed by with his own tour! At the same time, he heard a laugh that he knew all too well!
"Marvelous sights, don't you think, ladies and gents?!" the Earl exclaimed aloud, pointing all around as the passengers chattered amongst themselves.
Bulgy seethed with fury.
"Whenever will I get a break from the old fool?!" he groaned. "GAHHHHHHH!"
He was suddenly startled by the sound of dinosaurs roaring in his direction. Stephen chuckled at this as he passed.
Bulgy's face went as red as his paintwork!
Bulgy proceeded with the rest of the tour by road; this way, his passengers were able to get a more brisk-paced view of the castlegrounds from their seats!
"Wow!" one passenger marveled.
"Thrilling!" remarked another.
"I'd say!" admitted a third.
Bulgy grinned with pride.
"This is more like it!" he expressed. "The passengers are enjoying themselves, and the railways have nothing to do with it! Just wait, by the end, the old fool will have to give up that lot before the buses take over!"
He chuckled aloud, but abruptly cut off when…
"Woah!"
Bulgy bumped into an obstacle on the road and looked up with disbelief.
"Huh?"
Bulgy couldn't believe what he was seeing in his path! Right before him lay a large heap of garden waste, strayed on the road! Already, passengers began climbing down to see what was the matter!
"I say!" one remarked. "What kind of tour is this?!"
"Not a very remarkable one!" expressed another.
"Don't suppose this would happen by rail!" added a third.
Bulgy was shocked at such a remark.
"What on earth?!" he spluttered. "Why didn't the old fool bother to clear this away?!"
At that moment, Millie whistled as she pulled with some empty trucks and a brake coach with workmen aboard!
"Huh!" Bulgy remarked, as the men got to work. "You took your time getting here!"
Millie smiled and ignores him, looking the opposite way.
"And just how will the tour go according to schedule?" a passenger remarked, holding his hands up high!
Just then, Stephen whistled as he pulled in, taking Bulgy by surprise!
"All aboard!" he called aloud. "I'll take you on a tour of the Estate!"
All at once, the excited passengers began boarding Stephen's train. However, his carriages were only half-empty and some of Bulgy's passengers were able to make it onboard!
"Well," one passenger remarked. "So much for another means of transport!"
"Now, we'll have to wait for all this garden waste to be cleared!" expressed another.
"Oh, boy!" Stephen groaned.
"Dear, oh dear, flyboy!" Bulgy remarked. "Shame on you for not bringing enough carriages for all these poor waiting passengers!"
"What?!" Stephen spluttered. "I bought as many as I could, you…you…!"
"Mmm…" Bulgy thought, smirking. "I guess it just comes to show that railways aren't as reliable as roads after all!"
"Huh!" Stephen remarked, looking at the garden waste on the road. "Are you sure about that then?!"
But Millie just laughed.
"You're right, Bulgy!" she admitted.
"Huh?" Bulgy wondered.
Millie looked up.
"But perhaps there are some services of transport that might be equally reliable as roads!" she added
"What?!" Bulgy spluttered.
Millie chuckled and Bulgy watched with disbelief as the Red Balloon landed down on the field nearby!
"Climb aboard!" the pilot welcomed the passengers. "We'll have your tour finished off with a bang!"
The excited passengers shattered and cheered among some selves asleep quickly rushed aboard the Balloon.
"Wait!" Bulgy shouted out, as the Balloon took to the air. "Come back here with my passengers!"
Millie chuckled aloud, as Stephen winked at Bulgy and set off with his own passengers!
"Grrrrrr, of all the silly nonsense!" Bulgy groaned.
But he said it to himself! Bulgy had to wait as Millie and the workmen were done clearing the mess.
Bulgy glared as he watched the workmen walk about.
He hated every moment of it! But soon enough, Millie's trucks were full and the road was cleared.
"Splendid job, all of you!" the foreman remarked.
He then turned to the double-decker bus.
"Now, Bulgy, the Earl would like to have a word with you back at the Castle!"
"Huh?!" he thought.
He raised an eyebrow and thought hard, as Millie whistled and set off with all the workmen aboard the brake coach.
"Well," he thought, as he set off for the castle. "I wonder what it will take to outsmart the old fool! Least I can say is I tried!"
When Bulgy arrived back at the castle, he found the Earl waiting for him on the platform.
The Earl shot Bulgy a stern look as the three engines glared at him hard. Bulgy's face went a slight shade of red.
"Ahem! You summoned me, your…erm…"
But the Earl chuckled loudly, taking Bulgy by surprise and causing him to seeth with slight irritation.
"No need to say more, Bulgy!" the Earl expressed, beaming. "I had your plan figured out from the getgo!"
"You did?!" Bulgy replied, dumbfounded, then gasped. "I…I mean, what plan?!"
The Earl chuckled loudly once more.
"Sir Topham did warn me you'd be a slight cause for trouble, Bulgy, and he was right! Stephen's crew would have notified right away if he was really sick!"
"Oh, well, erm…errr…" Bulgy stammered.
Stephen smirked as the Earl went on.
"Therefore, I have made the prompt decision to switch Stephen and Millie's jobs around for the day!"
"Huh!" Bulgy remarked. "I guess that explains the waste left on the road…!"
The Earl chuckled again, frustrating him even more.
"It was all part of my plan!" he admitted. "To show you, Bulgy, that rails could be equally reliable as roads!"
The three engines smiled as he spoke, while Bulgy looked away with disgust.
"And…in doing so, I also made sure that there was no delay in the process and that all the passengers made it to their destinations on time!"
"Huh!" Bulgy scoffed, listening on.
"So," the Earl finished, "I was initially thinking of sending you back to Thomas' Branch, but after a talk with Sir Topham, the both of us have decided that it would be more fitting if you covered maintenance work and transportation of workmen around different areas of the castle grounds for the entire summer as punishment!"
"But what about the passengers, sir?" Millie wondered.
The Earl chuckled.
"I shall leave that up to you three!" he replied.
Stephen and Glynn gazed at each other with amazement, as Bulgy coughed aloud.
"Ahem! With all due respect, your, erm, highnessfullness…(if any)!..." Bulgy announced aloud, then mumbled quietly to himself, "I highly doubt that all three of these…ahem…engines will be able to manage all these extra tourists at once!"
The Earl chuckled.
"You're right, Bulgy! Lucky enough, I arranged for special backup transportation for when the occasion calls!"
The three engines looked up with surprise and the passengers marveled aloud as the Red Balloon landed down, and the satisfied passengers began to exit.
"What a fun tour that was!" one passenger expressed.
"Absolutely lovely!" agreed another.
"Much worth the expense on our tickets!" agreed a third.
Bulgy watched them with surprise, then looked over with irritation as the Earl chuckled aloud once more!
"You may not have thought I'd have you figured out, Bulgy, but I think you'll find that perhaps I am much more clever than you think!"
He chuckled loudly once more, much to Bulgy's visible annoyance, as his three engines laughed along with him. Bulgy groaned and lurked away.
Bulgy couldn't believe it! All this time, he thought he had fooled the Earl by taking passengers away, but found that HE was the one being tricked along!
"Well," he thought to himself. "Just think of it. A bus of my stature! Having to do menial jobs that are beneath me! And putting that old buffoon the whole summer too!"
He listened with frustration, as the Earl and the three engines shared a good laugh.
"Free the roads from railway tyranny!" he shouted aloud.
And so that caps off my Set 3! It's been a rather interesting journey with this whole batch of episodes, given the one-year gap that I took to set my priorities before getting back at it again! As for this story, Bulgy was a really fun character to write and I did what I could to stay true to the spirit of his character and have him square off against a character like the Earl that he would find rather overbearing! The Ulfstead trio were fun to write for here as well and Bulgy's demeanor with them was a real pleasure to include, by tormenting/bullying them over the thought of being replaced! Building a great deal of the story around Bulgy's misfortune with constantly encountering the Earl wherever he goes and his plan gradually building up to failure to a point where his deviousness got the better of him was a rather fun task, and it didn't end well for him, as he ends up having to spend the whole summer dealing with the Earl anyway while all of his passengers are relinquished over to the Ulfstead engines and the Red Balloon instead. Please leave thoughts, and let me know what your favorite story has been for Set 3! Set 4 will launch this fall, and bring back a couple of old friends, while adding some new ones to the table as well, all starting as Diesel 10 attempts to teach some old friends...
Lesson #1- when Splatter and Dodge return to Sodor to work at the DieselWorks, Diesel 10 vows to show his old friends around and teach them a thing or two, but the two diesels get more enjoyment out of seeing his ideas backfire!
All Bark, No Bite- Splatter and Dodge struggle to cooperate with one another while delivering a heavy goods train from Vicarstown to Bridlington, since Splatter insists he knows the way and defies Dodge's judgment!
Arthur Owns Up - Arthur causes an accident and Saul gets blamed for it. Arthur goes about his day pretending as if nothing happened, though the cause of delays increasingly piles guilt upon him to a point where he realizes he has a tough decision to make!
Stephen And The Mine - Stephen has the courage to do most things…perhaps with the exception of going into the Ulfstead Mine out of fear that he'll get lost again and like he did long ago! However, when Glynn becomes trapped in the mine, it's up to Stephen to overcome his fear and save him!
Marion And The Blisters - the miniature engines are annoyed by Marion's belief that they are magic and play a trick on her by pretending to grant her a wish, which backfires when Marion actually makes a discovery in the Arlesdale mines!