Cue the theme!

...

Henry has seen the most changes since we previously left you. While he still has a tendency to get rather...sharp and shortish with certain engines, and he still insists that he is still best pals with Gordon and James despite the bad influence, mostly he has matured into a rather peaceful engine. There is certainly no return to the illness filled days when you first came to the Island, and he's recently taken up studying Buddhism as a religion. Most of the engines have been rather respectful, although privately I think Donald and Gordon are slightly confused about it. Attempts to restart the environmental movement that died down a bit from eighty nine onwards has been...mixed, to say the least. While the campaigns to clean up the River Els have got somewhere at last, further campaigns have not gone so well.

Most often, Henry's been spending time in a particularly recent discovery, a forest that has been named, rather imaginatively, Henry's Forest. Apparently this was where Henry went to reconnect with nature following his accident with the Flying Kipper some years back.

We had a spot of trouble with the Forest recently, as you're sure to have documented.

...

Henry the Green Engine has lived on the Island of Sodor for many years. Jokes about his age have abounded frequently. He wouldn't want to be anywhere else, mostly because he's lived nowhere else in his entire life.

He likes nearly every part of it, from the canal, to the fields filled with flowers to the white sandy beaches. Even he hasn't seen most of the Island, and so whenever a new part is discovered, he was among the most excited, often getting in ahead of other humans. But there is one place in particular that he loves to visit more than anywhere else.

"Well." said his driver, yawning. "Got nothing better to do. Come on Henry!" he would say out loud. "We've made good time today! We'll stop for a while by the forest!"

"Isn't there a rule against that? Rule 55? Besides, it means that we're not doing work."

"Mate, we clocked off two minutes ago, and secondly, me and the signalman are tight."

Henry, ignoring the fight between his driver and fireman which ran on well worn tracks, grinned as they passed over the watermill. Yet another sign of his good work.

He loved it in the forest. It was full of firm oaks, tall pines, sturdy redwoods and other such trees. There were animals also, all of them natural to the Island and having returned to this forest to protect themselves from the oncoming railway. And yet, when the railway had extended into the forest (Though Henry had insisted on overseeing the project to make sure nothing was disturbed that could be left alone, and the Fat Controller didn't care enough to watch) they hadn't run away again. In fact, it could be said that they flocked to Henry.

Henry minded not. He liked it, in all honesty, and while he wasn't the Disney type to talk to them, he took a quiet comfort in the fact that they clearly trusted him to some extent.

As Henry sat there on that particular day, he rested by a flatbed of logs, from trees that had grown too dangerous to the wildlife and the railway. This reminded him in turn of the first excursion into this forest. He had recruited Toby, as being one of the few sensible engines he felt he could trust, to bring new trees to replace the old ones, while Terrance and Trevor worked hard and planted them.

It had been a rather nice exercise, and Henry could recall just that feeling of comradeship that so often was missed between the inhabitants of Tidmouth.

Now, he could see the trees growing among those originally there on the hillside. He always felt better for being here. He had no idea how to put it into words, but his driver understood.

"It's peaceful." he said. He then hurried off to the signalbox. He needed the toilet, and he had learnt the hard way about using a tree in this forest. The memory of the fox's attack haunted him.

Henry smiled. Then he stopped. He recalled another, far darker memory.

...

The night that everything changed, several engines had cooped up in Tidmouth Sheds in a attempt to avoid the massive storm that was hitting the Island. The doors shook and the lamps swung, almost being ripped from their posts.

"Listen!" said Thomas, putting down his crossword puzzle. "Can you hear a strange sound?"

"Aside from you talking?" mumbled Gordon tiredly. He, James, Henry and Toby had taken refuge, while Donald rested peacefully in the far corner. Douglas would be coming later that night to rest as Gordon got ready for the express.

"Not to worry Thomas." said Toby, as usual, cool as a cucumber. "Just the wind, blowing outsides of our sheds. Never heard it quite like this."

"Do you know-" remarked James. "-if Gordon wasn't here right now, I'd say it was him rushing by with the express."

All the engines laughed, and then stopped laughing, because it wasn't really a joke. Gordon sulked. It wasn't his fault he was so big and beautiful!

But Henry was the only one who didn't join in with the laughing. He was worried, and even as the other engines argued, Donald looked at him with something approaching concern. Of all the big engines, he considered Henry to be the closest thing to a friend he had.

"I just hope the wind won't harm the forest." Henry explained.

"Ach, weesht! It'll be fine!"

...

It wasn't.

By morning, the storm had died down, or left, but the damage was done. And not just to the Fat Controller's office. Henry's driver arrived just as Donald and Douglas were arguing over why Douglas had to stay in the shed and Donald had to go out. Neither got a real answer, and Henry didn't care.

"Trees have fallen on the line! We must help clear the tracks."

Henry's heart sank. Donald puffed out, and in a gesture of support, set off first with the breakdown train. Henry followed seconds later with a train of flatbeds.

But not even he could foresee the damage done. Trees lay everywhere, scattered to what remained of the forest. Plants were crushed underfoot, and there was barely a animal to seen. Donald was about to say that this might be a good thing, as they may have retreated, when he saw Henry's face. The hillside looked so bare, aside from all the broken trees on there.

Henry's sadness was clear. "What will happen, Donald-" he said quietly "-to all the animals who live- lived here?" He puffed on, and Donald had no answer to give.

They parted ways as Donald began placing log after log on the flatbeds. Once they were loaded, Henry took them to the timbermill, where they would be used to make furniture and other things.

"Welp!" declared a executive. "It's a good day for Ikea!" Everyone gave him a look. "Too soon?" He walked off, where karma revenged him for this callous remark by getting his hand trapped in his own saw.

Henry was glad that, at the very least, the wood was getting some use, but he still felt sorry it had come at the loss of his forest. Toby and Thomas were there, helping out anyway they could.

"Think Hatt's trying to send you a message, Toby?" asked Thomas innocently. "This is where you'll end up?" Toby shot Thomas a very dirty look. "Too soon?" Thomas would later head off to his branch-line, and karma proved she would make a excellent darts champion by sending a stray tree to whack him right in the face.

Toby sighed. "Oh dear. I wish there was someway that we could help."

"Well yes, but what? Can you mend broken trees?"

Toby trundled forward. "Hey, uh, Henry, I've got nothing else on, if you want, we can go and get a pint at the Sidings."

Henry sighed. "No. No thank you, but I...I'd rather just...be on my own for a bit. Thanks though."

Toby sighed.

...

He arrived back at the sheds, having found his desire for a drink had rapidly decreased. The Fat Controller was standing there, casually checking his watch. He had a job, though he had no idea who was going to take it. He was banking on it being the first engine he saw. "Hello Toby!" he said chirpily, trying to ignore the feelings of annoyance he had received from several environmental protesters. "You look down."

"I'm sad about the trees sir."

"Who isn't?" said Hatt grumpily.

"And so's Henry, the forest is a special place to him."

Hatt smiled. "Well, funny you mention that. We'll soon put that right, for I have a important job for you to do. It involves trucks and the forest. Can you guess what it is?"

...

"BEST! JOB! EVER!" Toby enthused as be pulled out with a long train of trucks containing a selection of trees.

...

Henry arrived after a long day of moping to get a huge surprise. Toby sat on the railway, watching in delight as Terrance and Trevor got to work planting new trees in freshly dug holes.

"You-" Henry was choked up to say the least. "You-"

"Least I could do." Toby smiled and looked away. "Don't mention it."

"Look Henry!" laughed Terrance. "We're beginning again! The hillside will look better than ever before! You'll see!"

...

Henry returned from his thoughts, a warm smile gracing his face. He let his mind and body disconnect from each other, and just focus on the feel of the forest. Now he could see them growing strong and tall by lakes of clear blue water. And the animals have even started to come back. Sometimes, everywhere is quiet and one could hear anything, and other times Henry can hear the sounds of leaves rustling or a bird's wing brushing the air.

Often, he can hear the sound of children laughing.

And always, he is happy here.