Chapter 2
Sir Topham Hatt met Gordon at Knapford Station and stood next to the rail. Gordon began laughing his head off, while Sir Topham Hatt was shaking in a daze as he vibrated to the rhythm of all the psychedelic colors that appeared before his eyes.
"Ready?" Gordon asked. Sir Topham Hatt nodded in a dizzy state. Gordon raced off the tracks, leaving Sir Topham Hatt limping behind on one of the rails. Gordon laughed. "This race is pathetic. It is surely obvious that I will win. Sir Topham Hatt will never beat me." Just as Gordon was heading toward his hill, he felt a strange sensation in his boiler. He rattled and rattled and finally broke down right on the tracks. The bolts on the center segment of his boiler fell out, and the center segment moved out of alignment. That created a small opening, which led to the massive discharge of water from the boiler. "Oh drat!" he snorted. "What's the problem?"
Gordon's driver and fireman got out of the cab to inspect Gordon. "It looks as though you need a new boiler. The old one was rusty, and the bolts were loose. It was bound to fall apart sooner or later," Gordon's fireman said.
"A new boiler!" shouted Gordon. "That's absurd! I don't need a new boiler. I'll show you!" Gordon tried to advance forward on the rail, but he was unable to do so.
Meanwhile, Sir Topham Hatt was still prancing down the tracks, hearing beautiful music all around him and seeing rainbow colors all over. He giggled in a dopey laugh. James and Thomas, who witnessed the race, shook their heads. "Gordon has clearly won the race," James said. "This whole thing was stupid to begin with."
"I agree," said Thomas. "I wonder what's wrong with Sir Topham Hatt. He's usually not so idiotic like this."
"Maybe it was something he ate," James said.
"Or smoked!" Percy laughed from behind them. He had heard Thomas and James talking, so he decided to join in on the conversation.
"Whatever do you mean, Percy?" Thomas asked.
"Sir Topham Hatt smoked this drug called mary-mary-joo-ana," Percy said. "And because of it, he's been acting insane."
"That's nonsense, Percy," said James. "Sir Topham Hatt would never smoke."
"Or would he?" thought Percy.
"Well, you have to admit, he sure acts like he's high," said James.
"We've got to stop Sir Topham Hatt before he hurts himself!" said Thomas. Instantly, the three engines rushed after Sir Topham Hatt.