The Little Lassie
Emily came back from the works. She heard a very sad scottish tale from Donald and Douglas about an engine who is like her. The engine was named Lacy, but the scottish twins nicknamed her, " The Little Lassie", because she was young. She has the personality like her, but she is a really useful engine like any other engine. Lacy was also a hero. The reason why is because she sacrifice her life for her passengers and her driver and fireman's safety from a bridge that was damage from a storm on Donald and Douglas' old railway, the Caledonian Railway. The manager there honoered her by putting her whistle in the railway museum and one of her nameplates at the station where Lacy got her passengers from on that faithful day. Emily also wanted to honor her, but she dosen't know how.
One day, she was bringing a goods train from Tidmouth Hault to Brendam was thinking about how to honor Lacy for her heroic act . She delivered the goods train and she left. She was making her way back to Duck's branchline, when she saw Oliver and Toad watching lots of boats moving around. So Emily decided to go see what was this all about. She puffed up next to them and spoke up. " Hello Oliver hello Toad." she greeted them kindly. " Hello Emily." The two Great Westerns greeted back. " How are you two doing? Did you have news about Duck being repaired." She questioned them. " We're okay Miss Emily." Toad answered the first question. " That's right Emily and I got word from my driver that Duck is coming back in one week." Oliver answered the second question. " That's wonderful." Emily said happily. " Now then" she contiuned. " What are you and Toad doing watching a bunch of boats racing around?" " Well" answered Oliver. " We are watching the Regatta." " The Regatta?" Emily questioned again. " What's that?" " Well, what Duck told me about the Regatta is that it's a series of boat races. Duck would talk endlessly about the regatta. He says that he would dream about traveling to the horizen. He would came to Brendam Docks and watch the boats race around sometimes in the day, in the mourning, in the sunset, and in the evening. His driver and fireman would enjoy watching the Regatta too. In fact, what my driver told me is that inside Duck's cab, is the flag they recieve from one of the teams. It was an award for helping one of the team's members when he hurt his hand and Duck quickly took him to Bertie which he took over and quickly drop him off to the hospital. Duck was proud of helping the Regatta and was honored to help what he enjoys seeing when he comes to work at Brendam Docks before Cranky and Salty came to the island and worked at Brendam Docks." Oliver finish explaining. Then Emily spoke again. " That was wonderful of him. I wish I can do something for him that involves the Regatta." " Well we hope you can think of something to make Mr Duck happy." said Toad. " Thanks you guys." Emily said. " Now I got to go back to the "Little Western" now. I'll meet you two there okay." "Okay." they both said at the same time. " Good bye." And so with that Emily chuffed back to the "Little Western".
Emily was chuffing back to Duck's branchline, when she realize that she has two things to try to think of; to honor Lacy and to help Duck and his enjoyment of the Regatta. Emily felt confuse. She didn't know what to do about this. Soon her driver stopped her at a signal. Then she can hear an engine coming and it was James and he was taking some trucks that were full with coal. " Hello Emily." he greeted her happily. " Hello James." she greeted back happily. And James chuffed away. Then a couple seconds later, she heard a guard's warning whistle. Then she saw what made her suprised. The trucks that James was pulling have broken away from him and now they were racing down the track. " Hurah hurah we broken away." They yelled out. " On on faster faster." Emily can see that they were heading back to the docks and they were going on the track that was leading towards the Regatta. " Oh no driver." she said shockenly. " They're heading towards the Regatta. If they plunge into the sea, then they could possibly crash into the Regatta." " What are we gonna do." Her driver told her. Emily thought about it quickly. Then she spoke. " We must stop them before it's too late." she said cofidently. " But how." asked his driver. " We must chuff back to the docks before they reach there." she said " But it's too dangerous for a tender engine to chuff back." her driver said shockenly " We must try. " Emily told her driver. " It's risky, but we must help the Regatta before it's too late." So her driver put her in reverse and she quickly went after the trucks. Meanwhile, the runaway trucks are still racing down the line. The signal man can see this and he quickly change all signals and change the points to avoid danger. The trucks were passing many different engines. They flew by Thomas, rushed by Stanley, and sped by Hank the engines were surprised. Then the trucks raced pass though Edward's station where Gordon was dropping off passengers and Oliver and Toad were heading back to Duck's branchline, when the trucks went passed them in the middle track. " Oh my did you see that Gordon." Oliver told Gordon. " Yes this can be very bad." Gordon replied back. Then they can see Emily chuffing backwards. They were surprise. " Emily what are you doing." Gordon shouted back. " It's too dangerous for an tender engine to go backwards." " I'll have to risk it." shouted back Emily. " I got to stop them before they harmed the Regatta." And then she was out of sight. " She better be careful with herself Oliver, because she can hurt herself." Gordon told Oliver. " I agree, but she's trying to save the people that are in terriable danger." Oliver replied cautiously to him. Emily was trying to catch up to the trucks. She was struggling to get in front of the trucks. She was now near the trucks. She try and try to race pass them. " Steady girl." called her driver. Soon she was beside the trucks. She tried and tried until finally she was in front of the trucks. Then her driver quickly increase her speed just as they rush pass them. Then they made it to the docks. She went to the middle track where the trucks are also on the same line. " Alright now we're here, now what are we gonna do there isn't any runaway sidings to divert them to." Before Emily could reply, they could see the trucks coming towards them. Emily thought of a risky idea. She put on her brakes just as the trucks came rushing towards her and collided with her as some of the coal splatter all over Emily and her buffers being badly dented. The trucks however were still pushing her, and then she slipped with her brakes still on just as the trucks were starting to slow down. They went slower and slower and slower until Emily's tender touch the buffers in the middle. She was exhausted and badly hurt, but she manage to stop the runaway trucks just in time and saved the Regatta. " Well down Emily." called her driver. " That was a brave thing that you did. We are happy for you." Emily just smiled tiredly. Soon Donald and Douglas came with the brakedown train along with some workmen in Mary and the Fat Controller. " Emily you did a very risky thing,but you and your crew manage to stop the runaway trucks from a very terriable accident." he said proudly. " Your a hero lassie just like Lacy." said Donald cheerfully. " Now then." Continued the Fat Controller." Is there any thing I can repay you." "Well." she started. " There is something that you can do."
Soon about a week later, Emily was repaired and so was Duck. She told him to come to Brendam Docks for a spiecial surprise. " I wonder what could it be." he said to Emily excitedly. " You'll see." Emily told Duck. Soon they came to the view of the boats where the area there was decorated and there were some engines there. Duck was surprise. " Why what's all this about?" he questioned Emily. " It's for you." answered Emily Happily. " It's a perfect way to celebrate you for coming back. Also there's another surprise for you coming in." Duck was confuse, but before he can asked he can see something coming towards him. It was a boat and it look brand new. On it's side shows the letters G,W,R and when it turned around to its stern, it says " Little Lassie" on it. Then the captain parked the boat next to the middle track. The captain was none other than the Fat Controller in a captain's suit. He started to spoke. " Well this is a fantastic way to repay you. Not to mention this is a fantastic way to celebrate your return Duck, to honor an engine who was a hero on the Caledonian Railway, and to thank Emily for saving the Regatta." " You are a hero Emily." said Douglas happily " Just like Lacy, you are to a " Little Lassie"." " Yes indeed you are definitely the " Little Lassie" too." said Donald also happy. " And I like to thank you to putting this up for my return and for taking care of my branchline while I was away. You are always welcome to the "Little Western" branchline." Duck said proudly to her. " Your welcome Duck and thanks Donald and Douglas, I am always there to help anyone in need and to ensure the safety of people when they are in trouble." Emily replied confidently and happily. " You know." continued Douglas. " If Lacy was here, she would be very proud of your heroic act." Emily was happy. She was proud to solve two things; to honor Lacy and to figure out a way to help Duck with his enjoyment of the Regatta. And also now she recieve a new nickname which is the " Little Lassie".