OH GNOME!

Based upon "Percy and the Haunted Mine" by David Mitton and Robyn Charteris

Adapted by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

Daisy had been temporarily assigned to help with passengers on the Kirk Ronan branch line. It was the peak of summer, and Lauren and the old coaches - Hilary, Audrey and Mark - had been struggling to keep up with the demand.

"We've been rushed off our wheels like never before," sighed Hilary.

"We don't even know where we're coming or going!" agreed Audrey.

"There's so many passengers here," groaned Mark.

"That is a good thing," said Lauren. "It means the branch line is booming with traffic."

"And it will be even more with what's to come," said Julie, puffing in with some trucks. "The most beautiful station contest is rolling around."

"That time of year again?" asked Lauren. "Oh, I remember. Haultraugh won a few years back. That was when some boys were locked in the station building by Paul the ram."

"Oh yes," said Hilary. "I remember hearing about that from Duck."

"I'd have loved to see how that ram was able to eat Sir Topham Hatt's hat," added Audrey, giggling a little at their wordplay. Audrey's siblings and the two tank engines laughed too.

"We're going to have to get ready for that," said Julie. "I'm due to pick up some flowers later."

"Oh, wonderful," said Lauren. "If I have time, I'll help you with that, Julie. Heh, not sure if Johnson would want to help there."

Speaking of whom, Johnson was resting at Kellsthorpe Road, and he was most unfortunate to be listening to the diva railcar talk about flowers.

"Oh, flowers, they are lovely, my dear Johnson," said Daisy. "I know all about flowers. Buttercups, daisies, marigolds, lavenders, bluebells, primroses…"

When is she going to stop that blabbering? Johnson thought to himself.

"…and Stepney said they know two engines named Bluebell and Primrose," Daisy continued. "Ooh, it would be lovely if those two visited us one day. And Patch even gave Lily a lily as a gift, how sweet was that?"

"Why do I always end up with the crazy ones?" Johnson muttered to himself.

"Okay, Daisy," chuckled her driver. "Come on, let's get these flowers to Kirk Ronan quickly. The Best Dressed Station Competition doesn't start at Christmas, you know."

"Oh, of course," said Daisy. "Kirk Ronan will look magnifique with these flowers. Oh, Jasmine and Poppy just have to see the jasmines and poppies too." She purred away with a smile on her face.

Johnson breathed a sigh of relief as Daisy rumbled away. "And there's another thing," he added to himself, "why are so many of the girls named after flowers?"

Daisy arrived at Kirk Ronan where the flowers could be unloaded. Julie brought along some more.

"The station's looking more colorful already," she smiled. "Thanks for helping us, Daisy."

"Usually, I don't like trucks," said Daisy, "but with flowers, I'd gladly make an exception." She sighed. "I do wish I could be helping the stations down at the Ffarquhar branch line. No doubt Thomas would miss seeing Ffarquhar being decorated. I'll bet he's having fun on the main line."

"I'm sure our lorry friends would be helping out right now," said Julie. "Though, Isobella has been feeling down lately. She's been thinking about her lost sister, Elizabeth."

"I do wish we could help Isobella," said Daisy. "If only we knew where to find her sister…"

"The best we can do is keep our eyes peeled," Julie sighed. "Elizabeth could be literally anywhere if she's still around." Daisy had to agree.

The sky began to darken as the engines continued their work. However, time was running tight, and some flowers needed to be delivered to Rolf's Castle, the middle station of the branch line.

"I'll collect the last lot for the day," said Julie.

"Okay, Julie," called Lauren. "Don't stay up too late. You don't want to be too tired."

The little red tank engine puffed away to get them. What Julie didn't realize was that the signalman had been testing the points and they were set to an old siding.

"That's strange," said Julie. "I've never been to this part of the branch line before."

"It's hard to see a thing in this thick fog," said her driver.

"Maybe we are heading the right way," said the fireman. "The darkness and the fog do change appearances."

But of course, the fireman was wrong.

"Whoa!" cried Julie. "Where in the Great Railway are we?"

The small Midi tank engine and her crew surveyed their surroundings. It looked as though it was an industrial area that had been abandoned years ago; what with the decaying buildings and dead-looking trees, it looked spookier than it actually was. Julie began to rattle nervously in her frames.

"I… I don't like this," she stammered. Then, much to her shock, she saw something slowly sinking into the ground.

"Bouncing buffers!" squeaked Julie. "Driver, get me out of here, quick!"

"Let's go!" cried the driver, and threw Julie into reverse. The fireman was nearly knocked out of the cab on impact, but the driver pulled him back in.

"Thanks, mate."

Julie headed back to the points and her driver set them correctly. She then managed to find the flower delivery and take it up to Rolf's Castle.

"Whew!" sighed Julie. "Th-that was… oh my goodness…"

"Whatever it was, I don't fancy going back there," said her driver. "That sinking chimney scared us half to death!"

"Make that three of us," agreed the fireman. "Though, a little warning, please, before Julie is reversed next time."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind," the driver affirmed, nodding.

The next day, Julie was up at Kellsthorpe Road, and was chatting with Donald and Douglas.

"…and an old chimney disappeared straight into the ground," Julie was saying. "I wish I was making it up, but I'm not! My crew and I saw it with our own eyes!"

"It's th' naughty gnomes," teased Donald.

"Wee fat men wi' big feet that mak' streenge hings happen," added Douglas. "It's legendary. Thay steal yer wheels 'n' pinch yer funnels."

"St-st-steal our wheels a-and f-funnels?" Julie gulped, nervously. "Oh my… M-m-maybe they work for Arry and Bert…"

Donald and Douglas realized they went too far with their joke. "Lass," said Donald, "we wur juist kidding."

"Aye," agreed Douglas. "Naughty gomes aren't real."

"I'm… n-not so sure…" she whimpered. Julie rushed off to tell the other engines of the branch line.

"It's all a load of balderdash," huffed Johnson. "It's not the first time Donald and Douglas have pulled anyone's wheels."

"Besides," said Lauren, "you even said they admitted they were joking. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Au contraire," said Daisy. "The twins are very honest individuals. Maybe they've seen the naughty gnomes for themselves."

"B-b-but they c-c-couldn't h-have!" stammered Julie, once again shaking in her frames. "I don't want to lose my wheels and funnel!"

"The naughty gnomes obviously like to be up at night," chuckled Daisy. "Just avoid being up at night, and they won't get you."

By now, Julie's eyes were as wide as saucers and her face white as a sheet. She quickly puffed away to do some shunting at the harbor.

"Really, Daisy?!" snapped Lauren. "Could you be any more cruel? Now poor Julie's scared out of her frames!"

"Thomas, Percy and Mavis can get a bit cocky sometimes," said Johnson, "and a good scare when they are can set them straight. But Julie is a really sensitive soul. It's like kicking a puppy!"

"I'd rather have Mavis or one of the boys coming here," grunted Lauren. "Johnson, you take your goods. I'll try and calm Julie down."

At Kirk Ronan harbor, Julie could barely concentrate on her shunting. The trucks were rather annoyed by this change in behavior from her.

"This isn't like Julie," they told each other. "She's usually smoother than this!"

"S-sorry, everyone," Julie stammered. Just then, she heard another whistle. "Wh-whoa!" She lurched forwards and bumped into a line of trucks.

"Julie!" they cried.

"Oh dear…"

"Julie, sweetheart," called Lauren. "It's just me."

"Oh. Hey, Lauren," said Julie, her eyes looking down at the sleepers.

"Julie, don't listen to anything that Daisy's feeding you," said the large Midi tank engine. "She's just trying to wind you up." She sighed. "From the way she interacts with the Ffarquhar engines, they tend to do this a lot."

"I… I guess so," sighed Julie. "From the way she interacted with me today, I just wish we got Thomas, Percy, Toby or Mavis down here instead…"

"I have to agree," said Lauren. "Hopefully the Ffarquhar branch is re-opened soon, for our sake. Maybe Toby can knock her down a peg."

"He does have a habit of doing that to engines, especially James," chuckled Julie. "Remember his accident with the tar wagons?"

"Oh, do I ever," Lauren laughed. "That earned Toby and Henrietta a new coat of paint. Heh, nice job fixing it, James." The large tank engine, satisfied to see her friend feeling better, headed back to work.

As Julie continued her work, it steadily grew darker.

"Nothing to be afraid of," said Julie to herself. "The naughty gnomes aren't real. Lauren and Johnson both say so."

At that moment, a worker had come up to speak with Julie's crew.

"Sir Topham Hatt wants you to collect some trucks," she said. "They're to be delivered at all the stations along the branch."

"Of course," said Julie's driver. "What are we delivering?"

"It's a surprise," replied the worker.

"Ooh, goody," grinned Julie. "I love surprises."

Julie arrived at Kellsthorpe Road to collect her cargo. Unfortunately, the little red tank engine was so eager, she accidentally bumped the trucks hard. Because the branch line was on a downward path, the trucks began to roll away.

"Oh no!" cried Julie. "They're getting away!" And she sped off after them.

At Rolf's Castle, due to more signal tests, the points were set to the old mine again. The trucks clattered over the points and Julie didn't realize where she was going.

"We must've caught up with them by now," she panted. "The slope should even out sooner or later."

Ultimately, the trucks did slow down and stop, but Julie didn't apply her brakes fast enough. She bumped right into the trucks, and one of the doors burst open. At the same time, another building started sinking into the ground.

"Oh, double bouncing buffers!" she wailed. Then, much to her horror, she saw that the trucks were carrying…

"NAUGHTY GNOMES!"

Back at Kirk Ronan, Lauren, Johnson, Daisy and the old coaches were getting ready to rest for the night. Suddenly, they could hear screaming cutting through the air.

"What in the Great Railway…" yawned Audrey. Then everyone could see Julie coming fast into the yards, screaming her smokebox off.

"IT'S THE NAUGHTY GNOMES!" she yelled. "THEY'RE OUT TO GET MY WHEELS AND FUNNEL!"

Then Daisy started screaming as well, for Julie was about to crash into her!

"STOP!" wailed Daisy. Julie's brakes screeched on tight. She came to a stop inches away from Daisy's buffers. After a moment of silence, and with a fearful whimper, Julie broke down sobbing.

"Julie," Lauren said, calmly. "Look at me." The small red tank engine looked over at the larger one, tears still in her eyes.

"Deep breaths." Julie started to do so, slowly and still crying.

"Out with the bad, in with the good," Lauren went on. "That's the way." Julie felt much better thanks to Lauren's quick thinking.

"Julie," said Johnson, "what exactly happened back there?"

The little tank engine felt nervous all over again, but she was able to keep her composure to explain what had happened.

"Naughty gnomes?" scoffed Johnson. "I already told you that–" He bit his lip, realizing that wasn't helping.

"There has to be an explanation for this," said Lauren. "If you want, Julie, I can come with you to Rolf's Castle."

"O-okay…" whimpered Julie. "J-just be careful. They m-might pinch your funnel and wheels too…"

"Nice going, Little Miss 'Bad-For-My-Swerves'…" Johnson muttered under his breath. "I hope you're satisfied."

But Daisy wasn't satisfied. She had much to think about…

Lauren and Julie were making their way back to Rolf's Castle, lamps shining through the dark.

"D-down there…" stammered Julie. "That was where I first encountered the abandoned mines."

"Let's check it out together," Lauren said, determinedly. The tank engines puffed down the siding, and Julie saw the sunken buildings.

"Th-that's what the naughty gnomes did," gulped Julie.

"Jinkies…" shuddered Lauren. "It does look a bit creepy."

The big tank engine's driver got out to take a closer look. "Ah, I see. The buildings are sinking into abandoned mine shafts."

"B-best not tell Thomas that," whimpered Julie. "B-but it doesn't explain… those!"

Lauren's firewoman walked over to where the trucks stood, and then she came back holding something in her hands.

"Eep!" squeaked Julie, shutting her eyes tightly. "A naughty gnome! My funnel and wheels aren't for pinching, and neither are Lauren's!"

"Calm down, Julie," chuckled Lauren's firewoman. "This gnome's not going to hurt you!"

"How do you know?" snapped Julie. "Is this some twisted joke?!"

"Would you please open your eyes and look at it?"

Nervously, Julie opened one eye and was rather surprised. "A statue?" she exclaimed. "All this time, I've been afraid of a bunch of statues?!"

"These statues are garden gnomes," explained Lauren's firewoman. "They bring good luck to people's gardens."

"They… do?" asked Julie.

"If we put these at the stations on our branch, they may increase the chances of them winning the best station competition," said Lauren. "You have to admit, this one does look really pretty."

"Yeah, they kind of do," said Julie, no longer feeling afraid, but she was still rather upset. "Oh, that stupid Daisy, tricking me into thinking they're more troublesome than trucks!"

"It would be nice to pay her out," said Lauren. "But for now, let's get these gnomes delivered. The competition starts tomorrow."

By the next morning, the delivery of garden gnomes had been made all across the branch line.

"The stations do look very beautiful," smiled Julie.

"Kellsthorpe Road looks great," said a Scottish voice. Julie looked up to see Donald and Douglas pulling in with a goods train.

"Oh, hello, twins," Julie greeted. "I… brought in some garden gnomes last night." She flushed with embarrassment. "I… thought they were naughty gnomes…"

"Aye, nae oor best idea," admitted Donald.

"Wur really sorry, lass," added Douglas. "They're nae real."

"I know that now," chuckled Julie. "It was silly of me to think that they actually were." She sighed. "Daisy's remarks didn't help."

"Hmm…" Donald pondered to himself. "She needs tae be taught a lesson."

"What'd you have in mind?"

"Weel…" Donald whispered his idea to Julie, who giggled mischievously.

"Aye, clever idea, brother," grinned Douglas. "Let's dae it."

Julie's driver found a spare garden gnome that wasn't being used for one of the stations. Then, the small red tank engine slipped over to the shed where Daisy was sleeping.

"Won't she be in for a surprise when she returns to the Ffarquhar line," Julie smirked.

The award for the Best Dressed Station Competition went to Kellsthorpe Road; the three branch line engines all went over to see it. By now, Daisy had left for the Ffarquhar branch.

"Wow," said Lauren. "This station does have the best garden gnomes of the bunch."

"They must be lucky if the station won first place," grinned Julie.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," snorted Johnson. "It was good management and hard work."

"Maybe, with a bit of luck, Daisy won't realize her 'gift' is in her until she gets back," chuckled Julie. And with that, the Kirk Ronan engines had to laugh, even Johnson.

When Daisy found out about the gnome in one of her compartments, she was not very happy about it. Even less so when the other engines of the Ffarquhar line made jokes about "naughty gnomes".

"Does Daisy need protection from witches' spells and wood trolls?" grinned Thomas.

"Well, she is named after a flower," chuckled Percy, "so maybe she does live in a garden."

"Maybe she has daisies growing in her passenger compartments," giggled Mavis. "No wonder she boasts so much about being 'beautiful'."

"If that's so," added Toby, "maybe she'll get a visit from the bees."

"Ooh!" grunted Daisy as the others laughed. "Why was I so eager to come back here?" It seemed as though - to her, at least - the others had an odd sense of humor.

THE END

Author's Comments

Our next episode of Series 6-7 Redux takes us back to the Kirk Ronan branch line, the final story that takes place during repair work to the Ffarquhar branch, in this rewrite of Percy and the Haunted Mine. Honestly, I've really grown to love writing for the Midi engines whenever Rachel and I get the chance to do so, because they have such unique personalities from one another. Johnson's the grumpy old man that either we relate to or know someone like him, Julie's the baby sister with a sense of innocence to her, and Lauren's the cool big sister we'd all love to have, I imagine. It all makes for fun writing. Throw in Daisy, Donald and Douglas into the mix, and it all makes for an entertaining experience, I hope. For those of you who are curious, the abandoned mine is at the site of the cement works on the 2014 map, and since Fergus isn't a Sodor resident in the Seventyverse, it seemed fair to me. I'd imagine that it was part of the Sodor and Mainland Railway years ago before being abandoned, most likely shut down in order to cut costs.

Upcoming stories:

- Jack Owns Up

- Derek the Reliable

- It's Only Snow

- Gordon Takes a Tumble

- Alfie Has Kittens