DEAR FRIENDS,

Some of you may have heard the tale about a little blue engine who was chased away by a monster under his shed. Well, I will tell you now that there is more truth to the story then you know.

Actually, the Little Blue Engine once worked on Sodor, but I mustn't spoil the story. Thomas had quite the surprise when he found out and I hope all of you enjoy reading about a legendary tale, recently revealed mysteries and maybe a new friend as well.

THE AUTHOR

Another splendid summer was beginning on the Island of Sodor. Lots of holidaymakers packed the Dockside, the Sodor Airport was crowded, and Conner and Caitlin were making more journeys between Sodor and the Mainland. The other engines were busy too. They had more passengers to carry and more goods to deliver.

One evening, Thomas was delivering stone to Brendam Docks. Nearby, Thomas saw Salty talking with Bill and Ben at the shed. He must be telling them another one of his stories, he thought.

Thomas went to the shed to wait for the Dock Master. Then, he heard Salty talking. "He opened his eyes and saw long fingers reaching for him through the floorboards. There was a monster under the shed! Terrified, the little blue engine raced out of the shed with the horrible engine eating monster chasing him through the fog…and no one ever heard from the little blue engine again."

"Ooh, spooky," shivered the Twins.

Thomas was surprised. Salty was telling the twins James' story about the Little Blue Engine and the monster under his shed. "Hey, I know that story," he puffed. "Did James tell you about it?"

Salty laughed. "No, matey. I heard it from the dockworkers, and I told James."

Thomas was puzzled. He thought James had made the story up. Then, the Dock Master arrived. "Thomas, you must take some empty trucks back to Tidmouth Yard. They will be needed in the morning." Thomas soon collected his trucks and steamed back to Tidmouth, but all the way, he couldn't stop thinking about Salty's story, the little blue engine or the monster.

When Thomas arrived back at Tidmouth Sheds, the other engines were waiting for him. "James," Thomas asked, "I heard Salty telling Bill and Ben that story you told us about the monster under the engine shed. Did Salty tell you that story?"

"Yes," answered James. "I thought it was silly when I first heard it."

"But I thought you just made it up to trick us."

"What's this about monsters?" said a voice. It was Edward.

"I heard Salty telling Bill and Ben a story at the Docks," said Thomas. "It's about a little blue engine, a monster that was under his shed and how the engine was never seen again."

Edward looked surprised. "Now that's a story I haven't heard in a very long time."

"You've heard the story too?"

"Yes," Edward replied, "but that story is more real than you think."

"You mean...there really is a monster!?" cried Percy.

"No, no, no," said Edward calmly, "that part was made up, but the little blue engine was very real."

The engines were curious. "Can you tell us, Edward?" Thomas asked.

"Very well." So, everyone listened.

"It was a long, long time ago," Edward began, "after Thomas and I first came to Sodor. The railway was getting busier, and The Fat Controller needed to borrow more engines from the Mainland to help us. I was waiting at for Skarloey's passengers at Crovan's Gate when I heard a whistle and a small tank engine puffed into the far end of the yard. I didn't see much of him, but I could see he was old fashioned like me and had worn paint.

"Later that day, I asked The Fat Controller who the engine was. 'I'm afraid I don't know his name yet,' he said, 'but I will let you know when I do. All I can tell you that he has come to help in the yards at Vicarstown.'

"When I next saw the engine, he had been repainted. Now, he was blue with red stripes like me. One day, I had the chance to speak to him. 'My name is 'Simon,' he told me. 'You're Controller borrowed me from the Mainland to help out for a while.' And Simon explained that the Fat Controller had been kind enough to repaint him too, with his Controller's permission, of course.

"Simon was always so busy that I didn't see him very often and neither did the other engines. Either they didn't know about him or took little notice of him because he was busy. I would sometimes ask the Yardmaster how Simon was getting on and I always heard that he was being Really Useful.

"Eventually, a new branch line started being built up to Peel Godred and I heard Simon had been sent to help. At first, we always saw each other at the junction before Abby Station, but as construction continued, I didn't get to see him often.

"Then one day, when I stopped at Abby, I asked about Simon again, but the Stationmaster told me that he had disappeared that night. 'He was sent to the end of the new line to fetch a maintenance coach that was left behind,' he said, 'but it was never collected. I also heard his crew arrived at the old shed where they left him last night and found it was empty.'

"The story soon spread across the island. Someone said he heard Simon leave the shed. A Farmer from a long way away saw him leave and thought he saw a dark shape behind him as he set off. Someone else thought he heard someone calling for help.

"A search party was sent out, but Simon was nowhere to be seen. Some workmen thought the dark shape the Farmer saw was a monster that chased the Little Blue Engine away, but no one knows what really happened to him."

The engines were silent for a long moment. "What if it was a monster?" shivered Percy.

"If it was," said Thomas, "how could an engine leave on its own without a Driver?"

"Only if Simon still had steam and his brakes were not on properly," said Emily.

"But if his Driver was never there, what really happened?" asked James.

"That is one of Sodor's biggest mysteries," Edward sighed.

Some of the engines were troubled by what they heard. Later that night, Thomas and Percy were still awake. "Do you think there really is an engine-eating monster out there?" asked Percy nervously.

"There's no such thing as monsters," replied Thomas, "but what did happen that night?" Then, he remembered his friend Luke and his story about a mysterious yellow engine that turned out to be Victor. "There must be a sensible explanation," he said. "An engine can't just disappear."