A/N The Thomas streak's over. Percy and Duck are the steam characters here.
Hey, it's me, Percy. I shall tell about the time Diesel came back while I was working on the harbor with Duck.
Duck and I enjoyed our work in the harbor, pulling and pushing freight cars full of cargo to and from the key. But one morning, we engines were exhausted. The harbor was busier than ever. Sir Topham Hatt promised another engine would be found to help us.
"Huh! It's about time" I said. We were overworked with all we had to at the harbor.
"I ache so much I can hardly get my wheels to move," agreed Duck.
We waited for the engine to arrive. It was a shock when he did.
"Good morning," squirmed Diesel in his oily voice.
We 2 engines had not worked with Diesel for a long time. I knew Duck was quite surprised, as he was a reason Diesel was sent packing before. To be exact, it was how he was treated by Diesel. Diesel's devious deeds were on my fellow tank engine's mind, as I sensed.
"What are you doing here?" gasped Duck.
"Your worthy Top, Sir Topham Hatt sent me. I hope you are pleased to see me again. I'm going to shunt some dreadful tiresome cars."
"Shunt where?" I said suspiciously. I knew about Diesel, so I believed he was up to no good, maybe about to shunt them wrong.
"Where? From here to there," purred Diesel. "And then again from there to here. Easy, isn't it. I still believed that Diesel had something devious up his buffer.
With that, Diesel, as if to make himself clear, bumped some cars hard.
"Ooh!" screamed the cars.
"Grr!" growled Diesel.
Duck and I were horrified. We did not trust Diesel at all. We refused to work and did not leave our shed. Sir Topham Hatt was enjoying his tea and iced bun when the telephone rang.
"So there's trouble in the harbor yard? I'll be there right away." I heard about this later.
Diesel was working loudly and alone. Cargo lay on the key. Ships and passengers were delayed. Everyone was complaining about Sir Topham Hatt's railway. Duck and I were sulking our shed. We quite disliked that devious Diesel being the other engine. Maybe he was unable to get another steam engine to help us, but even a nice diesel would be better than a devious one, we thought.
"What's all this?" demanded Sir Topham Hatt.
"We're on strike, sir," I said nervously. We, especially Duck, were quite unable to work with devious Diesel.
"Yes," added Duck. "Beg pardon,sir, but we don't work with Diesel, sir." Then in a quiet, hurt voice, he added, "You sent him packing, sir.".
"I had to give Diesel a second chance," replied Sir Topham Hatt. "I'm trying to help by bringing Diesel here. Now, you must help me. He was the only engine available.". We still were quite displeased, but more at no other engines being available on the Mainland, because if that was the case, no nice engine was able to come here.
Duck and I sadly went back to work. Next day, things were no better. Diesel's driver did not put his brakes on properly and Diesel started to move. He went bump straight into Percy.
"Wake up, there Percy," scowled Diesel. "You have work to do." I was quite upset with him at that moment.
He didn't even say he was sorry to me. Later, Diesel bumped the cars so hard that the loads went everywhere. Duck and I were quite displeased then.
"What would Sir Topham Hatt say?" I gasped. I thought, he'd be angry if he knew what Diesel was doing that day.
"He won't like it," said Duck.
"So, who's going to tell him, I wonder? 2 goody-goody tattletales like you, I suppose?". Diesel was clearly not happy with our talk. Duck was unhappy about Diesel, so we all were, that moment.
Duck and I did not want to be tattletales, so we said nothing. Diesel, thinking he can get away with his bad behavior was ruder than ever. Next day, he was shunting freight cars full of China clay. He banged the cars hard into the buffers, but the buffers weren't secure. The silly cars were sunk! Sir Topham Hatt heard the news. The cars were hoisted safely from the sea, but the clay was lost. Sir Topham Hatt spoke severely to Diesel.
"The harbormaster told me everything. Things worked much better before you arrived. I shall not be inviting you back. Now, Duck and Percy, I hope you don't mind having to handle the work by yourselves again."
"Oh, no sir."
"Yes, please, sir" replied us engines.
Whistling cheerfully, we puffed back to work while Diesel sulked slowly away. Diesel's behavior caused too many problems for us to feel anything but happy about his leaving.
A/N My story's phrase "up his buffer" was meant to be an engine form of up his sleeve. To anyone new: I'm not British, they are. Respect my Thomasverse.