Chapter 82: A Scarf for Percy

It was a cold winter morning on the Island of Sodor. Thomas and Percy were huddled in the common room, waiting for the firelighter to arrive and get their engines ready for the day's work. The furnace was broken, leaving the two shivering and trying to get warm.

"I hope that firelighter comes soon," Thomas grumbled, "He's late enough already."

"He's not late," Percy said, "The cold house woke us up early. Perhaps we should talk about something else."

"Like how silly we'll look with icicles growing from our noses?"

"I meant something to get our minds off this freezing weather. Like Coast, hot Cocoa…"

"Firelighters, Fire, Steam."

"Scarves!"

"Come again?"

"A scarf would be lovely. It'll keep me nice and warm."

"No, a scarf would just get in your way. Not to mention the material their made of is a safety hazard in a steam engine."

"I know that. I just think it would be nice to have one."

"Well, be careful what you wish for, Percy. The last time I kept wishing for something, I got two fish in my engine's boiler."

"I will be, Thomas, don't worry."

Meanwhile, Sir Topham Hatt was in his home getting ready. Some rail enthusiasts had come to the Island to see the railway, and he had prepared a special train for them.

"I'll put my best trousers in my luggage," he told his wife Lady Hatt, "And change into them before the photos begin."

"A fine idea, Topham dear," said Lady Hatt, "Oh, and don't forget. I packed some Jam sandwiches for the visitors. Be sure not to eat them all, dear."

"Oh, I don't know. Your cooking is very hard to resist, my dear."

"Save it for tonight, Topham. You have visitors to greet."

"Oh my, you're right! I must be going. Have a good day, dear. Now I must get going."

Percy was shunting in the yards, still thinking about scarves. Everywhere he looked, people were wearing scarves, from the workmen to the signalman to the stationmaster. Percy couldn't take it anymore.

"I want a scarf! I want a scarf!" He whined to Henry, who was waiting for his engine to finish having a wash. He was taking the special train, and the workmen wanted to make sure his engine was as clean as a whistle.

"Don't be silly, Percy," Henry snorted, "Engine drivers don't wear scarves. They'll just get in the way."

"You sound just like Thomas," Percy huffed, and drove away to collect the coaches. Henry just rolled his eyes. He could see where this was going.

At the station, Sir Topham Hatt and the enthusiasts were patiently waiting for the train to be ready. The porters were bringing Sir Topham Hatt's luggage to the platform while he watched.

"Make sure to keep an eye on the luggage, Bert. Don't want anything to fall off like that beehive"

"That was your fault, Fred, and you know it. Besides, it's not like an engine is going to come into the yard and destroy it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, what are the odds of something like that happening?"

"Pretty low, Fred. Pretty low."

Percy soon reached the station limits. He was so focused on scarves that he forgot to release steam to let the people know he was coming. Fred and Bert were completely unaware of what was coming.

By the time Percy saw what lay ahead, it was too late to stop.

"Get out of the way!" Percy shouted. Fred and Bert were startled, and dove out of the way just in time. Percy was not so lucky, however, as his engine hit the trolley cart, destroying crates and sending jam, trousers, and a top hat flying into the air. The whole station was a mess. A pair of trousers landed on Percy, and a top hat landed on the engine's buffer.

"Huh. I guess the odds are higher than we thought, huh Bert?"

"Shut up, Fred."

Sir Topham Hatt and the visitors were cross.

"Mine!" He shouted, snatching the hat and pointing at it crossly, "Percy, you have caused confusion and delay!"

"Yes sir, I can see that sir."

"Now we will have to pay for all the visitor's dry cleaning, and my trousers are ruined! I hope this will teach you to pay attention to where you're going."

"Yes sir. Here are your trousers back."

"No, Percy. You can have them. You wanted a scarf so bad, now you can have it. Now please, just get out of here."

Percy sulked sadly back to the yards. For days on end, people would tease him for his accident, leaving him embarrassed. Percy doesn't want a scarf now. It's just too much trouble.