A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 13: Thomas, Terence, and the Snow

Autum had come to the island of Sodor, and although the air was cooler, that didn't stop people flocking to the island to see its many wonderful sights. Thomas was busy taking passengers and goods trains up and down his branchline all day. He didn't mind, however, as he loved giving his passengers a good time.

One day, Thomas had to stop at a signal next to Farmer McColl's farm. As he waited, he noticed a man using a small little tractor to plough the field. Thomas had never seen him before. He looked fairly strong, and had an orange scarf around his neck, his brown hair almost completely concealed underneath a small cap. The man stopped the tractor, having completed the work, and noticed Thomas.

"Hello there," he said, "Haven't seen you before. I'm Terence. What's your name?"

"Thomas," replied Thomas before turning to the tractor, "And no offense, but your tractor's wheels are kind of ugly."

Terence laughed, "Well I'll admit they aren't the most fancy looking, but I wouldn't call them ugly. They're caterpillar tracks, and they allow my tractor to go anywhere."

"Well my engine can manage without those ugly things," said Thomas. At that moment, the signal turned green and Thomas set off.

Thomas would often pass by the farm and see Terence hard at work. Although he would wave hello, he couldn't help but wonder what the point of the caterpillar tracks are.

"Most road vehicles can manage just fine without them," he said to himself, "So what is the point?" Unknown to him he would soon find out.

Winter had come earlier than expected, and snow soon covered the island. Due to snow piling up on the tracks, Thomas had to put the snowplow on his engine. Thomas didn't like it, but he knew that safety always came first on the railway and had to put up with it. The snowplow was heavy and awkward, banging about as they went down the line. Thomas told Sir Topham Hatt about it, but there was nothing that could be done.

"I'm sorry, Thomas," he said, "But there aren't any spares available at the moment. I'll have the workmen see if they can do anything to make it fit properly."

But the workmen could not make the situation any better. Eventually it got so bad that the snowplow was too damaged to work properly.

"You'll have to do without it tomorrow, I'm afraid," said the workmen, "It'll be no good to you in this condition." Thomas was happy, but at the same time concerned. A big snowstorm was due in for that night, and was bound to cause trouble.

The next morning, Thomas woke up early to help the workmen work on the snowplow. Unfortunately, nothing they did seemed to work, and the snowplow was still not ready by the time Thomas had to collect his first train. So Thomas got his engine ready and collected the coaches for the journey. Annie and Clarabel decided to join him, as they were on winter break. The first part of their journey went smoothly, but Thomas was still worried.

"The snow may be light now," he said, "But it's sure to be deep in the valley."

And he was right. As they went along, the snow became deeper and deeper until…

CRASH!

The train hit a huge snowdrift just outside of a tunnel and got stuck. Thomas tried pushing forward, but it did no good. Then he tried reversing the train, only to achieve the same result. Finally, he, the passengers, the guard, and Annie and Clarabel tried melting the snow by using coal from the engine's bunker, but all attempts ended in failure.

"I knew this would happen," said Thomas sadly, "Now we shall freeze out here."

A bus came by and collected the passengers (A/N: Yes, the driver is Bertie, but since he and Thomas haven't officially met yet he shall not be referred to by name), but didn't have room for Thomas.

"You two go on ahead," he told Annie and Clarabel, "No since in all of us catching a cold out here."

"No way are we leaving you behind," said Annie, "We're a family, and a family always sticks together."

"Yeah," said Clarabel, "You're stuck with us whether you like it or not." And the two proceeded to hug Thomas. The bus driver promised to call for help at the next station and set off. The trio climbed into the cab and huddled around the fire for warmth.

They didn't have to wait long, however, for soon Terence rolled up in his tractor to free them.

"Don't worry, folks," he told the trio, "I'll have you out in just a minute."

He attached a cable to the coaches and pulled them clear. Then, with a little effort, the tractor pulled the engine free. Thomas got out to shake Terence's hand.

"Thanks for the help, Terence," he told the man, "I'm sorry for mocking your tractor's caterpillar tracks."

"It's quite alright, Thomas," smiled Terence, "You take care now."

"We will," said Thomas, and with that he drove the engine back.

A/N: Well, that's another story done. Is it just me, or is Terence possibly the creepiest character on the show? Seriously, that guy is always shown with the same smile on his face. Literally always, no matter what the situation is. Makes me wonder if he is hiding something. Well, now that I've given you guys some nightmare fuel, I can sign off. Next time we adapt one of my personal favorites from the show. Until then, read, review, and enjoy!