Disclaimer: See the other chapters, this is pointless to me.
Chapter 18: Percy Runs Away
Gordon, James, and Henry were miserable. Sir Topham Hatt had suspended them for being stubborn and refusing to use their engines for shunting. It had been several days and they had become quickly bored of their surroundings. Finally Sir Topham Hatt came to speak to them.
"I see that you are sorry," he began, "And I hope that you now realize that you are not the most important people on the railway. If you promise to behave, I will lift your suspension."
"Yes sir," the three responded in unison.
"Good," said Sir Topham Hatt, "But you must remember that this no shunting nonsense must stop."
After that he told Thomas that he could go back to his branchline, while Edward stayed in the yard for a few more days to help Percy adjust to the work. Once Percy had gotten the hang of it, Edward wished him good luck and returned to his branchline.
"I wish I could stay and help," he said, "But the China Clay Works have hired two new engine drivers, and I've heard that they can be troublesome. I'm afraid that if I don't get back soon the docks will be a mess."
"Don't worry, Edward," said Percy kindly, "I can manage."
And he did. Percy managed to get all trains ready in good time. However, he had a tendency to be rather cheeky to the other engine drivers. They didn't mind at first, it did get old rather fast.
One day Percy went to do some shunting at Maron station so he could get a better feel of the line. After he was done he waited at the signal box for the signalman to set the points for him to head home. Edward had told Percy to blow the engine's whistle to let them know that he was there, but Percy had forgotten. He was just about ready to check to see if anything was wrong when he heard a loud whistle.
"Oh no! That whistle belongs to Gordon's engine!"
Sure enough Gordon's engine came thundering in with the express. Gordon nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Percy's engine on the tracks in front of him. He blew the whistle to get Percy's attention.
Percy was too scared to think rationally and threw his engine into reverse. It shot off like a rocket, barely avoiding Gordon's engine as it shrieked to a stop. However, in the commotion Percy had fallen out of the cab. Gordon came to see if Percy was injured.
"I'm fine," he answered, "but we need to stop my engine before it caused any trouble."
They telephoned ahead to the next signal box and, after uncoupling the engine from the express, headed to rescue the engine.
They found in a siding backed up against a pile of dirt. Using a strong rope they used Gordon's engine to pull Percy's out.
"Thank you for helping me, Gordon," said Percy, "I'm sorry for all the trouble."
"Don't worry, Percy," said Gordon, "Your engine reversed so bad that it prevented a nasty accident. Just remember to let the signalman know you're there next time."
"Trust me, I will," said Percy.
Percy and Gordon are now good friends, and Percy is always more careful whenever he is on the main line.
A/N: And done! Hope you guys liked it! In case anyone is wondering why I included a reference to Bill and Ben, I thought I would just include a little Easter egg for you guys. FYI, I will be on vacation next week, so I may or may not be able to post a new chapter. It depends on when I get back. Until next time, read, review, and enjoy!