I do not own Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. It is strictly the property of both The Awdry Family and Britt Allcroft, this story is purely for entertainment and not profit.
Episode 4: Edward, Gordon and Henry, Original Airdate: 16th October 1984
It was the end of another busy day on the Island of Sodor. Thomas and Howard had just parked Thomas' E2 tank engine in Ffarquhar Sheds where Percy kept his Avonside Saddle Tank Engine, Toby kept his GER Class C53 Steam Tram and Mavis kept her BR Class 04 Diesel.
"Another day another dollar as the Americans say" said Thomas happily to his father as they both prepared to leave his E2's cab.
"It sure was and not to mention Sir Topham Hatt will be pleased with all our hard work today" smiled Howard.
As Thomas and Howard both hopped down from the cab Thomas looked to the empty fifth berth in the shed and signed sadly. It had now been three months since Lady's hijacking and supposed death at the hands of P.T. Boomer and the three masked people who were with him, Howard noticed this and gently put his hand of his son's shoulder.
"You okay Thomas?" Howard asked kindly.
"I'm fine dad, just can't believe that its now being three months since Lady disappeared" said Thomas croaking.
"It sure is" replied Howard solemnly to his son.
"I just want to why" Thomas suddenly said angrily, "WHY THE HELL DID BOOMER DO THAT, IT JUST BAD ENOUGH THAT ALL OVER SOME PETTY GRUDGE WITH BURNETT BUT TO DO THAT TO LUCY?".
Howard kept quiet as Thomas continued his anguish rant.
"WHY DID HE HAVE TO ROB LUCY OF HER MOTHER AND THOSE OTHER BASTARDS" raged Thomas through clenched teeth and tears building up in his eyes "WHAT DID LADY EVER DO TO THEM, NOTHING SHE DID ABOSLUTELY NOTHING TO THEM AND THEY HELPED TO HIJACK HER AND TRIED TO KILL HER.
Thomas then punched the side of his engine before collapsing to his knees sobbing and grasping the ground. Howard then knelt down beside his son and took him in his arms, he knew that Thomas was still devastated and hurt by the loss of Lady, he also wondered if Thomas would ever get over it but given what had just happened, he was worried that he might never do.
"It's okay Thomas" said Howard gently to his devastated son, "I know that it was hard for both you and Lucy, but just you remember that me, your mother, your sisters and your friends are always there for you".
Thomas calmed down a bite. He looked at his father and knew that he was right, even though Lady was gone, his family and friends would still be there for him. Just then they both heard the door to the shed open, they then both turned to see Percy, Toby, Mavis, Tanya, Annie, Clarabel and Lucy standing there. Except for Lucy, they all had sympathetic looks on their faces, having heard his anguish rant from outside. Tanya then let go of Lucy's hand who then walked over to her father who took her in his arms.
"Daddy sad?" asked Lucy.
"Yes Lucy, daddy is sad" told Thomas to his daughter.
"Daddy miss mommy?" asked Lucy.
"Yes" said Thomas sadly to his daughter as he wiped the tears from his eyes, "daddy does miss mommy".
"Daddy story better?" asked Lucy.
Thomas then smiled a bit, maybe telling Lucy a story will help him feel a little better and he knew which one to tell.
"Alright, how about I tell the story of when Uncle Henry got his engine out of the tunnel?" asked Thomas.
"Yes please" said Lucy excitedly clapping her hands.
"Why don't we all take a seat whilst Thomas tells his story" said Howard to everyone in the shed.
"Except Howard there's no chairs" said Percy.
"Well maybe we can sit on the ground or lean against the wall" Tanya suggested.
And that is what everyone did. Howard, Tanya, Annie and Clarabel sat on the ground with Thomas and Lucy, whilst Percy, Toby, Mavis, leaned against the shed walls as Thomas began his story.
(Story Begins)
It had been two weeks since Henry's engine had been bricked up in the tunnel and it made him feel very sad. He still had not told Sir Topham Hatt about his anxiety because he was too ashamed and believed that he would feel that he was not fit for working on his railway. Edward, Thomas, and Howard all felt sorry for him and did their best to comfort him.
"Cheer up Henry" said Thomas kindly, "I'm sure Sir Topham Hatt will forgive you and let you take your engine out of the tunnel".
"I wonder when that will happen" replied Henry sadly.
"Although in fairness you should have told him about your anxiety" said Howard.
"I know, I only wish I had" said Henry sadly.
"Well, you know Henry" said Edward, "is that every cloud has a silver lining".
Henry took Edwards words into deep consideration and wondered if it may come true. But unbeknownst to him it would, and Gordon was about to make it come true. Gordon's engine was Sodor's main express engine as it was the only engine that was strong enough to do so, this of course made him feel immensely proud of both himself and his engine. The express was often full of important people like Sir Topham Hatt, although this day was not going to go his way. He was waiting at Knapford Station for the passengers to board the five green express coaches that his engine was pulling, as he waited Sir Topham Hatt came up to him.
"Ah good morning Sir and how are you this morning?" Gordon greeted Sir Topham Hatt politely.
"I'm feeling quite fine thanks Gordon" replied Sir Topham Hatt.
"Looking forward to riding the express today?" Gordon asked.
"As long as everything goes smoothly" replied Sir Topham Hatt.
"Attention all passengers the 9 o'clock express to Vicarstown will be departing from Platform 1 shortly" announced the station master on the public address system.
"Ah guess I must board then" said Sir Topham Hatt.
As Sir Topham Hatt headed off to get into the coaches whilst Gordon hoped into his cab. At last, the guard blew his whistle and Gordon puffed out of the station and onto the mainline. He was determined to show Sir Topham Hatt that his engine was indeed the fastest on Sodor. As he headed down the line Henry watched me from the distance and signed sadly to himself.
"I wonder if Sir Topham Hatt will ever let my engine out" he said sadly before walking off.
Meanwhile Gordon thundered his engine down the mainline, at the same time he was enjoying himself immensely. Soon he realized that he was coming up to the tunnel where Henry's engine was bricked up and wondered if Henry would be there.
"If he is then I'll give him the biggest whoosh that my engine can give" thought Gordon to himself.
A few minutes later he spotted the tunnel in the distance, Henry was not there but none of that mattered anyway. However, as he approached the tunnel steam started to burst from the pipes and Gordon then saw that his engine was slowing down, just before he could enter the tunnel it stopped completely. Gordon quickly looked over the controls to see what the problem was, whilst he did the passengers got out of the coaches to see what was going on. Sir Topham Hatt then came to see what was going on.
"What's happened Gordon, why have you stopped?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.
"I'm afraid I've burst the safety valve, which means my engine can't pull the train anymore" moaned Gordon having discovered that making his engine go fast had caused the problem.
"Augh Gordon" facepalmed Sir Topham Hatt in annoyance, "how many times have I told you not to show off?"
Gordon said nothing as he was too embarrassed. He hopped down from his cab so that he could uncouple the coaches from his engine, once that was done, he moved his engine into a siding out of the way. Whilst wondering who would pull the coaches when Sir Topham Hatt decided to give Edward a try, he pulled out his mobile and rang Edward who was shunting over in Wellsworth who answered his phone.
"And so, you see Edward since Gordon's engine is down for the count, I was wondering if you could pull the coaches?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.
"I'll certainly try Sir" replied Edward as he hung up and then set off.
He arrived at the tunnel twenty minutes later and was coupled up to the coaches as the passengers got back into the coaches.
"That won't work" Gordon grumbled to himself "there's no way Edwards engine can pull coaches".
His engine pulled and pulled with all its might, but even at maximum speed it could not move the empty coaches. Eventually Edward had no choice but to give up.
"I'm sorry but I'm afraid my engine can't move heavy trains like she use to" said Edward sadly.
"Its alright Edward at least you did your best" replied Sir Topham Hatt kindly.
Sir Topham Hatt the sighed defeat. If they couldn't get the train moving then the passengers would be furious and would say that the North Western Railway was a bad railway, just then he looked over to where Henry's engine was bricked up and an idea flew into his head.
"I know, maybe Henry could pull the train" said Sir Topham Hatt.
"That actually would be a good idea Sir" replied Edward.
"Maybe then I'll give him another chance to make up for his blatant disregard for the passengers" said Sir Topham Hatt sternly.
"Actually, Sir there's something you should know" said Edward solemnly.
"And what's that Edward?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.
Edward then explained to Sir Topham Hatt the reason why Henry stopped in the tunnel was due to his anxiety. After hearing that Sir Topham Hatt then decided to have a talk with Henry about it later, he then pulled out his phone and called Henry. Henry was sitting in the Tidmouth boarding house feeling rather depressed when his phone started ringing, Henry answered it wondering who it was.
"Hello" asked Henry.
"Hello Henry" came a voice on the other side.
"Sir Topham Hatt Sir, what's the call for?" asked Henry now surprised.
"Gordon's engine has broken down and I'm wondering if you could help Edward pull the express?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.
"Of course, I will Sir" replied Henry happily, "I'll come over there immediately".
Henry then hung up before leaving the boarding house and getting into his car and driving to the tunnel. He arrived 15 minutes later and saw the workmen tearing down the wall and putting back the tracks, he then walked up to his engine and began to light the fire. As he waited for the fire to build up Sir Topham Hatt walked up to him.
"Feeling happily that you're back Henry?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.
"Oh yes I am Sir" replied Henry happily.
"Good because Edward told me about why you stopped in the tunnel" said Sir Topham Hatt.
Henry then looked at Edward who nodded at him for a moment. Henry then looked down at his feet in shame.
"Yes, I'm sorry about that Sir" replied Henry solemnly.
"You really should have told me about your anxiety Henry, I would have understood" told Sir Topham Hatt kindly.
Henry then nodded before noticing that the fire had built up. He pulled the reveres but it was stiff along with many other controls.
"Oh boy my engines stiff Sir" Henry said as he slowly backed out of the tunnel.
"Well give your engine a quicky run to ease its joints and then find the turntable" called Sir Topham Hatt kindly.
And that is what Henry did. When he came back 20 minutes later his engine was full of steam, its joints and controls were no longer stiff, and it felt much better. Henry then backed down onto Edward and the coaches as the shunter coupled Edward's engine to the back of Henry's. The guard then blew his whistle and with a mighty heave Henry and Edward both set off, leaving Gordon behind with some workmen who was secretly quite impressed.
"It feels so good to be in my engine again" called Henry happily to Edward.
"I bet it does Henry" called back Edward.
Sir Topham Hatt leaned out of the front coaches to window to congratulate the two engine drivers. However, Henry and Edward were both going so fast that his hat blew off into a field where a goat at it for tea, they soon reached Wellsworth in record time. The passengers got out of the coaches and congratulate Henry and Edward for the splendid ride, as they passengers thanked them Sir Topham Hatt came walking up to them.
"Well done you two" said Sir Topham Hatt smiling, "I'm proud of the both of you, especially you Henry".
Henry smiled at Sir Topham Hatt's comment. He knew that he had being forgiven for stopping in the tunnel.
"As a reward for your effort, your engine shall have a nice new coat of paint" finished Sir Topham Hatt smiling.
Henry just beamed at the news. Later Henry and Edward both helped Gordon back to the sheds, whilst on their way home Gordon apologised to Henry for his treatment of him and Henry said that he had already forgiven him. All three are now friends and Henry now knows that the best way to keep his engines paint clean is not to stay in tunnels, but to given it a good rub down when the day's work is over.
(Story Ends)
Thomas then finished his story whilst Percy, Toby, Mavis, Howard, Tanya, Annie, Clarabel and Lucy all looked at him, wondering if the story had made him feel a bit better.
"You okay Thomas?" asked Percy to his best friend.
"Yes" said Thomas smiling, "That story actually did make me feel better".
"Hey, look outside" said Toby suddenly.
Looking outside the shed the group had noticed that night had fallen. Time had gone much faster whilst Thomas was telling his story.
"Will I guess that we must all be going home" said Mavis stretching, her body stiff having leaned against the shed wall for the whole of Thomas' story.
As Percy, Toby, Mavis, Annie and Clarabel left the shed, Thomas stayed behind with Howard, Tanya and Lucy.
"Are sure your fine Thomas?" Tanya asked her son.
"Of course, I'm fine" said Thomas.
"You sure?" asked Howard.
Thomas looked at his father and gave a sign. His father wasn't a fool and he could tell wheatear he or Annie or Clarabel had problems.
"I'm just still a little upset about Lady" said Thomas with a sign.
"We know you are son" said Howard softly "But just you remember that me, your mother, your sisters and your friends are always there for you".
Thomas then gave a small smile knowing that this was true. Even though Lady was gone, he still had his friends and family and then they would be there for him no matter what.
"Thanks Dad" said Thomas happily.
"Why don't we all cheer ourselves up even more by going home and ordering in Domino's Pizza?" suggested Tanya with a smile.
Thomas then smiled at his mother's suggestion. As the family left the sheds Thomas took one more look at the empty space in the shed, as he did, he felt a tug at his leg. He looked down to see Lucy looking up at him.
"Mommy come back?" asked Lucy.
Thomas looked at his daughter. He knew that she was too young to learn Lady hadn't come home and of what happened to her.
"I don't know Lucy, maybe she might, or she might not" said Thomas sadly.
"I want mommy home" said Lucy sadly.
Thomas looked down at his daughter sadly. He then looked his parents who both had the same sad expressions on their faces at having heard their granddaughters wish.
"So do I Lucy" said Thomas sadly, "So do I".
As they left the shed Thomas took one last look at the empty space before turning off the shed lights and closing the door and locking it.
However unbeknownst to either Thomas or Lucy their wish would soon come true. Half a world away over in the United States, in the state of Pennsylvania and located in Muffle Mountain five miles from the Railroading town of Shining Time there was a secret workshop. Its owner, a 62 year old man then entered before turning on the lights, inside the workshop was a magenta GWR 102 class tank engine painted in purple with golden highlights on its dome, funnel and buffers. The engine was quite damaged, but the owner of the workshop was working hard to repair it, he then walked up to a secret room in the workshop and entered it. Inside was a class coffin and inside it was a beautiful young blonde woman, asleep like a princess in an enchanted sleep straight out of a fairy-tale.
"How could this have happened to you Lady?" the man said sadly.
The man in question was Burnett Stone and the woman in the coffin was Lady. What no one knew was that Lady had survived the fall off the Big Dipper and made it to shore before the police had sent in the divers, however she was gravely injured, and Burnett had no choice but to use her magic gold dust to put her into an enchanted sleep for her to recover. He then secretly took her back to Muffle Mountain through the magic railroad and put her in the coffin and vowed to bring Thomas to wake her up once he had repaired her engine, as Burnett looked at Lady he thought of her lover and their child.
"I will heal you Lady" vowed Burnett with determination "And I will reunite you with both Thomas and Lucy, this I promise you".
Burnett the turn and walked out of the room to start work on repairing her engine, before leaving he took one last look at Lady before closing the door.
However, Burnett was not the only determined man that moment. At the same time, a biker had just checked into a motel in New Mexico, the biker was the same age as Burnett but unlike Burnett the man was black hearted. The man was Peter Tiberius Boomer, the man who had nearly murdered Lady along the three masked thugs who were with him. As he looked out of his window to the North a wicked smile came to his lips.
"Soon Burnett I will find that bitch of yours and I will finish the job" Boomer then began to laugh evilly as soon he would return to both Muffle Mountain and Shining Time to take his revenge on Burnett Stone.
I'm so sorry it took so long. I promise that I will try and write my chapters as quickly and as detailed as I possible can, Please be so kind and leave me a comment if you can.