THE THIEVING MONKEYS

Based upon "Thomas and the Monkey Palace" by Becky Overton and "Crowning Around" by Camille Ucan and Rose Johnson

Originally written May 17, 2019

While Shankar was away to film his scenes for the new Bollywood movie, James had to fill in for his usual shunting duties. Unusually for him, the red engine didn't complain about that as he had other things on his mind.

"I can't believe how childishly I acted," he moaned. "All because I wanted to be a movie star. I just hope Sir Topham Hatt doesn't hear about this; he'd be so ashamed of me. I have to make up for this." But he didn't know how.

Rajiv, meanwhile, buried himself in keeping his crown looking spotless so as to forget about losing the chance to be in the movie.

"Ahhh," he sighed in satisfaction when he saw his reflection. "Pure perfection. Movie star or not, nothing can spoil my good image." He beamed when he saw a familiar white diesel arrive. "Ah, Noor Jehan, you are looking fabulous today!"

"Don't I look fabulous every day?" Noor Jehan smirked as she rolled her eyes; she was quite used to Rajiv's attempts to flirt with her by now. "I'm honestly surprised at how quickly you got over missing out on the movie role."

"It is indeed such a tragedy," Rajiv admitted. "But then I remembered I still have one thing many engines don't have, movie star or not – my wonderous crown!"

Noor Jehan looked at Rajiv with amusement. "Of course, Rajiv…" she trailed as she departed.

"I've still got it," Rajiv grinned as he winked to himself.

A summer heatwave had come to India, and many people were flocking to the refreshment stands at every station to buy juices and coconuts. Unfortunately, at Varkala, there was about to be trouble.

"One coconut, please," said Charubala.

"Sorry, miss," said the stand owner, "but we've just run out."

"Well, it looks like we'll have to wait for a new shipment to come in on Ashima's train. Where is she?"

At that moment, a whistle sounded, and the pink tank engine came pulling in with some trucks.

"I'm sorry I'm late, ma'am," she panted. "A cow was asleep on my line, and we had to find another way around just to get here."

"It's alright, Ashima," said Charubala. "At least you've arrived with a fresh shipment of coconuts." A workman had opened up one of the vans and pulled out a crate of coconuts.

"Hold up; this crate's got a hole in it!" he cried. "Some coconuts have gone missing!"

"But that can't be right," insisted Ashima. "All the crates were full and properly closed when I left."

"Somebody must have snuck aboard and stolen them," said Charubala seriously. "We cannot approve of theft."

And it wasn't just coconuts that were being stolen; all around the railway, multiple goods had gone missing, including a few tools here and there.

"These thefts are starting to become a menace," said Noor Jehan.

"Whoever they are, they'd better not take my crown!" cried Rajiv. "There will be scrap to pay if they do!" The other engines just rolled their eyes.

"Who could possibly be doing such a thing?" asked Ashima.

"I'll bet it was James," Rajiv accused.

"Me?!" the red engine argued, offended. "What would I want with a bunch of coconuts?"

Rajiv's mind went blank as he struggled to come up with a good enough reason.

"Er… your driver and fireman may want to drink from them…" he suggested meekly. The other engines just sighed in annoyance.

"Then they'd just buy them like everyone else," James deadpanned.

"You cannot blame James for theft just because you're still sore about not being in the movie, Rajiv," said Noor Jehan.

"Why not?" Rajiv demanded.

"Because it's silly and childish," said Ashima. Before Rajiv could retort, James changed the subject.

"You know, I passed something while taking a train earlier today," he said. "The sign said something about a monkey palace. What's that all about?"

"You must've seen Galtaji," said Ashima. "It's about ten kilometers from Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan. Yogis lived there hundreds of years ago before monkeys came and took over the temple as their home." Then, something just occurred to Ashima. "Now that I remember, it was around that junction towards the palace where I was stopped by that sleeping cow."

"You don't think," said James, "that there are now monkeys loose around the railway?"

"We're used to having elephants and cows on the lines," said Rajiv. "So it wouldn't be a surprise if monkeys started bothering us now too."

The engines then decided to sleep on the subject.

"MY CROOOOWWN!"

Everyone awoke to find Rajiv crying out in horror. They could see that his crown was no longer on his funnel.

"Goodness me!" gasped Noor Jehan. "Your crown is gone!"

"Don't look at me!" sobbed Rajiv. "I'm hideous without my beautiful crown!"

"Your paint's still spotless," Ashima pointed out. "It's not like you're covered in dirt and grime."

"It's the idea of it!" moaned Rajiv. "I've had that crown for as long as I can remember. I think I may have even had it when I was first built! Without it, I'm just a common engine!"

"And that's a bad thing?" snapped James. "I mean, not all splendid engines wear crowns." Before Rajiv could say anything to that, James noticed his crew turning up, looking flustered.

"What's happened to your hat?" he asked his driver.

"It's been stolen!" he explained. "Someone broke in, and I couldn't find my driver's hat."

"Alex wasn't the only one who's lost something," said the fireman. "My pocket watch has been taken as well!"

"Oh dear!" gasped Ashima. "Can they be replaced?"

"Alex's hat could," said James' fireman, "but my pocket watch belonged to my wife's grandfather. It was even given to me as a wedding gift. If she finds out I lost her grandfather's old pocket watch, she'll chew me out for it."

"Then we must get it back," said Noor Jehan. "But how?" Right now, nobody had any ideas, but James noticed a set of footprints that were too small to be considered human.

"I think we've got a trail of the thief," he said, gesturing to the footprints.

"If we follow the tracks," said Ashima, "it'll lead to the stolen goods."

"Good luck with that," Rajiv sulked. "I'm not leaving this shed until my glorious crown has been returned!"

"You're really expecting us to do all your work for you?" James asked. "And with Shankar away and another of your fellow engines being mended, no less?"

"I can't dare show my face without my crown," Rajiv protested. "I'm… hideous without it!"

"And here people think I'm a drama queen in regards to my red paint," muttered James, rolling his eyes.

"Forget him for now," said Ashima. "Maybe being punished will do him some good."

"He's refusing to work over a missing crown?" Miss Charubala sighed, facepalming over the news.

"We couldn't make this up if we tried, ma'am," sighed Ashima.

Miss Charubala nodded to herself. "Well… I just got a call from the workshops. Coran is on his way back home."

"Thank goodness," sighed Ashima. "Now we'll have less to worry about."

Just then, James heard an unfamiliar whistle. "Who's that?" he asked.

"It's Coran!" cried Ashima, and whistled happily. "Namaste, Coran!"

"Namaste, Ashima!" the other engine replied; he was a brown 4-6-0 tender engine with black wheels and a white cowcatcher. "And who's your new friend?"

"I'm James, from the Island of Sodor. Nice to meet you, Coran."

"Ah, yes, Ashima and Rajiv spoke of you when they came home from the United Kingdom," said Coran. "Their time on Sodor and Bridlington was unforgettable."

"Heh… er… yeah," James said nervously. "Er… Rajiv is sulking in the shed and Shankar is filming a movie, so it's just us and Noor Jehan working."

"Wow, Shankar is a movie star?!" gasped Coran. "Never expected him to make it big; congratulations to him. And Rajiv is being a sourpuss? What else is new?" Ashima then explained about the recent string of thefts that had been going on lately.

"Rajiv's lost his crown, has he?" huffed Coran. "Maybe that'll teach him a lesson in humility. But I hope we can find your crew's belongings, James, and the missing coconuts."

"We believe there's a bit of monkey business going on," said Ashima. "We're about to check the Monkey Palace."

"Oh, I'm about to pass there with a train myself," said Coran. "I'll go with you."

"Do you remember anything suspicious when you took your train yesterday?" asked James. He, Ashima and Coran were now making their way towards the Monkey Palace.

"I recall hearing some chatter as I stopped by the Monkey Palace," said Ashima. "Then there was a bit of a loud crash and my crew went to investigate, only to find an open van door. They merely assumed the shunters forgot to fasten the lock properly."

"Oh my," gasped Coran. "No one bothered to check if anything was taken?"

"No, we were more concerned about reaching Varkala," sighed Ashima.

"Well, now it's investigation time," said James. "Onward to the Monkey Palace we go!" With the points switched, the three engines made their way to their destination.

It wasn't long before James, Ashima and Coran found what they were looking for. James could not believe his eyes – the palace was large and majestic, despite being covered with vines.

"If it weren't for the vegetation," he mused, "this would make a fantastic home for anyone."

"James, are we here to investigate, or to admire the scenery?" remarked Coran.

"Right, sorry," said James, before calling out, "Alright, monkeys! Give back everything you've stolen right now!"

Then, rustling from the trees could be heard, and descending from them were lots and lots of monkeys. Many of them were playing with various items.

"One of them's wearing my hat!" cried James' driver.

"And that one's playing with my pocket watch!" added James' fireman.

"Come down here, you furry little thieves!" cried Coran. Unfortunately, the response to that was a monkey throwing a coconut at his nose. "OUCH!"

"Hey, at least you didn't get a bee stinging your nose," remarked James. "But how do we get them to cooperate?"

"What's the one food they love most?" asked Ashima.

"Bananas?" guessed James.

"Precisely," smiled Ashima. "If we bring them some bananas, the monkeys will surely give up their stolen goods in exchange. There's a grove of banana trees down the line."

"I'll see if I can get some," said James, setting off. "Hopefully there'll be enough to satisfy them."

Minutes later, James returned with a plank wagon full of bananas and a closed van for the stolen goods.

"Alright, monkeys!" called James. "I've got a lovely truck full of bananas for you!"

Just the sight and smell of the bananas was enough to make the monkeys cry out in excitement and forget about their thievery. With the monkeys distracted, the engine crews quickly loaded the van with the stolen goods and James' crew retrieved what was stolen from them.

"Ah, it's so good to have you on my head again," James' driver smiled, looking up at his hat.

"And my grandfather-in-law's pocket watch is unscathed," added James' fireman.

"Let's get everything else back to their rightful owners," said Ashima.

Back at the sheds, Rajiv was still mourning his lost crown.

"Oh… I'm good for nothing without it!" he moaned. "And no one is here for me to share my woes with… I'm totally useless!"

Noor Jehan, overhearing that, rolled her eyes as she came to the shed. "And he's chosen to slack off all day while we're doing his jobs on top of our own…" she grunted. "Just as well Coran… huh… why am I not slowing down?!"

Rajiv looked up to see that Noor Jehan was moving quite fast. To make matters worse, James was slowly making his way to the sheds on the same track!

"James! Watch out!" he shouted. "Noor Jehan's heading straight towards you!"

"Huh, what?!" James started reversing into a different siding, just as the express diesel rushed past. Rajiv rushed towards Noor Jehan and locked his brakes on. Gradually, the two engines began to slow down… right before they could hit the buffers, preventing the shed from getting a hole in the wall.

James moved out of the siding he was on to see that no one had been hurt. "That was a close one!" he remarked. "Is everyone alright?"

"I sure am," said Noor Jehan, "thanks to Rajiv." She giggled and winked at him.

"Brave move, Rajiv!" called Ashima; she and Coran came alongside.

"I… I just reacted," Rajiv admitted. "Noor Jehan and James needed help, so I…"

"I guess you're not so bad after all," James said quietly.

"Well done, Rajiv," grinned Coran. "Guess you can do things without thinking about that ornament on your funnel."

"I… I guess I can!" smiled Rajiv. "Don't get me wrong; I would love to have my crown back, but I realized I can be just as brilliant without it."

"Oh yeah, about that," said James. "We've been… digging around the Monkey Palace." Rajiv looked to see James' driver hop out of the cab, holding something in his arms. It was…

"My crown!" he exclaimed ecstatically. "My precious crown! I thought I would never see it again!"

"And do you really deserve that, after today?" said a stern voice.

"Er… Miss Charubala…" gasped Rajiv, nervously.

"I heard you were being extremely lazy all day!" Miss Charubala scolded. "And with Shankar off-site and Abiar still being mended!"

"If I may say, ma'am," James interjected, "Rajiv did warn me when Noor Jehan was about to crash into me, and he saved her from crashing into the back of the sheds. If it wasn't for him, there'd be a far worse accident."

Miss Charubala glanced at the other engines in surprise. "Is this true?"

"Yes," said Noor Jehan. "My brakes failed and the sheds would have been destroyed if not for Rajiv."

"Well…" trailed Miss Charubala. "In that case… Rajiv, you've earned the right to have your crown back."

"Oh, thank you, ma'am," smiled Rajiv gratefully. He watched as his crown was given a good polish before being put back on the top of his funnel again.

That night, Rajiv spoke to James.

"Why did you stick up for me after I called you rusty red scrap iron when we competed for that movie role?" he asked.

"Because… well, you saved me and Noor Jehan," James admitted. "Besides, you only want to crash into the back of the shed… once."

"That actually happened to you?" Rajiv gasped.

"All because I was too stubborn to have my brakes checked," explained James, and told him about what happened after the accident, including when he stole Henry's goods train to try and find a new life on the mainland.

"That all happened because… you felt worthless after the Great Railway Show?!" gasped Rajiv. "James… I… I wouldn't have mocked you so much if I had known that!"

"Well, it was my own fault as well for thinking I didn't need more than my red paint to impress everybody," said James, slightly chuckling.

"And, James… I'm really sorry about calling you 'rusty red scrap iron'," sighed Rajiv. "That was over the line."

"How did you even know about that awful nickname?" asked James. "Diesel came up with that years ago!"

"I heard about it from the books," he explained. "That just made it worse… didn't it?"

"Indeed," sighed James. "But… you apologized, and that's a step in the right direction. Thanks, Rajiv."

"Anytime, James," he smiled.

Life returned to normal after that. The following morning, Miss Charubala and James' crew got some coconut water to celebrate.

"Ah," sighed Charubala as she sipped from her coconut. "Delicious."

"Indeed," said James' driver. "After dealing with a string of thefts, who knew justice could be so 'refreshing'?"

"I'll drink to that," chuckled James' fireman. "Cheers." The trio hit their coconuts together in the manner of clinking glasses.

Author's Comments

Here's the third chapter to James and the Engines of India, a mashup of both Thomas and the Monkey Palace (another awful episode) and Crowning Around (a surprisingly great episode)! There's a really funny story about it; a few weeks after the original version was first published back in May 2019, a few weeks later in the United States, Crowning Around aired alongside Thomas Makes a Mistake (don't worry; we'll be getting to that soon), and the former episode contained a very similar premise about Rajiv's crown being stolen by some monkeys. And now, five years later, we've included elements of said episode into the revamped version! It's as if the two episodes were meant to be seen as one. Interesting behind the scenes stories besides, this is where James and Rajiv's rivalry turns around for the better, with the latter realizing how his behavior ended up affecting the former back on Sodor following the events of The Great Railway Show.

Next time, it's finale to this saga, Shankar and the Poachers!