Henry's Forest
Thomas & Friends is copyright to Mattel and the Awdry family. I own nothing.
Henry the Green Engine has lived on the Island of Sodor for many years. He wouldn't want to be anywhere else. He likes every part of it, from the flower-filled fields in the countryside to the sandy beaches on the coast, but there is one place that Henry always enjoyed visiting more than any other. His driver knew this too. "We're making good time, Henry." he would say. "We'll soon be passing the forest."
Henry loved it here. The forest was full of broad oaks and tall pines. Henry often wanted to stop for a while, but he knew that it was dangerous to so do. "Never mind." he'd think to himself. "I've seen it, so that's what counts." Henry could remember the day long ago when he and Toby brought some new trees to be planted and Terence and Trevor helped haul them into place. Now, Henry could see the trees growing amongst the others on the hillside.
Henry always felt better after seeing the forest. He couldn't really explain why, but his driver and fireman understood. "It's nice and peaceful there." they'd say.
But one night, everything changed. A fierce storm raged across the island. The wind howled, and rain bucketed down. The engines were resting in the shed. "Just listen to that racket!" remarked Thomas. "That wind almost sounds like somebody whistling."
"And the rain sounds like somebody drumming on the shed." Toby commented. "Mark my words, we're going to have our work cut out cleaning the mess tomorrow."
"D'you know," added James, "if Gordon wasn't here with us now, I'd say the wind was him thundering by with the Express."
All the engines laughed, except Henry. Henry was worried. "I hope the storm doesn't harm the forest." he thought anxiously.
~8~
By morning, the storm had passed, but the damage was done. Henry's driver had bad news. "The storm brought trees down in the forest. We must help clear the line."
Donald set off with the breakdown train and Henry followed with some flat trucks. The forest was a scene of devastation, with fallen trees lying everywhere. The hillside now looked so bare. Henry was sad. "What will happen to all the animals who live here?" he sighed. The workmen used chainsaws to cut the branches off the fallen trees, and the cranes loaded the trunks onto Henry's trucks. When they were fully loaded, Henry took them to the timber mill, where they would be turned into furniture and other things. Henry was glad the wood was being put to good use, but he was still sorry to lose part of his forest.
Thomas and Toby were at the mill too, having brought logs from their branch line. "Poor Henry." sighed Toby. "I wish there was something we could do to make things better again."
"Yes indeed," replied Thomas, "but what? We can't mend broken trees."
~8~
Toby puffed slowly into the yard. "Hullo, Toby." said the Fat Controller. "You do look glum."
"I'm worried about Henry." said Toby. "The forest is a special place for him, but some of it was destroyed in the storm last night."
"We'll soon put that right. I have an important job for you, Toby. I would like you to take some trucks to the forest."
When the trucks arrived, Toby was delighted. They were full of splendid young trees, all ready for planting. "This is the best job I've ever had!" said Toby happily, and he set off for the forest with his special load.
~8~
When Henry returned to the forest that afternoon, he was most surprised. There were Trevor and Terence, busily helping the workmen clear away the torn stumps and branches. "Look, Henry." called Terence. "We're beginning again. The hillside will soon look better than ever before, just you wait and see."
Now, whenever Henry passes the forest, he can see the new trees growing strong and tall, and the animals that been frightened away by the storm are coming back. Sometimes, everywhere is quiet. At other times, Henry can hear leaves rustling or birds' wings brushing the air. Often, he can hear the sounds of children playing in the woods and always he is happy after seeing his beloved forest.
Author's notes: Thought I'd do a short TTTE episode adaptation as a change of pace after my marathon last story. This time, it's series 3's Henry's Forest. This episode was famously disliked by the Rev. Awdry as Henry seemed to flout British Railways rule 55 by stopping to admire the forest without alerting the signalman. I fixed that here by having Henry simply pass through the forest and I acknowledged Awdry's complaint by having Henry know that it's dangerous to stop in the middle of the line. Personally, I've always liked this episode. It's a nice gentle, slice of life story and the visuals were great. My strongest memories of this episode coming from watching the Trust Thomas & Other Stories VHS during childhood. Henry's Forest was the first episode on that tape and it stuck with me. I loved that tape! Until next time.