Allcroft: Alright, Mr. Starr, we've got another story ready.
Ringo: Alright, I see this one's about Thomas.
ALlcroft: It is, now do your thing.
At Knapford station, Edward, Henry, and Gordon were all having a conversation when Thomas bustled in, grumbling to them while Eagle had puffed away pulling a goods train.
"I spend my pulling couches around, ready for you to take them out on journeys." he whined.
Henry rolled his eyes, but Edward had felt sorry for Thomas.
"I'm sure it'll be your turn one day." said Edward encouragingly.
Thomas was not done though. "Why can't I pull passenger trains too?!"
"You're too impatient, little Thomas." remarked Gordon. "You'd be sure to leave something behind."
"Like whatever dignity you have." chuckled Henry.
"RUBBISH!" declared Thomas angrily. "I'll show you!"
He then drove off.
One night, Thomas and Henry were alone in the sheds. Edward, Gordon, Eagle, Number 5, and 87546 were all in the nearby goods shed. Though Edward was dragged there by Gordon.
Henry was ill, partially from being a flawed design of some sort, and the two weeks being stuck in a tunnel did a worse number on him.
The men worked hard, but couldn't make him better.
Thomas tried to get some sleep, but Henry's retching, pained moans, and wheezing kept him awake.
Next morning, Thomas still felt bad, which was a partial side effect of only getting 3 hours of sleep the previous night.
"You good, Thomas?" asked Edward.
"No..." replied Thomas with gritted teeth.
"I think Henry's gonna die." said Number 5.
"I'm not.. gonna die." spluttered Henry.
Henry wheezed as a thick cloud of coal dust emerged from his funnel.
The cloud landed on Number 5 and Edward, drenching them in coal dust.
87546 burst out laughing from this.
Thomas then did some thinking.
"If Henry is ill. Perhaps I shall take his train for him." he thought.
Thomas then ran off to find the coaches. "COME ALONG, COME ALONG NOW!" He roared.
The coaches weren't having any of this. "There's plenty of time, there's plenty of time. This is only our first date!"
"Hmph! You're not my type." Thomas scoffed indignantly.
Number 5 pulled some orange branchline coaches from the opposite way.
Don't mind him having a van and brake van at the end of his train though.
Thomas took the coaches to the platform, and wanted to run round in front at once. But the driver wouldn't let him.
"Don't be impatient, Thomas!" he snapped.
Thomas huffed as he waited and waited. The people got in, the porter banged the doors closed.
"So, where's Henry?" asked STH.
"Being sick as a dog, sir." said the guard.
"Ah. Find another engine then!" declared STH.
"Well, there's only Thomas." said the stationmaster.
Thomas grinned.
"Well then, hurry up Thomas!" said STH.
Thomas ran round to the front and backed down on the coaches, ready to start! Since it had been three episode since he'd actually done anything fun. Also don't mind that the coach behind him was a brake coach that was facing the wrong way.
"There!" said his driver, having just glued the fireman to the back of Thomas.
"Dude! Is this necessary?" asked the fireman.
"Just to make sure Thomas won't leave you behind." said the driver.
The driver then pulled the lever by mistake, this made Thomas start. But he wasn't coupled to the train.
"Wait! Thomas! You left the train behind!" cried the guard, but Thomas had puffed too far away to hear him.
Anyhow, Thomas started coach-less down the line as he passed the first signalbox. Men waved and shouted, but he didn't stop!
"They're waving because I'm such a splendid engine!" thought Thomas happily. "This is just easy!"
"OH BALLS, I'M FALLING!" cried the fireman as he fell off and smacked into the rails.
"Oh no." groaned the driver.
Thomas then stopped at a red signal, much to his annoyance.
"OH BOTHER!" he declared. "I was going so nicely too! What a nuisance signals are! I don't know how Henry deals with this."
Thomas then blew an angry PEEP PEEP on his whistle, just as Eagle came up from the opposite direction on another line, pulling a slow goods train.
"Thomas? Is that you?" asked Eagle.
"Ah, my first real witness." thought Thomas slyly. "Well Eagle, I was just pulling my first train."
"You're.. pulling a train?" replied Eagle.
"Um yeah, are you blind or something?" said Thomas.
"Mind telling me where the coaches are then?" asked Eagle.
Thomas' driver looked back, only to see that the train was left behind.
"OHH CRAP! THOMAS! WE LEFT OUR TRAIN BEHIND!" cried the driver.
"WHAT?!" shrieked Thomas, his voice having gone up 2 octaves briefly.
"You haven't realized it?!" asked Eagle, worried.
"NO!" wailed Thomas.
"You're gonna have to go back and get them, buddy!" said Eagle.
"Aww fine. Eagle, you better not tell anyone about this!" replied Thomas as he puffed backwards.
Back down the line, the Fireman was struggling to get up.
"Ah... Oh god..." he groaned.
Thomas then felt a bump.
"What was that?" asked Thomas anxiously.
"Nothing, just keep going." replied the driver, his face now pale with horror.
At the station, the passengers were rioting and were telling STH what a bad railway it was. But when Thomas finally came back crying, and saw how sad he was, they couldn't be cross.
This time Thomas was coupled up, and after a bit of straining, really pulled the train.
His driver later got arrested for bloody murder.
Afterwards the other engines laughed at Thomas.
"Look! It's Thomas, who wanted to pull a train!-" chortled Number 5.
"-but forgot about the coaches!" remarked Henry, and he puffed off, laughing himself silly.
It was not a good day.