TOBY HAD A LITTLE LAMB

Based upon the episode by Jenny McDade

Adapted by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

The weeks leading up to Christmas, the New Year and afterward were rather uneventful for the engines of Sodor, but come February, the weather would take a turn for the worst. Snow fell harder than usual, and it made things very difficult to see. This often meant that trains had to be either delayed or canceled, causing all sorts of confusion.

The Ffarquhar branch line was no exception to this, as Toby and Henrietta found out.

"Oooh, it's bitter cold out there," shivered Henrietta. "I'll be glad once we're back in our nice warm sheds!"

"I have to agree," huffed Toby. "Even with my fire going, it's freezing!"

As the two carried on down the branch line, the snow got heavier.

"Oh dear," groaned Toby. "I wasn't really designed to plow through this."

"Now how are we supposed to get our passengers to their destinations?" sighed Henrietta.

Just then, the two heard a whistle, and out of the snow came a green saddle tank engine with a snowplow in front. "Toby, Henrietta, get behind me!"

"Percy!" cried Toby, relieved. "Are we glad to see you."

"The weather's getting worse," Percy explained, "and my driver suspects there's going to be a snowstorm tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if trains were canceled because of it."

"I hope they don't get canceled with Mavis at the quarry by herself," said Toby. "She's such a social butterfly."

"Maybe she'll come by our sheds and stay with us," suggested Percy. "It must have been ages since that last happened."

Toby chuckled and winked. "I know that someone's keen on Mavis staying with us."

"Er… who?" asked Percy, blushing and pretending not to know.

"Oh, Percy," smiled Henrietta. "Don't worry; we'll keep it quiet if you want."

Sure enough, Percy and his driver's predictions turned out to be correct, and the Ffarquhar engines all started heading for the sheds.

"There you are, Annie and Clarabel," said Thomas. "You two stay warm in the carriage shed."

"Thank you, Thomas," the coaches chimed.

"I've never seen snow so thick," said Daisy as she came in. "Not since my first Christmas on Sodor, at least."

"I think we've all beaten the storm," panted Percy. "At least we'll be safe here."

"Indeed," agreed Mavis. "This could be the storm of the century."

Toby laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. There have been worse storms than this."

While the engines were safely locked away in their sheds, outside, it was a completely different story. At a farm near Toryreck, the blizzard was beating hard against a barn, causing it to shake and rattle. Then, a loud bleating noise was heard, followed by a bolting of hooves, rushing away from the structure. With one final harsh gust of wind, the barn had collapsed. The noise was such that the owner of the barn turned on the lights of his house and opened the door to see what had happened.

"Oh no!" he gasped. "My sheep will be freezing out there!" Within minutes, the sheep were safely inside the house, and their owner quickly telephoned for help.

The next morning, the storm was still raging, but not as bad as it was the previous night.

"Do you think we'll be able to go to work today?" asked Thomas.

"It looks like we're about to get our answer," said Toby. "Look, Mr. Volley's coming over right now!"

Sure enough, Mr. Volley the stationmaster, all bundled up in a scarf and mittens, came trudging through the snow to speak with the engines.

"I've got bad news," he announced. "Farmer McColl's barn for his sheep has blown down, and the roads are blocked."

"Oh no!" cried Mavis. "The poor little animals! They'll be freezing out there!"

"They're currently inside his house," said Mr. Volley, "but it's not very ideal."

"Is there anything we can do to help Farmer McColl?" asked Percy.

"If one of you can take your snowplow and get a vet to do some health checks on the sheep," said Mr. Volley, "that would be a massive help."

"I'll do it." The other engines glanced over in surprise at Thomas.

"Thomas," said Daisy, "that would mean going out in the snow, and…"

"I don't like my snowplow," Thomas finished. "I know, but the sheep need our help. Besides, of us five, I'm the strongest, and the sheep can't wait."

"You're right there, Thomas," said Percy. "Okay. Best of luck to you."

"Annie, Clarabel, let's do this!"

Soon, Thomas was out braving the storm with Annie and Clarabel in tow; the veterinarian and her assistant – Judy Baker and Gwen Regaby, respectively – were on board the former coach. The trio were just approaching Hackenbeck station, when they were suddenly flagged down.

"What's wrong?" asked the driver once they'd stopped.

"The bridge over the stream isn't safe," the stationmaster explained. "We suspect that last night's storm might have weakened the structure, meaning it's too risky for Thomas to cross it."

"But what about the sheep?" asked Thomas. "We were just about to bring Ms. Baker and Gwen to help them!"

"Sorry, Thomas," said the stationmaster, "but I'm afraid you'll have to return to Ffarquhar."

The other engines were surprised to see Thomas, Annie and Clarabel return so soon, but they were shocked upon being told the explanation.

"We can't just leave the sheep unassisted!" cried Percy.

"Bertie wouldn't be much help in this blasted weather," huffed Daisy. "Harold's likely to be grounded in these conditions, and Terence can't go very fast. Oh, what do we do now?"

"Leave it to me and Henrietta!" declared Toby. "I figure we're lightweight enough to go beyond Hackenbeck."

The others gasped in shock.

"But Toby," said Mavis, "that would mean crossing the bridge!"

"And we know you and bridges are not the best combination," added Thomas.

"Don't tell me what I already know," huffed Toby. "Besides, it's either Henrietta and I cross that bridge, or the sheep will become very sick."

The others all exchanged concerned looks before giving slight smiles.

"Very well," said Percy. "But just in case, we'll be on standby."

"Thank you, Percy," said Toby. "Henrietta, are you ready for this?"

"I'm ready when you are," said Henrietta. "Climb aboard, Ms. Baker and Gwen."

With a ring of his bell, Toby set off.

Toby and Henrietta soon arrived at Hackenbeck station. The tram engine suddenly felt anxious knowing he was about to cross the stream, where he almost fell into before being saved by Percy and Harold a few years ago.

"…I-I can do this," he muttered nervously. "Th-the sheep need us!"

"I'm right here, Toby," called Henrietta assuringly. "You're a very capable engine, and I know you can do it."

Slowly but surely, Toby began to cross the bridge. It groaned and creaked as he did so, making him feel more nervous about it collapsing; the snow and wind didn't help either.

The sheep need us, Toby thought. Otherwise, they'll be very sick without Ms. Baker and Gwen's help.

After what felt like eternity, Toby and Henrietta made it across the bridge without it collapsing. Toby breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness the worst part's over," he said. "It should be easier from here on out."

The snowfall started to get lighter as Toby and Henrietta made their way down to Toryreck. At the station, Farmer McColl was waiting anxiously when he saw a light cutting through the wind and snow.

"Oh, Toby and Henrietta!" he exclaimed as they drew up alongside the platform. "Thank goodness you've made it. One of my sheep is about to have lambs!"

"That's our cue," said Ms. Baker. "Come on, Gwen; let's go and help."

The two rushed over to the lambing sheep inside the house. "I thought lambs were born in spring," remarked Gwen.

"Either this sheep is lambing early, or her cycle was off-season," Ms. Baker shrugged.

"I hope that mother sheep will be alright," said Toby. "As a matter of fact, all those sheep will be too crowded in a house."

"Maybe not…" said Henrietta thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking of, Henrietta?" asked Toby, confused.

"I could provide those sheep a warm place to live in until the barn's repaired," explained Henrietta.

Toby was surprised. "Are you sure? I mean, our old stationmaster nearly turned you into…"

"A henhouse?" finished Henrietta. "I'm well aware of that, Toby. But I know this isn't permanent. Besides, we both know that Bulgy could take my place as a henhouse any day of the week."

Toby had to laugh. "Okay, you do have a point, dear. I just hope that Farmer McColl agrees to the idea."

"I certainly do," smiled Farmer McColl as he walked over. "That's most kind, Henrietta. The sheep will be very comfortable. And I'll order materials for a new barn as soon as possible."

Just then, the new mother sheep walked over with twin lambs at her side; a boy and a girl.

"Aww, hello, little ones," cooed Henrietta. The lambs "baa-ed" in response.

"In order to say thank you," said Farmer McColl, "I decided to name these lambs after the two of you."

Toby and Henrietta beamed. "We'd be honored, Farmer McColl," said Toby.

Eventually, the storm had died down, and operations started again. Well, it was almost back to normal. Thomas, Annie and Clarabel brought some workmen to Hackenbeck bridge to inspect the damage.

"Hmm… just as we thought," said one. "The bridge is too weak for anyone to cross."

"I'm so glad we didn't cross it," shuddered Thomas. "I'm also amazed at how it didn't collapse under Toby and Henrietta's weight."

"And it looks like Toby conquered his fears too," said Annie.

"That is great news indeed," smiled Clarabel.

"Yes, but what isn't great news," said Thomas, "is that Toby and Henrietta are the only ones on the far side of the bridge. That will cause problems for the order of operations…"

Fortunately, Sir Topham Hatt had already been informed of Henrietta's current situation, and set about making temporary arrangements with Anopha quarry. Bertie would take the workmen to and from the quarry until the new barn was built, and the lorries – Jasmine, Alex, David and Poppy – brought down various supplies to the bridge.

"Phew!" panted Bertie. "Who knew working in the winter would make you feel hot?"

"I sure hope no one overheats," said Poppy. "Overheating, in winter! Now that's ironic right there."

"Don't worry, Poppy," said Jasmine. "I'm sure we'll pull through; just like Toby did."

And indeed they did. As the weather warmed up, the sheep could now go back into their field. While the barn wasn't ready yet, Henrietta was free to go back into regular service with Toby.

"Well done, Henrietta," smiled Toby. "That was very kind of you to help out those sheep."

"Thank you, dear," smiled Henrietta. "Though I might need an inspection before going back to work. I haven't moved in days. And I'll need a cleanout too; I think the sheep left 'presents' inside of me."

Toby chuckled. "Both of those can be arranged. We can't have our passengers complaining about the smell."

"And Toby," said Henrietta, "I'm very proud of you too. It took a lot of courage to face that bridge in that condition."

"Thank you, Henrietta," said Toby as they set off. "I couldn't have done it without your encouragement."

"We're a team, Toby," she replied warmly. "Always have been, always will be."

THE END

Author's Comments

At long last, after almost a year of hiatus, mainly due to work on other SeventyVerse-related projects, Series 6-7 Redux is back with Part 2! It's almost appropriate that the first adaptation of this, Toby Had a Little Lamb, features our favorite number seven tram engine in the lead. It's Toby's last truly great starring role until Series 23, and one that shows how resilient he can be in the face of danger. Speaking of the BWBA era, it feels strange that the rickety old bridge randomly reappeared eighteen seasons after its sole appearance in the model era and was promptly replaced by something that could've become impractical in the long run (don't worry, we'll address that much later on). To work around this, we took a page from Thomas and the Twins and had Hackenbeck bridge become weaker due to the blizzard and it causes problems for the Ffarquhar branch line and its residents, thereby expanding upon the ending.

Upcoming rewrites:

- Byron Saves the Day

- Dirty Objects Again (James and the Queen of Sodor)

- The Spotless Record

- Something Fishy

- Peace and Quiet