JACK FROST

Based upon the episode by Paul Larson and "Scaredy Engines" by Robin Kingsland; stories by David Mitton

Adapted by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

It was just after midnight on the Island of Sodor. Fireworks were being launched into the sky, and people and engines alike were singing and chatting together. A new year had arrived, and everybody wondered what would be in store for them.

"It'll be a brilliant year," Arthur beamed at the others. "I just know it!"

"Aye, th' New Year is always a joy oan this island," Harvey replied. "At least, that's whit Ah've experienced since arriving here."

"Being on Sodor has changed so many lives for the better," Julie smiled. "Sir Topham Hatt wouldn't turn away an engine in need."

"Yeah… I've heard a few stories about that." Arthur looked down at his buffers. Who knows if BoCo would've ended up here had I not had my accident years before then… He looked over to the big diesel in question, talking with Edward, Derek, Bill and Ben.

Perhaps, Arthur thought to himself, sometimes things happen for good reason.

"Arthur?" called Murdoch. "Are ye a'richt?"

"Perfectly fine, Murdoch," the maroon tank engine called.

When the festivities ended, Arthur went back to his shed. So far, he was the only engine on the Norramby branch, but there were two other open berths, in case traffic got busy during the summer rush.

"It'd be lovely to work with another engine full time," he mused to himself. "It does get lonely at night with no one to talk to…" Maybe that's why Emily and Derek decided against moving to the branch permanently, he thought.

Arthur then looked up at the corner in the sheds nearest to him; there was a spider resting on her web.

"Still keeping an eye out for flies that come in, are you?" he asked, chuckling slightly. The spider made no response; it merely sat where it was. She had been in the sheds since autumn last year, living on what she'd caught in it, and was the only company Arthur had at night. Not that he minded, of course. At least the spider gave him someone to talk to.

Eventually, however, Arthur's eyes grew heavy, he yawned and went to sleep. But it was not an easy sleep…

Arthur didn't know where he was, but for whatever reason, he felt as though he could recognize this place. He felt the weight of trucks surging against him from in front.

"Oi!" he snapped. "Stop this nonsense at once!"

"Since when did you actually take safety seriously?" the truck in front of him taunted. "You've always been a lazy, reckless engine!"

"N-no!" growled Arthur. "Safety is a top priority to me! And I have a spotless record!"

"Oh yeah?" asked another truck. "Then why, pray tell, has your name come up in several accidents since you came out of the workshop?"

Arthur clenched his teeth and let off steam. "You're lying!"

"Denial is a river in Africa, you know!" teased a third truck. "And it looks like we're about to hit a tree!"

Arthur applied his brakes, but there was no stopping the inevitable. Just as he was about to hit the tree on the line…

"Agh!"

…he woke up to find himself back in the sheds. Arthur looked around before heaving a sigh of relief.

"It's just a dream, Arthur," he told himself. "You should be past this by now… But why is my past coming back to me, and why now?" He quickly brushed that aside, for he saw another engine backing next to him.

"Hullo, Arthur."

"Harvey?!" he gasped. "What brings you here?"

"Well, everyone at Tidmouth figured ye'd be lonely today," the crane engine explained. "So we decided that Ah'd keep ye company."

"That's really kind of you, Harvey," Arthur smiled.

"Besides," Harvey chuckled, "Tidmouth's a wee bit crowded at th' moment. Diesel and Ah are thinking o' relocating to Knapford sheds whin that renovation is done."

"Renovation?" asked Arthur. "What's happening with Knapford sheds?"

"Oh, juist a wee bit run down due tae disuse," Harvey explained. "They wur mostly used fur carriage and truck storage." He chuckled again. "And Bear suspects Jack Frost has iced all th' windows."

"Jack Frost…" trailed Arthur. "It sounds familiar…"

"According tae Bear's driver," Harvey explained, "Jack Frost is a person who goes around spreading cold winds in winter, and that his heart is like ice."

"A heart of ice?" Arthur repeated. "Goodness me… I wouldn't want to run into someone like that."

"Aye, neither would Ah," agreed Harvey, looking down at his buffers. "Though… Ah think Ah have…" he added under his breath.

Arthur glanced at Harvey with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm… oh, aye," he said quickly. "It's juist… old memories popping up." The crane engine brushed his own thoughts aside for the time being. "Ah dinnae suppose ye have any stories that have happened recently?"

"Well…" Arthur thought back for a moment about the dream that he'd just had. "Since you mentioned Jack Frost, there is a story I heard back on the mainland."

"Oh? What's it aboot?"

Arthur took a deep breath, thinking back to the tale…

I don't remember the name of the engine of this tale, but only that he was a tender engine. And this engine had a terrible reputation. Why? Well… he would race as fast as he could to his destination.

"Ha!" he grinned. "Come on, trucks!" he called. "We're almost there!"

"We aren't supposed to be there for another twenty minutes!" snapped his driver. "So slow down, for pity's sake!"

"The people at the market like being early!" the engine insisted. "They ought to be thanking us when we get there."

The driver and fireman always tried to reason with their engine, but frankly, they would've had a much easier time talking to the back shed wall. No matter how hard they tried, the engine was stuck in his ways, believing he was right. However, there would come a time when he discovered that his ways weren't always the best.

On yet another day of his work, another engine, a diesel, tried to caution him.

"These trucks are very full and annoyed," the other engine warned. "Go carefully and don't provoke them."

"Tch, please!" scoffed the rude tender engine. "Why would I listen to a cheap 'replacement' like you?!" I tell you, if I could talk to that engine now, I would give him some serious clapback to think about. And the poor diesel… he had such a heartbroken look…

The tender engine raced along the tracks as usual, laughing as he went.

"Just wait till the other engines hear how I broke my record again!" he smirked.

"He's asking for trouble, and no mistake," the driver said to the fireman; his colleague silently nodded in reply.

No one quite knows what happened next. Some say the trucks were about to play a trick, some say that the rails were too cold to withstand. But anyway, it happened. The tender engine stopped dead in the middle of the line, and his wheels froze to the rails.

"What's all this?" he snapped. "I was making good time too!"

"I don't know," said the driver, "but we'd better see if we can thaw your wheels out."

"Well, make it quick! I haven't got all day!" His crew had barely gotten out, when a creepy chilly wind swept over the tender engine, extinguishing his fire.

"H-hey!" he yelped. "I-It's– ah-choo! –freezing!" His crew and the trucks blinked in surprise. They didn't feel any colder than they already did. Before the crew could react, ice started to form around the engine. Slowly at first, but gradually coming in faster and faster.

"H-h-help…" he coughed. The driver and fireman tried to scramble into the cab, but icicles and frost blocked them from it.

"What can we do now?" asked the fireman. "Our engine's practically frozen solid!"

"Call for help!" cried the driver. The two raced away, leaving the engine trying to scream in terror. But his voice was muffled by the ever increasing frost and ice. The trucks could barely speak themselves, numb with shock.

By the time the crew arrived back at the site with backup, the tender engine… was gone, trapped under all the frost and snow. Another engine, the same diesel I mentioned earlier, took the trucks away. Though a little late to the destination, they got there safely, albeit traumatized.

"W-we don't know how it happened," they said when questioned. "He just… vanished! As if he was never pulling us to begin with!"

Little did they know that all that was left of the engine was his whistle, which was taken by a late night worker as a reminder of the harsh tale…

"…and every year since that frightful night, the tender engine roams the rails, looking for his lost whistle," Arthur concluded.

"Ooh…" shivered Harvey. "Ye shuid save that fur Halloween! Cuid put Edward's stories tae shame."

"Heh, thanks, Harvey," said Arthur. I'm glad to get that off my boiler, he thought. No one will suspect that story is remotely true.

When work picked up again across Sodor, on the second of January, Sir Topham Hatt came to see Arthur and Harvey.

"There's a big freeze coming tonight," he announced. "Harvey, Arthur, you two are to deliver extra coal to the stations."

"Aye, sir!" said Harvey. "We can dae that, nae problems."

"Of course, sir," Arthur agreed. "No one deserves to freeze!" The two engines departed from the sheds, and Arthur set off to the fishing village.

When Arthur got there, he saw Beresford.

"Where were you yesterday?" he asked. "I was waiting all day and all night to talk to you and didn't get so much as a whistle in return!"

"Sorry about that, Beresford," said Arthur. "It was New Year's Day, and so no one came to work. Bank holiday, you see, and there wouldn't have been as much traffic as usual."

"Of course," Beresford sighed. "No matter what happens, dere's always something which makes me alone in the year!"

"Never mind," Arthur insisted. "I'm here now. And later tonight, I have an important delivery of coal to make. A big freeze is coming, so watch out for Jack Frost."

"Jack Frost?!" exclaimed Beresford. "Is he scary?"

"Oh, he's not real," chuckled Arthur. "He's just a big white person with a spiky beard."

"Ohhh!" shuddered Beresford. "I sure hope you're right about him being fake."

Just then, the guard's whistle blew. "That's me. I'd better go. Goodbye, Beresford!" Arthur cheerfully puffed away, his confidence springing back into him as the day continued.

Night fell across Sodor, and Harvey and Arthur, with their lamps shining brightly, made their way with their coal trains.

"Ohh, that snow makes everything look scary at nicht," Harvey shivered. "Ah'd hate tae end up like that tender engine… No, no, it's juist a story. It couldnae happen!"

Nonetheless, Harvey soon delivered the last of his trucks to Maron.

"Oh, thank goodness you've come!" said the stationmaster, "but I'm afraid this won't be enough coal to last us the night."

"It's a'richt, ma'am," smiled Harvey. "This is mah last stop. Ye cuid take mine."

"That's most generous of you, Harvey," smiled the stationmaster. "Thank you so much."

Harvey was driven onto a siding out of the way, his fire put out, and the crew began putting the rest of his coal into some sacks.

"We'll phone for someone to bring you some fresh coal tomorrow morning," promised the driver. "Meanwhile, we're going to book a room at a nearby hotel for the night. The storm looks like it's going to get worse."

"Do be careful," advised Harvey. "Ah'd hate fur ye tae get frostbite oan the way tae the hotel."

The two humans nodded before quickly making their way through the cold night, but not before leaving a lamp for company.

But as the night progressed, however, the weather grew worse, and snow began to pile up around Harvey. Icicles formed all around him, even on his chain and hook!

"Ohh… b-b-b-bother…!" he shivered.

Meanwhile, Arthur too had finished his run, and was making his way back to the Norramby branch line.

"Phew!" he panted. "I think we'll beat this storm, driver and fireman."

"I sure hope so," his driver sighed. "But be careful; you don't want to slip on the rails."

"Don't worry… I know," Arthur said quietly. Jack Frost is just a story that was made up, he thought nervously. I didn't make up Jack Frost specifically, but I know the story I told was my own!

Soon enough, Arthur saw Maron coming into view, the station lights guiding the way. But as he got closer, he saw something which made his firebox run cold.

"A-A-Arthur… H-h-help…"

"SCARY JACK FROST!" yelled Arthur. He puffed away as quickly as he could, and he didn't stop until he was safely in the comfort of his own shed.

As dawn broke over Sodor, seven engines slowly woke up at Tidmouth sheds.

"Ugh… that snowstorm was brutal," yawned Henry. "Did anyone get a wink of sleep last night?"

"Not in the slightest," grunted Diesel. "Harvey, what about– huh?!" The black 08 blinked in shock. Usually, the crane engine was right in front of him in the berth. They had been sharing one since Murdoch took up residence at Tidmouth. "It's not like Harvey to be late from a run."

"He may have gotten caught up in the snowstorm!" cried Gordon. "We'd better tell Sir Topham Hatt immediately!"

"There's no need for that, Gordon," came a familiar voice. Sir Topham Hatt had driven up, and came out of his car wearing a woolly scarf. "Harvey's crew have already informed me, and so I've sent BoCo to fetch some fresh coal for him."

The engines were relieved to hear this news.

BoCo was most surprised when he saw Harvey in a frozen state. The crane engine's driver and fireman rushed over to help get coal into his firebox.

"Oh my!" he exclaimed. "It looks as though Jack Frost got you good."

"M-m-more than ye th-think," shivered Harvey. "A-Arthur s-saw me l-l-last nicht a-a-and got sc-scared when he s-s-saw me." And between his shivers, he explained the story Arthur had told him about the tender engine who got frozen in ice and disappeared.

BoCo didn't say anything at first. "I know that story too," he said at last. "I was there."

Harvey, whose fire was now slowly starting to melt the ice away, gawked in shock. "B-but how?!" he stammered. "Y-ye saw the vanished engine too? Jack Frost isnae real… r-richt?"

"No, he isn't," said BoCo. "That part of the story is fake. But I did know the 'vanished' engine. In fact," he added with a slight chuckle, "he's here on our humble little island!"

"He's a… ghost who roams here?!" gasped Harvey.

"Not exactly," BoCo chuckled. "I think we should go and pay him a visit."

Harvey was most confused, but his fire was roaring now. Once he was freed from the snow, the two engines ventured down the main line.

Arthur had slept badly that night, and gasped with fright when he heard a horn. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" he cried. "I'm off to the fishing village–"

"Arthur," a calm voice soothed. "It's only us."

The maroon tank engine looked up, and saw BoCo and Harvey come up alongside him. "Oh… Harvey, BoCo," he sighed in relief. "I… I thought Harvey would be back at Tidmouth, and you on the Wellsworth branch, BoCo."

"No, Ah was at Maron last nicht," Harvey explained. "It wis me covered in snow and ice that ye saw. Sorry if Ah frightened ye."

Arthur gasped quietly. "Oh, Harvey, that was you?! Ugh… I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have abandoned you like that!"

"It's okay, Arthur," BoCo said calmly. "I managed to bring Harvey some coal and he's fine now."

"Though Ah may have tae go tae the Steamworks tae see that mah crane arm still works richt," Harvey noted. "That snow mustn't hae been kind tae it."

"R-right…" Arthur trailed. "It shouldn't be a huge issue. Not like losing a tender–" He bit his lip and gulped.

"Losing a tender?!" cried Harvey. "Arthur… the engine in the story… Guid grief, it wis ye!"

Great Railway Above… Arthur looked down at the tracks. So much for keeping it a secret. "Yes, Harvey, you caught me red-buffered."

"But… why?" gasped Harvey. "And… the diesel wis BoCo?! How cuid ye be rude tae him?!"

"Because I was an arrogant hotshot," Arthur confessed. "And I was under the impression that diesels were out to replace us." He sighed. "What really happened after I took the train that day was that I crashed into a tree. My tender was shattered, and so was part of my cab. I thought I was done for…"

"But you weren't," finished BoCo. "You were rebuilt into a tank engine, and you must've seen it as a sign."

"And even after I was rude, you still helped me to the works," Arthur admitted. "And we both got our second chance."

BoCo smiled. "And look at you now, Arthur. You were the reason I'm still around today, and now you have a branch line to call your own."

Harvey stared in disbelief. "Arthur… why didnae ye tell me that the engine in the story was ye?"

"It's not a part of my life I'm proud of," Arthur sighed. "I thought I could forget about it altogether, and start anew as a tank engine. But… I guess no matter what we do, the truth does come out eventually. I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"It's a'richt," said Harvey with a slight chuckle. "Ah think ye turned out quite well. Ye did say ye'd give yer old self a tongue lashing if ye cuid."

Arthur laughed. "Oh yes, I really could!"

Things returned to normal for Arthur after the ordeal. The maroon tank engine was glad he had two friends he could trust with his troubled past. However, he still wasn't comfortable with outing it to anyone else, least of all Beresford. The blue crane was too nosy for his own good at times.

Of course, this wouldn't be the last time Arthur had to confront his past, but that's another story…

THE END?

Author's Comments

We finally take Series 6-7 Redux into the year of 1993, and this phase begins with the final Series 6 rewrite, which combines elements from both Jack Frost and Scaredy Engines, although the former is more prominent than the latter. With Scaredy Engines, it feels too similar to Tale of the Brave to justify being its own thing, which was part of the reason we mashed it up with Jack Frost, and giving Harvey and Arthur the lead roles, with BoCo playing a supporting role. This rewrite delves more into Arthur's backstory as Clarence, and how he partially revealed the truth. For a visual medium, in the nightmare sequence, I picture only Arthur's smokebox being revealed, and during the story sequence, his face is never revealed, to make it seem as though they're two separate engines. And it's only when we reach the ending that the full picture is exposed.

As this is the final Series 6 episode to be adapted, here are those that weren't adapted as a whole:

- The World's Strongest Engine - Parts were already incorporated into Diesels and Westerners.

- Scaredy Engines - See notes above.

- Middle Engine - The idea was referenced in Squeaky Clean.

- Buffer Bother - Elements were already incorporated into Salty's Secret and One Biff and One Bash. Not to mention how Ben's new buffers never appeared again after that episode.

- Rusty Saves the Day - The events were adapted to fill a gap in between Trucks and Home at Last, as depicted in Skarloey the Little Old Engine.

- Faulty Whistles - I prefer Mike's Whistle to this.

And, to cap things off as usual, five of the upcoming rewrites:

- Toby, Percy and the Windmill (Toby's Windmill)

- Buster 1, Moles 0

- Bulgy Rides Again - retooled

- Another Fine Mess

- A Skarloey Wedding (The Grand Opening/Best Dressed Engine)