It was summertime and the Stationmasters were taking part in a friendly competition for 'The Most Beautiful Station' on the Island of Sodor. Ever since Maithwaite won the 'Best Dressed Station' award during the Summer Festival of Flowers, the Fat Controller decided to hold the competition every year. All the Stationmasters enjoy it, and the engines love to help too and soon, all the Stations were being decorated with shrubs, flowers and hanging baskets.
One evening, the Fat Controller came to the Sheds. "Percy, I have one more job for you," he said. "I want you to collect some flower bushes for Lower Tidmouth Station. There at Maithwaite."
"Maithwaite?" Percy asked. "Y-y-yes, Sir," he added nervously. Percy didn't like traveling to Maithwaite at night; the line passes through a junction next to a spooky old Quarry Mine. Percy wasn't always so scared, but after Thomas accidentally spooked him with the Chinese Dragon, dark and scary places made him very uneasy, especially around Halloween.
Percy puffed anxiously along the line. It was a cool summer's night and fog began thickening all around him. He hoped the signal at the junction would be green; he didn't want to stop next to the Mine. But the signal was red; he had to stop.
Percy waited impatiently; the fog made the Old Mine look even spookier than usual, but everything was still and silent…Suddenly, he saw something. There was a slight rumbling noise…and an old factory's chimney sank into the ground.
"Bouncing buffers!" cried Percy.
His Driver had been talking to the Fireman and hadn't seen what had happened. "What's wrong, Percy?" he asked. "It's just a lot of old buildings."
Just then, the signal changed. Percy was so scared that before his Driver could check him, he steamed away as fast as he could. He collected the flower bushes and wasted no time delivering them to Lower Tidmouth Station.
The next day, Percy saw Donald and Douglas and told them about the disappearing chimney. "It's the Naughty Gnomes," teased Donald.
"Wee fat men with big feet," said Douglas. "They make strange things happen; it's legendary. They steal your wheels and filch your funnels."
"They like steaking around abandoned places too," added Donald. "If they find anything useful, they take it for themselves." Percy didn't want to believe them…but he wasn't sure.
As the sun went down, Percy was making another flower delivery to Dryaw Station when he saw the Fat Controller waiting for him. "I want you to collect some trucks from the Abandoned Mine," he said.
"W-w-why, Sir?" Percy stuttered.
"They're filled with more flowers and decorations for Lower Tidmouth Station. There was no room for them at Maithwaite, so Thomas had to take them there on his passenger run. Please fetch the trucks and I will meet you at Lower Tidmouth later."
"Yes, Sir," Percy answered…but he really didn't want to go to the Old Mine again.
As Percy approached the Mine, the fog came down again; he hoped he wouldn't see anything else disappear. He slipped into the siding and stopped in front of the trucks. "Spooky," he stammered.
Suddenly, there was another rumbling sound, and it was much louder than before. "What was that?!" shouted the Driver and everyone looked as one of the Old Mine's buildings sank into the ground. Dirt and dust flew everywhere.
"Double bouncing buffers!" shrieked Percy. He was so scared, he lurched forward and rammed the trucks.
The first truck's door rattled open, and its load spilled out…but there was something strange about it. Piling up next to the siding were, what seemed to be…small fat men with big feet.
"NAUGHTY GNOMES!" cried Percy and he steamed away faster than before, all the way to Lower Tidmouth Station.
When they arrived, the Fat Controller was waiting. Percy's Driver told him what they had seen.
"It's the Naughty Gnomes!" cried Percy. "Donald and Douglas told me about them! They like to cause trouble; it's legendary!"
"Nonsense," said the Fat Controller calmly, "clearly, the old buildings are collapsing into empty mineshafts, that's all. I'll send workmen to inspect the area tomorrow."
"But I saw the gnomes!" protested Percy.
"Of course you did; garden gnomes."
Percy stared. "Garden gnomes?!"
"To decorate Lower Tidmouth Station," the Fat Controller explained. "They're not scary; garden gnomes are supposed to bring good luck. When you bumped into the trucks, you just spilled them by accident." And he ordered Percy to return immediately and get them.
The track to the Mine was mistier than ever. Percy was scared, but he knew he had to be responsible, so he carried on. "I'm not scared, I'm not scared," he puffed to himself over and over again, but he wished he was a brave as he sounded.
When Percy returned to the Mine…the fog slowly lifted. As his Driver and Fireman climbed down, he waited for something else spooky to happen…but it didn't. The Mine remained still and silent and the Fat Controller was right; the garden gnomes weren't scary at all. There they were, lying around and looking very happy indeed. Soon, the Driver and Fireman had collected the gnomes, and Percy took them and the trucks straight back to Lower Tidmouth Station.
Later that week, Percy stopped at Lower Tidmouth…and on the platform was a sign: 'Winner; the Most Beautiful Station'.
The Stationmaster was waiting with the Fat Controller and thanked Percy. "We wouldn't have won our competition with these garden gnomes."
Percy was very proud. "You were right, Sir," he said to the Fat Controller. "Naughty Gnomes can be lucky after all." And everyone agreed.