Ice Cold Stanley: ThomasNATION Fanstory
December 25, 2020
It was a cold December morning on the Island of Sodor. The forecast was calling for snow as everyone was preparing for the Christmas festivities. The engines at Tidmouth Sheds were waking up to the crisp, frosty air. The clouds looked stormy.
āLooks like it hasnāt snowed just yet,ā Emily said. ābut it looks like itās about to start any minute.ā
Rebecca was most excited. She absolutely loved the snow more than any member of the Steam Team. āOoh, how exciting!ā she yelled in glee. āWeāre going to have a white Christmas!ā
āWe have a white Christmas every yearā¦ā James grumbled.
āThat doesnāt mean itās lost its magic!ā said Percy. āI heard the earlās putting on the grandest Christmas fair heās ever thrown!ā
āIs that right?ā Rebecca asked, curiously.
āIndeed it is, Rebecca.ā Sir Topham Hatt said as he pulled into Tidmouth Sheds. āNow, the earlās fair is going to take a lot of effort to get just right. Weāll need you all taking on a multitude of tasks to make sure the fair goes off without a hitch. To begin, I need Thomas and Percy to go to collect a tree for the centerpiece.ā
āWhere are we collecting the tree, sir?ā Thomas asked. āGreat Waterton? Vicarstown? Misty Island?ā
āNo, Thomas, nowhere that fancy.ā Sir Topham Hatt replied. āItāll just be at the Suddery Tree Farm.ā
āThen why do you need both of us?ā Percy asked.
āSir Robert often loves having the biggest tree he can fathom, so the tree Iāve suggested is so large that youāll both need to carry it.ā
āOh.ā Thomas said as he and Percy left. āWeāll be there in a jiffy!ā
āNow, as for you, Nia, you need to collect some lights from Vicarstown,ā Sir Topham Hatt continuted. āJames, youāll be collecting the presents for the children, Emily will take care of the rest of the decorations, and that leaves Gordon and Rebecca.ā
āIām guessing weāre on passenger duties?ā Rebecca asked.
āIndeed, but come 5 oāclock,ā Sir Topham Hatt replied, āweāll need you to deliver the guests to the castle, so the earl can kick off the Christmas season!ā
āYes, sir!ā Rebecca said as she left the shed.
Yes, the engines down at Tidmouth liked snow a lot, but Stanley, in his shed north of Knapford, did not.
āMorninā, Stanley!ā Rebecca called as she pulled into the station.
āHey, Rebecca.ā Stanley moaned. Rebecca noticed how gloomy he was.
āStanley, why the long face?ā asked Rebecca. āYou seem to be a bit of a hummy humbug this morning.ā
āI know, itās just, weāre supposed to get snow today,ā Stanley complained. āand I really canāt stand it. Itās much too dangerous.ā
āWhat do you mean?ā
āYou donāt recall what happened to Oliver?ā Stanley groaned, as Oliver just so happened to be pulling into the station.
āOh, here we goā¦ā Oliver complained.
āThe tracks became so slippery, that he wound up crashing buffer-first into a snowman!ā continued Stanley.
āOhā¦ā said Rebecca.
āStanley, that was years ago,ā protested Oliver. āyou canāt base your hatred of snow to one event.ā
āBut thatās just the start of it!ā Stanley yelled. āThere was also the time Nia almost fell off a mountain because of an avalanche, Thomas crashed into snow plenty of times, Paxton slid completely off the railsā¦ā
āOhā¦pay no attention to him, Rebeccaā¦ā Gordon grumbled. āHe goes on and on about this every winter.ā
āBut why?ā asked Rebecca. āStanley doesnāt seem like the type of engine to grumble.ā
āI know,ā replied Gordon as he disembarked, ābut I guess snow just seems to rub him the wrong way.ā
Rebecca was right. Stanley rarely ever complained. He was always a cheerful, affable and friendly engine. But Stanley hated winter, the whole winter season. Now, please don't ask why, no one quite knows the reason. Because of his pessimism, he always found it hard to enjoy the Christmas season, and at this rate, so was Rebecca. She couldnāt think about the joys of the holidays, she could only think about Stanley. She pulled up to a junction where she met up with James.
āHey, James, can I ask you something?ā Rebecca asked.
āUh, okay,ā James replied, āwhatās the matter?ā
āItās about Stanley. Is there any way to make him see that snow is something of magic?ā
āHa ha ha!ā James chuckled. āGood luck with that! Heās dedicated to sticking to his mindset that snow is the work of evil.ā
Rebecca started to get more concerned. āIām sure thereās something I can do.ā
āIf there is,ā said James, āIād like to see it!ā
As James left, Rebecca had an idea.
The next day, at Knapford, Stanley was shunting coaches. It had snowed all night, and it was starting to snow again. āAugh, not now!ā
Then, Rebecca blew her whistle to get his attention. āCome along, Stanley! Iām going to show you just how wonderful snow can be!ā
āBut what about your passengers?ā Stanley inquired.
āGordon opted to take them for today,ā Rebecca reassured the silver engine. āNow come on! By sundown, I guarantee youāll love snow as much as I do!ā
Stanley wasnāt convinced. He was certain that even with Rebeccaās plan, he would still loathe the snow. āIām sorry, Rebecca, but I highly doubt this will do anything for me.ā
āOh, come on!ā Rebecca pleaded. āPlease? Itāll be fun, I promise!ā
Stanley thought on it, but then came to a conclusion. āFine. But just this once.ā
āYes!ā Rebecca cheered. āYouāre going to love this!ā
The first stop on Rebecca and Stanleyās excursion was a snowy field. There were a good amount of children playing in the snow.
āLook at that, Stanley.ā said Rebecca. āTake a gander at all the children playing, making snowmen, and snow angels, and all around, just having fun. Look at the joy in their faces. Isnāt it magical?ā
Stanley made a slight smirk. āI guess itāsā¦kind of enjoyableā¦ā
Then, Stanley noticed a child falling face-first into the snow. He gasped and loudly blew his whistle in a state of fear. āWhat are you doing?! Get up, youāll get hurt!ā
āStanley, calm down!ā Rebecca cried. āHe was only making a snow angel!ā
āStanley, calm down!ā Rebecca cried. āHe was only making a snow angel!ā
āIf that boy wasnāt careful,ā said Stanley, āhe couldāve been a snow angel!ā
āSorry, Stanley.ā the boy whimpered.
āYouāre alright, kid.ā said Stanley.
Rebecca sighed. She was worried that her plan was going awry. But she still held her headā¦er, funnel up high and remained optimistic.
āCome on, Stanley, we arenāt done yet!ā she said with glee.
The next stop was right outside Dryaw Station. Marion was helping clear the tracks when Rebecca and Stanley pulled in.
āOh, Rebecca! Stanley!ā Marion called out. āGuess whatās in my shovel!ā
āOoh, I love this game!ā cheered Rebecca. āBut perhaps, Stanley would like a go!ā
āI donāt see why not!ā said Marion. āGo on, Stanley, hit me with your best shot!ā
āOkay, umā¦ā Stanley thought. āIām guessing itās something whiteā¦ā
āYesā¦ā
ā...something crumblyā¦ā
āYes! Yes, you got it!ā
ā...oh, wait.ā he said. āItās snow, isnāt it?ā
āWE HAVE A WINNER!ā cried Marion as she poured snow onto the tracks.
āSee, Stanley?ā said Rebecca. āWasnāt that fun?ā
āI guessā¦ā Stanley said with a small grin. Then he noticed Henry speeding down the track that Marion poured the snow onto. Suddenly, he fell into a state of panic.
āHENRY!ā he cried. āWATCH OUT!ā
Henry noticed the snow and applied his brakes. He slid to a stop but not before hitting the snowā¦but Henry was fine. In fact, he was 100% unharmed.
āStanley, what was that for?!ā Henry called out.
āYou were going to crash, I was trying to warn you!ā Stanley protested.
āBut the pile was two feet tall!ā said Henry.
He tried to start up again, but the ice made the tracks slippery, so he could barely move his heavy goods train. āNow look what youāve done!ā
āI was trying to help you, Henry!ā Stanley protested.
Henry scowled, then applied his sandbox and left. Stanley then turned to Rebecca, who was looking upset.
āYou see, Rebecca?ā said Stanley. āIf he wasnāt careful, he couldāve-ā
āForget it, Stanley.ā Rebecca sighed as she left. āI get the idea. I shouldāve never tried to force you into liking the snow.ā
Rebecca met up with Thomas at Ulfstead Castle. He was delivering ornaments for the Christmas tree.
āHey, Thomas.ā sighed Rebecca.
āHi, Rebecca,ā Thomas replied. He couldnāt help but notice she was looking a bit down. āIām guessing your plan to help Stanley didnāt go too well?ā
āNo,ā said Rebecca. āitās almost as if he wants to enjoy the winter, but he just canāt.ā
āWhat do you mean?ā
āI took him to see some children playing in the snow,ā she explained, ābut he freaked out when a little boy tried to make a snow angel. Then he made a big fuss over a small pile of snow, thinking Henry wasā¦going to crashā¦ā
Then it hit her. The overbearing paranoia. The constant yammering of all the accidents caused by snow in the past. The concern over the safety of his friends. It all made sense.
āThatās it!ā Rebecca cried. āStanley doesnāt hate the snowā¦heās afraid of it!ā
āReally?ā
āYes! I shouldāve read the signs!ā Rebecca squealed with glee. āI have to go get him!ā
And she left, determined to find Stanley.
Rebecca found Stanley shunting at Knapford again.
āStanley!ā she cried. āIt all makes sense now! You donāt hate snow, youāre scared of it!ā
āWhat do you mean?ā asked Stanley.
āYour hatred of snow doesnāt stem from general disliking, it comes from deep-seated paranoia!ā exclaimed Rebecca.
āWhat? No, youāve got me all wrong!ā Stanley protested, before hesitating. āā¦okay, I am. Iām always worried Iāll have an accident, especially after Nia told me about the time she got caught in an avalanche.ā
āBut Stanley,ā Rebecca reassured her friend, āall these fears are just silly superstitions. You have nothing to worry about!ā
āYou sure?ā
āI guarantee it. Now, come along. Sir Topham Hatt wants you to take the food for the Christmas feast up to Ulfstead Castle.ā
āOkayā¦ā Stanley hesitated.
As Rebecca and Stanley travelled together, they passed the field where they saw the children playing. Those very children were still up there, sledding and making snowmen.
āLook!ā Rebecca called. āThere are those kids again!ā
Stanley observed the scene, and saw another kid falling face-first into the snow. He winced and shut his eyes.
āGo on, Stanley, open your eyes, itās perfectly fine.ā Rebecca calmly reassured him.
Stanley slowly opened his eyes, and saw the child getting up after making a beautiful snow-angel. āHuhā¦itās perfectly fine!ā
āYes!ā
āI was scared over nothing!ā
āYouāve got it!ā
Stanley laughed with delight. āIt was all silly superstitions!ā
Then, the two rolled into Dryaw again. Marion was still clearing the snow when she noticed Rebecca and Stanley.
āOh, Stanley!ā she cried. āGuess whatās in my-ā
āSnow!ā
āOh, youāre stupendous at this!ā Marion called as she dumped the snow out of her shovel and all over Stanley.
Stanley laughed like he had never laughed before. āI love the snow!ā
Rebecca couldnāt help but smile. She didnāt think it was possible, but he did it.
That night, the earlās Christmas fair was in full swing. Stanley was outside in the snow, talking with Thomas, Rebecca and Oliver.
āI must say,ā said Oliver, āIāve never seen you so happy.ā
āYeah, me neither!ā Stanley said. āBut I got over my fear and now, snowās a thing of beauty! And I only have Rebecca to thank!ā
āWell done, Rebecca!ā said Thomas. "I didn't even think that was possible!"
āYay, me!ā said Rebecca. āOr should I say, yay, Stanley!ā
Stanley blushed. He was happy to know that there was nothing to be afraid of.
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
Merry Christmas!
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