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.
“Looks like it hasn’t snowed just yet,” Emily said. “but it looks like it’s about to start any minute.”
Rebecca was most excited. She absolutely loved the snow more than any member of the Steam Team. “Ooh, how exciting!” she yelled in glee. “We’re going to have a white Christmas!”
“We have a white Christmas every year…” James grumbled.
“That doesn’t mean it’s lost its magic!” said Percy. “I heard the earl’s putting on the grandest Christmas fair he’s ever thrown!”
“Is that right?” Rebecca asked, curiously.
“Indeed it is, Rebecca.” Sir Topham Hatt said as he pulled into Tidmouth Sheds. “Now, the earl’s fair is going to take a lot of effort to get just right. We’ll 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.”
“Where are we collecting the tree, sir?” Thomas asked. “Great Waterton? Vicarstown? Misty Island?”
“No, Thomas, nowhere that fancy.” Sir Topham Hatt replied. “It’ll just be at the Suddery Tree Farm.”
“Then why do you need both of us?” Percy asked.
“Sir Robert often loves having the biggest tree he can fathom, so the tree I’ve suggested is so large that you’ll both need to carry it.”
“Oh.” Thomas said as he and Percy left. “We’ll be there in a jiffy!”
“Now, as for you, Nia, you need to collect some lights from Vicarstown,” Sir Topham Hatt continuted. “James, you’ll be collecting the presents for the children, Emily will take care of the rest of the decorations, and that leaves Gordon and Rebecca.”
“I’m guessing we’re on passenger duties?” Rebecca asked.
“Indeed, but come 5 o’clock,” Sir Topham Hatt replied, “we’ll need you to deliver the guests to the castle, so the earl can kick off the Christmas season!”
“Yes, sir!” 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.
“Mornin’, Stanley!” Rebecca called as she pulled into the station.
“Hey, Rebecca.” Stanley moaned. Rebecca noticed how gloomy he was.
“Stanley, why the long face?” asked Rebecca. “You seem to be a bit of a hummy humbug this morning.”
“I know, it’s just, we’re supposed to get snow today,” Stanley complained. “and I really can’t stand it. It’s much too dangerous.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t recall what happened to Oliver?” Stanley groaned, as Oliver just so happened to be pulling into the station.
“Oh, here we go…” Oliver complained.
“The tracks became so slippery, that he wound up crashing buffer-first into a snowman!” continued Stanley.
“Oh…” said Rebecca.
“Stanley, that was years ago,” protested Oliver. “you can’t base your hatred of snow to one event.”
“But that’s just the start of it!” Stanley yelled. “There 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 rails…”
“Oh…pay no attention to him, Rebecca…” Gordon grumbled. “He goes on and on about this every winter.”
“But why?” asked Rebecca. “Stanley doesn’t seem like the type of engine to grumble.”
“I know,” replied Gordon as he disembarked, “but I guess snow just seems to rub him the wrong way.”
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 couldn’t 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.
“Hey, James, can I ask you something?” Rebecca asked.
“Uh, okay,” James replied, “what’s the matter?”
“It’s about Stanley. Is there any way to make him see that snow is something of magic?”
“Ha ha ha!” James chuckled. “Good luck with that! He’s dedicated to sticking to his mindset that snow is the work of evil.”
Rebecca started to get more concerned. “I’m sure there’s something I can do.”
“If there is,” said James, “I’d like to see it!”
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. “Augh, not now!”
Then, Rebecca blew her whistle to get his attention. “Come along, Stanley! I’m going to show you just how wonderful snow can be!”
“But what about your passengers?” Stanley inquired.
“Gordon opted to take them for today,” Rebecca reassured the silver engine. “Now come on! By sundown, I guarantee you’ll love snow as much as I do!”
Stanley wasn’t convinced. He was certain that even with Rebecca’s plan, he would still loathe the snow. “I’m sorry, Rebecca, but I highly doubt this will do anything for me.”
“Oh, come on!” Rebecca pleaded. “Please? It’ll be fun, I promise!”
Stanley thought on it, but then came to a conclusion. “Fine. But just this once.”
“Yes!” Rebecca cheered. “You’re going to love this!”
The first stop on Rebecca and Stanley’s excursion was a snowy field. There were a good amount of children playing in the snow.
“Look at that, Stanley.” said Rebecca. “Take 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. Isn’t it magical?”
Stanley made a slight smirk. “I guess it’s…kind of enjoyable…”
Then, Stanley noticed a child falling face-first into the snow. He gasped and loudly blew his whistle in a state of fear. “What are you doing?! Get up, you’ll get hurt!”
”Stanley, calm down!” Rebecca cried. “He was only making a snow angel!”
”Stanley, calm down!” Rebecca cried. “He was only making a snow angel!”
“If that boy wasn’t careful,” said Stanley, “he could’ve been a snow angel!”
“Sorry, Stanley.” the boy whimpered.
“You’re alright, kid.” said Stanley.
Rebecca sighed. She was worried that her plan was going awry. But she still held her head…er, funnel up high and remained optimistic.
“Come on, Stanley, we aren’t done yet!” she said with glee.
The next stop was right outside Dryaw Station. Marion was helping clear the tracks when Rebecca and Stanley pulled in.
“Oh, Rebecca! Stanley!” Marion called out. “Guess what’s in my shovel!”
“Ooh, I love this game!” cheered Rebecca. “But perhaps, Stanley would like a go!”
“I don’t see why not!” said Marion. “Go on, Stanley, hit me with your best shot!”
“Okay, um…” Stanley thought. “I’m guessing it’s something white…”
“Yes…”
“...something crumbly…”
“Yes! Yes, you got it!”
“...oh, wait.” he said. “It’s snow, isn’t it?”
“WE HAVE A WINNER!” cried Marion as she poured snow onto the tracks.
“See, Stanley?” said Rebecca. “Wasn’t that fun?”
“I guess…” 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.
“HENRY!” he cried. “WATCH OUT!”
Henry noticed the snow and applied his brakes. He slid to a stop but not before hitting the snow…but Henry was fine. In fact, he was 100% unharmed.
“Stanley, what was that for?!” Henry called out.
“You were going to crash, I was trying to warn you!” Stanley protested.
“But the pile was two feet tall!” said Henry.
He tried to start up again, but the ice made the tracks slippery, so he could barely move his heavy goods train. “Now look what you’ve done!”
“I was trying to help you, Henry!” Stanley protested.
Henry scowled, then applied his sandbox and left. Stanley then turned to Rebecca, who was looking upset.
“You see, Rebecca?” said Stanley. “If he wasn’t careful, he could’ve-”
“Forget it, Stanley.” Rebecca sighed as she left. “I get the idea. I should’ve never tried to force you into liking the snow.”
Rebecca met up with Thomas at Ulfstead Castle. He was delivering ornaments for the Christmas tree.
“Hey, Thomas.” sighed Rebecca.
“Hi, Rebecca,” Thomas replied. He couldn’t help but notice she was looking a bit down. “I’m guessing your plan to help Stanley didn’t go too well?”
“No,” said Rebecca. “it’s almost as if he wants to enjoy the winter, but he just can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I took him to see some children playing in the snow,” she explained, “but 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 was…going to crash…”
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.
“That’s it!” Rebecca cried. “Stanley doesn’t hate the snow…he’s afraid of it!”
“Really?”
“Yes! I should’ve read the signs!” Rebecca squealed with glee. “I have to go get him!”
And she left, determined to find Stanley.
Rebecca found Stanley shunting at Knapford again.
“Stanley!” she cried. “It all makes sense now! You don’t hate snow, you’re scared of it!”
“What do you mean?” asked Stanley.
“Your hatred of snow doesn’t stem from general disliking, it comes from deep-seated paranoia!” exclaimed Rebecca.
“What? No, you’ve got me all wrong!” Stanley protested, before hesitating. “…okay, I am. I’m always worried I’ll have an accident, especially after Nia told me about the time she got caught in an avalanche.”
“But Stanley,” Rebecca reassured her friend, “all these fears are just silly superstitions. You have nothing to worry about!”
“You sure?”
“I guarantee it. Now, come along. Sir Topham Hatt wants you to take the food for the Christmas feast up to Ulfstead Castle.”
“Okay…” 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.
“Look!” Rebecca called. “There are those kids again!”
Stanley observed the scene, and saw another kid falling face-first into the snow. He winced and shut his eyes.
“Go on, Stanley, open your eyes, it’s perfectly fine.” Rebecca calmly reassured him.
Stanley slowly opened his eyes, and saw the child getting up after making a beautiful snow-angel. “Huh…it’s perfectly fine!”
“Yes!”
“I was scared over nothing!”
“You’ve got it!”
Stanley laughed with delight. “It was all silly superstitions!”
Then, the two rolled into Dryaw again. Marion was still clearing the snow when she noticed Rebecca and Stanley.
“Oh, Stanley!” she cried. “Guess what’s in my-”
“Snow!”
“Oh, you’re stupendous at this!” Marion called as she dumped the snow out of her shovel and all over Stanley.
Stanley laughed like he had never laughed before. “I love the snow!”
Rebecca couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t think it was possible, but he did it.
That night, the earl’s Christmas fair was in full swing. Stanley was outside in the snow, talking with Thomas, Rebecca and Oliver.
“I must say,” said Oliver, “I’ve never seen you so happy.”
“Yeah, me neither!” Stanley said. “But I got over my fear and now, snow’s a thing of beauty! And I only have Rebecca to thank!”
“Well done, Rebecca!” said Thomas. "I didn't even think that was possible!"
“Yay, me!” said Rebecca. “Or should I say, yay, Stanley!”
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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