Stafford Beats the Heat - ThomasNATION Fanstory
June 26, 2021
Summer had just dawned over the island of Sodor. But whether that was a good or bad thing may depend on who you ask. On one hand, the people of Sodor were enjoying the hot weather, relaxing on the beaches, eating ice cream and soaking in the sunlight. But while it was all fun and games for the humans, the engines…not so much. Not only was the workload piling up endlessly, but the hot weather was really taking a toll on them. with the rails buckling and bending. But this was no issue for Stafford, who was shunting away in Knapford with Stanley.
“Ah…” Stafford sighed as he admired the sun. “don’t you just love the sunny weather?”
“It’s alright, honestly.” Stanley responded. “I much prefer snow however.”
“I thought you didn’t like snow.”
“You’d be surprised how persuasive Rebecca is.”
Just then, Sir Topham Hatt rolled up in Winston. He was looking over his schedule with concern.
“Oh dear…” he muttered. “This schedule is completely out of whack! Rail repairs all across the island, workloads piling up, rerouting lines - I’ve never seen the railway in such a conundrum.”
“I know, sir,” Winston said, “but it’s not like we can just shut down the railway. People have places to be!”
“I get that, Winston,” Sir Topham Hatt responded, “but with all this going on, we could really benefit from getting a new engine.”
Stafford listened closely to their conversation. “You hear that, Stanley? We may be due a new engine!”
“That’s fine and all,” Stanley pondered, “but why? We already have so many engines in the shunting yards alone. Surely one of us can handle the extra work.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, Stanley.” Stafford chirped as Sir Topham Hatt walked over.
“What’s all this then?” he asked.
“Sir, I couldn’t help but notice you were considering getting a new engine”. Stafford started.
“Ah, yes,” Sir Topham Hatt responded. “I’ve got my eye on this big new fancy diesel from the Mainland...”
“You could get them,” Stafford continued. “or you could ask me to handle some of the extra work!”
Sir Topham Hatt liked the idea, but he was a little skeptical. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
“I’ve got it, sir!” said Stafford, confidently. “You can count on me!”
The next morning, Stafford was out of his shed and ready to get to work. He met up with Sir Topham Hatt at Knapford Station. “Okay, sir, where do I begin?”
“A neighborhood in Balladrine is due a fresh shipment of air conditioners. I need you to pick them up from the Docks. I also have to inform you that the line up to Kellsthorpe Road is closed off due to repairs, so turn left near the Whispering Woods.”
“I’m on it, sir!” Stafford chirped as Sir Topham Hatt left.
“Are you sure you can handle that, Stafford?” Toby called out from another platform. “I’ve never been too fond of the Whistling Woods, it’s always fulled of spooky noises and weird images!”
“Trust me, Toby, I know what I’m…” Stafford said before stopping. “...wait, did you say Whistling Woods?”
“Yeah. Didn’t Sir Topham Hatt?”
“He said Whispering Woods.”
“Oh…why does Sodor have two similar sounding forests? That’s so confusing.”
“I know,” said Stafford as he disembarked. “Anywho, I’d best be on my way. See you round!”
Before long, Stafford had collected the air conditioners and was on his way to Balladrine before coming to a junction. One track led to the Whispering Woods, while another led to Maron. Stafford had to think seeing as he had never been to Balladrine before.
“Okay, was it the Whispering Woods or the Whistling Woods?” Stafford pondered to himself. “Augh, why did they have to name these two forests so similarly?!”
Stafford went back and forth for a good few minutes. He was so confused if he should go with Whistling or Whispering, until eventually…
“Ah, I’m just going to wing it!” Stafford cried before heading on the track to Maron. Soon, he was trundling down the line until he came across some repairs going on being conducted by the Pack.
“What’s all this then?” Stafford asked, curiously.
“Oh, don’t mind us, Stafford,” Jack responded. “A bunch of rails got buckled up in the heat so the line’s closed for now until we get the new rails down and repainted white.”
“Oh, right, Sir Topham Hatt warned me about this.”
“Did he give you any advice on how to pass it?” Brenda asked.
“He did, actually,” Stafford remarked. He remembered that Sir Topham Hatt told him to turn left at the construction. There was just one problem.
“I don’t see any left turns.”
“Well, maybe try retracing your steps,” Alfie suggested. “Maybe you passed a left turn on your way here.”
“Yeah,” Jack responded. “I think Max, Monty and Darcy came across a left turn on the tracks a little way back when they left to take care of some leftover dirt.”
“I think you’re right, actually.” Stafford thought as he reversed. “Thanks, lads!”
The Pack’s directions had led Stafford right into the Whistling Woods. As Stafford explored the flora and fauna of the woods, he slowly began to realize something. Sir Topham Hatt said that the lines were closed at Kellsthorpe Road, but…he never passed that station.
“Hey, wait a minute.” Stafford blurted. “What am I doing here?! I’m supposed to be in the Whispering Woods!”
Stafford promptly applied his brakes and started to reverse. “Oh, they never should’ve given these woodlands such similar names! This day can’t get any worse!”
But then it did. Stafford quickly came across a serious issue. A serious issue he completely forgot about and didn’t take into account when he pitched his idea.
His battery ran dry.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Not now! Please not now!” Stafford cried as he rolled to a stop. He was stranded. No other engines around, no way to signal for help, and no nearby buildings with any telephones. He was well and truly trapped.
Later, near Maron, Sir Topham Hatt was inspecting the rail repairs with James.
“We’re almost done, sir,” Jack chirped. “just a couple more hours to go and we’ll be free to reopen this line.”
“Ah, excellent.” Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. Suddenly, Bertie came up to the site with a stationmaster aboard.
“Has anyone seen Stafford?” the Balladrine stationmaster asked. “The shipment of new air conditioners was due in three hours ago.”
“Stafford hasn’t arrived?” Sir Topham Hatt asked. “He couldn’t have gotten lost. I was very precise with my directions. Turn left at Kellsthorpe Road, go through the Whistling Woods, and you’ll be-”
“You mean Whispering Woods?” James interrupted.
“Yes, thank you, James.” Sir Topham Hatt responded. “Anyway, I…oh.”
Sir Topham Hatt realized the issue and where Stafford was, immediately climbing aboard James. “Come along, James! We need to get to the Whistling Woods!”
“What?!” James protested. “I think not! I’m not getting my paintwork scratched in there!”
“Oh, always such a fussy boiler…” Sir Topham Hatt groaned.
“I’ll take you in there, sir.” said Alfie. “I feel like it’s kind of my fault that he’s in there, since I gave him the directions and all.”
“Well, thank you, Alfie.” Sir Topham Hatt said as he climbed aboard Alfie. “Come along now! We haven’t a moment to waste!”
The sun began to set as Stafford sat in the woods. His driver was absolutely roasting and chances of finding help were looking slim.
“Oh deary me…” Stafford whimpered. “I suppose this is the end for me. I don’t think anyone’s…”
Suddenly, Alfie’s horn blared through the woods as he raced up to Stafford. Sir Topham Hatt climbed off of Alfie and approached the electric engine.
“Stafford, this is where I’d usually say you’ve caused a great deal of confusion and delay,” Sir Topham Hatt began, “but I can say I understand where the confusion came from. I’ll admit, I’ve made the same mistake as you.”
“So, you’re not mad?”
“Not entirely,” Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. “Your delivery is still late. But next time I set you off on a delivery, I’ll see if I can keep you away from confusing locations, huh?”
Stafford chuckled…but then came to a realization. “Wait, how am I gonna get out of here?”
“Well, James is nearby, we can sort that out with him.” Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. “Now, should we get you set for your next delivery, eh?”
Stafford thought for a little bit. “Actually, sir, I think I’ll stick to shunting for the moment…at least until I learn the forests’ names.”
“Well, that should be no issue.” said Sir Topham Hatt, fully understanding.
Before long, the air conditioners had been delivered and installed to the neighborhoods and Stafford was back to shunting, just how he wanted to. Sure, he wanted to get out into the world, but maybe he needed a little more time.
“Ah…” Stafford sighed as he admired the sun. “don’t you just love the sunny weather?”
“It’s alright, honestly.” Stanley responded. “I much prefer snow however.”
“I thought you didn’t like snow.”
“You’d be surprised how persuasive Rebecca is.”
Just then, Sir Topham Hatt rolled up in Winston. He was looking over his schedule with concern.
“Oh dear…” he muttered. “This schedule is completely out of whack! Rail repairs all across the island, workloads piling up, rerouting lines - I’ve never seen the railway in such a conundrum.”
“I know, sir,” Winston said, “but it’s not like we can just shut down the railway. People have places to be!”
“I get that, Winston,” Sir Topham Hatt responded, “but with all this going on, we could really benefit from getting a new engine.”
Stafford listened closely to their conversation. “You hear that, Stanley? We may be due a new engine!”
“That’s fine and all,” Stanley pondered, “but why? We already have so many engines in the shunting yards alone. Surely one of us can handle the extra work.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, Stanley.” Stafford chirped as Sir Topham Hatt walked over.
“What’s all this then?” he asked.
“Sir, I couldn’t help but notice you were considering getting a new engine”. Stafford started.
“Ah, yes,” Sir Topham Hatt responded. “I’ve got my eye on this big new fancy diesel from the Mainland...”
“You could get them,” Stafford continued. “or you could ask me to handle some of the extra work!”
Sir Topham Hatt liked the idea, but he was a little skeptical. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
“I’ve got it, sir!” said Stafford, confidently. “You can count on me!”
The next morning, Stafford was out of his shed and ready to get to work. He met up with Sir Topham Hatt at Knapford Station. “Okay, sir, where do I begin?”
“A neighborhood in Balladrine is due a fresh shipment of air conditioners. I need you to pick them up from the Docks. I also have to inform you that the line up to Kellsthorpe Road is closed off due to repairs, so turn left near the Whispering Woods.”
“I’m on it, sir!” Stafford chirped as Sir Topham Hatt left.
“Are you sure you can handle that, Stafford?” Toby called out from another platform. “I’ve never been too fond of the Whistling Woods, it’s always fulled of spooky noises and weird images!”
“Trust me, Toby, I know what I’m…” Stafford said before stopping. “...wait, did you say Whistling Woods?”
“Yeah. Didn’t Sir Topham Hatt?”
“He said Whispering Woods.”
“Oh…why does Sodor have two similar sounding forests? That’s so confusing.”
“I know,” said Stafford as he disembarked. “Anywho, I’d best be on my way. See you round!”
Before long, Stafford had collected the air conditioners and was on his way to Balladrine before coming to a junction. One track led to the Whispering Woods, while another led to Maron. Stafford had to think seeing as he had never been to Balladrine before.
“Okay, was it the Whispering Woods or the Whistling Woods?” Stafford pondered to himself. “Augh, why did they have to name these two forests so similarly?!”
Stafford went back and forth for a good few minutes. He was so confused if he should go with Whistling or Whispering, until eventually…
“Ah, I’m just going to wing it!” Stafford cried before heading on the track to Maron. Soon, he was trundling down the line until he came across some repairs going on being conducted by the Pack.
“What’s all this then?” Stafford asked, curiously.
“Oh, don’t mind us, Stafford,” Jack responded. “A bunch of rails got buckled up in the heat so the line’s closed for now until we get the new rails down and repainted white.”
“Oh, right, Sir Topham Hatt warned me about this.”
“Did he give you any advice on how to pass it?” Brenda asked.
“He did, actually,” Stafford remarked. He remembered that Sir Topham Hatt told him to turn left at the construction. There was just one problem.
“I don’t see any left turns.”
“Well, maybe try retracing your steps,” Alfie suggested. “Maybe you passed a left turn on your way here.”
“Yeah,” Jack responded. “I think Max, Monty and Darcy came across a left turn on the tracks a little way back when they left to take care of some leftover dirt.”
“I think you’re right, actually.” Stafford thought as he reversed. “Thanks, lads!”
The Pack’s directions had led Stafford right into the Whistling Woods. As Stafford explored the flora and fauna of the woods, he slowly began to realize something. Sir Topham Hatt said that the lines were closed at Kellsthorpe Road, but…he never passed that station.
“Hey, wait a minute.” Stafford blurted. “What am I doing here?! I’m supposed to be in the Whispering Woods!”
Stafford promptly applied his brakes and started to reverse. “Oh, they never should’ve given these woodlands such similar names! This day can’t get any worse!”
But then it did. Stafford quickly came across a serious issue. A serious issue he completely forgot about and didn’t take into account when he pitched his idea.
His battery ran dry.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Not now! Please not now!” Stafford cried as he rolled to a stop. He was stranded. No other engines around, no way to signal for help, and no nearby buildings with any telephones. He was well and truly trapped.
Later, near Maron, Sir Topham Hatt was inspecting the rail repairs with James.
“We’re almost done, sir,” Jack chirped. “just a couple more hours to go and we’ll be free to reopen this line.”
“Ah, excellent.” Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. Suddenly, Bertie came up to the site with a stationmaster aboard.
“Has anyone seen Stafford?” the Balladrine stationmaster asked. “The shipment of new air conditioners was due in three hours ago.”
“Stafford hasn’t arrived?” Sir Topham Hatt asked. “He couldn’t have gotten lost. I was very precise with my directions. Turn left at Kellsthorpe Road, go through the Whistling Woods, and you’ll be-”
“You mean Whispering Woods?” James interrupted.
“Yes, thank you, James.” Sir Topham Hatt responded. “Anyway, I…oh.”
Sir Topham Hatt realized the issue and where Stafford was, immediately climbing aboard James. “Come along, James! We need to get to the Whistling Woods!”
“What?!” James protested. “I think not! I’m not getting my paintwork scratched in there!”
“Oh, always such a fussy boiler…” Sir Topham Hatt groaned.
“I’ll take you in there, sir.” said Alfie. “I feel like it’s kind of my fault that he’s in there, since I gave him the directions and all.”
“Well, thank you, Alfie.” Sir Topham Hatt said as he climbed aboard Alfie. “Come along now! We haven’t a moment to waste!”
The sun began to set as Stafford sat in the woods. His driver was absolutely roasting and chances of finding help were looking slim.
“Oh deary me…” Stafford whimpered. “I suppose this is the end for me. I don’t think anyone’s…”
Suddenly, Alfie’s horn blared through the woods as he raced up to Stafford. Sir Topham Hatt climbed off of Alfie and approached the electric engine.
“Stafford, this is where I’d usually say you’ve caused a great deal of confusion and delay,” Sir Topham Hatt began, “but I can say I understand where the confusion came from. I’ll admit, I’ve made the same mistake as you.”
“So, you’re not mad?”
“Not entirely,” Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. “Your delivery is still late. But next time I set you off on a delivery, I’ll see if I can keep you away from confusing locations, huh?”
Stafford chuckled…but then came to a realization. “Wait, how am I gonna get out of here?”
“Well, James is nearby, we can sort that out with him.” Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. “Now, should we get you set for your next delivery, eh?”
Stafford thought for a little bit. “Actually, sir, I think I’ll stick to shunting for the moment…at least until I learn the forests’ names.”
“Well, that should be no issue.” said Sir Topham Hatt, fully understanding.
Before long, the air conditioners had been delivered and installed to the neighborhoods and Stafford was back to shunting, just how he wanted to. Sure, he wanted to get out into the world, but maybe he needed a little more time.
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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