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 enginesā¦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.
āAhā¦ā Stafford sighed as he admired the sun. ādonāt you just love the sunny weather?ā
āItās alright, honestly.ā Stanley responded. āI much prefer snow however.ā
āI thought you didnāt like snow.ā
āYouād be surprised how persuasive Rebecca is.ā
Just then, Sir Topham Hatt rolled up in Winston. He was looking over his schedule with concern.
āOh dearā¦ā he muttered. āThis schedule is completely out of whack! Rail repairs all across the island, workloads piling up, rerouting lines - Iāve never seen the railway in such a conundrum.ā
āI know, sir,ā Winston said, ābut itās not like we can just shut down the railway. People have places to be!ā
āI get that, Winston,ā Sir Topham Hatt responded, ābut with all this going on, we could really benefit from getting a new engine.ā
Stafford listened closely to their conversation. āYou hear that, Stanley? We may be due a new engine!ā
āThatās fine and all,ā Stanley pondered, ābut why? We already have so many engines in the shunting yards alone. Surely one of us can handle the extra work.ā
āThatās a brilliant idea, Stanley.ā Stafford chirped as Sir Topham Hatt walked over.
āWhatās all this then?ā he asked.
āSir, I couldnāt help but notice you were considering getting a new engineā. Stafford started.
āAh, yes,ā Sir Topham Hatt responded. āIāve got my eye on this big new fancy diesel from the Mainland...ā
āYou could get them,ā Stafford continued. āor you could ask me to handle some of the extra work!ā
Sir Topham Hatt liked the idea, but he was a little skeptical. āAre you sure you can handle it?ā
āIāve got it, sir!ā said Stafford, confidently. āYou can count on me!ā
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. āOkay, sir, where do I begin?ā
āA 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.ā
āIām on it, sir!ā Stafford chirped as Sir Topham Hatt left.
āAre you sure you can handle that, Stafford?ā Toby called out from another platform. āIāve never been too fond of the Whistling Woods, itās always fulled of spooky noises and weird images!ā
āTrust me, Toby, I know what Iāmā¦ā Stafford said before stopping. ā...wait, did you say Whistling Woods?ā
āYeah. Didnāt Sir Topham Hatt?ā
āHe said Whispering Woods.ā
āOhā¦why does Sodor have two similar sounding forests? Thatās so confusing.ā
āI know,ā said Stafford as he disembarked. āAnywho, Iād best be on my way. See you round!ā
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.
āOkay, was it the Whispering Woods or the Whistling Woods?ā Stafford pondered to himself. āAugh, why did they have to name these two forests so similarly?!ā
Stafford went back and forth for a good few minutes. He was so confused if he should go with Whistling or Whispering, until eventuallyā¦
āAh, Iām just going to wing it!ā 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.
āWhatās all this then?ā Stafford asked, curiously.
āOh, donāt mind us, Stafford,ā Jack responded. āA bunch of rails got buckled up in the heat so the lineās closed for now until we get the new rails down and repainted white.ā
āOh, right, Sir Topham Hatt warned me about this.ā
āDid he give you any advice on how to pass it?ā Brenda asked.
āHe did, actually,ā Stafford remarked. He remembered that Sir Topham Hatt told him to turn left at the construction. There was just one problem.
āI donāt see any left turns.ā
āWell, maybe try retracing your steps,ā Alfie suggested. āMaybe you passed a left turn on your way here.ā
āYeah,ā Jack responded. āI 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.ā
āI think youāre right, actually.ā Stafford thought as he reversed. āThanks, lads!ā
The Packās 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, butā¦he never passed that station.
āHey, wait a minute.ā Stafford blurted. āWhat am I doing here?! Iām supposed to be in the Whispering Woods!ā
Stafford promptly applied his brakes and started to reverse. āOh, they never shouldāve given these woodlands such similar names! This day canāt get any worse!ā
But then it did. Stafford quickly came across a serious issue. A serious issue he completely forgot about and didnāt take into account when he pitched his idea.
His battery ran dry.
āOh, no, no, no, no, no! Not now! Please not now!ā 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.
āWeāre almost done, sir,ā Jack chirped. ājust a couple more hours to go and weāll be free to reopen this line.ā
āAh, excellent.ā Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. Suddenly, Bertie came up to the site with a stationmaster aboard.
āHas anyone seen Stafford?ā the Balladrine stationmaster asked. āThe shipment of new air conditioners was due in three hours ago.ā
āStafford hasnāt arrived?ā Sir Topham Hatt asked. āHe couldnāt have gotten lost. I was very precise with my directions. Turn left at Kellsthorpe Road, go through the Whistling Woods, and youāll be-ā
āYou mean Whispering Woods?ā James interrupted.
āYes, thank you, James.ā Sir Topham Hatt responded. āAnyway, Iā¦oh.ā
Sir Topham Hatt realized the issue and where Stafford was, immediately climbing aboard James. āCome along, James! We need to get to the Whistling Woods!ā
āWhat?!ā James protested. āI think not! Iām not getting my paintwork scratched in there!ā
āOh, always such a fussy boilerā¦ā Sir Topham Hatt groaned.
āIāll take you in there, sir.ā said Alfie. āI feel like itās kind of my fault that heās in there, since I gave him the directions and all.ā
āWell, thank you, Alfie.ā Sir Topham Hatt said as he climbed aboard Alfie. āCome along now! We havenāt a moment to waste!ā
The sun began to set as Stafford sat in the woods. His driver was absolutely roasting and chances of finding help were looking slim.
āOh deary meā¦ā Stafford whimpered. āI suppose this is the end for me. I donāt think anyoneāsā¦ā
Suddenly, Alfieās horn blared through the woods as he raced up to Stafford. Sir Topham Hatt climbed off of Alfie and approached the electric engine.
āStafford, this is where Iād usually say youāve caused a great deal of confusion and delay,ā Sir Topham Hatt began, ābut I can say I understand where the confusion came from. Iāll admit, Iāve made the same mistake as you.ā
āSo, youāre not mad?ā
āNot entirely,ā Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. āYour delivery is still late. But next time I set you off on a delivery, Iāll see if I can keep you away from confusing locations, huh?ā
Stafford chuckledā¦but then came to a realization. āWait, how am I gonna get out of here?ā
āWell, James is nearby, we can sort that out with him.ā Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. āNow, should we get you set for your next delivery, eh?ā
Stafford thought for a little bit. āActually, sir, I think Iāll stick to shunting for the momentā¦at least until I learn the forestsā names.ā
āWell, that should be no issue.ā 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.
āAhā¦ā Stafford sighed as he admired the sun. ādonāt you just love the sunny weather?ā
āItās alright, honestly.ā Stanley responded. āI much prefer snow however.ā
āI thought you didnāt like snow.ā
āYouād be surprised how persuasive Rebecca is.ā
Just then, Sir Topham Hatt rolled up in Winston. He was looking over his schedule with concern.
āOh dearā¦ā he muttered. āThis schedule is completely out of whack! Rail repairs all across the island, workloads piling up, rerouting lines - Iāve never seen the railway in such a conundrum.ā
āI know, sir,ā Winston said, ābut itās not like we can just shut down the railway. People have places to be!ā
āI get that, Winston,ā Sir Topham Hatt responded, ābut with all this going on, we could really benefit from getting a new engine.ā
Stafford listened closely to their conversation. āYou hear that, Stanley? We may be due a new engine!ā
āThatās fine and all,ā Stanley pondered, ābut why? We already have so many engines in the shunting yards alone. Surely one of us can handle the extra work.ā
āThatās a brilliant idea, Stanley.ā Stafford chirped as Sir Topham Hatt walked over.
āWhatās all this then?ā he asked.
āSir, I couldnāt help but notice you were considering getting a new engineā. Stafford started.
āAh, yes,ā Sir Topham Hatt responded. āIāve got my eye on this big new fancy diesel from the Mainland...ā
āYou could get them,ā Stafford continued. āor you could ask me to handle some of the extra work!ā
Sir Topham Hatt liked the idea, but he was a little skeptical. āAre you sure you can handle it?ā
āIāve got it, sir!ā said Stafford, confidently. āYou can count on me!ā
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. āOkay, sir, where do I begin?ā
āA 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.ā
āIām on it, sir!ā Stafford chirped as Sir Topham Hatt left.
āAre you sure you can handle that, Stafford?ā Toby called out from another platform. āIāve never been too fond of the Whistling Woods, itās always fulled of spooky noises and weird images!ā
āTrust me, Toby, I know what Iāmā¦ā Stafford said before stopping. ā...wait, did you say Whistling Woods?ā
āYeah. Didnāt Sir Topham Hatt?ā
āHe said Whispering Woods.ā
āOhā¦why does Sodor have two similar sounding forests? Thatās so confusing.ā
āI know,ā said Stafford as he disembarked. āAnywho, Iād best be on my way. See you round!ā
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.
āOkay, was it the Whispering Woods or the Whistling Woods?ā Stafford pondered to himself. āAugh, why did they have to name these two forests so similarly?!ā
Stafford went back and forth for a good few minutes. He was so confused if he should go with Whistling or Whispering, until eventuallyā¦
āAh, Iām just going to wing it!ā 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.
āWhatās all this then?ā Stafford asked, curiously.
āOh, donāt mind us, Stafford,ā Jack responded. āA bunch of rails got buckled up in the heat so the lineās closed for now until we get the new rails down and repainted white.ā
āOh, right, Sir Topham Hatt warned me about this.ā
āDid he give you any advice on how to pass it?ā Brenda asked.
āHe did, actually,ā Stafford remarked. He remembered that Sir Topham Hatt told him to turn left at the construction. There was just one problem.
āI donāt see any left turns.ā
āWell, maybe try retracing your steps,ā Alfie suggested. āMaybe you passed a left turn on your way here.ā
āYeah,ā Jack responded. āI 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.ā
āI think youāre right, actually.ā Stafford thought as he reversed. āThanks, lads!ā
The Packās 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, butā¦he never passed that station.
āHey, wait a minute.ā Stafford blurted. āWhat am I doing here?! Iām supposed to be in the Whispering Woods!ā
Stafford promptly applied his brakes and started to reverse. āOh, they never shouldāve given these woodlands such similar names! This day canāt get any worse!ā
But then it did. Stafford quickly came across a serious issue. A serious issue he completely forgot about and didnāt take into account when he pitched his idea.
His battery ran dry.
āOh, no, no, no, no, no! Not now! Please not now!ā 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.
āWeāre almost done, sir,ā Jack chirped. ājust a couple more hours to go and weāll be free to reopen this line.ā
āAh, excellent.ā Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. Suddenly, Bertie came up to the site with a stationmaster aboard.
āHas anyone seen Stafford?ā the Balladrine stationmaster asked. āThe shipment of new air conditioners was due in three hours ago.ā
āStafford hasnāt arrived?ā Sir Topham Hatt asked. āHe couldnāt have gotten lost. I was very precise with my directions. Turn left at Kellsthorpe Road, go through the Whistling Woods, and youāll be-ā
āYou mean Whispering Woods?ā James interrupted.
āYes, thank you, James.ā Sir Topham Hatt responded. āAnyway, Iā¦oh.ā
Sir Topham Hatt realized the issue and where Stafford was, immediately climbing aboard James. āCome along, James! We need to get to the Whistling Woods!ā
āWhat?!ā James protested. āI think not! Iām not getting my paintwork scratched in there!ā
āOh, always such a fussy boilerā¦ā Sir Topham Hatt groaned.
āIāll take you in there, sir.ā said Alfie. āI feel like itās kind of my fault that heās in there, since I gave him the directions and all.ā
āWell, thank you, Alfie.ā Sir Topham Hatt said as he climbed aboard Alfie. āCome along now! We havenāt a moment to waste!ā
The sun began to set as Stafford sat in the woods. His driver was absolutely roasting and chances of finding help were looking slim.
āOh deary meā¦ā Stafford whimpered. āI suppose this is the end for me. I donāt think anyoneāsā¦ā
Suddenly, Alfieās horn blared through the woods as he raced up to Stafford. Sir Topham Hatt climbed off of Alfie and approached the electric engine.
āStafford, this is where Iād usually say youāve caused a great deal of confusion and delay,ā Sir Topham Hatt began, ābut I can say I understand where the confusion came from. Iāll admit, Iāve made the same mistake as you.ā
āSo, youāre not mad?ā
āNot entirely,ā Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. āYour delivery is still late. But next time I set you off on a delivery, Iāll see if I can keep you away from confusing locations, huh?ā
Stafford chuckledā¦but then came to a realization. āWait, how am I gonna get out of here?ā
āWell, James is nearby, we can sort that out with him.ā Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. āNow, should we get you set for your next delivery, eh?ā
Stafford thought for a little bit. āActually, sir, I think Iāll stick to shunting for the momentā¦at least until I learn the forestsā names.ā
āWell, that should be no issue.ā 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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