Escape From Reality - ThomasNATION Fanstory [Part 1]
September 17, 2021
It was a particularly boring day on Sodor. Thomas trundled slowly along his branch line, bored of the same old scenery with the same old engines on the same old tracks on the same old island.
ā...and thereās Gordonās Hill...ā Thomas sighed as he made his way, āā¦and thereās the watermillā¦and thereās Tidmouth Sheds over the horizon.ā
It was all the same routine as always. He just wanted to see more. But hereās the thing: heād already seen the world. He already travelled to different continents, to different islands and to different areas of the globe. So if thatās it, what more could he want?
āHow was your holiday?ā a passenger asked another man as he disembarked from Thomasā train.
āIt was gobsmacking, mate,ā the manās friend replied. āYou wonāt believe how massive the Colosseum is in person!ā
āI can only imagine. Iāve only been to Italy once, Iāve only seen the place from outside.ā
āOh, believe me, itās much bigger inside!ā
Thomas, overhearing the twoās conversation, sighed. Humans always got to see and do the coolest things, things an engine could never do. He started to wish for some form of excitement, untilā¦
āMove it, will ya?!ā a strange new engine called out. āItās bad enough we have to be on this silly little peasant island!ā
āCool it, alright?ā another strange engine responded. āAnd for the last time, Wilson, youāre not a royal engine!ā
āPah! Am too! Her Royal Highness doesnāt know it yet.ā Wilson sneered. He glanced at Thomas and scoffed. āPathetic.ā
āWhoa, Wilson, whatās the deal?ā the other engine cried. āThat guyās Thomas! He was the first engine to travel the world!ā
āOh, please,ā Wilson scoffed. āthe things theyāll let peasants do nowadays.ā
āIām not a peasant!ā Thomas rebutted.
āAre you royal?ā
āNo, butā¦ā
āThen youāre a peasant. Make haste, servant!ā
Wilson left the platform, but the other engine stayed behind to talk to Thomas. āHey, listen, Iām real sorry about Wilson over there. He says heās royalty, but we both know he isnāt.ā
āTrust me,ā Thomas chuckled. āI know an engine named Rajiv he might like.ā
āBelieve me, kid, Rajiv would be nothing compared to this guy. The nameās Gene. You got a name?ā
āThomas.ā
āNice meetinā ya, Thomas.ā
āGENE!ā Wilson cried.
Gene groaned and left. āSee ya, kid.ā
Thomas was left confused as Gene left. An engine who thinks heās royal? Did his wish come true?
The next day, a harsh storm hit Sodor, and yet even that wasnāt enough to satisfy Thomas. His morning commute was the same old. There was Gordonās Hill, and there was the watermill, and over there was Tidmouth Sheds on the horizon. But on his way, he noticed Paxton had derailed. Gene was there with Rocky helping him up.
āWeāre almost done, buddy, just hang on!ā Gene called.
āThanks, Gene,ā said Paxton. āI just wish there were an easier way to get back onto the rails, am I right?ā
āYeah, of course.ā Thomas chuckled before seeing the two gentlemen from yesterday. One of them tripped a little on the path.
āWhoa, you okay?ā
āYeah, Iām good.ā the man said as he picked himself up and walked on. Thomas sighed once more, which Gene noticed.
āWhatās wrong, buddy?ā Gene asked.
āNothing, Iā¦Iām just a little damp.ā
āCome on, you can tell me. Hit me with it, come on.ā
āIām justā¦tired of being confined by all these rails, they never let me do anything exciting. Meanwhile, the humans on Sodor do all these cool things that someone like me could never do! I justā¦I wish I could just see what it was like to be in their shoes. Even for just one day.ā
Gene listened carefully before chuckling. āYāknow, kidā¦you really gotta be careful what you wish for.ā
And with a flash of lightning, Gene was gone.
āHuh?ā Thomas asked. āGene? Whereād you go?!ā
He then saw Gene racing off into the rain and quickly gave chase. āHey! Wait! What did you mean?!ā
As Thomas chased Gene, a bunch of leaves swirled around Thomasā face. āWhoa, what theā¦ā
But before he could question further, he was diverted onto another track, straight into a set of buffers. He tried to stop, but the tracks were too slippery, andā¦
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Thomas woke up in his bed the next morning, but he was still a little sleepy, so he hit snooze on his alarm and went back toā¦
āWait, what?!ā
Thomas climbed out of bed and fell onto the floor, face to face with a mirror. There, he saw not an engine staring back to him, but a human!
āWhoa, whoa, whoa, who is that man?!ā Thomas cried in terror, putting his hand on his head. But then he noticed his hand, realizing the man in his mirror was him! As he stared at his new appendage, Thomas could do nothing but scream in horror before slapping himself across the face to wake himself up.
āThis isnāt happening! This is just a bad dream! Wake up already, Thomas!ā Thomas whimpered as he tumbled out of his house. Soon enough, he pulled himself off the ground and stood on his new feet, just as a school bus was arriving.
āYou can do thisā¦ā he said as he took a deep breath. He then started to awkwardly walk, one foot after the other. But it was too hard for him as he fell to the ground again. āI canāt do this.ā
āOh, you poor little fellow!ā a strange woman said as she held out her hand for Thomas. āHere, let me help you.ā
Out of options, Thomas took her hand and stood up once again. āThanks. Iām not used to these-ā Before he could finish his sentence, he got a good look at the ladyās face, realizing it was... āRebecca?!ā
āYeah, you seem surprised.ā Rebecca chuckled. āWhat, you didnāt recognize me?ā
Thomas quickly ran off, before tripping and landing on the bus. āā¦I hate this new body.ā
āYou alright, lad?ā asked the bus driver.
āNo, Iām justā¦Iām just gonna lay here until the next stop.ā Thomas sighed.
āWell, I canāt go until youāre in a seat, soā¦yāknow what to do from here, chuck.ā
āAlright, I think I can manage thatā¦ā Thomas climbed back up and heaved his heavy, confusing bones onto a nearby seat.
āYou okay there?ā the lad next to him asked.
āYeah, justā¦very confusing times, I donāt know whereā¦ā As Thomas spoke, he instantly recognized the guy next to him. āPercy?ā
āWow, good guess,ā Percy laughed. āSorry, I didnāt catch your name.ā
āUhā¦Thomas.ā
āThomas, of course. Your first day here?ā
āFirst day where?ā
As the bus stopped, the other passengers disembarked as Thomas looked up in front of him. The building was strange, large, and most of all, confusing. From all his years of taking passengers to this sort of place, he knew it could only be one thing.
āHigh schoolā¦of course.ā
Thomas wandered through the school, lost and confused. He recognized a good sum of people as his old friends on Sodor, but he was still burdened with a million questions. Why was he here? How was he here? Whatās happening to his friends on Sodor? Is this Sodor now? Was this real? Was he real? Am I real? Is this story youāre reading real? Is anything real?!
āHey, new friend!ā Percy said as he ran up to Thomas.
āGah! Percy, donāt scare me like that, Iām completely on edge right now.ā
āWhoa, sorry, man. Whatās the matter?ā
āI canāt say, itās all too confusing.ā
āYou can trust me, Iāve once seen James eat a bag of gummy worms through his ear, you canāt get any more confusing than that. Lay it on me, brother!ā
Thomas didnāt know what to do. On one hand, it was all too complicated, but on the other, he was his best friend, heād understand. āOkayā¦I was once a tank engine on the Island of Sodor, but I wanted to see what the life of a human was like, so I told this other engine about it, but he disappeared in a flash of lightning, and next thing I know, Iām in the body of a human, I donāt know my east from my west, and I barely know who anyone is.ā
Percy stared blankly at Thomas for a second. ā...okay, thatās a little confusing.ā
Just then, another young man approached Thomas and Percy. āWhatās up, fellas?ā
āJames!ā Percy shouted in delight as he greeted his friend. āOh, uh, James, this is Thomas.ā
āHowās it going, man?ā James said as he gave Thomas a cool handshake. āHe a friend of yours, Perce?ā
āHe is, actually.ā responded Percy.
āWhat just happened?ā Thomas asked, confused. āWhat did you do to my hand?ā
āSorry, bro. You were sayinā, fellas?ā
āI was saying, this weird engine disappeared and all of a sudden, I wake up here, in thisā¦wait. Maybe Gene is the answer! Percy, we just need to findā¦ā
But Percy wasnāt paying attention, he was too busy taking a picture with James. āAlright, you gonna take it?ā
āIām gonna tag you in this, dude.ā
āUh, Percy?ā said Thomas.
āRight, sorry.ā Percy said as he broke out of his pose. āHow do we find this guy anyhow? I mean, the dudeās clearly magic.ā
āMagic doesnāt exist, Percy.ā James scoffed.
āBut it could. Think about it, he could be a wizard, or a dragon, or a genieā¦whatād you say his name was?ā
āGene.ā
āGene. Ergo, heās a genie.ā Percy concluded.
Thomas and James were surprised by this conclusion. āWeird guess. I mean, do genies really exist in this world?ā
āThere is one place a genie was sighted. A cave off the south of the coast of town. We go there, we find this genie!ā
āYou sure thisāll work?ā James asked.
āAbsolutely!ā Percy suggested. āWeāll have to leave first light tomorrow, right after breakfast.ā
ā...and thereās Gordonās Hill...ā Thomas sighed as he made his way, āā¦and thereās the watermillā¦and thereās Tidmouth Sheds over the horizon.ā
It was all the same routine as always. He just wanted to see more. But hereās the thing: heād already seen the world. He already travelled to different continents, to different islands and to different areas of the globe. So if thatās it, what more could he want?
āHow was your holiday?ā a passenger asked another man as he disembarked from Thomasā train.
āIt was gobsmacking, mate,ā the manās friend replied. āYou wonāt believe how massive the Colosseum is in person!ā
āI can only imagine. Iāve only been to Italy once, Iāve only seen the place from outside.ā
āOh, believe me, itās much bigger inside!ā
Thomas, overhearing the twoās conversation, sighed. Humans always got to see and do the coolest things, things an engine could never do. He started to wish for some form of excitement, untilā¦
āMove it, will ya?!ā a strange new engine called out. āItās bad enough we have to be on this silly little peasant island!ā
āCool it, alright?ā another strange engine responded. āAnd for the last time, Wilson, youāre not a royal engine!ā
āPah! Am too! Her Royal Highness doesnāt know it yet.ā Wilson sneered. He glanced at Thomas and scoffed. āPathetic.ā
āWhoa, Wilson, whatās the deal?ā the other engine cried. āThat guyās Thomas! He was the first engine to travel the world!ā
āOh, please,ā Wilson scoffed. āthe things theyāll let peasants do nowadays.ā
āIām not a peasant!ā Thomas rebutted.
āAre you royal?ā
āNo, butā¦ā
āThen youāre a peasant. Make haste, servant!ā
Wilson left the platform, but the other engine stayed behind to talk to Thomas. āHey, listen, Iām real sorry about Wilson over there. He says heās royalty, but we both know he isnāt.ā
āTrust me,ā Thomas chuckled. āI know an engine named Rajiv he might like.ā
āBelieve me, kid, Rajiv would be nothing compared to this guy. The nameās Gene. You got a name?ā
āThomas.ā
āNice meetinā ya, Thomas.ā
āGENE!ā Wilson cried.
Gene groaned and left. āSee ya, kid.ā
Thomas was left confused as Gene left. An engine who thinks heās royal? Did his wish come true?
The next day, a harsh storm hit Sodor, and yet even that wasnāt enough to satisfy Thomas. His morning commute was the same old. There was Gordonās Hill, and there was the watermill, and over there was Tidmouth Sheds on the horizon. But on his way, he noticed Paxton had derailed. Gene was there with Rocky helping him up.
āWeāre almost done, buddy, just hang on!ā Gene called.
āThanks, Gene,ā said Paxton. āI just wish there were an easier way to get back onto the rails, am I right?ā
āYeah, of course.ā Thomas chuckled before seeing the two gentlemen from yesterday. One of them tripped a little on the path.
āWhoa, you okay?ā
āYeah, Iām good.ā the man said as he picked himself up and walked on. Thomas sighed once more, which Gene noticed.
āWhatās wrong, buddy?ā Gene asked.
āNothing, Iā¦Iām just a little damp.ā
āCome on, you can tell me. Hit me with it, come on.ā
āIām justā¦tired of being confined by all these rails, they never let me do anything exciting. Meanwhile, the humans on Sodor do all these cool things that someone like me could never do! I justā¦I wish I could just see what it was like to be in their shoes. Even for just one day.ā
Gene listened carefully before chuckling. āYāknow, kidā¦you really gotta be careful what you wish for.ā
And with a flash of lightning, Gene was gone.
āHuh?ā Thomas asked. āGene? Whereād you go?!ā
He then saw Gene racing off into the rain and quickly gave chase. āHey! Wait! What did you mean?!ā
As Thomas chased Gene, a bunch of leaves swirled around Thomasā face. āWhoa, what theā¦ā
But before he could question further, he was diverted onto another track, straight into a set of buffers. He tried to stop, but the tracks were too slippery, andā¦
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Thomas woke up in his bed the next morning, but he was still a little sleepy, so he hit snooze on his alarm and went back toā¦
āWait, what?!ā
Thomas climbed out of bed and fell onto the floor, face to face with a mirror. There, he saw not an engine staring back to him, but a human!
āWhoa, whoa, whoa, who is that man?!ā Thomas cried in terror, putting his hand on his head. But then he noticed his hand, realizing the man in his mirror was him! As he stared at his new appendage, Thomas could do nothing but scream in horror before slapping himself across the face to wake himself up.
āThis isnāt happening! This is just a bad dream! Wake up already, Thomas!ā Thomas whimpered as he tumbled out of his house. Soon enough, he pulled himself off the ground and stood on his new feet, just as a school bus was arriving.
āYou can do thisā¦ā he said as he took a deep breath. He then started to awkwardly walk, one foot after the other. But it was too hard for him as he fell to the ground again. āI canāt do this.ā
āOh, you poor little fellow!ā a strange woman said as she held out her hand for Thomas. āHere, let me help you.ā
Out of options, Thomas took her hand and stood up once again. āThanks. Iām not used to these-ā Before he could finish his sentence, he got a good look at the ladyās face, realizing it was... āRebecca?!ā
āYeah, you seem surprised.ā Rebecca chuckled. āWhat, you didnāt recognize me?ā
Thomas quickly ran off, before tripping and landing on the bus. āā¦I hate this new body.ā
āYou alright, lad?ā asked the bus driver.
āNo, Iām justā¦Iām just gonna lay here until the next stop.ā Thomas sighed.
āWell, I canāt go until youāre in a seat, soā¦yāknow what to do from here, chuck.ā
āAlright, I think I can manage thatā¦ā Thomas climbed back up and heaved his heavy, confusing bones onto a nearby seat.
āYou okay there?ā the lad next to him asked.
āYeah, justā¦very confusing times, I donāt know whereā¦ā As Thomas spoke, he instantly recognized the guy next to him. āPercy?ā
āWow, good guess,ā Percy laughed. āSorry, I didnāt catch your name.ā
āUhā¦Thomas.ā
āThomas, of course. Your first day here?ā
āFirst day where?ā
As the bus stopped, the other passengers disembarked as Thomas looked up in front of him. The building was strange, large, and most of all, confusing. From all his years of taking passengers to this sort of place, he knew it could only be one thing.
āHigh schoolā¦of course.ā
Thomas wandered through the school, lost and confused. He recognized a good sum of people as his old friends on Sodor, but he was still burdened with a million questions. Why was he here? How was he here? Whatās happening to his friends on Sodor? Is this Sodor now? Was this real? Was he real? Am I real? Is this story youāre reading real? Is anything real?!
āHey, new friend!ā Percy said as he ran up to Thomas.
āGah! Percy, donāt scare me like that, Iām completely on edge right now.ā
āWhoa, sorry, man. Whatās the matter?ā
āI canāt say, itās all too confusing.ā
āYou can trust me, Iāve once seen James eat a bag of gummy worms through his ear, you canāt get any more confusing than that. Lay it on me, brother!ā
Thomas didnāt know what to do. On one hand, it was all too complicated, but on the other, he was his best friend, heād understand. āOkayā¦I was once a tank engine on the Island of Sodor, but I wanted to see what the life of a human was like, so I told this other engine about it, but he disappeared in a flash of lightning, and next thing I know, Iām in the body of a human, I donāt know my east from my west, and I barely know who anyone is.ā
Percy stared blankly at Thomas for a second. ā...okay, thatās a little confusing.ā
Just then, another young man approached Thomas and Percy. āWhatās up, fellas?ā
āJames!ā Percy shouted in delight as he greeted his friend. āOh, uh, James, this is Thomas.ā
āHowās it going, man?ā James said as he gave Thomas a cool handshake. āHe a friend of yours, Perce?ā
āHe is, actually.ā responded Percy.
āWhat just happened?ā Thomas asked, confused. āWhat did you do to my hand?ā
āSorry, bro. You were sayinā, fellas?ā
āI was saying, this weird engine disappeared and all of a sudden, I wake up here, in thisā¦wait. Maybe Gene is the answer! Percy, we just need to findā¦ā
But Percy wasnāt paying attention, he was too busy taking a picture with James. āAlright, you gonna take it?ā
āIām gonna tag you in this, dude.ā
āUh, Percy?ā said Thomas.
āRight, sorry.ā Percy said as he broke out of his pose. āHow do we find this guy anyhow? I mean, the dudeās clearly magic.ā
āMagic doesnāt exist, Percy.ā James scoffed.
āBut it could. Think about it, he could be a wizard, or a dragon, or a genieā¦whatād you say his name was?ā
āGene.ā
āGene. Ergo, heās a genie.ā Percy concluded.
Thomas and James were surprised by this conclusion. āWeird guess. I mean, do genies really exist in this world?ā
āThere is one place a genie was sighted. A cave off the south of the coast of town. We go there, we find this genie!ā
āYou sure thisāll work?ā James asked.
āAbsolutely!ā Percy suggested. āWeāll have to leave first light tomorrow, right after breakfast.ā
As Percy left, James was left with Thomas, not buying into what Percy was saying. "You really believe this stuff?"
"Hey, I just went from a tank engine to a human," replied Thomas. "I'm willing to believe anything right now."
The next morning came and Thomas and Percy were ready to find Gene, but first they had to pick up James. Percy knocked on his door for a good couple minutes, but no answer.
āI donāt get it,ā Percy thought. āHe did say 7:15, right?ā
āYeah, itās not like him to sleep in.ā Thomas pondered. āMaybe we shouldā¦ā As he spoke, a loud parade charged through the neighborhood.
āWhat?!ā Percy called. āThomas, I canāt hear you!ā
āSorry, I canāt hear you over this parade!ā
Thomas and Percy observed the parade. On top of a float was Wilson, dressed in royal clothing. āMake way for Prince Wilson!ā
āUgh. This guy.ā Thomas groaned. āHe always thinks heās so great because heās quote unquote āroyaltyā. Unbelievable, right?ā
āActually, that guy is royal.ā Percy explained. āHeās a prince of a nearby town.ā
āWhat?ā
āYeahā¦is this guy seriously not awake?!ā Percy grumbled as he opened Jamesā door. As he and Thomas ran up to his room, James was nowhere to be seen. All there was left was a small card.
āI donāt see him,ā said Thomas, ābut whatās that card?ā
āBeats me.ā replied Percy. āHang on, lemme see what it says.ā
Percy read the card aloud. The message on the card was āESPRIA EB IGKN NWOILSā.
āWhat does that mean?ā
āNo clue, butā¦whereās James?ā
āI donāt knowā¦wait, I got it! Genies give three wishes, right?ā
āYeah?ā
āSo, what if,ā Thomas explained, āwe just use one of theā¦ā
āā¦wishes to find James!ā Percy joined in. āYouāre a genius! Come on, we gotta find us this guy.ā
āIf he exists.ā
Thomas and Percy soon arrived at the cave. It was pretty scary, but it was incredibly dark.
āHow do we see whatās going on in there?ā asked Thomas.
Percy quickly pulled out a rectangular object and shone a light with it.
āWhoa! What is that thing?ā Thomas asked curiously.
āItāsā¦my phone?ā responded Percy.
The next morning came and Thomas and Percy were ready to find Gene, but first they had to pick up James. Percy knocked on his door for a good couple minutes, but no answer.
āI donāt get it,ā Percy thought. āHe did say 7:15, right?ā
āYeah, itās not like him to sleep in.ā Thomas pondered. āMaybe we shouldā¦ā As he spoke, a loud parade charged through the neighborhood.
āWhat?!ā Percy called. āThomas, I canāt hear you!ā
āSorry, I canāt hear you over this parade!ā
Thomas and Percy observed the parade. On top of a float was Wilson, dressed in royal clothing. āMake way for Prince Wilson!ā
āUgh. This guy.ā Thomas groaned. āHe always thinks heās so great because heās quote unquote āroyaltyā. Unbelievable, right?ā
āActually, that guy is royal.ā Percy explained. āHeās a prince of a nearby town.ā
āWhat?ā
āYeahā¦is this guy seriously not awake?!ā Percy grumbled as he opened Jamesā door. As he and Thomas ran up to his room, James was nowhere to be seen. All there was left was a small card.
āI donāt see him,ā said Thomas, ābut whatās that card?ā
āBeats me.ā replied Percy. āHang on, lemme see what it says.ā
Percy read the card aloud. The message on the card was āESPRIA EB IGKN NWOILSā.
āWhat does that mean?ā
āNo clue, butā¦whereās James?ā
āI donāt knowā¦wait, I got it! Genies give three wishes, right?ā
āYeah?ā
āSo, what if,ā Thomas explained, āwe just use one of theā¦ā
āā¦wishes to find James!ā Percy joined in. āYouāre a genius! Come on, we gotta find us this guy.ā
āIf he exists.ā
Thomas and Percy soon arrived at the cave. It was pretty scary, but it was incredibly dark.
āHow do we see whatās going on in there?ā asked Thomas.
Percy quickly pulled out a rectangular object and shone a light with it.
āWhoa! What is that thing?ā Thomas asked curiously.
āItāsā¦my phone?ā responded Percy.
"That thing's a telephone?"
āYeah. What, don't you have phones in your world?ā
āNot ones that look like that.ā
Percy handed Thomas the strange phone and he led the way into the cave. Inside was all sorts of jewels and gems, as well as a small lamp.
āLook up there,ā Thomas pointed. āGenies usually come in lamps, right?ā
āYeahā¦although there was this one time one was found in a speakerā¦yeah, that was weird.ā
āAlright, stay down here.ā Thomas said as he climbed up to reach the lamp. Soon enough, he grabbed the lamp and brought it back down to Percy. āGot it!ā
āAlright! Now what?ā
āI dunno, do you rub it? Is that how it goes?ā Thomas asked as he started rubbing the lamp. āNothingās happening.ā
āMaybe youāre rubbing it wrong?ā
āForgive me, Iāve never had hands before. Maybe thereās a sweet spot?ā
Thomas tried rubbing the lamp in a different area, and lo and behold, a blue puff of smoke emerged from the lamp, and from the smoke a giant blue genie.
āO, GREAT ONE WHO RELEASED ME,ā the genie bellowed, āSEEING AS YOU SUMMONED ME FROM MY SLUMBER, I WILL ABIDE MY OATH TO GIVE THEE THREE WISHES.ā
āWhoa, manā¦ā Thomas gasped.
āNot ones that look like that.ā
Percy handed Thomas the strange phone and he led the way into the cave. Inside was all sorts of jewels and gems, as well as a small lamp.
āLook up there,ā Thomas pointed. āGenies usually come in lamps, right?ā
āYeahā¦although there was this one time one was found in a speakerā¦yeah, that was weird.ā
āAlright, stay down here.ā Thomas said as he climbed up to reach the lamp. Soon enough, he grabbed the lamp and brought it back down to Percy. āGot it!ā
āAlright! Now what?ā
āI dunno, do you rub it? Is that how it goes?ā Thomas asked as he started rubbing the lamp. āNothingās happening.ā
āMaybe youāre rubbing it wrong?ā
āForgive me, Iāve never had hands before. Maybe thereās a sweet spot?ā
Thomas tried rubbing the lamp in a different area, and lo and behold, a blue puff of smoke emerged from the lamp, and from the smoke a giant blue genie.
āO, GREAT ONE WHO RELEASED ME,ā the genie bellowed, āSEEING AS YOU SUMMONED ME FROM MY SLUMBER, I WILL ABIDE MY OATH TO GIVE THEE THREE WISHES.ā
āWhoa, manā¦ā Thomas gasped.
To be continued.
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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