A Blue Mountain Christmas - ThomasNATION Fanstory
December 24, 2021
It was a pleasant winter morning on the Island of Sodor. It had snowed all night as the residents of the island were getting ready for the runup to Christmas, particularly Thomas and Percy, who were pulling into Knapford Station, fully decorated with lights, streamers, wreaths and even the Star of Knapford.
"Wow," Thomas gasped. "I didn't think they'd bring back the Star of Knapford!"
"Yeah," said Percy, "must be a special occasion...other than Christmas, of course."
As the pair approached the platform, Sir Topham Hatt approached them. He was pacing back and forth, murmuring to himself, pondering what to do. "Oh dear, oh dear..."
"Something wrong, sir?" Thomas asked. "You're not your usual strict self."
"I know, Thomas," Sir Topham Hatt began to ramble. "it's just that Christmas is four days away and orders are piling up! I've got no one to take the express since Gordon's at Crovan's Gate, slate's needing to be brought over to Ulfstead Castle, but the lines are blocked, I've got Nia and Rebecca clearing the tracks on the main line, it's all too much!"
"Oh, wow," Percy sighed. "anything we can do to help? We don't have any jobs to do at the moment."
"I appreciate the effort, Percy," Sir Topham Hatt responded, "but you have to deliver the children's letters to Vicarstown, and Thomas has work to do on his branchline."
"But what if we got another engine to take over for a little while?" Thomas pondered. "I'm sure Bill and Ben are available."
Bill and Ben pulled into the other platform, overhearing the conversation. They tried to rush off, but...
"Ah, speak of the devil!" Sir Topham Hatt cried out. "Bill, Ben, I need you two to take over for Thomas and Percy while they help out around the island."
"Oh, us?" Bill said. "We can't, sir. We've got too much goin' on."
"Really? Like what?" Sir Topham Hatt questioned.
"...uh..."
"I thought we didn't have any other jobs to do." Ben pondered.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Bill scowled.
"Excellent. You can get started right away." Sir Topham Hatt chuckled as Bill and Ben started bickering amongst themselves. "Now, as for you two, I need you to collect slate from the Blue Mountain Quarry."
"Is this for Ulfstead Castle?" Percy asked.
"Yes, it is."
"Then we're on it!" Thomas cried as he and Percy disembarked.
As the two arrived at the quarry, they noticed something unusual. In stark contrast to the other lively, decorated areas of Sodor, the Blue Mountain Quarry was barren and almost looked lifeless. Thomas and Percy didn't know how to describe it, but one thing's for certain - the quarry wasn't beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
"Hello, lads!" Peter Sam cried as he came up to Thomas and Percy. "You must be here for the slate delivery."
"Yeah, we are," Percy replied. "should we just go up to Owen and..."
"Wait, hold on," Thomas butted in. "I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but where's all the decorations? And the lights? And the tree?"
"Oh, who's to say?" Peter Sam chuckled. "The quarry's so busy around this time of year, that none of us take note of it being Christmas, so I guess we just keep forgetting to decorate the place!"
"But it can't hurt to throw up one little bauble, right?" Thomas asked.
"It's much too busy around here to worry about decorating," Duncan said as he approached. "not to mention that with a snowstorm on the way, it could be dangerous to put up any decorations. What if the tree falls over and blocks the track? Or the strong winds cause the lightbulbs to explode?"
"Don't be silly, Duncan!" Peter Sam said as he rolled his eyes. "This guy and his 'bah humbug' demeanor."
Duncan took great offense to this. "No need to be so brash, Peter Sam."
"Anyway," Thomas interrupted. "is there any way we can help make this place more festive? Maybe a few lights, a couple wreaths, perhaps a gigantic tree as the centrepiece?"
"You want to decorate the quarry?" Peter Sam asked. "That's a marvellous idea, it can really help raise festive morale! Let's do it!"
"Great!" Thomas laughed. "Now, we'd better get moving. We've only got four days before Christmas, so we have to move fast."
"Say no more, Thomas," Peter Sam responded. "I have a plan."
As Thomas, Percy and Peter Sam pulled into the Wharf, they were going over the plan.
"First off, we need a tree," Peter Sam started. "now let's think. Where can we get a Christmas tree big enough to be our centrepiece?"
"Misty Island?" Thomas suggested.
"Suddery?" Percy suggested.
"Actually, I was thinking Strawberry Grove's tree farm." Peter Sam responded.
"But what about the lights?" Percy suggested. "The quarry's a huge place, we must need a thousand wires."
"We can get some at the docks." Thomas said. "But that just leaves the remainder of the decorations."
"That, I didn't think about." Percy pondered. "Maybe we can get some from Lakeside. They always have spare decorations sitting around."
"Good thinking, lads!" Peter Sam cried with delight. "Now, we meet back here at 1700 hours. Thomas, you get the tree. Percy, you're on lights and I'll handle the decorations. Ready?"
Thomas and Percy agreed, and the plan was in full swing. "Go team!"
Thomas, Percy and Peter Sam went to work on their plot. First item on the agenda: the tree. Thomas pulled into the Suddery Tree Farm and scoured the area for the biggest tree in the forest.
"That's the one!" he declared when he found the perfect tree. Terence soon got him the tree and loaded it onto a flatbed for him.
Next were the decorations. Peter Sam pulled into Lakeside and collected box upon box of garlands, wreaths, baubles and all sorts of decorations.
But the lights - that was a problem. Percy searched all over for a set of lights, to no avail.
"Is there really no lights anywhere?" he asked the cranes.
"Can't say there is any, chuck," replied Carly, "it's just that with the weather, a lot of the deliveries are being delayed."
"Aye, me hearty," Salty chimed in. "plus with a blizzard on the horizon, that'll make things worse. Sorry, matey, but there'll be no Christmas lights from here to Timbuktu."
Percy frowned and left. He checked several of the harbors, stations and buildings on the island, but not a single one had any lights. He was out of luck...until he encountered a small, colorful van. Inside were hundreds, maybe thousands of Christmas lights.
"Huzzah!" Percy exclaimed in glee. "Now, to get these to the quarry."
That evening, the quarry was being set up for the holidays. The workplaces and machinery, Merrick and Owen included, were all decorated, and the tree was being put up as Thomas, Percy and the narrow-gauge engines watched.
"This is incredible!" Rheneas smiled in awe at the tree.
"I must say, this was a marvellous idea." Skarloey chuckled to Thomas, Percy and Peter Sam. "Well done, you three."
Thomas, Percy and Peter Sam were really proud of themselves. "Well done, boys," Thomas laughed. "our plan actually worked!"
"We should do this more often." Peter Sam smirked.
But the good times ended that night. The blizzard hit Sodor and the strong snows and intense winds were hitting the islands hard. But when the storm lifted that morning, the engines' problems were only beginning.
"Whew!" Sir Handel chuckled. "I thought that blizzard would never end!"
"I know," Peter Sam responded. "but at least we're all safe and-"
Peter Sam gasped in shock had to be a bad dream, or a cruel joke. The quarry's Christmas display was left in nothing but shambles. As Thomas and Percy approached the quarry and saw the mess, they were horrified!
"Cinders and ashes!" Thomas cried. "It's...it's destroyed!"
"See, ya can't say I didn't tell ya so!" Duncan grumbled.
Thomas wasn't set on giving up just yet. "We can fix this. Percy, see if you can get Rocky. I'll get Jerome and Judy. Peter Sam, you and Sir Handel-"
"Hold it!" a voice bellowed through the quarry. Soon enough, Winston trundled up to the engines, with a livid Sir Topham Hatt inside. "Thomas, Percy, you two have caused confusion and delay!"
"But sir, I can explain." Thomas said, frantically. "Me, Percy and Peter Sam were trying to put together a Christmas display here, but the snowstorm destroyed everything, and-"
"I'm not cross that you were decorating for Christmas," Sir Topham Hatt interrupted. "I'm cross that you were doing so with stolen lights!"
"Stolen lights?!" Thomas cried. "Percy, what did you do?"
"I didn't know they were stolen!" Percy tried to defend himself.
"You should've known better," Sir Topham Hatt argued, "but all I know is those were the lights for the earl's Christmas fair!"
"...I ask again. Percy, what did you do?"
"But I found that van on a siding," Percy protested. "what were the earl's Christmas lights doing there?"
"No idea," said Sir Topham Hatt, "but I must ask you to return those lights at once."
"But what about the quarry, sir?" Peter Sam asked.
"I had thought about that," responded Sir Topham Hatt, "and I'll supply you with the rest of the Christmas lights myself. We just got a shipment in from the Mainland."
Thomas, Percy and Peter Sam's faces lit up. Finally, their Christmas display was back in action!
Soon enough, the Christmas display was fully assembled. Thomas, Percy and Peter Sam were admiring the work they had done.
"What did I tell you guys?" Peter Sam asked his narrow-gauge comrades. "It's always nice to have the place decorated for the holidays."
"Well said, Peter Sam." said Skarloey, firmly. "Merry Christmas, everyone."
"Merry Christmas, narrow-gauge engines!" Thomas and Percy cried as they watched the lights glimmer and shine in the moonlight.
"There you guys are!" Bill said as he and Ben pulled into the quarry.
"You will not believe the days we've had!" Ben added on.
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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