Bill, Ben and the Blizzard - ThomasNATION Fanstory
December 25, 2021
It was four days before Christmas, and the Clay Pits were as busy as ever. Both Timothy and Marion were sorting out the deliveries of clay.
"Okay, let's see," Timothy muttered to himself as he inspected a line of clay trucks. "the stationmaster at Wellsworth called for 11 trucks of clay, so...yeah, looks about right."
"Timothy!" called Marion. "Where's that shipment of clay for the Steamworks?"
"It should be over there, by the coal hopper!" Timothy called back. As he looked back at the line of trucks, something seemed off. "Hmm. These trucks seem a bit...shorter."
All of a sudden, Timothy heard a loud clang, distracting him once more. Once he looked back at the trucks, something was definitely off. "It's happened again! The trucks keep disappearing!"
A light chuckle was heard from inside one of the tunnels. This, Timothy took note to. "Alright, come out, lads. I know it's you."
Bill and Ben emerged from a tunnel. "How'd you even know it was us?" Ben asked.
"I'm pretty sure Santa could hear your snickering from all the way in the North Pole." Timothy smirked.
"See, this is what I mean, Ben," Bill scolded his brother. "don't snicker too loud or you'll get caught!"
"Oh, lighten up, chums," Marion chuckled, "it's almost Christmas, and you know what that means!"
"The Earl's Christmas Fair..." Bill and Ben sighed.
"Yes! Bingo, right on the money!" Marion whooped with joy.
"I'm sure Sir Topham Hatt will let us off to attend," Timothy chuckled. "assuming the snowstorm doesn't get too bad."
"Snowstorm?" Bill asked. "What snowstorm?"
"You didn't hear the forecast?" Timothy replied. "Apparently, tonight, the snow's meant to get really heavy. If things get worse from there, a state of emergency will be declared, all trains will be cancelled, and even the Christmas Fair will be postponed."
"But if the lines stay clear and the weather clears up, it should go off without a hitch." Marion chuckled, singing to herself as she left.
"Now, as for you two, I need you to take that load of clay on Siding 5 to Knapford." Timothy instructed.
"But Timothy!" Bill objected. "We have other jobs to do!"
"Do we? I thought our afternoon was clear." Ben chimed in.
"Perfect!" Timothy smiled. "Then taking that train to Knapford should be a breeze!"
As Timothy left, Bill scowled at Ben. "Really?!"
"What? I'm just trying to be useful." Ben objected.
"Oh, forget it. Let's just go." Bill sighed as he and Ben left for Knapford.
As Bill and Ben approached the station, Ben took in the sight of all the bright lights and decorations.
"Wow, look at that!" Ben laughed. "Isn't it magnificent, Bill?"
"Mostly," Bill sighed. "but I still can't believe this whole thing. I mean, making us work so close to Christmas?"
"Don't be such a lazybones, Bill," Ben smirked. "it's still important to get your job done quick, so you have more time to enjoy the holidays after."
"I guess..." Bill moaned.
Over on the other platform, Bill and Ben could overhear Thomas, Percy and Sir Topham Hatt talking. "I appreciate the effort, Percy, 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 gasped in shock as he heard Thomas' suggestion. They tried to flee, until...
"Ah, speak of the devil!" Sir Topham Hatt cried out.
"Nooo!" Bill cried as Sir Topham Hatt approached.
"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.
Bill tried to think of an excuse. "...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 he left.
Bill groaned in disbelief. "Will you quit doing that?"
"Then stop saying we have other things to do when we don't!" Ben argued back. "It's not being clever, it's just being lazy."
"Well, why did you drag me into this?"
"Because brothers don't abandon each other on Christmas."
"Look, let's just drop this, I don't wanna spend the holidays arguing," Bill said. "so let's come to a compromise. You take the mail train, I'll take Arnold and Clarissa."
"You mean Annie and Clarabel?"
"Is that what their names are?"
Soon, Bill was ready to pick up Annie and Clarabel, much to their surprise.
"What in the world? Who are you?" asked Annie.
"Where's Thomas?" asked Clarabel.
"He's away at the quarry," Bill responded. "I'm Bill, I'll be taking you around Thomas' branchline."
"Are you sure you know your way around the line?" Clarabel pondered.
"Trust me," Bill said, confidently. "I know what I'm doing!"
While Bill was pretty confident that he'd get around his new job smoothly, the same couldn't be said for Ben. As he was so accustomed to one route, he was struggling with going around all the lines, collecting mail and dropping it off at Vicarstown. When he stopped by Wellsworth, Edward took note of this.
"Ben? What's the matter?" he asked. "And where's Bill?"
"He's going about Thomas' branchline." Ben responded. "Meanwhile, I'm doing Percy's job collecting mail, and I don't know my east from my west on these lines. Plus, we could be due a delay with a blizzard on the horizon."
"Oh dear." Edward gasped. "I've heard about the blizzard, but I didn't think much of it. It must be really serious."
"In a way. Now, I should really get back to my work. I need to get some letters from Ulfstead Castle."
"Alright, if you say so." Edward replied. "Let me know if you need any help."
"Okay, will do." Ben sighed as he disembarked.
Soon, Ben arrived at Ulfstead Castle. The preparations for the Christmas fair were in high gear as the earl managed everything. As he looked around, Ben noticed on another platform...
"Bill?"
Bill, on another platform, noticed Ben. "Ben! What are you doing here?"
"I'm collecting letters to Santa! What are you doing here?!"
"I'm dropping off passengers!"
"Oh, you two know each other?" Sidney asked from another platform.
"No, I've never met this engine before in my life." Bill said, sarcastically.
Ben chuckled as Sidney stared, confused. "Really? Then how do you know each other's names?"
Ben sighed. "Sidney, we're-"
"No, no, no, I'm kinda having fun with this," Bill laughed.
"Huh." Sidney questioned. "Anyway, can you lads look after this van and make sure no one rummages through it? I need to fill up with fuel."
"Certainly, what's in it?"
"Uh...I forgot." Sidney said as he left. Bill and Ben glanced at each other. They were thinking the same thing.
"Hunt the truck?"
"Hunt the truck."
And while Sidney was away, Bill and Ben hid the van on a nearby siding. Once they came back, Sidney was there, wondering with the earl where it went.
"Hey, lads?" Sidney asked. "Where'd that van go?"
"What van?" snickered Bill.
"Yeah, we don't know what you mean!" Ben said as he stifled laughter.
"The van with all the Christmas lights," the earl responded. "they were the finishing touch in my display."
Bill and Ben gulped. "Uh oh."
Soon, Bill and Ben had to get back to their jobs, but they had a quick stop to make.
"What siding was it?" Ben asked.
"I think it was near Maithwaite." Bill replied.
The two approached the station, but they noticed a massive problem. The van with all the Christmas lights was gone!
"WHAT?!" Bill screamed. "What happened to the lights!? They were right here!"
"Don't look at me, Bill!" Ben protested. "I was with you the whole time!"
"But how does that explain what happened to the truck?" Bill asked, slightly peeved.
"...I think we may have bigger problems." Ben whispered as he noticed a dark cloud looming towards them.
"Is that..."
"It's the blizzard!" Ben cried. "We gotta get back to our sheds!"
"I can't!" Bill yelled. "I have to get these passengers back home for Christmas! Plus, you need to get to Vicarstown and drop off those letters!"
"I can't leave you alone, Bill! It's too dangerous!"
"I'll be fine! I think I can push through it!"
"Well...okay, fine! Just keep safe!" Ben cried as he left for Vicarstown.
"Okay..." Bill whispered. "...I can do this."
Bill pushed through the storm. As he kept pushing and pushing, the snow got heavier and heavier. No matter how thick the snow got, he wouldn't stop until he got the passengers safely home.
"Bill, it's time to stop!" Annie cried.
"It's too dangerous!" Clarabel yelled.
"I can't stop! These passengers need to get home for Christmas!" Bill declared.
He kept pushing and pushing, until eventually, he could push no more. The snow got too thick and he was stranded.
Meanwhile, at Vicarstown, Ben finally dropped off the rest of the mail. Edward was just pulling in.
"Some storm, eh, Ben?" Edward asked.
"You're telling me," Ben replied. "I'd hate to be Bill right now."
"Yeah, I hear that..." said Edward, contently. "...hey, where is Bill anyhow?"
"He's trying to get to Ffarquhar."
"In this weather? Has he at least got a snowplough on?"
"Yeah, but this blizzard could mean a lot of trouble for him!"
Just then, the stationmaster ran up to Sir Topham Hatt. "Sir! I've got some good news and some bad news!"
"What is it?" Sir Topham Hatt asked.
"The good news is we've found the earl's lost lights. The bad news is there's a snow pile blocking the tracks leading to Ffarquhar and Bill's stranded!"
Upon hearing this, Ben uncoupled himself from Percy's mail trucks and headed back out into the snow.
"Ben!" Edward called out. "Where are you going?!"
"To save Bill!" Ben cried triumphantly.
Ben braved through the storm down the main line and onto Thomas' branchline. He kept pushing through the snow, until he found Bill, Annie and Clarabel trapped in the snow.
"Bill?!" Ben cried.
"Ben!" Bill gasped. "Is that really you?!"
"Yes, Bill!" Ben called out. "I'm gonna help you out of this!"
"Oh, thank you, Ben!" Annie chuckled.
"We're saved!" Clarabel grinned in relief.
Ben started pushing Bill forward. It was hard, but he eventually got him out of the snowbank. "Alright! Ready to push through, Bill?"
"You're really going to help me, Ben?!"
"Yes I am!" Ben called out. "I told you - brothers don't abandon each other on Christmas!"
Bill and Ben pushed through the snow. No matter how thick the snow got, it was no match for the combined power of the two engines. And eventually, after puffing with all their might, they finally reached Ffarquhar.
"We did it!" Bill gasped.
"We sure did, Bill." Ben smiled.
That morning, Bill and Ben finally returned to the Clay Pits, where Marion, Timothy and Sir Topham Hatt were waiting for them.
"Ah, there they are!" Sir Topham Hatt declared. The three of them cheered as the two arrived.
"What's going on here?" Ben asked.
"We heard about your mission last night," Timothy responded. "how you braved through the blizzard and brought those passengers home!"
"Let me just say," Sir Topham Hatt continued, "I have to absolutely commend your bravery last night. As a reward, the earl has decided that you two will kick off the Christmas Fair."
"Really?" Ben gasped.
"Oh, it was nothing." Bill smirked. "Just a little holiday mission, nothing out of the ordinary. So when's the fair? I just assumed it'd be postponed due to the storm."
"It'll be kicking off tonight," Sir Topham Hatt responded as he climbed aboard Winston, "but first, I have to stop by the Blue Mountain Quarry. I think I figured out the culprit of the stolen lights."
Sir Topham Hatt and Winston disembarked as Timothy and Marion celebrated the bravery of Bill and Ben.
"So wait," Thomas said that night at the quarry. "it was you who put those Christmas lights there?"
"Yep." Bill chuckled. "I must say, it was a pretty funny trick."
"But what I don't understand is how the Christmas lights got here." Ben said. "Who even took them? Can't have been the narrow-gauge engines...right?"
"No, it was me," Percy responded. "I didn't realize they were the earl's."
"Can you all pipe down," Duncan grumbled. "and just enjoy the lights?"
The engines eventually obliged and watched the lights glimmer. Now that the storm was over, they can finally enjoy the holiday.
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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