Into the Woods - ThomasNATION Fanstory
October 31, 2022
It was the day before Halloween on Sodor, and as the engines got prepared for the trick-or-treating and the parties, the Sodor Construction Crew were still hard at work building a bank building in Suddery. But the crew were still waiting on a supply of stone, and Max and Monty were growing impatient.
āWhere is Thomas?ā groaned Max. āHe was supposed to be here two hours ago.ā
āYeah, itās not like him to laze around on the job.ā sighed Monty. āā¦well, except that one time.ā
āPatience, lads.ā said Jenny Packard. āI just heard from Sir Topham that Thomas is held up in Wellsworth. Right now, we got more dirt for you to take to the dump.ā
Max groaned. āI hate the dump! Itās always cluttered, and the machines never work, and donāt get me started on the smell!ā
āAgreedā, replied Monty. āwe aināt goinā there, no way, no how!ā
āBut you have to put the dirt somewhere.ā said Alfie. āI donāt think Brenda can move it out the way anymore.ā
āBesides, ya gotta pitch in one way or another,ā Jack added on, āso we can get this bank built quicker.ā
āFiiiiineā¦ā groaned Max and Monty.
Miss Jenny chuckled. āLoad āem up, Oliver. You too, Jack.ā
Oliver and Jack loaded Max and Monty up with dirt and they were on their way. But neither of them wanted to go to the dump.
āThereās gotta be somewhere we can put all this.ā thought Monty. āIf I have to endure that dumpās smell, Iām gonna go crazy.ā
āYeah, Iām with you.ā said Max. āBut where are we gonna find somewhere to put all this junk?ā
āWe need to find somewhere deep in the backside of Sodor, somewhere where theyād never notice a pile of dirt.ā
āAnd if they do?ā
āWell, theyād just call it part of the scenery.ā
Max and Monty thought for a second. They thought of all the hidden areas on the island. Hiroās old hideout. The Ulfstead mines. Even the old quarry. But none of them seemed rightā¦untilā¦
āI got it!ā cried Max. āWhat if we dump it in the Whistling Woods?ā
āThe Whistling Woods?ā Monty pondered. āI dunno. Itās a little spooky in there.ā
āSpooky? Come on, Monty, donāt tell me you actually buy all those ghost stories.ā
āYeah, I know, but itās the day before Halloween, and you know how that sorta thing goes.ā
āBut itās not Halloween yetā¦is it?ā
Monty chuckled. He liked what Max was thinking. āI see your point. Alright, youāre on. Letās move!ā
Max and Monty made it into the Whistling Woods. It was starting to get late and theyād been gone from the rest of the Pack for a while, but the two had to find the perfect spot to dump all the dirt. Soon, they found a great area, hidden from the tracks.
āItās beautiful!ā Max chuckled evilly. āAnd itās ripe for the dumpinā!ā
āI get to go first!ā chirped Monty.
āWhat? No! This was my idea! Iām goinā first!ā shouted Max as he barged Monty out of the way.
āHey! No fair!ā cried Monty.
āYa snooze, ya lose, brother!ā Max laughed as he dumped the dirt and sped off. āMeet ya back there!ā
As Max left, Monty groaned in anger at his brotherās antics. But soon he dumped his dirt onto the spot and prepared to leave. But then, he heard a strange noise. āroooaaaarrrrggghhhhā¦ā
Monty gulped. āHello? Wh-h-hoās t-t-there?ā
The noise repeated. It was like a loud mechanical whir, blaring through the forest. Monty was almost too scared to move. āH-h-hello?!ā
The noise continued until Monty was absolutely terrified. He sped out of the woods, screaming for his life.
That night, most of the Pack were tucked away in their sheds, but there was still no sign of Monty.
āWhereās Monty?ā asked Oliver. āHe should be back by now.ā
āItās insane,ā said Max, āhe was with me at the wo-ā He stopped when he saw the Pack staring at him. āā¦uh, dump! He was with me at the dump.ā
Elsewhere, Alfie had collected the stone from Thomasā train. āWhat was with the holdup, Thomas?ā
āAh, you know. Broken crossing at Wellsworth.ā Thomas explained. āI only had Toby to keep me company, but he kept yammering on about hearing a ghost in the Whistling Woods.ā
āGhosts? He does know ghosts arenāt real, right?ā
āThatās what me and Henrietta said.ā Thomas laughed.
Just then, Monty came racing in, still screaming until he raced into his shed.
āWhoa!ā cried Jack. āMonty, whatās wrong?ā
āI heard aā¦a g-g-g-g-g-gā¦ā
āUhā¦you heard a grape?ā asked Darcy.
āA goat!ā shouted Jack.
āA grill?ā requested Oliver.
āā¦g-g-g-ghooost!ā cried Monty.
The Pack laughed at Monty. āYou canāt be serious, Monty!ā laughed Max. āThereās no such thing!ā
āItās true! I heard it in the Whistling Woods!ā
The Pack continued laughing, all except Alfie. āNow, hold on. I thought you were at the dump all day.ā
āWe took the scenic route!ā said Max, quickly.
āBut the Whistling Woods isnāt anywhere near the dump.ā Oliver thought.
āAnyway,ā said Alfie as he put the last of the stone down. āletās discuss this more in the morning. For now, we need our sleep.ā
āAlfieās right,ā Jack said. āwe can discuss Max and Monty disregarding their tasks later.ā
āHey!ā said Max and Monty.
āWell, you did.ā protested Jack.
The next morning, the worksite was decorated for Halloween, but while the Pack was constructing the bank, Miss Jenny was reprimanding Max and Monty.
āYou two are in a heap of trouble,ā Miss Jenny scowled. āyou were specifically told to go straight to the dump, and you couldnāt even do that!ā
āBut, Miss Jennyā¦ā Max and Monty pouted.
āNo buts.ā continued Miss Jenny. āWhen all the dirtās piled up at the end of the day, youāre both going to the dump. No shortcuts.ā
āYes, Miss Jennyā¦ā Max and Monty sighed.
As she left, Alfie approached the two. āYāknow, the two of you canāt act like you didnāt deserve this, I mean-ā
āCan we focus?ā interrupted Monty. āI heard a ghost last night!ā
āMonty, come on!ā Max groaned. āHow many times do I need to say? Thereās no such things as ghosts!ā
āI dunno, Max,ā Darcy chimed in. āI heard Thomas say that Toby heard a ghost in the Whistling Woods as well. There might be a ghost in there.ā
āCome on, not you too!ā sighed Max. āThereās no ghosts in the Woods!ā
āThen why donāt we prove it?ā Alfie suggested. āMax, you go get Toby. Weāre going to find that ghost!ā
āWow! What a totally safe and natural idea!ā Monty grinned.
āReally?ā
āNo!ā Monty shouted. āWe canāt go in there alone! Not with a ghost!ā
āHey, you arenāt alone, brother,ā said Max, āya got us!ā
āNot to mention Toby,ā added Alfie.
āWellā¦if you say so.ā sighed Monty. āFine, weāll hunt this one ghost, but letās not make a habit outta this!ā
āWould we need to?ā asked Max.
Max, Monty and Alfie pulled into Maithwaite where Toby and Henrietta were talking to Emily, Rocky and Flynn.
āYou really havenāt seen Harold anywhere?ā asked Emily.
āHe hasnāt come back to base in two days!ā whimpered Flynn.
āI canāt say I have, guys.ā said Toby.
āWeāll let you know if we see him, though.ā said Henrietta.
As Emily, Rocky and Flynn left, Max and Monty saw their chance to ask Toby. āPsst! Hey, Toby!ā
āEh?ā asked Toby. āOh. Hi, Max. Monty. Alfie. What are you doing here?ā
āWe need your help,ā said Monty. āyou said you heard a ghost the other day, right?ā
āYes. I just thought I was hearing things.ā
āWell, Monty heard the same thing,ā chimed in Max, āso I was thinking: we should all go in and find that ghost.ā
āFind that ghost?ā Toby shivered. āNo, I wonāt do it! I donāt want to be possessed!ā
āYouāll be fine, Toby,ā Max said. ābesides, between you and me, thereās really no ghost in there.ā
āBut I heard it!ā
āAre ya sure?ā
Toby thought for a moment. āHeās got a point there, Toby.ā said Henrietta.
āHmmā¦alright.ā Toby sighed. āIf you say so.ā
The four trekked into the Whistling Woods. It was quietā¦too quiet. This really concerned Monty and Toby.
āUhā¦where do you guys think itāll be?ā whimpered Monty. āAnd does it eat dump trucks?ā
āWill you quit worryinā?ā groaned Max. āLetās just get in here, bust your nonexistent ghost, get out, finish the bank, bada bing, bada boom.ā
āMax is right.ā Alfie replied. āHe said it really weird, but heās right. Chances are, thereās nothing here!ā
As he spoke, the strange moan blared through the forest. āroooaaaarrrrggghhhhā¦ā
āWhat was that?!ā Toby whimpered. āWas that the ghost?ā
āHow do we know that wasnāt an owl?ā asked Alfie.
The moan grew louder and louder until they approached a small bush. The four didnāt know what happened.
āHuh. It stopped.ā chuckled Max. āI told you! Thereās no-ā
The moaning grew louder than before, even frightening Max and Alfie.
āMaybe there is a ghost in there!ā Alfie cried.
āLetās get outta here!ā whimpered Toby.
āNo! We gotta see what this guy looks like!ā Monty yelled out. āOne of us has to go in!ā
āYeah! Max responded. āMonty, go in!ā
āWhat, me?! Iām not going in there!ā
āYou gotta! I donāt wanna get possessed!ā
āMe neither!ā
āJust go in there! Iāll make sure the pack remembers your name!ā
āOh, real helpful!ā
āBoth of you!ā sighed Alfie. āStop bickering and go in there!ā
Max and Monty swallowed their pride and slowly trudged in. The moan was growing louder, almost deafening, but Max and Monty braved it andā¦then they saw it. The source of the moaning. The ghost Monty had heard was none other thanā¦
āHarold?!ā cried Max and Monty.
āMax? Monty?ā asked Harold. āWhat are you two doing here?ā
āWe could ask you the same thing.ā chuckled Monty.
āI was rescuing some trapped hikers a couple days ago.ā Harold explained. āBut my rotors got branches lodged between them. I tried restarting my blades, but nothingās working!ā
āWait, so all that moaning and groaning we heard,ā asked Toby, āthat was you?ā
āYeah,ā replied Harold. āWhatād you think it was?ā
Harold was soon rescued by the Sodor Search and Rescue team. The Pack even helped out to clear away the branches. As it happened, Miss Jenny spoke to Max and Monty.
āWell done, lads!ā commended Miss Jenny. āI donāt think Harold would be freed if it werenāt for you lads.ā
āOh, it was nothing,ā boasted Max.
āReally, it was. Iām still not sure how it happened.ā said Monty.
āWell, the two of ya would make a mother proud, thatās for sure!ā Miss Jenny said as she left.
āNice work, chaps,ā chuckled Oliver. āI never thought you two would save the day.ā
āAnd on Halloween no less.ā laughed Jack.
āWell, what can we say?ā chuckled Monty.
āItās all part of our plan.ā Max bragged.
āPlan? What plan?ā argued Monty. āWe found Harold on accident.ā
And off the two went to finish the bank, arguing away like always, as Toby and Henrietta stayed behind with the rescue team.
āSo thereās really no ghost in here?ā Toby asked.
āNope!ā chuckled Emily. āYouāre all good. Besides, thereās no such thing as ghosts. You know that, right?ā
āRight. Of course.ā Toby said as he puffed away.
āYouāre finally over your fears, eh?ā asked Henrietta.
āOh, Iām still scared, Henrietta,ā chuckled Toby. āBut I at least know thereās nothing in here to be scared about.ā
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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