The Rust - ThomasNATION Fanstory
October 31, 2023
It was a rough night on the Island of Sodor. The autumn had just dawned over the world and that means tons and tons of leaves on the tracks. Ah well, at least it wasn't raining over Tidmouth Sheds...oh, wait, it was. As a result, everyone was having trouble falling asleep.
“When is this going to end?" groaned James.
"The rain?" asked Emily.
"No, the fall!" James kept complaining. "I only just got polished today! I can't keep being covered in leaves."
"Well, look on the bright side, James," said Percy, optimistically, "it's only a few weeks until Christmas!"
"How's that the first place your mind always goes?" laughed Thomas. “Anyway, it’s just a little spot of rain. I doubt it’s gonna cause that much trouble.”
Just as he said that, a gust of wind knocked over part of the sheds’ roof. There was now a hole over Thomas’ berth.
“Not gonna cause that much trouble, he says.” chuckled James.
Thomas rolled his eyes. “Oh, behave,” he chuckled, “it’s just one little gap in the roof. What could happen?”
“You know every time someone says “what could happen”, something bad always happens?” laughed Gordon.
“Surely not,” replied Thomas. “it’s just a bit of rain.”
And with that, one by one, the engines slowly drifted off to sleep, unaware of what was about to unfold.
The next morning, the morning sun rose over Tidmouth Sheds. The rain had cleared up and the engines had just woke up.
“Good morning, everybody!” chirped Nia.
“I don’t think I slept that poorly in years.” yawned James.
“I don’t know, James,” smiled Thomas, “I slept rather well, I feel great!”
It was then that Percy noticed something extremely concerning about Thomas’ dome. “Uh…Thomas? Your, um…your dome.”
Thomas initially didn’t know what Percy was talking about, until he looked at his dome. He had noticed something extremely concerning. Something he hoped he’d never see in his lifetime. Thomas’ dome had developed a speck of rust.
“What the…” Thomas cried. “How’d that happen?”
“Thomas, you need to get that replaced,” suggested Emily, “before it spreads. Trust me, I know.”
Thomas took Emily’s advice to heart and headed straight to the Steamworks. Victor took a good, long look at the dome.
“So what happened?” asked Victor.
“I don’t know,” shuddered Thomas. “I just remember going to sleep last night, and then I woke up and…well, you know.”
“And you say there was a hole in your shed?”
“Yep.”
“I see what happened now.” said Victor. “The rain must’ve seeped into your paint and the rust developed. Nothing to be concerned about.”
“Are you sure?” whimpered Thomas. “What if this means I’m getting too old to be really useful? And what if I’m one step closer to being scrapped?”
“Don’t be silly, my friend!” laughed Victor. “It was just a spot of rain. This could happen at any age - all we need to do is replace the dome and it’ll be like it never happened.”
Thomas still wasn’t sure, but he decided to at least try to believe Victor. After all, it was just one speck of rust, right?
Soon enough, Thomas had his dome replaced and he was back at work on his branch line. However, he still had those fears of his mortality eating away at him. He was still panicking about his age and how long he had left until he would be scrapped. He couldn’t shake the feeling that soon enough, his time would be up and he would be too old and rusty to be useful. This was something even Annie and Clarabel noticed.
“Everything okay, Thomas?” asked Annie.
“You’ve been quiet all day.” added Clarabel.
“I know,” said Thomas, “but my dome was all rusty this morning and it got me thinking about how much time I’ve got left.”
“Surely you’ll be fine.” chuckled Annie. “It’s just a spot of rust - you’ve had it replaced, you’ll be fine!”
“I don’t know,” sighed Thomas, “I keep panicking about whether or not I’m one step closer to being scrapped!”
“I have an idea,” suggested Clarabel, “why not talk to Stephen and Glynn? They were almost scrapped before the earl saved them.”
“Hmm, maybe you’re right,” pondered Thomas as he sped off to Ulfstead Castle.
Eventually, Thomas made it to the castle, desperate to find Stephen and Glynn.
“Thomas?” asked Stephen. “What’s the matter?”
“Stephen! Am I glad to see you!” panted Thomas. “I’ve got a situation.”
“What’s wrong?”
“My dome got all rusty this morning,” Thomas explained, “and all day I’ve been panicking over how long I’ve got left to live.”
“Oh.” said Stephen. “Well, I assure you it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” Thomas worried, “but I keep having these thoughts that my time will inevitably run out sooner than I expect.”
“I guarantee you that nothing will happen to you.” added Glynn. “Besides, it doesn’t matter how long you have left. Either way, I guarantee you that that’s a long way away. What matters is how useful you are now. You shouldn’t worry about how long you have left or how much you’ve done with your life, what matters is how you choose to be now.”
Glynn’s words managed to get Thomas thinking. Maybe he was being silly over his dome, and maybe what truly mattered was how he lived now.
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” thought Thomas. “Thanks, Glynn.”
“Anytime, Thomas,” smiled Glynn.
Soon, Thomas was back to work as usual. He no longer panicked over how long he had left or how rusty he would get.
“You alright now, Thomas?” asked Percy. “How’s your dome?”
“Not too bad, Percy,” replied Thomas. “Plus, I reckon I’m gonna be on this island a little longer than I thought.”
“That’s the spirit, Thomas!” laughed Percy.
And with that, Thomas got on with his work, having nothing to worry about for the rest of his days.
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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