Assist to Action! - a TTTE fanstory

Assist to Action by Jack Brooks

The following is SCRIPT-formatted...

Assist to Action

Written by Jack Brooks

Scene 1: STH’s Office

We establish his office on the Tidmouth platform. The assistants stand outside.

Sir Topham Hatt:

“I tell you what, Johnson. It’s very pretty indeed.”

We’re inside now. All 4 in the office overlook the blueprints.

Railwayman 1:

“I know it, sir. So, you know it’s something we ought to build.”

Sir Topham Hatt:

“It’s hard to argue with someone like you…Let’s do it. I’ll authorize these blueprints tomorrow.

The railwayman shakes Topham’s hand.

Railwayman:

“Thank you so much, sir! We’ll do a grand job; you won’t be disappointed.”

Sir Topham Hatt:

“Absolutely. Now if you‘ll all follow me…”

Topham guides them out of his office. He hands the prints to the assistant on screen left.

Sir Topham Hatt:

“Mr. Young, if you’ll hold this please.”

He walks into the coach with the men.

Sir Topham Hatt:

“I would like for you to take that to my mailing room.”

The coach door slams.

Kyle:

“Uhh, Will? Your fly is down.”

Young:

“I know. I was trying to stay as still as I could so no one would notice.”

Will places the prints on top of a suitcase on a dolly. A porter comes about, places the blueprints in the top suitcase and carts off to the luggage van. Will looks behind himself and darts towards the van. The porter bangs the door, the guard blows his whistle and waves his flag and the train is off. As the porter swings around, he collides with Will and they both fall over. Will quickly gets back up and chases the train to the end of the platform. Kyle goes to him.

Kyle:

“Will! What has gotten into you?”

Young:

“The blueprints, Kyle!”

Kyle:

“What about them?”

Young:

“The porter loaded them up into Gordon’s train! Why didn’t you warn me?”

Kyle:

“I was looking away! It’s not right to watch a man adjust himself, you know.”

Will gets up and dusts himself off.

Will:

“Well, here we have a fine howdy do. I know just where to go; follow me!”

They speed to the bus depot.

Narrator:

“The two men in the conundrum, believe it or not, are actually quite prominent figures on the railway. They are the assistants of Sir Topham Hatt himself and they accompany him quite regularly. They seldom do wrong and seldom let the Fat Controller down, so retrieving these important station blueprints was dire, to say the least.”