Thomas & Friends Season 12 Reimagined

Henry Gets It Wrong

The Fat Controller came to Tidmouth Sheds one evening with an urgent message.

"The Wishing Tree has been damaged in the recent storms!" he boomed, "We've contacted woodsmen who can help save the tree. They'll be at Knapford Station tomorrow morning. I need an engine to take them to The Wishing Tree!"

All the engines were worried about the tree, especially Henry. Henry volunteered to do the job with no hesitation.

"Very well, Henry," said The Fat Controller, "but bear in mind you have to make a lot of deliveries of coal tomorrow. You might have to take the woodsmen to the forest very early so you can get those deliveries done on time."

Soon after The Fat Controller left, the engines were all shut away in the sheds for the night. Henry couldn't sleep, though.

"I hope The Wishing Tree will be alright until the woodsmen get to it," he wheeshed worriedly.

Gordon huffed, "Worrying will not get jobs done, Henry. Really useful engines just do their jobs without worrying."

This only made Henry worry even more.

When morning finally came, Henry made a decision: he would get started on his deliveries right away. That way, his worrying about The Wishing Tree wouldn't get in the way of his jobs being completed on time.

On the way to the coaling plant, he saw a lot of the damage that the storm had caused. A telephone pole had fallen onto the track beside him.

"There are a lot of trucks to deliver," he huffed, "I'll need to make good time. Hopefully, the telephone pole will be cleared soon."

Seeing the amount of damage the storm had caused, Henry was starting to doubt his decision. If this kind of damage had been done to man-made structures, what kind of damage could have been done to the tree? Henry tried to suppress these thoughts, though. He would get the woodsmen to the tree on time. Right?

Henry reached the coaling plant. As he was getting coupled to his train, Rosie puffed up to him.

"Hello Henry!" she peeped cheerily, "I'd have thought you would be the one taking the woodsmen to The Wishing Tree."

"I am taking the woodsmen," said Henry, "but I have a lot of deliveries to do so I need to get on with those. I'll pick up the woodsmen on the way."

"Oh. OK!" said a confused but still cheerful Rosie.

As soon as he was ready to leave, Henry steamed out of the coaling plant. He wanted to get his jobs done quickly to avoid talking to more engines who might ask questions.

At first, he was making good time. He got to Wellsworth and dropped off his first delivery in a matter of minutes.

As he puffed along towards the next station, Henry could see the forest getting closer and closer. He almost felt like the trees were glaring down at him.

"Mustn't worry. Must keep going!" he puffed.

Unfortunately, Henry wasn't able to keep going for much longer. At his next stop, he had to wait for a bit. Toad, who was in a siding, told him that the telephone pole he had seen earlier was only now being removed from the track.

Henry was starting to panic. He wouldn't be getting the coal to the stations or the woodsmen to the tree while he was waiting for the telephone pole to be removed.

"Mr Henry, if I may be so bold, you don't look to be in a good way. What's the matter?" Toad said, knowing full well everything wasn't as fine as Henry would like him to think it was.

Henry wondered how long he could keep lying for. He knew deep down that he should have prioritised getting the woodsmen to The Wishing Tree. He wasn't sure if he could still get that job done in time now.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Oliver approached the station, pulling Rocky.

"Well," said Rocky, "my work here is done!"

"Nice that some of us can say that," chuffed Henry. Now that he could move, that was what he had to do. Without ever answering Toad's question, he pulled out of the station.

When he raced into Knapford Station, he saw the woodsmen waiting on a platform.

"I mean, if we can't get there soon enough, the tree will just have to be cut down," said one of them.

"We'll do what we can," said another, who looked very anxious.

Henry was more concerned than ever. He was still expected to go to Tidmouth before coming back. The Wishing Tree might not last that long. He had to think of a solution right now or all might be lost. He struggled to think at all through his panic.

As he struggled to keep it together, Edward pulled into the station, ready to pick up passengers.

"Edward," said Henry without thinking for very long, "I need someone to take the woodsmen to the forest for me. Can you do it?"

Edward was shocked.

"Why aren't you doing it?" he asked.

Henry sighed. He knew he had to own up to his mistake.

"I was trying not to worry too much about the tree. I thought I wouldn't be useful if I did but now, I've left the job too late."

Edward had overheard Henry and Gordon talking last night. He understood what had gone on.

"I have my own passengers to think about," puffed Edward, "but I can make one extra stop. The woodsmen can't start work any later."

Henry was thankful but he couldn't delay any longer. His deliveries still needed to be made.

Later, when Henry puffed back through Knapford Station, he saw that Edward had already long since left with the woodsmen and his own passengers.

'Let's hope for the best,' he thought.

During his journey across the island, many engines were asking him about The Wishing Tree; they thought he had been the one to drop off the woodsmen.

Henry had no idea what was happening in the forest. He was just as curious as the other engines but he knew there was nothing he could do now.

He did eventually get to find out more about the forest at his last stop. The Fat Controller was there to give him the latest news.

"I'm afraid I didn't find out soon enough to tell you," said The Fat Controller, "but the woodsmen needed help from a big engine to help prop up The Wishing Tree."

Henry puffed, "I can help, Sir. I've completed all my deliveries now!"

"Oh, I did say they needed one, Henry," The Fat Controller chuckled, "I ended up sending Neville to help them instead. Although I must say, I am surprised you didn't stay long enough for them to get you to help them."

Henry thought back on the events of the day. He knew The Fat Controller would need to know what had really happened.

"Well," Henry began, "I knew if I worried about it too much, I wouldn't get my work done and I wouldn't be a really useful engine..."