Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends: Into The Boob Verse.

Tuna & The Flying Kipper

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the long gap between tales, but life on The Fat Controller's railway has been very busy. With the Christmas rush, coupled with both Ren and Doc out for maintenance, we were pushed to our limits. Luckily, over the festive season, The Fat Controller managed to find an engine named "Tuna" to help with the goods traffic. He looks a little bit like Horace, but with a flat running board, and a top feed close to his funnel. The other engines quickly took to teasing him.

"With a name like yours!"

They laugh.

"You should be pulling The Flying Kipper!"

"It'd fit you perfectly!"

Tuna would often just grit his teeth.

One evening, Henry was ill. The workmen examined his tubes.

"They're all backed up."

His driver told The Fat Controller.

"It'll take some time to clean out, no way he'll be able to take The Flying Kipper."

The Fat Controller understood.

"Very well, I'll send for the relief."

The relief that day was Murdoch. He backed into the yard crossly, not wanting to take the train himself. All of a sudden, his driver shouted!

"GLORY!"

Instead of the trucks waiting in a siding, they were sat, fouling the points, just in front of the water tower! Murdoch tried to stop, but by then it was far too late! Murdoch's tender toppled right off the rails! Luckily, no one was hurt, but Murdoch couldn't move any further.

Soon, Tuna arrived with the cranes, and The Fat Controller.

"The accident wasn't your fault."

He told the stricken engine sincerely.

"Could've happened to anyone. The only question is, who'll take the train?"

Tuna stayed quiet. He hoped no one would call upon him, and give the other engines even more cannon-fodder. But Murdoch had other ideas.

"Aye, whit aboot youn Tuna 'ere? For someone wi the name o a wee fish, I'm shockit ye haven't haed the chance."

"Oh, well! I'm sure I'm far too busy to take such a train."

But to Tuna's horror, The Fat Controller agreed.

Soon, Tuna was coupled to The Flying Kipper.

"Thank you for the last minute stand-in, but do be careful, the line can look very different at night."

"Thank you for the warning!"

His stoker called, and with that, Tuna puffed away into the night.

"Show us hou perfectly ye fit this train!"

Murdoch called! Tuna didn't reply.

The Fat Controller was right, the line was almost unrecognizable. That's when Tuna's troubles began. He found the line a little spooky.

"It's alright old boy."

His stoker smiled.

"The tracks will guide us to safety."

The viaduct was the worst, with Richard's story dancing around his smoke-box, he hated it. At last, his nerves started to slow, but not by much.

"This will be perfect for you."

His driver grinned.

"It'll be good to learn the line!"

"It's the perfect train for you as well, with such a fishy name like yours!"

Both crew laughed loudly, but Tuna didn't, he simply scowled, and carried on.

At last, he arrived at Edward's station. Tuna was uncoupled from the train, and drew into the yards for a quick drink. In the comfort of the sunlight, the familiar shapes of tower cranes and workmen's buildings looked far less frightening. Twisting metal, creaking wood and the distant calls of wild-life would have given Tuna a sinking feeling in the pit of his firebox. As water guzzled its way through his pipes, Tuna started missing the smell of the fish, at least that was, now anyway, familiar to him.

"Filled to the top!"

His stoker called. The driver opened the regulator, but didn't expect Tuna to practically take off! He shot back, right into The Flying Kipper! Thankfully, none of the station staff were standing in any of the vans, but one, who was carrying a few crates of fish and startled by the sudden noise, dropped the crates with a splintering crash! Kippers went everywhere, the bulk of them slamming into Tuna's tender!

"Yuck!"

Tuna gagged. The smell was awful! It took some time to clean the mess, but not enough time to clean Tuna.

"But the other engines will make fun of me if I return smelling like fish!"

"Nothing we can do about that."

His guard sighed.

"We're already running late."

At last, they set off, and carried on the rest of the journey without further trouble at all.

Tuna's fears were proven correct, when he returned to the sheds, the smell was awful!

"Pew!"

Henry snickered.

"What a pong!"

"A thoucht ye hatit the idea o bein such a perfect fit for it! First bein namit aff a fish, now smellin o another! Whit neist, ye tak up swimming!?"

Murdoch added, laughing loudly at his own witt. Tuna didn't say a word.