One peaceful evening on the Island of Sodor, the engines were tucked away in their sheds. It had been a long day of pulling coaches, hauling freight, and keeping everything running smoothly. Thomas, Gordon, Percy, and James were chatting quietly before drifting off to sleep, their boilers cooling after a hard day's work.
But just as the engines began to settle in, something unusual happened at Knapford Station.
Sir Topham Hatt had been working late in his office. With paperwork piled high, he was feeling tired. "I'll just rest my eyes for a minute," he mumbled, leaning back in his chair. But instead of waking up, Sir Topham Hatt slowly stood, still asleep, and began to wander out of the station!
Back at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas was the first to hear a faint noise in the distance. At first, he thought it was just the wind, but soon Percy noticed it too. It was a distant clanging and footsteps, but it didn't sound right.
"Do you hear that, Thomas?" asked Percy. "It sounds like someone's moving about."
Before they could figure it out, a hurried figure came flying toward the sheds—it was Harold the Helicopter!
"Thomas! Percy! All engines!" Harold called, hovering above the sheds. "It's Sir Topham Hatt! He's sleepwalking all over the island!"
The engines gasped in shock.
"He's heading toward the tracks, and if he walks too far, he could get lost! We must find him before something terrible happens!" Harold added.
Without wasting another second, the engines fired up their boilers. Thomas was the first to leave the sheds, followed closely by Percy, Gordon, and James.
"Let's split up," Gordon suggested. "I'll check the main line toward Vicarstown. Thomas, you head toward the docks. Percy, James, you two cover the countryside and the quarry."
With whistles blowing, the engines raced in different directions, their wheels clattering over the tracks. Thomas was determined to find Sir Topham Hatt. "I hope we find him soon," Thomas puffed to himself, "before he wanders into danger!"
Thomas arrived at Brendam Docks, his lamp shining bright in the night. Cranky the Crane spotted Thomas from his tall perch.
"Thomas, what are you doing here at this hour?" Cranky asked, swinging his crane arm.
"We're looking for Sir Topham Hatt. He's sleepwalking!" Thomas explained.
Cranky creaked and groaned as he turned to scan the docks. "I haven't seen him, but you'd better hurry—he could be anywhere!"
Just then, Salty the Diesel rolled over. "Ahoy there, Thomas! I thought I saw someone walkin' toward the harbor not long ago, but I wasn't sure who it was."
Thomas's heart raced. "That must be him! I'll check the harbor!"
Thomas chuffed toward the water, his lamp flickering across the quiet harbor. Suddenly, he saw a figure moving near the edge of the docks—Sir Topham Hatt!
"Sir! Stop!" Thomas called, but Sir Topham Hatt didn't hear him. Still deep in sleep, he continued walking dangerously close to the water.
Just as Thomas was about to sound his whistle again, Percy came zooming in from the countryside, his whistle echoing through the docks.
"There he is!" Percy cried. "We have to stop him!"
Thinking quickly, Thomas and Percy blocked the path ahead of Sir Topham Hatt with their buffers. They gently nudged him back onto the safer ground, guiding him away from the edge.
"Phew, that was close!" Percy sighed in relief.
But before they could celebrate, Sir Topham Hatt began walking again—this time toward the tracks!
"We need help!" Thomas puffed.
Meanwhile, Gordon had been racing along the main line, and Harold the Helicopter had been following Sir Topham Hatt's movements from the air. Seeing the trouble at the docks, Harold zoomed over to alert Gordon and James.
"We need to get him back to safety!" Harold called down.
Gordon, being the fastest, thundered down the tracks and arrived at the docks just in time. With a loud whistle, Gordon blocked the last set of tracks that led out of the area.
"Now he can't wander any farther!" Gordon said confidently.
Percy and Thomas gently nudged Sir Topham Hatt toward a safe bench, while James arrived to stand guard.
"Good teamwork, everyone," Thomas smiled. "But now what do we do? We can't wake him!"
Suddenly, Harold had an idea. "I'll bring Lady Hatt here. She knows how to wake him gently."
And sure enough, Lady Hatt arrived soon after in one of Bertie the Bus's early morning runs. With a soft tap on his shoulder, Sir Topham Hatt blinked his eyes open, no longer sleepwalking.
"What's going on?" Sir Topham Hatt asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Oh, nothing much, dear," Lady Hatt said kindly. "You just took a little stroll in your sleep!"
Thomas and the engines chuckled quietly to themselves.
"I must say, you engines are always so reliable," Sir Topham Hatt said, yawning. "But perhaps next time, I should get a bit more sleep before doing paperwork."
With a final puff of steam, the engines returned to their sheds, tired but happy that they had kept Sir Topham Hatt safe. And from that night on, they always kept one ear open, just in case there were more adventures waiting under the moonlit skies of Sodor.
