Thomas and Friends: Tales from the Mainland Volume 1

by The Blue EM2

Fisherman's Friends

"Where is it?" Sunny asked, rifling through the drawers in her room in a panic. "Where is it?"

The commotion was soon heard by the others in the house, and the door opened. "Sunny?" Goldie asked. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find it!" Sunny replied, currently in the process of turning her room upside down.

"Find what?"

"My lucky fisherman's friends box!" Sunny replied, not turning to her mother. "The one I always carry with me!"

Goldie facepalmed. "All of this over a box of cough sweets?"

"And the one that saved me from making a fool of myself at the music festival!" Sunny answered, growing ever more frantic.

"The first thing you need to do is calm down," Goldie informed her, "and then think rationally. Where was it when you last saw it?"

Sunny stopped, turned around, and began to think. "Wait... where was I when I last saw it. The docks! Of course! I can ask my friends if I saw it!"

"See?" Goldie smiled. "All it takes sometimes is being calm and thinking things through. If we panic we can't think straight."

"Thanks mom," Sunny replied. "I'll head into town and see if I can find it." With that, she exited through the door and downstairs.

Argyle popped his head around the door. "What's going on?"

"Sunny's misplaced her fisherman's friends," Goldie replied. "Apparently she always carries a specific box with her."

"Oh! The sweets," Argyle said. "I thought you meant her copies of their albums. Aren't they performing here tonight?"

"I wouldn't know," Goldie sighed. "I don't really keep an eye on which bands are performing in town."

---

Sunny skidded to a stop in the engine shed and saw her friends readying their respective charges. Charles was complaining about something, as was often the case.

"Do you know how long it takes the trains to get to Penzance?" he asked.

"No," Sophie replied. "Why would I?"

"Seven hours. You could go from London to New York in that time!"

"By train?" Rebecca asked.

"By plane, you stupid idiot!"

"Charles, that was uncalled for," Hitch said.

"Not my fault if somebody can't follow a conversation."

Sunny then spoke up to attract their attention. "Has anybody seen my fisherman's friends box?"

"Have you misplaced another of your CDs again?" Pipp asked. "Seriously, Sunny, go with the flow and put your music in the cloud. It's so much better for everybody."

"I don't mean the band!" Sunny said. "I meant my box of cough sweets. I've misplaced it."

Zipp nodded. "I haven't seen one lying about, but I'll keep an eye out for it." She clambered into Charles' cab and started his engine. After a few checks, the diesel moved off out of the shed and towards the station.

"Time to go shunting!" Salty called. "A fresh load of fish has arrived from the boats. I wonder if they'll have any fish fingers?"

Sunny's eyes lit up. "Of course! I'll ask there!"

As Salty rolled out of the shed, Porter looked over to Izzy. "Any clue as to what they're talking about?"

"Not really," Izzy said. "I prefer gobstoppers."

---

Salty rolled into the fish vans sitting on the dockside with a gentle bang, singing as he did so. "Hi ho, silver lining, and away you go!"

Sunny hopped out to check if the couplings were done correctly and noted they weren't. "Best get those hooked up whilst the fishermen load the train."

Sure enough, the fisherman, clad in their distinctive uniform of yellow rainwear and sporting an impressive range of facial hair, came up from the boats with boxes and cages in their hands.

"Quite the catch out there!" said one.

"Seems Neptune was generous today," said another, carrying quite a few lobsters.

Sunny walked over to them when the coupling was finished. "Good morning!" she said. "Have a good time out there?"

"Mornin', Sally," said the first. "And mornin', Salty!"

"Good mornin'!" Salty replied. "Shiver me cylinders! That's a lot of fish!"

"It's a bumper haul," admitted the second. "Good to see you out enjoyin' the sun, me darlin'."

Sunny nodded. "Hey, have any of you seen any fisherman's friends boxes around here? I've misplaced mine."

Another sailor produced a box of bait. "This what you're looking for?"

"Not quite," Sunny replied. "As in the cough sweets."

"Oh," said the fishermen in unison.

"Well," continued the first, "I always carry some, but I haven't seen any boxes around here. But if I see any I'll let you know."

Sunny nodded. "Thanks. Well, when you're done loading, I'll get this to marshalling yards and get them to the cities for delivery."

Once loading was completed, Salty called out. "Shall we give a chorus of John in the Barrel?"

"Fantastic idea!" called one of the fish vans. "Look sharp, me lads!"

As Salty moved off, he led them off.

"Down, down, and down he dived/
John in the Barrel went over the side!
Will he ever come back up alive?
Haul him up for air, boys!

"Down, down, and down he dived/
John in the Barrel went over the side!
Hold your breath and enjoy the ride!
Gonna be a millionaire, boys!"

---

The day eventually turned into afternoon, and Salty had just finished shunting in the yard when the foreman ran over. "There's been a breakdown on the road between Falmouth and Penmere, and the roads are blocked. A minibus is blocking the road, and the passengers need conveying from the station to Falmouth. Can you get some coaches and take them to Falmouth?"

"We won't let you down, sir!" Sunny called, and took Salty off to collect some coaches. Once they had been recovered the pair set off up the line, coming to a stop at the station.

"Get on quickly please!" Salty called, as a group of people got onboard, conversing in an unusual language.

As Salty was running round, he asked Sunny a question. "What language was that?"

"I think it was Cornish," Sunny replied. "I don't speak it very well myself as I only started learning it last year, but I'm keen to practice."

Once Salty was hooked up to the other end, Sunny blasted his horn, and they got on their way.

After a relatively easy run down the hill, the passengers disembarked as Sunny got onto the platform.

"Well, that was an interesting journey, eh Lefty?" said one of the men.

"I've had more straightforward journeys from Port Isaac, I'll admit," 'Lefty' replied. "But I'll tell you this, Jeremy, that was about as exciting as our journey to Glastonbury."

Sunny's jaw dropped. "Salty, do you know who we rescued?" she asked.

"People?" Salty suggested.

"The Fisherman's Friends!" Sunny exclaimed. "They're performing here tonight, and we got them here!"

'Jeremy' turned around and walked over to the engine. "So, you and your diesel got us here, eh?" he asked.

"Yes sir!" Sunny replied. "It was an honour to help. No, seriously, you're my favourite folk band. Can I have your autograph?"

"Of course, my darling," Jeremy replied, and took out a piece of paper. "But I've heard of the singing shunter of Falmouth. Salty, isn't it?"

"Of course, Mr..." Salty paused.

"Jeremy Brown."

"Of course, Mr Brown," Salty said. "One and All, after all!"

"A Cornish engine through and through," said one of the other men.

"If ever you want to join us for a round of singing, just let us know," Jeremy said. "Come on, lads! We've got a concert to do!"

---

That evening, the people of Falmouth gathered on the harbour front to hear the Fisherman's Friends.

"Good evening, Falmouth!" called Jeremy. "It's an honour to be performing here tonight. But we nearly didn't make it, were it not for the work of two individuals. Give it up for Salty the diesel engine and Miss Sunny Starscout!"

The dockside erupted in applause as people glanced at Sunny, who waved back. "I only did my part!"

"And so, we dedicate this first song to the people we meet in life. No matter what your trade or interests, we are all equally special in our own way!"

A guitar and light percussion began as they started to sing.

For all the small people, and the tall people/
For the dispossessed and the observers!
For all the broken-hearted, and the recently departed/
For the unwashed and the unheard.

"Mother Nature don't draw straight lines/
The broken moulds in a grand design!
We look a mess but we're doing fine/
We're card carrying lifelong members/
Of the union of different kinds!"

Izzy sat down next to Sunny as she handed her a box. "Here you go. I found this in Porter's cab on the floor. You must have dropped it when heading home yesterday."

Sunny grinned. "Thanks so much, Izzy!"

"It's what friends are for, Sunny," Izzy smiled, as they began to sway back and forth.

"Come on everybody, join in with the chorus!" the assembled Fisherman's Friends called.

"Mother Nature don't draw straight lines/
The broken moulds in a grand design!
We look a mess but we're doing fine/
We're card carrying lifelong members/
Of the union of different kinds!"

And nowhere was that sentiment more true than in Falmouth harbour.

Author's Note:

The core plot of this story is loosely based on an episode of Bluestone 42, a BBC sitcom about a British Army unit in Afghanistan. It also takes elements from the My Little Pony episode Lesson Zero, and the Thomas and Friends special Thomas and the Royal Engine, which I previously adapted in one of my earlier collections.

Seeing as they've been brought up a fair bit up to this point, it only seems fitting to bring on the Fisherman's Friends, once marketed as Britain's oldest boy band (their combined age exceeds 600). The song at the end, 'Union of Different Kinds', was part of the set they performed at Glastonbury in 2011.

The next tale, you'll be glad to hear, will not focus on Sunny and Salty.

Comments

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

11500158
Indeed.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

Quite a cool story. And boy many people do have quite unique lucky items these days. But what kind of cough sweets is this story referring to?

Also, I'm glad Sunny didn't go crazy like how Twilight did.

[shining paladin]

awesome

[The Blue EM2]

11500200
Glad you enjoyed.

[The Blue EM2]

11500162
These, albeit in a tin box:

fishermansfriend.com/media/pages/flavours/original-extra-strong/d945043085-1624365620/original-package-392x.png

Originally created to help sailors with sore throats, they are now pretty popular with the general public in Britain.

[TheSodorRailways]

Hcan you make a story using this basic?

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/530335/3/the-ben-cownie-series/the-precious-gift

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

Izzy sat down next to Sunny as she handed her a box. "Here you go. I found this in Porter's cab on the floor. You must have dropped it when heading home yesterday."

At least she found it after saving the day.

[The Blue EM2]

11500230
I'll take a look.

[The Blue EM2]

11500294
Funny how these sorts of thjngs happen.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

11500216
Wow, that’s really nice looking.
Hmm, is there a specific type of cough sweets this story is refering

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

11500781
And quite a coincidence too.

[The Blue EM2]

11500791
Yes.

[The Blue EM2]

11500817
Coincidences occur everywgere.