TEDDY MAC, THOMAS II AND THE WISHING WELL

Teddy Mac frowned. Something was wrong. Thomas II was stuck on the turntable in the sunshine. “Come on! Time to go!”  whispered Teddy Mac. “Shush,” blew Thomas II through his steam “ I’m wishing I could do nothing all day.”  

   Teddy Mac fingered his Star Marbles in his pocket. He pulled them both out to look at them. One was his Blue Star Marble from Humphrey and the other was his Gold Star Marble from Ambrose, the snake on the path. “M’mm” he thought. “If I made a wish, it would be to have a whole pocket full of  Marbles”  Meanwhile, Grandad called John Mac, the Chief Engineer to come and look at Thomas II so Teddy Mac thought it might be a good time to pop down into the nearest mole hill. 

    In the mole tunnel, Humphrey was leaning against a truck full of green marbles. Before Teddy Mac could say anything, there was a loud rumbling as another marble truck came roaring along the track. Humphrey flattened himself against the tunnel wall as a truck full of white marbles hurtled into the green marble truck, shoving it forward and pushing it towards the tunnel leading to the Wishing Well. 

“Oh dear,” said Humphrey, dusting himself off,  “I might have known it. Those white marbles have heard someone making a wish. It’s a pity people don’t think more carefully about wishing, because it doesn’t always turn out the way they want.”

Teddy Mac turned a funny shade of pink. “I, um, I’ve got to go back to Grandad,” he said. Popping up to the surface, he heard John Mac say. “Well, Thomas II can’t stay here. I’ll have to tow him to the Engine Shed. He can stay there all day.”  Grandad sighed. “I’ll have to put Dickie into steam instead,” he said.  While Grandad was busy, Teddy Mac thought he would go along to the Wishing Well to see what was happening. He passed the Aviary and headed in the direction of the Children’s playground. The Wishing Well was on his left. The Bunny Brothers were chasing each round and round the base of the Well. “What’s going on?” asked Teddy Mac. 

The Bunny Brothers jumped up and down until Teddy Mac peered over the edge of the Well to see. It was crammed to the top with shiny white marbles. “Oh, no! “ said Teddy Mac, “What are they doing there? Have you been making a wish too?” But the Bunny Brothers weren’t listening. They were making plans. After a few minutes they dashed off. Teddy Mac thought it was time he went back to Grandad. Back at Much Natter Station,  Dickie was fully steamed. Teddy Mac jumped into the tender before Grandad noticed him. “Now, how did you get there ?” asked Grandad. I was sure I left you behind in Thomas II?”  Teddy Mac thought of Thomas II waiting in the cold, dark Engine Shed. “Poor Thomas II” he muttered, “His wish didn’t turn out at all well!” As they steamed into to Devil’s Gorge, he saw the Bunny Brothers running as fast as they could, dropping carrots as they dodged through the bushes. Chasing them was a large black dog from one of the gardens nearby.

“Oh oh!” thought Teddy Mac, “Maybe their wish hasn’t worked out either!” Just before the tunnel, Grandad had to brake suddenly as one of the Bunny Brothers ran in front of him. “Ooh” shrieked Teddy Mac as he flew out of the tender on to the track.  It happened so quickly that he carried on rolling until he found himself buried in ballast. Only his head and paws could be seen. Just before the tunnel, the signal was on red. 

 Grandad climbed out of the cab to pick him up. “My, you ARE heavy!”  he said. “What on earth have you got in your pockets?” Teddy Mac could hardly breathe. He felt so weighed down. Grandad held him in one hand and scooped out handfulls of shiny white marbles from Teddy Mac’s pockets. “How did you get so much ballast stuck in here?” he asked. Teddy Mac managed to hold on to his two Star Marbles, but Grandad threw the rest back on to the track. “M’mm,” thought Teddy Mac, “Perhaps wishing for more marbles wasn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe I shall be quite happy with the two Star Marbles that I have!”

Margaret Edmonds © 2010