05x21 - A Surprise for Percy

[bunniefuu]

(bright, cheerful music)

(happy, bouncy music)

- [Narrator] Percy was

working in the coal mines.

He was feeling bored and lonely,

with only the silly

freight cars for company.

"Cheer up, Percy,"

said his driver,

"Sir Topham Hatt has told me

"that we must be

here again tomorrow.

"We've just got to make the

best of a bad situation."

"I'll try, sir," sighed Percy.

Next morning, the freight

cars started teasing Percy.

"Percy Percy, green and small,

he's no use to us at all.

"Around the yards,

he'll puff and blow,

"but on the hills,

he's oh-so-slow."

"Be quiet."

(metal cars clanging)

(steam hisses)

Then he took the freight

cars to the coal hopper

to be loaded up.

(jaunty music)

(train whistle blowing)

Percy still felt glum

as he puffed up to

the top of the hill.

(train tracks rumbling)

He parked his freight cars,

and then set off back

down to the mines.

Not even the cheerful

sight of Bertie the Bus

could bring a smile

to Percy's face.

"What's the matter,

Percy?" asked Bertie.

"Nothing exciting ever happens,

"that's the matter,"

sighed Percy.

"It's just coal, coal,

coal, and cars, cars, cars.

"I'm bored, bored, bored."

"Excitement is surprising,"

observed Bertie.

"You never know

when it'll happen.

"Otherwise, it

wouldn't be exciting.

"Tootle peep."

(bus horn honks)

"It would be surprising

if something surprising

happened," muttered Percy.

(mellow music)

Later, he stopped by the

water tower for a drink.

"Hello Percy, how are

things?" asked Toby.

"Boring."

"Well, why not have a few

fast spins on the turntable,

"you'll like that," said Toby.

"I think it'd just

make me giddy."

Percy's driver interrupted,

"Stop gossiping, you two."

"Cheer up, Percy, you'll

soon know more about cars

"than any other engine.

"That'll be exciting,"

called Toby.

(jaunty music)

The freight cars

were still grumbling

and there was more

of them than ever.

"You're much too small

to pull all of us.

"We want another engine

or we'll be struggling

up the hill all night.

"All night, all right,

you can puff and blow.

"But on that hill, you're

still too slow, ha-ha."

"S-s-slow yourself,"

stuttered Percy.

(metal clanging)

"Temper, temper,"

giggled the cars.

(freight cars giggling)

Percy decided to

simply carry on.

(adventurous music)

"Go to it, Percy,"

shouted the driver.

The freight cars

were still joking.

"Too slow, more power.

"Here all night, tomorrow too."

"Be quiet," said Percy angrily.

Then, there was trouble.

(tense music)

A coupling broke.

"Surprise, surprise,

catch us if you can."

"Oh, no!" cried Percy.

(tense flute music)

(train tracks rumbling)

(adventurous, heroic music)

(train whistle blowing)

Percy's driver

told the signalman,

and the yard foreman

told Sir Topham Hatt

what was happening.

"They're heading

for the big hill.

"It'll slow them down but

they may roll back again,

"right into the village."

"Then we'll just have

to stop them, won't we."

(determined music)

The chase was on.

(adventurous music)

(engines revving)

(train whistle blowing)

(engines revving)

As they approached the hill,

they overtook the freight cars.

Sir Topham Hatt and

Bertie screeched to a halt

and waited for

them near the top.

(frantic flute music)

(tense, adventurous music)

The hill slowed the freight

cars right down to a standstill.

(metal clanking)

Then the men quickly put wooden

blocks behind their wheels

so they couldn't roll backwards.

The freight cars

were now secure.

(train engine chugging)

(heroic music)

(train whistle blowing)

Just then, Percy arrived.

"Well, what did you think

of that?" joked Bertie.

"A good chase is

always exciting."

"It was certainly a

surprise," decided Percy.

"And you were right, Bertie.

"A really useful

engine should never

be surprised by surprise."

(happy, bouncy music)