18x03 - Flatbeds of Fear

[bunniefuu]

[train whistles]

[opening theme song playing]

♪ They're two, they're four They're six, they're eight ♪

♪ Shunting trucks And hauling freight ♪

♪ Red and green And brown and blue ♪

♪ They're The Really Useful crew ♪

♪ All with different Roles to play ♪

♪ 'Round Tidmouth Sheds Or far away ♪

♪ Down the hills And round the bends ♪

♪ Thomas and his friends ♪

[narrator reading title]

[narrator] It was a misty day on the Island of Sodor.

At Brendam Docks, Cranky was unloading

a big shipment of building supplies.

[spooky noises]

What's that noise?

Ah! [laughing]

That'll be the flatbedsof fear, Thomas.

The flatbeds of fear?What are they?

Well, now, me hearty.

Long, long ago...

an old engine was puffing along the tracks

pulling three flatbeds,

when suddenly his coupling stopped.[laughs menacingly]

And the flatbeds rolled away.

Now the flatbeds rollthe rails, a-whistlingand a-waiting

and looking for enginesto couple up to.

So, me hearty,beware the flatbeds of fear.

They might come rollin'after you.

[laughing]

Enough of your tall-tale,Salty.

Thomas has work to do.

Off you go, Thomas.

[Thomas whistles]

[narrator] So Thomas was coupled up to the flatbeds.

And with a toot of his whistle, was on his way.

[Thomas whistles]

[laughing] Watch outfor the flatbeds of fear,Thomas.

[laughing] Yer never knowwhen they'll come rolling by.

[laughing]

[narrator] Thomas clattered through the mist

with the pipes on his flatbeds.

When suddenly, he heard the noise again.

[spooky noises]

What's that?

[narrator] Thomas looked around.

But he couldn't see anything that could have made the mysterious sound.

Emily and Henry were at the shunting yard

when Thomas arrived.

Hello, Thomas.

I've just heardthe flatbeds of fear.

The flat-who-of-what?

The flatbeds of fear.

Salty told me about them.

They roam the railsin search of an engine

and they whistle and wail.

That sounds spooky.

It was!

Ah, don't be such a pairof scaredy engines.

There must bea perfectly sensibleexplanation.

I hope so. I really do!

[whistles]

[narrator] The next morning Henry was sent

to pick up the pipes from the shunting yard

and take them to Vicarstown.

I don't want to hearthe flatbeds of fear.

I don't want to hearthe flatbeds of fear.

[deep moaning noise]

Oh, no!It's the flatbeds of fear!

Moo.

[narrator] But it was just a cow in the field.

[Henry] I don't want to hearthe flatbeds of fear.

I don't want to hearthe flatbeds of fear.

[whistle echoing]

Ah! It's the flatbeds of fear!

[narrator] But it was just a stationmaster blowing his whistle.

Henry finally made it to the shunting yard

and picked up the pipes.

I don't want to hearthe flatbeds of fear.

I don't want to hearthe flatbeds of fear.

[spooky noises echo]

[narrator] Then Harry heard some whistling

and some wailing.

Oh, no!That's not a cow in a field.

And it's not a guard's whistle.

It must bethe flatbeds of fear!

[narrator] Henry was much too scared to keep on puffing.

He slowed right down.

So his driver took him onto a siding,

thinking there was something wrong.

Henry stopped and he wouldn't budge.

Emily had to be called to take the flatbeds to Vicarstown.

You are being very silly,Henry.

There really are no such thingas the flatbeds of fear.

But there are!I heard them!

Nonsense! What did youactually hear?

[Henry] I heard a whistlingand a wailing sound,

just like Thomas said.

[Emily] Oh, well.

I still think there must bea sensible explanation.

[narrator] Then, Emily heard something, too.

What's that noise?

Thomas? Are youplaying a trick on me?

[narrator] But Emily couldn't see Thomas anywhere.

[spooky noises echo]

Henry, is that you?

[narrator] There was no sign of Henry.

Emily puffed away as fast as she could.

But the whistling and wailing was right behind her.

Oh, no. Maybe, there isn'ta sensible explanation.

Maybe, it really isthe flatbeds of fear!

[narrator] Emily puffed faster and faster,

as she tried to get away from the flatbeds of fear.

Then there was trouble.

Emily took a turn too fast!

The pipes came loose and rolled off the flatbeds!

Bubbling boilers!

[sighs] At least I can't hearthe flatbeds of fear anymore.

They must have gone awayafter another engine.

[narrator] Rocky had to be called to help load

the spilled pipes onto the flatbeds again.

[whistles]

[narrator] Meanwhile, Thomas was at the docs.

Have you got some more pipesready for me, Cranky?

Keep your funnel on, Thomas.

Nearly done.

[laughing]

There's a bit of a breezewhipping up, me hearties.

[spooky noises echo]

Oh, no!It's the flatbeds of fear!

There are noflatbeds of fear.

That's just the windwhistling through the pipes.

[Thomas echoing] Really?

[scoffs] You engines!

Salty, you saidthe whistling and wailingwas the flatbeds of fear.

Arr, that I did.

But it might just have beenthe wind.

You were teasing usall along.

[laughing]That's the way it is with usdockside diesels.

[Salty laughing]

[narrator] That night, Emily was late getting backto the sheds.

Oh, Thomas,you were right.

The flatbeds of fear are real.

What do you mean?You're the one who was right.

There was a sensibleexplanation.

Really? But I heard the sound!

And it kept following meand-- What explanation?

It was one of Salty'stall-tales.

That noise was just the windblowing through the pipes.

Wind?Blowing through the pipes?

Oh! I-I see...

I knew it had to besomething...

I wasn't really scared.

[narrator] But everyone knew that Emily really had been frightened.

And after that, nobody ever spoke

about the flatbeds of fear again.

Except, maybe, Salty.

And to this day,

the flatbeds of fearroll the Sodor rails

looking for an engineto couple up to.

[laughing]

[Emily] Oh, Salty, honestly...

[all laughing]

[closing theme song playing]