Welcome to the thomas and friends 80th anniversary story time.
Today's story is percy and harold, based on the railway series by the reverend w audrey, created by brit orcroft, read by mark morihan.
Percy and harold.
Percy worked hard at the harbour.
Toby helped, But sometimes the loads of stone were too heavy and Percy had to fetch them for himself.
Then he would push the trucks along the quay to where the workmen needed the stone for their building.
An airfield was close by and Percy heard the aeroplane zooming overhead all day.
The noisiest of all was a helicopter which hovered buzzing like an angry bee.
Stupid thing, said Percy.
Why can't it go and buzz somewhere else?
One day, Percy stopped near the airfield.
The helicopter was standing quite close.
Hello, said Percy.
Who are you?
I'm Harold.
Who are you?
I'm Percy.
What whirly great arms you've got.
They're nice arms, said Harold, offended.
I can hover like a bird.
Do you wish you could hover?
Certainly not.
I like my rails, thank you.
I think railways are slow, said Harold in a bored voice.
They're not much use and quite out of date.
He whirled his arms and buzzed away.
Percy found Toby at the top station arranging trucks.
I say, Toby, he burst out.
That Harold, that stuck-up whirlybird thing, says I'm slow and out of date.
Just let him wait.
I'll show him.
He collected his trucks and started off still fuming.
Soon, above the clatter of the trucks, they heard a familiar buzzing.
Percy, whispered his driver, there's Harold.
He's not far ahead.
Let's race him.
Yes, let's, said Percy excitedly.
And quickly gathering speed, he shot off down the line.
The guard's wife had given him a flask of tea for eleven days.
He had just poured out a cup when the van lurched and he spilt it down his uniform.
He wiped up the mess with his handkerchief and staggered to the front platform.
Percy was pounding along.
The truck screamed and swayed while the van rolled and pitched like a ship at sea.
Well, I'll be ding dong dang, said the guard.
Then he saw Harold buzzing alongside and understood.
Go it, Percy, he yelled.
You're gaining.
Percy had never been allowed to run fast before.
He was having the time of his life.
Hurry, hurry, hurry, he panted to the trucks.
We don't want to, we don't want to, they grumbled.
But it was no use.
Percy was bucketing along with flying wheels and Harold was high in the long side.
The fireman shoveled for dear life while the driver was so excited he could hardly keep still.
Well done, Percy, he shouted.
We're gaining.
We're going ahead.
Oh, good boy, good boy.
Far ahead, a distant signal warned them that the wharf was near.
Shut off steam.
Whistle.
Peep, peep, peep.
Brakes.
Guard, please.
Using Percy's brakes too, the driver carefully checked the train's headlong speed.
They rolled under the main line and halted smoothly on the wharf.
Oh dear, groaned Percy, I'm sure we've lost.
The fireman scrambled to the cab roof.
We've won, we've won, he shouted, and nearly fell off in his excitement.
Harold's still hovering, he's looking for a place to land.
Listen boys, the fireman called, here's a song for Percy. said Harold the helicopter to our Percy.
You are slow, your railway is out of date and not much use, you know.
But Percy with his stone trucks did the trip in record time and we beat the helicopter on our old branch line.
The driver and guard soon caught the tune and so did the workman on the quay.
Percy loved it.
Oh, thank you, he said.
He liked the last line best of all.
And that is the end of the story.
That's the end of our Thomas and Friends 80th anniversary story time.
But listen out for more stories coming soon.
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