Archive of Our Own

Thomas was the first one up. Not too unusual, really. After being berated a few too many times for waking everyone up, he chose to let everyone else sleep until they woke up on their own. Besides, it was nice to appreciate the peace and quiet now and then.

He smiled, looked around his shed, and-

'AAAHHHHH!'

-let out a scream so loud that it ended up waking everyone else up almost immediately. Well, so much for letting everyone else sleep. Unsurprisingly, he was quickly met with a chorus of complaints from grumbly engines who had been woken up quite rudely.

'This had better be important, Thomas…' Gordon muttered, sounding like he wanted to drop the little tank engine in the smelters.

'If I find out that you woke me up for nothing,' James said, narrowing his eyes. 'I swear, I'm going to-'

'L-Look!' Thomas cried. 'A s-spider!'

James gasped. 'A-a WHAT?!'

'Where?!' Percy yelled.

'Right there!' Thomas said.

Now, of course, being an engine, he couldn't point. But he didn't need to. The other engines could see, hanging up in a corner of the ceiling right in front of Thomas, was in fact a big, hairy, intimidating-

'SPIDER!' James shouted.

He, Thomas, and Percy backed away at least a foot each. The terrifying little beast seemed to glare at them with each of its eyes. All eight of them.

'D-Don't move,' Percy said. 'It can't see us if we don't move.'

'That's snakes, you silly engine,' James said. '… But it's worth a try.'

'Just… just relax,' Thomas said. 'And everything will be fine.'

They all stood as still as possible. After all, maybe spiders really did work like snakes and based their sight on movement. It was possible, right?

Gordon, witnessing such a display, rolled his eyes. 'Of all the silliness… It is a spider. There's nothing to be afraid of, you scaredy-engines.'

'Y-You're not scared of it?' Percy asked, voice trembling.

The express engine grinned the kind of grin that made you want to punch him in his dumb grey face.

'Of course not,' He said. 'A puny little spider is nothing compared to a big, strong, grand-'

The gigantic spider moved. It suddenly shifted all the way across the wall. Closer to Gordon. Much closer to Gordon, actually. It moved so quickly and with so little warning that-

'OH!' Gordon cried, jumping back a few feet.

He 'jumped back' so far, in fact, that the back of his tender smacked against the wall behind him. His whole body trembled from the impact. Next thing he knew, he was getting laughed at by at least three different engines.

'Looks like you are scared of that puny little spider after all!' Thomas said, so glad to have an opportunity to make fun of Gordon that he forgot about being scared for a moment.

'O-Of course not!' Gordon said, his face quickly turning pink. 'I was, uh… just surprised. There is a difference between being scared and being surprised, you know.'

'Yeah, and you were definitely scared!' Percy said, laughing too.

'I was NOT scared of the-!'

The spider moved again, seemingly inching closer towards Gordon. Those fangs seemed to shine in the slivers of sunlight leaking through.

'AHH!' Gordon cried, his pistons trembling.

'Oh yeah!' James said. 'You definitely don't look scared to me!'

Gordon's face turned bright red. The laughter of those three troublemakers filled the sheds and could probably be heard all throughout Tidmouth. If not throughout the entire island. Gordon tried his best to pretend he couldn't hear it, but it was pointless. Even a good ol' fashioned "oh the indignity" wasn't enough to reflect his utter embarrassment. What an awful start to the day.

'Now, now,' Edward said. 'There's no need to get worked up. It's just a… spider. That's all.'

Emily caught that hesitation in his voice and cocked an eyebrow at him.

'Don't tell me, Edward,' She said. 'You're scared of the spider too?'

'Uh, well…' Edward said, giving her a nervous smile. 'We can't all be perfect.'

Emily scoffed. 'Ya're all gettin' worked up over nothing. It's just a little spider. Nothing to be afraid of!'

Thomas, now back to being unnerved by the eight-legged bug, eyed her suspiciously from across the sheds. It hadn't been the first time she had insisted that there was nothing to be afraid of. He'd never forget the 'Flatbeds of Fear Incident'.

'Hey Emily,' He said. 'What's that on your running board?'

Emily glanced down at said board. 'What's what?'

He gasped. 'Is that a spider?!'

Emily gasped too. 'WHERE?!'

She jolted so hard that she almost came off the rails, her eyes darting all around to see if she could spot the intruder. It was only belatedly that she realised that there was no spider on her running board. And that Thomas was being Thomas yet again. Sure enough, she could hear his laughter.

'That wasn't funny, Thomas!' She said.

Despite her claims, it must've been funny indeed. Because she could hear laughter coming from every other engine in the sheds. Yes, even Edward. He was trying to hold it in, but a few chuckles managed to make it through. Hey, even Edward wasn't above it all. Emily couldn't help but chuckle along too.

'Okay, okay,' She said. 'It was a little funny. But don't do that again!'

'I guess we're all a little s-scared of that spider, huh?' Percy said.

'I am not scared!' Gordon said. 'I… just think it should be removed. Otherwise, uh… the sheds might get covered in webs!'

The others looked at him sceptically. It was almost like being in an interrogation. Sure enough…

'Fine!' He said, huffily. 'I might be a little scared of the spider. But we all are, so it doesn't matter!'

'Yeah,' James said, grinning. 'And you're the most scared of all!'

'That is complete boiler sludge!' He grinned. 'I'm certainly not as scared as-'

He turned his attention over to the big green engine next to him, expecting to find the resident scaredy-engine as a nervous wreck. His grin went away, however, when he actually saw Henry. Everyone else, too, looked at him in awe and puzzlement. Henry wasn't trembling. Or screaming. Or staring up at the bug in horror. Nope.

He was smiling.

'He's… smiling?' Thomas whispered. 'Why is he smiling?'

'I-I don't know,' Percy said. 'That's weird.'

'Uh, Henry,' Edward said. 'Are you aware that there is a spider, right there, in the sheds with us?'

He was a little worried to point it out, just in case Henry actually hadn't noticed it (somehow). What if he saw it and started freaking out? But Henry just laughed.

'Of course I see the spider,' He said. 'It's cute, isn't it?'

Everyone, and I mean everyone, stared at him with absolute shock all over their faces. You'd think he told them that they all deserved to get scrapped with the way they were looking at him.

Henry's smile dropped. 'What?'

'You… you're not scared?' Thomas asked. 'At all?'

Henry chuckled. 'No! Of course not.'

'Oh, Henry!' Emily said. 'You're so brave!'

'Brave?'

Gordon stammered out absolute nonsense for a moment, spluttering like there was a malfunction in his smoke box or something.

'I- How- You- This is unbelievable!' He said, finally. 'You cannot be telling me that you - you, of all engines - aren't scared of that… that… that thing!'

Henry frowned. 'What do you mean, me of all engines? I'm not a scaredy-engine!'

The other engines glanced among each other. It helped serve as a nice distraction from the you-know-what crawling around in their shed.

'Welllll…' Thomas said. 'There was that whole thing with the rain.'

'And the so-called Flatbeds of Fear…' Emily said.

'Ooh!' Percy said. 'And that time you thought the abominable snowman was after you!'

'Not to mention that time you spotted trouble,' James said.

'Oh yes,' Gordon said. 'And you once hid in your shed because you thought a snowman was talking-'

'ALRIGHT!' Henry said. 'I get it! So maybe I get scared a lot. But I'm not scared of this cute little spider. There's nothing to be afraid of!'

The others didn't agree. Some of them stared at that spider with terror in their eyes. The others couldn't even bear to look at it at all. It moved again, prompting another yelp from Gordon.

'Oh, if only our drivers and firemen were here,' Edward lamented. 'They would be able to move… that spider out of here.'

'We just have to stay calm,' Emily said, sounding as if she was struggling to follow her own advice. 'That little spider can't hurt us. We'll… we'll be fine!'

Henry couldn't help laughing. It wasn't a small laugh either. It was a very loud and long fit of giggles that echoed in the otherwise silent shed.

'What's so funny?!' James demanded.

'You call me a scaredy-engine,' Henry said. 'But you're all the ones scared of a cute little spider!'

'Stop calling it cute!' Gordon yelled. 'It is not cute. Nothing about it is cute!'

'If you stop to really look at it-'

'No thank you!' Thomas said. 'I, uh, think I've seen enough of it today.'

As funny as it was, Henry did not get it. The spider was really cute! Perhaps not in the same way that something like a kitten or puppy was cute, maybe, but cute nonetheless. It was so small. And fuzzy. And had so many eyes!

'H-How long until our drivers and firemen get here?' Percy asked.

'Uh, shouldn't be too long now,' Edward said. 'Hopefully.'

'And if they can't deal with it,' James said. 'I say we burn this place to the ground.'

'That's just a little extreme!' Emily said. 'Don't you think?'

'No, no,' Thomas said. 'I, uh, think James might make a good point.'

Henry laughed again. It was rare indeed that the others were scared but he wasn't. He was easily-spooked after all. Even he'd admit that, to an extend. He hadn't always been so flighty. But life had its way of changing you. So, now that he was in a position like this, he was keen to milk it for all it was worth.

'Okay then, Henry,' Gordon huffed. 'If you're so brave, then why don't you deal with the spider for us?'

That shut Henry's laughter up.

'Me?' He asked. 'What do you want me to do about it? I don't have hands, Gordon!'

'Well, it's simple,' Gordon said, his voice trembling ever so slightly. 'You just wait until it steps onto your tracks - and hopefully not mine - and then you can squish it with your wheels.'

This morbid suggestion got him some rather horrified expressions from the others.

'Gordon!' Thomas scolded.

'There's no need for that!' Edward said.

'You can't really be suggestin' that Henry do something like that!' Emily said.

None were more horrified than Henry himself, unsurprisingly. His jaw was on his running board, and his eyes were open so wide that they almost fell out.

'No, I'm not doing that!' He said, loudly. 'Absolutely not!'

Gordon scoffed. 'I don't see what the big issue is-'

'You're suggesting that I squish the poor thing! I can't do that. I'd be killing it!'

'Yes, that's sort of the point-'

'I'M NOT KILLING IT!'

The two big engines glared at each other, as if they were arguing with just their stares alone. And by the looks of it, Henry was winning.

Edward let out a long sigh. 'Are we really doing this? Has it really come to this? Getting all worked up and arguing because there's a… a spider in the shed?'

'Yep, that does it,' James said. 'I'm burning the whole place to the ground. Find me some fuel tankers. I'll have this s-spider sorted out.'

'We're not settin' the sheds on fire!' Emily said. 'Not even over something like this.'

'I concur,' Gordon said. 'All we need to do is wait for Henry to-'

'I'M NOT KILLING THE SPIDER!' Henry shouted. 'If you really want it dead, Gordon, how about you try squishing it instead?'

Gordon got flustered immediately.

'But, I- I-I can't!' He claimed. 'After all, I, um, er… I can't possibly be seen with a squished spider all over my wheels when I pull the express. It would be highly undignified, and the passengers wouldn't like it at all!'

'Then get your wheels washed afterwards,' Henry spat.

'I can't believe you're suggesting that I run it over! Oh, it would be horrible! I could never do that.'

'Yes, I know. That's why I'm suggesting you do it.'

The others were rather surprised to see Henry boldly standing up for himself for once. Not to say he never did, but it was rare indeed that he'd get this loud and angry about it. He drew his attention away from them and towards the spider instead.

'Don't listen to them,' He said. 'You're very cute, and not scary at all. They're just a bunch of scaredy-engines.'

'Oh my Lady…' James muttered. 'Now he's talking to it. He's lost it. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later.'

Edward sighed another, even longer sigh. 'I can't believe that we're all acting like this over a tiny-'

'LOOK OUT!' Thomas shouted. 'It's moving!'

The spider raced down the wall at speeds much too high for a creature so small. It reached the ground in no time at all, and was now moving towards the tracks. Tidmouth Sheds was immediately filled the sounds of six panicking engines, and one engine who found the whole thing much too funny to handle. Even wise old Edward was unnerved by the little guy! Or girl! Henry couldn't tell which one quite yet.

And which track was the spider headed towards? It won't surprise you one bit that it was heading for Henry's. Coincidence, or perhaps an instinctive urge? You decide. Henry beamed when he saw the cute little spider approaching him, even if he sort of wanted it to go towards Gordon instead.

'It's on your tracks!' Gordon said. 'Quick, Henry. Run it over!'

Henry just ignored him this time. The spider approached him slowly, almost like a cautious cat. Which was good, cos Henry liked cats. And dogs. And birds. And frogs. And snakes. And- they were very few animals he didn't like, if any at all.

The spider climbed up his wheels, and onto his running board. He stayed perfectly still. It didn't take long before it settled on his buffer.

'Hello!' Henry said in a soft voice. 'I'm Henry.'

By this point, the others were convinced that he was intentionally messing with them. Which would be about half-right.

'That does it!' James said. 'I'm burning the shed down with Henry in it!'

Edward groaned. 'Can we at least agree that James should not be allowed to make any more suggestions? Or have access to fire?'

'For once, I couldn't agree with you more, Edward,' Gordon said. 'We don't have to burn Henry up as well.'

'I- Well, I suppose that's certainly the biggest problem with James's idea.'

'Wait!' Emily said. 'This could work. If the spider rides on Henry, then he can take it somewhere else! Like his forest. The spider would love it there!'

'That's brilliant!' Percy said. 'Then we can get rid of it, without hurting it! What do you think, Henry?'

Henry was too distracted by the cute little spider to answer. Well, 'little'. For a spider, it was actually pretty big. He had heard somewhere, from a passenger I think, that female spiders tended to be a lot bigger than the males. To the point where males were at risk of predation from females, and had to dance to make it clear they were there to make babies and not be food.

Not a pleasant fact about spiders, yes, but Henry didn't mind it. You couldn't be a nature lover without loving all of nature. You didn't just love the cute or pretty sides of it. You also loved the sides that included fun little facts like "female spiders eat the male after mating" or "hippos use their tails like fans to whip their 'leavings' everywhere". Besides, this meant that the spider resting on his running board might have been a girl spider!

'I think I'll call you… Charlotte,' He said, blissfully unaware that he was referencing a classic children's book.

'Now he's naming it?!' James cried. 'Okay, Henry's lost it. He's actually lost it. For real, this time. I say we-'

'James,' Edward said. 'You're not to suggest any more ideas.'

'Uh, guys,' Thomas said, eyes wide. 'We should-'

'We should go with Emily's idea!' Percy said. 'And let it out into the forest.'

'The-'

'That's not going to happen now,' Gordon said. 'Not after Henry named it.'

'We need to-'

'I'm sure Henry would part ways with it if he had to,' Emily said. 'He understands that animals are better off in the wild.'

'GUYS!' Thomas shouted.

That finally got the arguments to stop. Especially when the other engines realised that the Fat Controller was right there. Fortunately, the guy wasn't mad. Just very, very confused as to what all the hullaballoo was for.

'… May I ask what that was all about?' He asked.

None of the engines were brave enough to answer, and Henry was too busy being distracted by his new friend to notice what was going on. But six pairs of eyes fell onto him. The closest thing the engines had to pointing. The Fat Controller, no less confused, approached Henry.

'Are you the cause of this chaos this morning?' He asked. 'Did you-? AAAHHH!'

Well, he saw the spider on Henry's running board alright. He jumped back in terror and dropped his clipboard.

'H-Henry,' He stammered. 'T-There's a spider on your running board!'

Henry chuckled. 'I know, Sir. Isn't she cute? I named her Charlotte.'

'You… you did what?'

'It's, uh, quite funny,' Edward said. 'All of us were, um, rather frightened of the little thing. All except for Henry. He… he thinks it's cute.'

'Because she is cute,' Henry said. 'Very cute.'

'He's lost it!' James said. 'Absolutely lost it. You know what I suggest. I suggest we-'

'No fires, James!' Emily said. 'None of that!'

It wasn't just the Fat Controller either. All the drivers and fireman approaching the shed to start the day's work stared at the spider in absolute terror. Henry couldn't believe it. Even the people were scared of the sweet little thing! He could overhear them murmuring and whispering to each other.

'You, take care of that thing.'

'I'm not going near it! You do it.'

'Do we just wait, or…?'

'Please tell me someone has something like a cup or a glass or a bucket or… anything.'

Henry's driver and fireman were the most nervous of all. The sight made Henry laugh again. It was so much fun being the only one who wasn't scared!

'Henry,' The Fat Controller said, trying (and failing) to look tall and proud. 'On your way to Vicarstown, you must stop by your forest and return the spider-'

'Charlotte,' Henry piped up.

'Uh, Charlotte to the wild where she belongs.'

'Will do, Sir! She'll be much happier there.'

The other engines, and all the people, sighed deep sighs of relief. Finally, that thing would be gone. Henry was a little sad to see the adorable spider go, but he knew it had to be done.

So, here's a fun fact about spiders you might not have known. They can lay hundreds of eggs at a time. Neat, huh? Did you know that before now? Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. The engines didn't. But they learned. They all learned it. And how did they learn that?

Well, let's just say that Henry was correct in deducing that 'Charlotte' was female, and that she left the engines a little… surprise.

'OH SWEET LADY!'

'They're everywhere! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!'

'Oh my! I-I never thought they could have so many babies!'

'They're crawling all over my boiler! HELP!'

'Oh the agony! Oh the shame! Oh the… TERROR!'

'This isn't happenin'… this isn't happenin'!'

'THAT'S IT! I'M BURNING THIS WHOLE PLACE TO THE GROUND! I MEAN IT THIS TIME!'

'Aw, look at all the little babies! There's so many of them, and they're all so cute!'