Salty's Secret Story

**Salty's Secret Story** is the thirteenth episode of the first season.

## Plot

In the summer time, the sun shone brightly and one day, Thomas and Percy were helping Salty and Porter at the docks, they were working happily together.

"Wow, this sun is so bright." puffed Thomas.

"I know," agreed Percy, "I can't see a thing when I look up in the sky."

"Neither can I." wheeshed Porter. "It's because of the lens flare on the sun."

"Hey, are you forgetting about me?!" Cranky yelled. "I'm stuck up here all day with that sun shining right in my face." the dockside crane complained.

"Yah! I like the sun!" oiled Salty. "It reminds me of a story." Cranky just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, here we go again!" he muttered.

"Please tell us a story, Salty?!" Thomas puffed.

"Please?!" begged Percy.

"Right, now..." Salty was thinking how to start the story, but he couldn't think of any ideas, he kept thinking, but still no ideas had ran into him, but as he couldn't think of any stories to tell, he decided to pretend that he had a story to tell. "Sorry me hearties! But I can't tell you this story." Salty said meekly, Thomas and Percy were confused.

"Why?" asked Percy.

"Because..." muttered Salty, the engines waited for an answer. "it is a **secret** story!" Thomas and Percy were now too confused to understand what Salty was talking about.

"A secret story?!" exclaimed Porter. "I've never heard of a secret story before."

"I've never heard of one either, but it sounds so silly." retorted Cranky. "'Cos I hate sea stories!" Salty was being begged by Thomas and Percy to tell them the story all morning.

A few minutes later, Salty continued working with Thomas and Percy, but they were still asking him if he could his what he called a *secret* story. "Salty, could you please tell us the story?" asked Thomas.

"We like listening to your stories." added Percy. Then Bill and Ben chuffed in with a train of china clay from the Clay Pits.

"Ooh, look Ben, Salty's got a secret story to tell." wheeshed Bill.

"I know Bill." chuckled Ben. "Why don't we ask him what this secret story is?"

"Good idea Ben." steamed Bill. "What's your secret story about Salty?" the tank engine twin asked.

"We love listening to your stories, can you please tell us?" puffed Ben, Salty couldn't take this any longer, so he chuffed into a siding next to the Brendam Warehouse and didn't move. Emily was shunting a goods train into the yard when he saw Salty's sad expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's those silly tank engines begging me to tell them a story that I can't think of!" Salty said sharply.

"Never heard such a thing from such a nice diesel." Emily muttered.

Then Porter came alongside.

"What's wrong, Salty?" asked Porter.

"It's because of Thomas, Percy and the twins," Emily steamed, "they're constantly asking Salty to tell him a story that he can't think of."

"That's because he said to them that he has a *secret* story to tell," puffed Porter, "but he's saying its secret so he can't tell them."

"I see." said Emily.

"I don't want any tank engines like them bothering me again!" and Salty rolled away.

"Wait, did you say it's not a story?" asked Porter.

"I think he did." Emily muttered, but Salty was already gone.

Salty continued to work and he tried to stay away from Thomas, Percy, Bill and Ben, he didn't want to be begged by them to tell them his secret story. "I'm safe now." Salty said to himself. Just then, the Fat Controller arrived.

"Salty," he said, "I want you to help Arthur at the fishing village."

"Yes, sir." Salty sighed, he was glad that he was going to the fishing village as he didn't want to stay where four tank engines weren't going to stop asking him about a story.

Salty arrived at the fishing village, Arthur was waiting for him. "Hello Salty." he said politely. "Have you come to help me with all this fish work?"

"Yes indeed, me hearty!" replied Salty, feeling much pleased. "I like the breeze and the smell of fish."

"So did I." chuckled Arthur. "Now let's get to work." Salty and Arthur were working hard all day at the fishing village, Salty was finally happy to be away from the four impatient tank engines at the docks.

Back at the docks, Thomas, Percy, Porter, Bill and Ben were working hard shunting trucks and delivering cargo, but Thomas and Percy hadn't noticed that Salty wasn't at the docks, neither did Bill or Ben. But it wasn't long before Thomas finally noticed. "Where's Salty?" he asked.

"I don't know." wheeshed Percy.

"He hasn't told us his story at all." Thomas sighed.

"I know he hasn't," muttered Percy, "there must be something wrong with him."

"I agree with you, Percy," puffed Bill.

"Salty's left us to work at the docks while he goes out of it so he can get away from us tank engines." said Ben.

"Because of a story he refused to tell." added Bill.

"I have to agree with you this time, Bill and Ben." puffed Thomas. "What if Salty did leave because of us?"

"I'm starting to think the same." replied Percy. "I want Salty back, I really do." The four engines wanted Salty back at the docks since work wasn't the same without him. Cranky however hadn't known of Salty's absence, he was enjoying the breeze.

"It's nice to feel the breeze, Salty's not telling any stories and I can have quiet time." Cranky said, feeling quite relaxed, then he noticed. "Wait, where is Salty?" he asked.

"I don't know." puffed Porter. Then Emily steamed in, she was cross.

"You all have been acting out on Salty too much." she scolded. "You kept begging him to tell him a story, but in realty, he was only saying it was a secret story, because he has no story to tell."

The engines were surprised. "So, he hasn't got a story to tell at all?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, indeed." puffed Emily. "You all must apologise when he gets back."

"Quite, right." added Porter.

"So this is what it's all about?" sighed Cranky.

The four engines were embarrassed. "We'll apologise to him once he's back." said Percy sadly.

"Salty's our friend." added Thomas.

"And ours." agreed Bill and Ben, then the Dock Manager walked out of his office. "Salty is at the fishing village helping Arthur," he said, "so somebody else will have to take his train to the smelter's yard. Bill and Ben, could you two please do that job?"

"Yes, of course sir." said Bill and Ben in unison and they coupled up to the trucks and steamed away.

Salty had finished his work at the fishing village. "Thank you for helping, Salty." said Arthur.

"You welcome me hearty." chuckled Salty. "Now I'll go and see the Fat Controller." and Salty oiled away. Salty found the Fat Controller at the Norramby Church Station. "I've done my work cap'n, I mean... sir." said Salty. The Fat Controller was pleased with his engine.

"Well done, Salty," he said, "now I want you to take Fergus to the Steamworks, his flywheel has been damaged.

"Yes sir, of course sir." Salty chugged. Salty was enjoying his time out of the docks and he finally got some peace.

Salty found Fergus at the yards. "Right on time." congratulated Fergus.

"Thanks matey." Salty said proudly. "But I heard there's a storm comin' we'd better hurry." Fergus was coupled up to Salty and they set off towards the works.

But as Salty and Fergus were going along the line, the storm had came, Salty and Fergus were fighting their way through the storm, rain pelted down onto the tracks and the clifftops high above. "This storm is so bad." said Salty, struggling to see. "I can't see a thing with all this rain, it's never been as bad as this in England."

"I hope I won't be late." worried Fergus. Suddenly, Salty felt something hit the track, it was a rock. But then more rocks came down, a landslide had fallen onto the tracks.

"Look out me hearties!" cried Salty and his wheels spun round as fast as they could attempting to escape. The lighthouse keeper had seen the landslide and quickly turned on the lamp so the captain of a big ship could see where it was going.

"I'm coming now!" cried the lighthouse keeper and he quickly climbed into Salty's cab. Salty couldn't go as fast enough because Fergus was a little too heavy for him, but he managed to keep chugging, Salty had escaped the landslide, but the landslide at hit the lighthouse and nobody could get inside as the rocks had blocked the door and worst of all, the lighthouse lamp went out. "My lighthouse!" cried the lighthouse keeper. "How will I be able to get inside of it so I can get the lighthouse lamp back on?"

"Don't worry." said Salty. "I've got an idea, remember that time I said that Fergus' flywheel could power the generator?" he said.

"Yes?" said the lighthouse keeper.

"Well, maybe Fergus can do the same thing again." Salty suggested.

"But how can I?" asked Fergus. "My flywheel is damaged."

"Just try your best matey." Salty chugged.

"Well, hurry!" cried the lighthouse keeper. "Or else the ship could crash into the rocks."

"Right," said Fergus determined, "here goes." So Fergus' flywheel was attached to the generator and he powered it up as fast as he could, but as his flywheel was damaged, he was struggling. "I can't hold this for any longer." moaned Fergus. At last, the lighthouse lamp started to light, the captain of the ship could see where he was going and the rocks were cleared away from the door of the lighthouse.

"All at starboard, matey." the captain said to his workers. Salty's plan had worked again and had saved

The next morning, Salty and Fergus returned from the Steamworks and when they arrived back at Brendam Docks, they were surprised to see a crowd waiting for them. "Thank you Salty," said the captain, "you saved our ship once again, you're our hero."

"Thank you cap'n." Salty chuckled.

"Well done!" praised the Fat Controller, the crowd cheered, even Cranky cheered. "Hurray for Salty!" Cranky cheered.

"Again?!" Porter exclaimed. "Well, I wasn't on Sodor back when you did it the first time."

"Yah, I know matey." chuckled Salty, then Thomas, Percy, Bill and Ben pulled up.

"We're sorry for begging you about that secret story of yours." said Thomas.

"Porter and Emily explained everything." added Percy.

"The story wasn't actually secret, it was only because you couldn't think of a story to tell." he said.

"I was thinking maybe you could tell us a story now." wheeshed Bill.

"Yes, I actually think so." said Ben. "Especially in front of a crowd of people who like the sea."

Salty smiled. "Yah, let's not get to into that matey." he said.

"Oh, by the way," said Percy, "we only kept begging you because you tell us the best stories ever."

Salty smiled. "Thanks matey." he said. "I've never heard such an engine say such a thing." Now the six friends would work together and have fun together, like good friends should.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Percy
* Bill and Ben
* Emily
* Fergus
* Arthur
* Porter
* Salty
* Cranky
* The Fat Controller
* The Lighthouse Keeper
* The Dock Manager
* The Captain
* Some Dock Workers
* Timothy (*cameo*)
* Paxton (*cameo*)

## Locations

* Brendam Docks
* Norramby Fishing Village
* Knapford Yards
* The Lighthouse
* Sodor China Clay Company (*mentioned*)
* The Smelter's Yard (*mentioned*)
* Sodor Steamworks (*mentioned*)

## Trivia

* References to the seventh season episode *Salty's Stormy Tale* is made, the episode also seems to be based on that episode.