Thomas' Day Off (AEG magazine story)

"We are brave knights and we must return the Orb to the Fairy Queen!"

- Thomas

Thomas' Day Off is a magazine story illustrated using images from the All Engines Go series.

Plot
Gordon gives everyone their jobs for the day, but Thomas is left out. That's because Thomas has been given the day off and Gordon suggests the little tank engine should have an adventure. At first, Thomas is thrilled and races around and around the loop at the Maintenance Yard. But, after a while, Thomas starts to get bored as there is no-one around to have fun with. Thomas bumps into an old boxcar and, deciding it could be his new imaginary friend, he christens the car "Boxy".

Next, Thomas and Boxy find an old beach ball. Thomas pretends the ball is "The Orb of Destiny" and it bounces away down the tracks with Thomas racing after it. He declares that he and Boxy are brave knights and they must retrieve the orb and return it to the Fairy Queen.

The ball, or "orb", bounces down to Brendam Docks and splashes into the sea. Luckily, Cranky is able to lift Thomas and Boxy onto Bulstrode so they can continue their chase. They soon have the ball back on dry land and Thomas and Boxy continue to chase the ball all over Sodor, playing their game.

Eventually the ball bounces into a tree. Thomas is disappointed and lets out a wheesh of steam which causes the ball to wobble. Thomas notices this and lets out another big puff. The ball bounces into Boxy and Thomas sets off to tell all his friends at the sheds about his fun new game.

At first, the engines are confused, but they soon join in the fun. Suddenly, a big gust of wind blows the ball away again and this time, all the engines chase after it together.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Kana
 * Boxy
 * Cranky
 * Bulstrode
 * Diesel

Trivia

 * This story is based on the All Engines Go first series episode, of the same name.