Not Now, Charlie! (magazine story)

"Why are pirates called pirates? Because they just arrrr!"

- Charlie

Not Now, Charlie! is a magazine story, it was illustrated by using images from the CGI television series. It was later published in the 2015 Thomas Annual.

Plot
One day, Charlie is joking about pirates. Not everybody likes his jokes, but they cannot help but laugh at them anyway. Charlie sets off, thinking of new jokes, when he suddenly gasps and stops; there is an elephant on the line. Charlie is worried about the elephant. He tries to move it by blowing his whistle, but fails to do so.

Thomas is up ahead, so Charlie catches up and tries to tell him about the elephant. Thomas, however, thinks Charlie is joking, and goes back to work. Charlie then tries to tell Percy and Henry about the problem, but they do not believe him either which upsets him.

Charlie rolls past the Sodor Animal Park, where a fallen tree has crushed the fence of the elephant enclosure. Charlie realises that the elephant must have escaped from the park, and knows that he has to find someone who will take him seriously. Charlie goes to the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre, where he tells Harold about the elephant. Harold believes Charlie, and together they set off to find the elephant.

After locating the elephant near Brendam Docks, Charlie and Harold get it loaded onto a truck and Charlie then delivers it back to the animal park where it will be safe. This relieves everyone to see that the elephant safely home, and Sir Topham Hatt praises Charlie. Charlie decides to stop telling jokes for a while so people might take him seriously in the future, but he then giggles as he remembers another joke.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Percy
 * Charlie
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Harold
 * Gordon
 * Salty
 * Annie
 * Cranky
 * Big Mickey

Locations

 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Sodor Animal Park
 * Sodor Search and Rescue Centre

Trivia

 * This story is based on the seventeenth series episode of the same name.
 * The exclamation mark is missing from the end of the title when it was republished in 2017.

Goofs

 * When Charlie is trying to move the elephant, it is said that he sees Thomas, but there does not appear to be any tracks in the area other than the ones that are being occupied by Charlie and the elephant.