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One cold evening in December, Edward had just finished taking a train of passengers along his branch line. It was getting close to Christmas, and his coaches were very full of people. The Christmas season was always a busy time for the railway, with people going shopping for gifts or making their way to visit family in far-off places. The engines, their crews, and the station staff were working very hard to make sure everything ran smoothly, despite all the holiday hustle and bustle. This, of course, included the guards.
One of the duties that a guard performs is going through the coaches and retrieving items that passengers leave behind, things like umbrellas, gloves, or hats. These are taken to the lost-and-found boxes located in each station. On this particular evening, the guard for Edward’s last train, whose name was Lauren, was walking through the coaches when she found something unusual on one of the seats: a brown teddy bear, all by its lonesome.
“Oh dear,” she said as she picked it up and tucked it under her arm. “Someone’s bound to be missing this.”
Edward and his crew were waiting just outside when they noticed Lauren carrying the bear. “What’ve you got there?” Charlie, Edward’s driver, asked as she went by.
“Somebody left this little fella behind in one of the coaches,” she explained, gesturing to the toy. “I’m just going to take it to the lost-and-found box. Hopefully its owner will come looking for it.”
“D’you suppose it came from someone’s Christmas shopping?” asked Sidney, Edward’s fireman.
“Not unless they got it secondhand,” Lauren replied. “This is an old toy, you can tell if you look close.”
She held up the teddy bear to prove her point. Edward could see that she was right; the bear’s brown fur was matted and worn in spots, its once-shiny black eyes were cloudy from age, its arms sagged, one of its ears was somewhat crumpled, and its nose was a bit lopsided.
“Yeah, I see what you mean now,” Sidney said, nodding. “That’s a well-loved bear, right there.”
“What does that mean? ‘Well-loved’?” Edward asked.
“It means that something is old and worn, but clearly cared for deeply,” Charlie explained. “Like, y’see the way the fur is smoothed down here?” He pointed to the bear’s tummy. “That comes from its owner holding it close in that same place for a long time. It’s a sign that whoever owns this old bear loves it very much. They’re probably very sad to have lost it.”
“Oh dear,” Edward frowned as he looked more closely at the old toy. “I hope its owner knows to come here and look for it. For all we know, they could be anywhere by now. They may not even realize we have a lost-and-found.”
“I’m sure whoever lost it will come around looking for it soon, old boy,” said Sidney, giving Edward a pat.
Lauren went off into the station, but soon came back, still holding the teddy bear. “Bother,” she said, “the girl who runs the lost-and-found already left for the night.”
“Can’t you just leave it there til morning?” Charlie asked.
“I would’ve, but she’s locked up the office and I don’t have a key.”
“Well, what’re we going to do with it?” asked Sidney. “I can’t take it home, my kids might think it’s a present for one of them.”
“If I took it with me, I’d probably put it down somewhere in my flat and forget about it. That wouldn’t do anyone any good,” Lauren lamented.
“I wouldn’t feel right taking it either,” said Charlie.
“Then I’ll hold on to it,” suggested Edward. “Put it in my cab for the night. That way, no one will have to worry about someone else taking it or forgetting to bring it back in the morning.”
“Good idea, old boy,” Charlie smiled. “It’s sure to be safe with you!”
And that’s exactly what they did. The bear was placed in Edward’s cab once he was settled in the shed, leaning up against the wall nearest the controls, and that’s where it stayed all night. The next morning, Edward’s crew came to get him ready for the day’s work.
“Right where we left him,” said Sidney as he climbed into the cab to build Edward’s fire.
“Are you referring to me or the teddy bear?” Edward smiled.
“Yes,” Sidney laughed, and Charlie and Edward rolled their eyes fondly. The three were surprised when they saw Lauren coming towards them.
“Hey guys,” she called.
“Good morning, Lauren,” Edward greeted.
“Come to pick up our little lost friend?” Charlie asked.
“Not exactly. See, I was thinking about what Edward said last night, about the bear’s owner not knowing where to look for it, and he’s right. We don’t exactly advertise the lost-and-found, and if they’re not on Sodor, they’d be out of luck. They’d never know where it had gone, and it’d just be sitting in the office for who knows how long.”
Edward glanced back towards his cab. He felt a bit sad at the thought of the old bear being left alone in the lost-and-found, without its owner to take it out and make it feel Well-Loved. He knew all too well what that felt like…
“But,” she went on, “if I took a picture of the bear and posted it on Twitter explaining the situation, maybe there’s a chance its owner would see it and get in touch!”
“Well, hey, that might just work,” said Sidney.
“What’s ‘Twitter’?” Edward asked.
“It’s sort of like… well, you know what a website is?” Lauren asked.
“Sort of… it has to do with computers, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Twitter is a website that’s kind of like a notice board on the computer, but for people all around the world. When you make a post, people can see it and share it with others, and then those people can show more people, and so on…”
“And the more people see the picture of the bear, the better the chances that its owner will find it,” Edward concluded with a hopeful smile.
“Exactly,” nodded Lauren. “If it’s alright with you three, I was hoping you could be in the photo, too. People love pictures of the engines, it’s sure to get attention if Edward’s in it.”
“If you think it’ll help, sure,” Charlie said with a shrug. “Sound good to you, Edward?”
“Of course. Nobody tell James, though,” he replied, only half-joking.
Lauren took some photos on her phone. One was a close-up shot of the teddy bear, and the other was of Edward and his crew smiling while Charlie held the bear up. Then she wrote:
Found this well-loved fella on one of Edward’s trains last night. Help us find his owner, Twitter! #sodorlostbear #edwardtheblueengine #brendambranch
“There,” she said as she hit the post button, “Sent. Now we just have to wait for it to get some responses.”
“How long d’you think that’ll take?” Sidney asked.
“It shouldn’t take too long to start spreading. I tagged it with Edward’s name so the rail fans will see it. See?” Lauren said, showing the older men the post on her phone.
“I do see,” said Sidney. “And I also see that you’re running late.”
“Oh cripes, is that the time?! I gotta go, see you later, guys!”
And she dashed off across the yard, snow and ballast crunching under her boots as she ran.
“Wait! You forgot the bear!” Charlie called after her, but it was too late. She was too far away. He sighed. “Well, I guess he’s staying with us for today.”
“Where are we going to keep him? It’s not like either of us can hold onto him, we need our hands free,” Sidney pointed out.
Charlie thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers to signify that he had an idea. Edward and Sidney laughed heartily as he partially unbuttoned his coat, stuffed the teddy bear inside, and redid the buttons, leaving the bear’s face poking out of the coat just beneath his chin.
“There,” he said, grinning broadly. “Our passenger is secured and my hands are free.”
“He’ll be nice and toasty in there,” Sidney said through his laughter.
Once the engine and his fireman had calmed down somewhat, the men climbed into Edward’s cab and the three began their working day. Unlike the day before, most of Edward’s trains were goods, meaning they had no idea how popular Lauren’s post had gotten until late that afternoon when they met up with Henry at Wellsworth.
“Hello, Henry,” Edward whistled. “Anything interesting happening on the main line today?”
“I should be the one asking you that question,” Henry said. “James is in a snit because apparently the passengers can’t stop talking about you. Something about a picture of you and Bear?”
“I figured that might happen,” Edward sighed, and he explained what had actually happened. Henry gave his friend a knowing smile.
“You always did have a soft spot for children.”
“Oh hush,” said Edward, blushing a bit. “You can’t honestly tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”
“I’m only teasing,” Henry chuckled. “You’re right, I probably would have if I were in your wheels.”
“If word’s spread this fast already, maybe the bear’s owner will turn up sooner than we expected,” Edward said hopefully.
“I hope so,” Henry agreed. “Who knows, they might even be reunited in time for Christmas!”
“That would be nice.”
That evening at the shed at Wellsworth, Edward and his crew found Lauren waiting for them with a big smile on her face.
“Good news!” she said. “The bear’s owners saw the post and got in touch with me!”
“Really? That’s wonderful,” Edward smiled as his crew jumped down from his cab. Lauren stifled a laugh when she saw Charlie, who still had the bear stuffed in his coat.
“What?” he asked. “You expected me to leave such precious cargo loose in the cab?”
“Okay, you have to let me take a picture of that,” she said, giggling. “The bear’s owners will love it.”
“Hold on, d’you have proof that they’re actually his owners and not just someone looking for fifteen minutes of fame?” Sidney asked cautiously.
“I thought of that, too,” Lauren said, “and I asked if they had any photos of themselves with the bear they could send me. Turns out this is one well-traveled teddy bear!”
Lauren showed the three a selection of photos. They were all of a family in various locations, in front of landmarks and signs for famous places. In each picture, a little girl held a familiar teddy bear close and smiled brightly for the camera.
“The girl’s name is Rosa,” she explained. “Her father is the one who saw the post and contacted me. He brought the family to London on a surprise trip as a sort of early Christmas gift, but when they got there, they realized Rosa had lost the bear. He said she’s been heartbroken.”
“Poor thing,” Charlie said sympathetically.
“But,” Lauren went on, “he also told me that she perked up the moment she saw the picture of you three with her bear. They won’t be back for three more days, so he’s asked if I could send a picture or two every day until they can come home and pick him up, so that Rosa can see where he’s been!”
“That’s a lovely idea,” said Edward.
“But you’re not going to be with us every day,” Sidney pointed out.
“You two have smartphones, right? Just use your cameras, then send the pictures to me. Simple as.”
“Can’t exactly argue with that,” Charlie shrugged, which was somewhat difficult to do, given the bear was still stuffed into his coat.
For the next three days, Edward and his crew took the bear with them as they worked, and each day they took photos for Lauren to send to Rosa and her family. Every night, he was placed back in Edward’s cab, in the exact same spot where Charlie had put him on the night Lauren found him. The bear met lots of other engines, and took photos with many of them: BoCo, Bill, Ben, Salty, Derek, Trevor, Henry, Donald, Douglas, Percy, and yes, James, too. Edward found himself having more fun than he’d had in a long time. All too soon, the third day came to an end, and Charlie and Sidney were getting Edward settled in the shed for the night.
“Well, old boy, Lauren’s bringing Rosa and her family by here tomorrow morning to pick up our little friend,” Sidney said as he removed the bear from Charlie’s coat.
“We’ll be here early to wake you up and give you a little polish. Have to look your best for company, after all,” Charlie went on. Edward smiled at his remark, but said nothing. He had a thoughtful look in his eyes, one that Charlie knew very well.
“What’s on your mind, Edward?” he asked.
“It’s nothing.”
“Edward, you know you can’t get away with that, not with us,” the driver said as he and Sidney stepped nearer to his face. “What is it?”
“… You’ll think me silly. Or maybe even horrid.”
“We will not,” Sidney assured him. “You haven’t got a horrid bolt in your body.”
“Come on, old boy, what’s the matter?” Charlie coaxed.
Edward looked down at his crew, the two humans who knew him best, and sighed. He knew he couldn’t hide anything from them.
“I know that the bear is going back to his rightful owner tomorrow, and I’m glad for that. It’s what I wanted to happen in the first place, after all. But… I’ve had such fun these past few days, with you two and Lauren and the others. It’s been so nice having him with me. I know it sounds selfish, but I almost…”
Charlie and Sidney looked at him expectantly. He averted his gaze.
“I almost don’t want to give him back,” Edward admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Sidney and Charlie looked at each other, both suppressing laughter. Old as he was, their engine was still so very childlike in some ways.
“Oh, Edward,” Sidney started gently. “You’re not selfish, or horrid. We’re gonna miss him, too, y’know.”
Edward looked at his fireman, still a little embarrassed. “That leaves ‘silly’, then.”
“I think the three of us have jolly well earned the right to be a little silly, considering how long we’ve been working on this railway,” Charlie chuckled, giving Edward a pat on the buffer beam. “We’ve had a good time with him, haven’t we? Made some nice memories.”
“Yes,” Edward agreed, having calmed down somewhat.
“And we’ll always have those photos we took,” Sidney said, holding up his phone. “Just say the word and we’ll pull ‘em up for you anytime, eh?”
Edward smiled a bit.
“There you go, there’s that winsome smile,” Sidney encouraged.
“Tell you what, why don’t we put him up here where you can see him tonight, instead of in the cab? Would you like that?” Charlie asked, propping the bear up against one of Edward’s lamp irons so that the toy was facing Edward.
“Very much, yes,” the old engine blushed. “Thank you for humoring me.”
“Of course,” said Charlie. “Get your rest, old boy. We’ll be here bright and early tomorrow, remember.”
With that, the two men said goodnight to their engine. Once they had gone, Edward gazed fondly at the little bear until he finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Edward simmered happily as he watched for Lauren, while his crew kept themselves warm next to the firebox. Charlie and Sidney were as good as their word, and arrived in plenty of time to get him warmed up and give him a good thorough polishing before Rosa and her family were due. He couldn’t help but be excited. It wasn’t often that he had visitors, after all, even if they were only coming to pick up the bear. He soon spotted Lauren coming across the yard, accompanied by a family of three that he recognized from the photos she’d shown him days ago.
“They’re coming,” he called back to Charlie and Sidney. The two men hopped out of the cab and made their way to Edward’s front, Charlie holding the bear. Charlie glanced at his friend and frowned.
“Sid, dust yourself off a bit, you’ve got coal dust all down your front.”
“You sound like my wife,” Sidney laughed as he tried to brush the black dust off his coat.
“Shush, here they are,” Edward whispered as Lauren and the three guests came near.
“Good morning, you lot,” Lauren said. “I’ve brought some people who’ve been eager to meet you!”
“And we’ve got someone who’s been eager to get back to them,” Charlie smiled, holding out the teddy bear. The little girl rushed forward.
“Smush Bear!” she exclaimed as she took the bear from him and hugged it tight.
“Rosa, what do we say?” her mother chided gently. Rosa looked shyly at Charlie.
“Thank you,” she said, still hugging her bear close to her chest.
“You’re welcome. But you should also thank Edward here,” he said, gesturing to Edward. “He kept your friend nice and safe, and made sure he wasn’t lonely while you were away.”
Rosa looked up at Edward, eyes wide with wonder at the big living machine smiling down at her.
“Hello, Rosa,” Edward said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Hi,” she said, taking a couple steps closer to him. “Thank you for helping Smush Bear.”
“You’re very welcome,” he said. “He was very good company, but I could tell he missed you very much.”
“He’s the best bear,” Rosa said matter-of-factly.
“Yes he is,” her father laughed. “We really can’t thank you all enough. That bear really does mean a lot to all three of us.”
“Oh? How’s that?” Sidney asked.
“Before Ricky and I were married, he gave Smush Bear to me as a Christmas gift,” Rosa’s mother explained. “He traveled a lot for work at the time, but whenever I held that bear, I felt close to him, no matter how far apart we were.”
“After Rosa was born, Lucy and I passed him on to her,” Ricky continued. “He’s practically a family member, silly as it sounds.”
“It’s not silly at all,” said Lauren. “I think it’s sweet.”
Charlie and Sidney could only smile and nod in agreement as they watched Edward and Rosa talking and laughing. After all, who were they to judge, when they had a non-human family member of their own?
They all chatted for a little while longer, but eventually Edward, Lauren, Charlie and Sidney had to get to work. Before they said goodbye to their guests, Lauren took one last photo of Rosa and her family with Edward and his crew, with Rosa perched on Edward’s running board and smiling as she held Smush Bear tight. As they left, Rosa and her parents promised that they’d stop and say hello whenever they saw Edward on the platform from now on. Edward was still a bit sad to see them go, but pleased to have made some new friends.
A week later, after the Christmas rush was through, a package addressed to Edward came on Percy’s post train. It was carefully wrapped, with stamps saying “fragile” and “do not bend” all over the outside.
“Whatever could it be?” Edward asked. “And who is it from?”
“I don’t know, old boy,” Sidney said. “Only one way to find out, though!”
Charlie carefully opened the package and lifted out a framed photograph, the same photo that Lauren took on the day they met Rosa’s family.
“Well, would you look at that,” he said, holding the frame up for Edward to see. “It’s from Rosa’s family, the Ricardos. They’ve sent you a late Christmas present!”
Edward’s eyes lit up as he looked at the photo, mounted and matted in a lovely wooden frame. He was so happy he didn’t know what to say.
“I know just the spot for it,” said Sidney, grabbing some wire, a nail, and a hammer from a nearby tool chest. He hung the photo up on the wall of the shed, in a place where Edward could look at it whenever he wanted.
Edward loves his gift. Every time he sees it, no matter how hard his day has been, he feels Very Well-Loved indeed.