Tommy the Train was a very happy little train, but he *loved* his tracks. They were shiny and silver, and he zoomed up and down them all day long! “These are *my* tracks!” he’d puff to anyone who came near. He didn’t like sharing, not one bit.
One sunny morning, Rosie the Red Engine wanted to play. “Tommy,” she called, “Can I use your tracks for a little while? I want to deliver some fluffy sheep to Farmer Giles!” Tommy frowned. “No! These are *my* tracks! Find your own!” Rosie’s wheels drooped a little, and she chugged sadly away.
Next, Barnaby the Blue Boxcar asked if he could join in. “Tommy, could we build a long train together on your tracks?” Tommy shook his smokestack. “No, no, no! Too many trains! Go play somewhere else!” Barnaby sighed and rolled off to find some pebbles to play with by himself.
Tommy continued to zoom around, but something felt…wrong. It wasn’t as fun anymore. He looked over and saw Rosie slowly pulling her sheep cars, and Barnaby looking lonely with his pebbles. He realized he was all alone, even though he had the best tracks.
Suddenly, Tommy had an idea! He puffed quickly to find Rosie. “Rosie,” he called, “I’m sorry I wouldn’t let you use my tracks. Would you like to deliver the sheep *with* me?” Rosie’s face lit up! “Oh, Tommy, I’d love to!”
Then, Tommy found Barnaby. “Barnaby, want to help us make the longest train ever?” Barnaby cheered and quickly coupled onto the back. Together, Tommy, Rosie, and Barnaby zoomed along the tracks, delivering sheep and laughing. It was SO much more fun than playing alone!
Tommy learned that day that sharing his tracks didn’t make them less special. It made playtime much more wonderful! He understood that having friends to play with was the best gift of all. From then on, Tommy always shared his tracks, and the railway was filled with happy chugging sounds and joyful laughter.
As the sun began to set, Tommy, Rosie, and Barnaby parked side-by-side. Tommy yawned a big, sleepy train yawn. “Sharing is caring,” he whispered. And with that, he closed his eyes and drifted off to dreamland, dreaming of many more adventures with his friends.