the Snow-Smashers! Read online

‘They broke through a hedge and got down to the water-meadows and on to my lake,’ explained Mr Standing. ‘Skidding about, they were!’ As a cow went astray, he tucked a firm hand under her chin and steered her back into the lane. ‘Good to see you’ve got your lights on, boy,’ he added. ‘I saw on the telly that they’ve had so much ice in some places it’s brought down the electricity lines.’

  Harry suddenly remembered the people in the village on the hill. ‘Does that mean the power’s off in Huntingdon?’

  ‘Very likely,’ said Mr Oakley.

  ‘Well, who’s going to rescue the villagers?’ asked Harry.

  ‘Helicopter, maybe,’ said Mr Oakley. ‘If it’s not too busy with other emergencies.’

  There must be something somebody can do for them, Harry thought. At that moment Sam burst into his room.

  ‘Close that window, Harry!’ she hissed. ‘You’re letting all the heat out of the house!’

  Harry ignored her. Mr Standing was calling out again. ‘You want to get down later on and take a look at my lake if you fancy a bit of skating. I tell you, if it’s thick enough to stand this herd on, it’s safe enough for you lot.’

  ‘Fantastic! Thanks,’ said Harry, thrilled. He waved and pulled his window closed as the herd lumbered slowly on up the lane. Behind him, his sister stamped and made noises. It was tempting to say something rude about moody cows. But this was not the right moment. Instead, Harry said brightly, ‘Can I borrow your skates, Sam? Pleeeease! I’ve got permission to skate on Mr Standing’s lake.’

  ‘No way!’ she snapped.

  ‘Why? Are you going to use them?’

  ‘No, Boris is coming round with a golf DVD. We’re watching it together. He was going to take me to the golf course, but it’s closed because of the snow.’

  ‘There you are, then! You won’t need your skates if you’re staying in.’

  ‘I told you no! I’m not having you messing them up.’ She slammed the door behind her as she stomped off.

  Harry’s heart sank. Sam was always annoying, but he was sure she’d got worse since she went all soppy about Boris. Now he was turning her into a golf-freak! Sam said Boris was ‘mature’, but Harry thought he was nothing but a pain.

  Sam and Boris were always taking over the living-room sofa. That stopped Harry watching the only TV in the house that didn’t make your eyes go funny. Nobody else got a look-in with those two watching recordings of golf matches. He still couldn’t believe that Boris’s idea of fun was writing down in a notebook every single shot each golfer played and which club they used. How boring!

  Harry missed Wedge. Wedge was nice to him and really knew how to have a laugh. It made Harry smile even now when he remembered him doing his party trick. Sam hadn’t seemed to realize how lucky she’d been to have a boyfriend who could play ‘God Save the Queen’ on the hose of the vacuum cleaner.

  If only they could get back together, Harry thought, before heading off to phone the GOGOs and tell them about Mr Standing’s ice rink.

  Chapter 7

  It was great to be out of the house and away from Sam and Boring Boris. Harry dashed off as fast as he could to Mr Standing’s farm. He had arranged to meet the GOGOs there for a ‘non-sledge’ race before they got on the ice.

  They’d all agreed that you could count anything as a non-sledge except a purpose-built sledge or a toboggan. So Charlie unscrewed the wheels from her famous dragon skateboard and turned up with a dragon snowboard under her arm. Jack brought along a plastic tea-tray with handles on two sides.

  Siri arrived lugging an enormous cardboard box. It was the packaging from a fridge-freezer that his mum and dad had bought in the sales. ‘Fridge-freezer. Cool. Get it?’ He grinned.

  Charlie rolled her eyes, then she turned to Harry. ‘Where’s your non-sledge, Harry?’ she demanded.

  Harry smiled. ‘In my pocket. Ta-dah!’ With a flourish like a magician, he whipped out a shiny black, heavy-duty bin-liner. ‘Take your marks here for the Downhill Challenge!’

  The starting line for the race was at the top of a track that led down a steep pasture.

  ‘Listen up, racers!’ called Harry. ‘We go through that gap where that five-bar gate is open. OK? After that, we follow the track through the trees. Then we get on to a really, really steep slope down to the edge of the lake, so be careful. First one to the lake is the winner!’

  Jack was a bit worried that Siri would have no chance in his box and wanted to give him a head start.

  ‘You are a gentleman and I thank you,’ smiled Siri. ‘But I will be perfectly fine. I have thought a great deal about the design of this machine.’

  He laid the box on its side, dived head first into it, then his head popped out of a hole in the other end. He thrust his arms out of big slits in the sides and waved them about. ‘My engines and also my brakes!’ he beamed. ‘The bottom is polished with beeswax. I am confident that I shall go like a rocket. Ready when you are!’

  Jack was small enough to sit with his knees up to his chest and his heels on the edge of his tea-tray. Charlie was poised on her snowboard. Harry tucked himself into his bin-liner as if it were a sleeping bag. He pulled it right up to his chin and flipped himself on to his back.

  ‘3 … 2 … 1 … LIFT OFF!’ Harry yelled. He arched his back like a loopy caterpillar and smacked his heels down into the snow to get himself moving.

  Jack was away first, hanging on to the handles of his tray for dear life. Braking and steering were out of the question, but he didn’t mind. He just leaned his body this way and that. By the time he arrived among the trees, he was just ahead of Charlie. She’d hit a root and fallen off her dragon-board at the gate. But she’d got quickly back in the race and was now speeding along faster than any of the others.

  Harry wasn’t far behind. Ooh-ah-ooh! He felt every lump and bump of the track through the thin plastic of the bin-liner, but he didn’t care. It just added to the thrill!

  Siri had a terrible start. His arms weren’t long enough to give him much of a push-off and his legs were trapped in the box. Still, he had the advantage of being the heaviest racer, which helped when he hit the steep slope beyond the trees.

  By then Charlie had already arrived at the edge of the lake. ‘Yesssss!’ she yelled. But as she bent down to lift her board out of the way, Jack crash-landed into her and sent her flying. Harry slithered into the pair of them. Siri, however, was still coming down the hill at them like a runaway train.

  ‘GET OUT OF THE WAY!’ he yelled, but it was too late.

  KERPOW!

  WAHOOO! FLUMP!

  FLUMP!

  FLUMP!

  The four of them piled into the snow in a wiggling tangle!

  Siri surfaced first, looking like a snowman. ‘A little too much speed,’ he said, giving himself a good shake.

  ‘Wow!’ laughed Harry. ‘That was fantastic!’

  The GOGOs brushed themselves down and then tried a bit of skating on the frozen lake. None of them had ice-skates, but they all enjoyed seeing how far they could slide in their boots without falling over. Then Harry cut his bin-liner into strips – enough for everyone to tie a piece over each of their boots. Soon they were spinning and skidding about like crazy and taking turns to get rides in Siri’s box.

  Then, just as they were at their most helpless with laughter … ‘SNOWBALL ATTACK!’ yelled Jack.

  Boris and Sam were letting fly at them from up the hill!

  Chapter 8

  ‘How embarrassing,’ sighed Siri when it was all over and the GOGOs were off the ice on firmer ground.

  The others agreed. They hadn’t landed a single snowball on Sam and Boris, who had launched their bombardment from behind the trees. By the time the GOGOs had skidded off the lake to make their own snowballs, Boris and Sam had scored direct hits on all of them and got clean away.

  It was thinking about being trapped that made Harry and his friends remember the people stuck in their houses up at Huntingdon. As they trudged up the slope towards the farmh
ouse, Siri told them about a letter he had read in his dad’s newspaper. It was from a man who remembered the dreadful winter of 1947.

  The writer was a boy back then. His village was cut off by snow, so he decided to take action. He collected bags of flour from his neighbours and loaded them on to his pony. Then he dragged the pony miles through deep snow to the next village and asked the baker to turn the flour into bread. When the loaves were ready, the boy loaded them on to his pony and set off home again. It was dark by the time the boy returned. Early the next morning, the neighbours were amazed and delighted to have fresh bread delivered to their doors!

  ‘That’s a great idea!’ cried Jack. ‘Let’s pool our pocket money and buy … I don’t know … some cakes or chocolate biscuits or something. And tea to drink. Old people love that sort of thing. It would really cheer them up if we arrived unexpectedly with loads of goodies.’

  ‘Hear, hear!’ said Charlie. ‘But where are we going to borrow a pony from?’

  ‘What about a car?’ suggested Siri.

  ‘Even better!’ agreed Charlie. ‘But who do we know with the guts to drive their car through deep snow? Would Boris help us, Harry?’

  Harry wasn’t sure. ‘It’s worth a try, I suppose,’ he said doubtfully. ‘He might do it to show Sam what a hero he is.’

  In the kitchen at Harry’s house, Boris stood with his hands on his hips and looked very important while the GOGOs told him their plan.

  ‘Listen, you lot,’ he drawled. ‘Are you seriously asking me to deliver chocolate biscuits to complete strangers up in Huntingdon? You honestly want me to risk my engine and my paintwork for that? You must be mad! For goodness’ sake, just go away and practise dodging snowballs or something.’

  Sam smirked at Harry, and dragged Boris into the living-room to drink hot chocolate and sit by the fire.

  The GOGOs were disappointed, but they were not surprised – or put off. Luckily Siri had a plan. When they all went home for lunch, they secretly tucked away most of what they were given. So when they got together again, they had quite a feast – sandwiches, pots of yoghurt, crisps, nuts, bananas. Siri brought piles of delicious Kavun cakes and Jack had smuggled out some of his mother’s famous shortbread.

  ‘This is going to be a real treat,’ said Charlie, pleased with their collection.

  Off went the GOGOs, each of them wearing a rucksack. The plan was to struggle up the snow-bound lane to Huntingdon on foot. But first they went over to Wedge’s dad’s farm to drop off the spray-gun they’d borrowed for the sculpture competition.

  When they got there, a flashing violet light and a fizzing sound led them to an outbuilding where Wedge was doing his favourite thing – welding! As they approached, he tipped back the dark visor on his special helmet and gave the gang a sooty grin. ‘Done it!’ he beamed. ‘What d’ya reckon?’

  There was only one word for it: WOW! Wedge had just fitted a huge snowplough to the front of his truck.

  ‘It was Dad’s idea,’ he explained. ‘He wants me to clear the tracks to some of the outlying fields so we can get food out to the sheep and cattle. Wanna jump in while I see if it works?’

  The GOGOs all looked at each other. They were thinking the same thing. Siri’s eyes were wide with excitement.

  ‘Yes, please!’ said Harry. ‘Only, if it does work, then we might just need your help to do a little job …’

  Chapter 9

  The snow in the lane to Huntingdon turned out to be deeper than anyone had imagined. Wedge’s snowplough worked well and the truck’s engine had plenty of power, but it was slow-going.

  Wherever the lane sank between banks or where there were no trees to give protection from the falling snow, deep drifts had formed. Black smoke gathered in clouds round the truck as the engine growled and roared, and Wedge went at the drifts like a battering ram.

  The GOGOs did their bit; Jack and Charlie sat with Wedge and urged him on, while Siri and Harry trudged up ahead to show him the way. Sometimes, they were almost up to their necks in snow.

  ‘Come on, you can do it!’ Charlie yelled, trying to encourage the truck to shove even harder.

  But in two hours they had cleared less than a quarter of the lane. Then the whole of the front section of the truck was swallowed by a great white wave of snow. The back wheels screamed as they spun. They were stuck. Again.

  ‘Take a break!’ ordered Wedge through the open window of his cab. ‘We’ve given it our best shot. But it looks like we’re never gonna make it, guys!’ He switched off the engine and pulled on the handbrake.

  ‘We’ll have to try to walk up like we planned,’ said Siri, heading back towards the truck. ‘But we could be in over our heads.’

  Suddenly Harry had a thought that made him stand up straight. ‘We need serious back-up!’ he breathed to himself. ‘And this is really important. I wonder …’

  He threw down his gloves and felt in his pocket. His fingers found the key-ring. He could feel his two keys – and something else … something warm.

  It looked like a B.U.D. was ready to help! Harry ran his finger and thumb across the smooth plastic figure on the card. Nose-to-tail.

  A terrible force sent Harry sprawling sideways. He picked himself up and found himself looking at a creature of astonishing size and power. It was a cross between a three-horned rhino and a garbage truck. Its head was about one third of the size of its armoured body. Behind its head was a bony plate or frill the size of a church door.

  The beast turned to look at Harry. It lowered its head and, for a terrifying moment, looked as though it was about to charge. Then it opened its beak-like mouth. ‘I am at your service,’ it rumbled.

  ‘T-t-triceratops?’ stammered Harry.

  ‘That is correct,’ replied the creature. ‘This is clearly a job for me …’ Triceratops trotted over to the truck and hooked his biggest horn under the back of the truck, pulling it clear of the snowdrift.

  ‘W-what’s going on?’ yelled Wedge. ‘I’ve got the brake on, but we’re slipping backwards!’

  Triceratops unhooked himself, took a few steps back from the truck and lowered his great head. He began to paw the ground like a giant bull. Although he knew the dinosaur was invisible to everyone else, Harry was still surprised to see that he left no footprints in the snow. ‘Get inside the truck – quick!’ Triceratops rumbled. ‘Oh, and that goes for the other small Two-Legs.’

  Harry dashed round to the front of the truck. ‘Quick, get in, Siri. I’ve, er … got an idea. Wedge! Let the truck roll backwards a bit more and then …’

  ‘… give her all the power we’ve got?’ asked Wedge.

  ‘Right!’ said Harry. The GOGOs squeezed themselves together in the warmth of the cab. As Siri closed the door with a slam, Wedge started the engine again.

  ‘Hang on tight!’ yelled Harry.

  The roar of the engine was matched by the grunts of Triceratops as he slammed his nose into the smoking rear of the truck. No one but Harry could hear the dinosaur, but they could certainly feel him.

  The truck powered forward like a jumbo jet at take-off! The force of it pushed the passengers back against their seats. Powdered snow flew all around in a great white cloud and the windscreen was totally blanked out.

  ‘I can’t see a thing!’ yelled Wedge. ‘Brace yourselves!’

  On and on went the truck. The steering wheel juddered and hopped and it was all Wedge could do to hold it steady. ‘I don’t get it! My foot’s not touching the pedal!’ he shouted.

  ‘We seem to be gathering speed!’ gasped Siri.

  And then suddenly they were gliding as easily as a rubber duck through bubbles in the bath. The crash everyone expected never came. Instead, they came to a peaceful stop.

  Wedge turned off the engine and wound down his window. He peered outside. ‘I’m not sure how,’ he muttered, ‘but I think we’re in Huntingdon!’

  Chapter 10

  The GOGOs tumbled out into the snow. They found themselves by the war memorial where the two mai
n streets of the village met at the highest point of Huntingdon Hill. From here, there was a magnificent view down into the valley on the other side. A dazzling white carpet stretched down for miles until it curved over the next line of hills.

  A large circle the size of a circus tent had been dug out of the deep snow where the two roads met. A group of men in big layers of warm clothing leaned on shovels and stared at them, open-mouthed.

  ‘How did you get up here …?’ began one of them, a wiry-looking old man in a long coat.

  ‘The police told us they couldn’t send a helicopter before tomorrow,’ said another man, his round, red face drenched with sweat under his cap. ‘So we thought at least we ought to clear a spot for it to land.’

  ‘But driving up the lane? We thought that was impossible!’ added the older man.

  ‘You’ve got these kids to thank, really,’ said Wedge. ‘It was their idea to have a crack at it. To be honest, I never thought we’d make it through the drifts. I mean … my old truck has got some power, but somehow she come up that hill like a rocket!’

  While Wedge was talking, Harry glanced behind the truck. He pretended he was taking a look back down the lane that the truck’s snowplough had just cleared. There stood Triceratops, his great head nodding as he regained his breath. He looked so real, so solid, so magnificent that Harry found it impossible to believe that the others couldn’t see him. For the first time, Harry noticed that he could see daylight through a hole in his tail. It crossed his mind that that must be where the key-ring went when the dinosaur was pocket-size.

  He walked over to the giant beast. ‘Thanks, B.U.D.,’ he whispered, and ran his hand tail-to-nose along the armour-plating. He thought it would be like touching the sides of a petrol-tanker or something. Instead, it reminded him of rubbing his hand over a bristly doormat.