by J. M. Harris
‘But what is there at the other side of the lake?’ asked Danny eagerly.
‘That, young man, is what we are about to find out!’ shouted Noosum Foosum gleefully and, with a flourish, he started the engine up once more and slapped his hand down onto a big button labelled ‘Boost’ on the console. The boat bolted forwards like a race horse out of the stalls, throwing the children back in their seats as it started slicing through the waves as if they weren’t there.
They raced along. A vast watery wilderness opened up on all sides; waves flew high over the cabin roof, every so often providing a tantalising glimpse into the under-water world below. Above water, giant birds started to appear – Canada geese, greylag geese, mallards and coots. The distant calls of gulls and terns could be made out and, nearby, a cormorant bobbed along before diving deep into the water and returning seconds later, a fish flapping in its beak.
The children thrilled at the unfolding panorama, trusting Noosum Foosum in this new adventure and urging him on as he pushed the throttle further forwards.
Leaving the cormorant far behind, Noosum Foosum steered towards the sounds of the sea birds that wheeled and dived in the distance. The waves were getting bigger and, as they became aware of a certain saltiness in the air that was familiar to them, Noosum Foosum whispered, ‘just as I had always thought – the estuary…’
The reverie was broken in an instant by a terrible loud rasping noise that seemed to be coming from under the boat; the type of sound which communicates unmistakably that something, somewhere, is being damaged – and badly! The boat started to jerk and stutter as it rapidly lost speed. A console light started flashing, a buzzer began sounding and the noise of metal sliding against metal could be made out as the boat automatically closed various water-tight hatches underneath them. Noosum Foosum was dashing from one control to the next, obviously dealing with whatever had just happened.
After only a few seconds they had come to a complete halt. Noosum Foosum pressed the button to open the cabin roof and made his way out on deck to see what he could see. The children scrambled up beside him and shielded their eyes from the sun, as they looked left, right and behind them to see if they could fathom the cause of the terrible scraping sound.
‘There!’ exclaimed Noosum Foosum and, leaning back to peer past the stern of the boat, the children could see exactly what he meant. Behind them, stretching for quite a long way, they could see the jagged tops of a bank of rocks – a bank of rocks which they must have passed straight over!
‘No wonder,’ Danny said quietly to himself as he realised the source of all the scraping and jerking they had experienced. ‘Is the boat damaged?’ he asked, concerned.
‘I’ll say,’ replied Noosum. ‘The boat has closed the inner protection doors in the hull, so we won’t sink but there’s no way we can set off again in these waves. Choosum’s paint has come off completely, together with the bottom half of the boat. We’ll never have enough power. Our only choice is to sit it out and hope that either someone comes to rescue us or that the waves die down just enough for us to reach shore and make proper repairs.’
So the three of them sat on the deck, straining their eyes, searching for some chance of rescue. Nothing but wave upon wave met their gaze. In fact, it was no longer possible to see where the estuary narrowed to mark the direction they had come from. All they could see were waves and the occasional distant gull.
But then, in the far distance, a thin trail of blue smoke began drifting slowly upwards…
Chapter 3
‘Look!’ Danny shouted – and they all did. Sure enough, there was a delicate trail of smoke in the far distance; which could only mean one thing: someone, somewhere was having a fire and that someone would quite possibly be able to help!
‘Right,’ said Noosum, ‘I’ll start the boat up and see if we can make any progress towards the smoke,’ and he disappeared into the cabin, started the boat once more and began to throttle round to face it towards the smoke. The waves did seem to have died down somewhat but they could tell just by looking at the bank of rocks behind them that they were getting nowhere.
‘I’ve got an idea!’ shouted Danny, jumping up. He grabbed Choosum Foosum’s spray, ran to the back of the boat and started spraying the boat’s now ramshackle hull with a dose of repel. ‘I’ll spray repel on the back of the boat like this,’ he demonstrated, spraying crazily, ‘then the boat will repel the water and just like two magnets, the water will push back against the boat, forcing it to go forwards! Noosum Foosum, what do you think? Will it work?’ he demanded, spraying and spraying as he did.
Noosum Foosum and Katie came over and peered over the back of the boat. As they watched, the repel started to work and they could see the water frothing and foaming below them. Then, it was as if an invisible giant had stuck an invisible thumb directly into the water behind the boat, carving out a ginormous bowl shape from the moving water. The water was being repelled from the back of the boat alright, but unfortunately Danny’s plan wasn’t working; the boat itself was staying exactly where it was.
‘There’s just far too much water I’m afraid,’ said Noosum Foosum consolingly, ‘and because it’s a liquid, free to move wherever it likes, it’s just being repelled away and bulging up somewhere else. I’m sorry, as that was a really good idea.’
Despondently the three of them made their way back to the front of the boat. The sun was beginning to set and they were wishing they were back home or in Noosum Foosum’s cosy kitchen with a cup of hot chocolate. If only they could reach the mysterious trail of smoke on the horizon to ask for help. With heavy hearts they gazed at the smoke, still tracing a thin wavy line against the now reddening sky. They watched enviously the gulls circling in the distance and wished they could simply fly back home. They thought of the cormorant and his juicy catch and how he was probably bobbing up and down somewhere contentedly, able to go wherever he wished.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, Katie noticed a splash off to one side of the boat. She went over and peered hard at the water. There it was again! And this time she noticed the flash of some kind of creature below the water. She called the others over and all three stared intently at the water.
‘There!’ cried Danny, pointing at a splash that this time was quite a bit nearer. ‘It’s a dolphin!’
Noosum Foosum kindly pointed out that a dolphin would be many times larger than the boat, but did agree that it was definitely an animal of some description.
Splash!
There it was again, this time right up against the side of the boat. All three craned their necks to see if they could make out the mysterious creature that had come to visit them. And then, before their very eyes, it surfaced…
‘Well I never!’ exclaimed Noosum.
‘It is! It’s a dolphin!’ exclaimed Danny.
‘No it’s not!’ yelled Katie excitedly. ‘It’s Mew!’
Chapter 4
‘Mew! Mew! Dear Mew!’ Katie, heart filled with love for her dear friend, couldn’t stop calling Mew’s name. She skipped down the boat’s gently sloping prow and embraced the glistening Mew, who had managed to squirm seal-like onto the boat’s deck. She stroked him and petted him and showered his nose with kisses, while Mew all the while made a delightful purring noise that indicated that the affection was mutual.
Mew was of course one of the tadpoles that the children had befriended on their very first adventure. Once the happy reunion had concluded, Katie leaned intently towards Mew, seemingly listening to him. She turned to the others and announced proudly, ‘Mew is going to rescue us.’ She patted Mew on the head as she spoke and he looked as proud as Katie sounded.
‘But how?’ answered Danny.
‘He’s going to pull us,’ put Katie simply.
‘I think it’s lovely of Mew to offer,’ said Noosum Foosum, ‘but I’m afraid that one tadpole isn’t going to be strong enough and besides I don’t know how he could. I have ropes on board but they would slide right off his slipper
y body.’
‘Easy!’ answered Katie, and as she spoke another two tadpoles, both a bit larger than Mew, appeared from beneath the waves and slithered up onto the deck next to him.
‘Itsy and Bitsy!’ declared Danny, looking bewilderedly at the unlikely collection of three tadpoles now on the deck. Each tadpole then lowered its head as Katie carefully reached into her pocket and pulled something out. She appeared to be attaching the something to each of the tadpoles’ necks. Standing back, she revealed that all three tadpoles were now wearing what appeared to be shiny new collars! Itsy’s was yellow with glitter, Bitsy’s was blue and decorated with little felt octopi and Mew’s was a brilliant white.
‘Mew is being very brave and wearing a collar anyway – even though he thinks it might prickle,’ she explained. ‘Now hand me the rope please, Noosum Foosum.’
The now dumbstruck Noosum Foosum obediently complied and soon all three tadpoles were harnessed and had slithered back into the water. With a flick of her wrist and a shout of ‘Hey boys. Come on Itsy!’ Katie instructed the tadpoles to set-off!
The boat surged forwards through the waves in a way that had been impossible powered only by the engine with half the hull missing. Katie gave a gentle tug of her reins to the left and Itsy, Bitsy and Mew obediently veered slightly left, so that they were now powering directly to the distant shore line with the mysterious column of smoke.
Katie teased and caressed her reins as if she had done so a thousand times before, urging and encouraging the tadpoles on as they arced effortlessly through the water. The setting sun reflected off their glistening backs as they powered through the water, now a glory of deep blue, golden orange and white foam. Before long, the column of smoke was not so distant and the shoreline could be clearly seen. Noosum Foosum pointed out that the smoke was coming from a cottage with a little wooden jetty.
Katie teased and caressed her reins as if she had done so a thousand times before
As they neared, they could see more detail of the cottage. It had a roof and front porch of thatch, sky blue shutters at the windows and a cobbled footpath and driveway at the front. The path led from the front door of the cottage down to the jetty, where they could see that another boat was moored. Katie skilfully steered Mew so that they cautiously approached the jetty and the tadpoles reduced their speed so that the side of the boat’s hull met that of the jetty with a gentle knock. Noosum Foosum jumped off, secured the boat to the mooring posts provided and pulled it in securely. They were safe.
Noosum Foosum and Danny, who had both been stunned into silence by the whole affair, were now all words, desperate to discover the how, what, why and where of it all and to learn how the tadpoles had known of their peril. But Katie simply unstrapped the reins from the tadpoles’ collars, removed Mew’s collar altogether, gave them each a pat on the head and gestured to the underneath of the jetty. The tadpoles obediently swam off as she had indicated, although Mew proceeded to rub his neck violently up and down one of the green, barnacled legs of the jetty; presumably to rid himself of the prickliness of his collar-wearing. With a simple ‘told you Mew would rescue us,’ Katie disappeared into the boat’s cabin.
Noosum Foosum knew that explanations would be forthcoming, but maybe now was not the time. So he simply got out his toolbox and disappeared out of sight over the gunwale, whistling as he went.
Danny followed Katie into the cabin, and had soon joined her in sipping hot chocolate and listening to the cawing and crying of the gulls overhead and to the banging and thumping of Noosum Foosum as he repaired the hull.
Itsy, Bitsy and Mew were snugly curled up around the legs of the jetty and had drifted off to sleep, dreaming tadpole dreams of boats and of collars and of a little girl who loved them.
Mew’s Accidental Adventure
Chapter 1
The tadpoles slept soundly all that night, as did Katie and Danny. Noosum Foosum had shown them a small hatch at the back of the cabin which they hadn’t noticed before. When they opened it they were thrilled to discover that they could swing through it and into a snug little berth nestled at the back of the boat. The berth contained bunk beds, a washbasin, toothbrushes, pyjamas, story books and even bed socks – and the children had wasted no time at all in availing themselves of all that was there. And now the first of the morning light was starting to filter through the port hole above them and the smell of something delicious was starting to permeate the room, so that pretty soon the children were up, washed and dressed and had pushed their way back through the hatch and into the cabin again.
‘Good morning!’ Noosum Foosum declared cheerily as the children poked their heads through the hatch. ‘Come and have breakfast. I’ve made bacon sandwiches; hope you like them.’ The children nodded eagerly and soon the three of them were happily munching and chatting about all that had happened the previous day.
Katie explained that she had started making the tadpoles’ collars the very next day after she had first met Itsy, Bitsy and Mew. She had been bringing them on every trip since then, in the hope that she would meet her slippery friends again! And as for how Mew and the others knew that she needed their help, it seems that they had seen the boat set off and had been following it all the while, but hadn’t quite been able to catch up until it had begun to founder on the rocks! And, as for how Katie had been able to bridle and drive the tadpoles as if she had been doing it every day of her life, she simply replied, ‘Oh yes, I’ve been practising in my room using my cuddlies,’ (by which she meant her ever growing and much loved collection of cuddly toys). ‘I knew it would be easy.’
After breakfast, Noosum Foosum announced that he still needed to spend another hour or two fixing the hull and that maybe the children would like to visit the cottage, to see who lived there. The children scrambled off the boat, onto the warm, hard boards of the jetty and up the cobbled path to the cottage beyond. It was another beautiful morning and they were feeling happy, well-fed and inquisitive as to who could live in such a lovely place.
As they approached the cottage, they discovered that it was exactly proportioned to match their miniaturised size – just as Noosum Foosum’s own accommodation was. Not only that, but they were intrigued to discover that a little stream flowed around the side of the cottage, running from an old wooden water wheel that was attached to the side wall. They wandered nearer and stood captivated as its gnarled, green buckets wound their way round and round, each one sloshing and splashing its contents into the one below.
‘Pretty isn’t it?’ said a gentle accented voice from behind them. The children spun round, startled, and found before them a dear-looking woman in pinafore and apron, arms folded gently in front of her, eyes twinkling behind her glasses.
‘Yes, it is,’ agreed Danny. ‘We’ve just come round to say hello while our boat is being fixed,’ he added in a matter of fact way.
‘We can help you if there’s anything you need help with,’ added Katie.
‘Jobs now…?’ said the lady thoughtfully, ‘well, why don’t you come in and have something to drink while I have a think about that.’
‘Thank you very much Mrs…erm…,’ Danny paused thoughtfully.
‘Sorry my dear. I didn’t introduce myself did I?
‘Pretty isn’t it?’ said a gentle accented voice from behind them
You can just call me ‘Ma.’ Everyone does. And I tend to call everyone ‘my dear!’ No-one seems to mind,’ Ma added with a laugh. She gestured in front of her and the children obediently followed the path to the front of the cottage and under the thatched porch. The door was ajar and pushing it aside they found that the cottage was just as quaint on the inside as it was on the outside. An old oak bench, a walnut bureau and even a grandfather clock stood on the dark wooden floor, while beams of all shapes and sizes criss-crossed the ceilings of each room.
‘Go on, have an explore!’ encouraged Ma. Not needing a second bidding, the children were soon racing from room to room, delighted to discover not just one, but two sta
ircases – the main one and a back one in a room that Ma call the scullery. There were bedrooms with dormer windows overlooking the jetty and a third staircase that led to the attic, which was full of interesting looking items, the uses for which the children were uncertain. The soothing sound of the water wheel could be heard from every room, but it was loudest in the mill room. There they found some stone steps leading down to the reservoir pool and the water waiting in the race.
‘It’s wonderful!’ exclaimed Katie, arriving back in the kitchen and thrilled that one house could contain so much to see and equally thrilled that they had been allowed to explore it.
‘Awesome!’ agreed Danny, although his mouth was now full of biscuit, which had arrived with the promised drinks.
‘It is a lovely cottage, my dear,’ agreed Ma, ‘I am very lucky to live here – and lucky to have you come and visit as well. Seems like visitors are few and far between these days and it can get lonely, especially in winter, or especially when,’ she paused, wondering whether to say what she had planned on saying. ‘Well, especially when I have a problem that I don’t know how to fix. That’s when I really miss someone to talk to and to help me do things.’
‘What problem?’ asked Danny eagerly. ‘We can help; we’re good at fixing things,’ he asserted.
‘Well, I wouldn’t bother you with it if I wasn’t at my wits end,’ continued Ma, ‘but it’s the weevils, you see. I just can’t seem to get rid of them.’
‘Weevils?’ asked Danny, quizzically, looking left and right, trying to see what she meant.
‘Oh, you won’t see them now,’ Ma continued, ‘they’re nocturnal.’
