Page 12 of Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure
‘It’s busy here tonight,’ Atticus complained as he tipped his hat back.
‘It’s like this most nights when Reg has the music on,’ Arthur agreed.
‘I can hardly hear myself think,’ Atticus grumbled.
At that moment, the song ended, and the singer announced that he would take a short break.
‘That’s better,’ Arthur said. ‘Now you can tell me what you’ve been up to today. Has Mary been mithering?’
Atticus held his empty glass up to Reg, the landlord, who slid two fresh pints towards them. ‘Mary has made it her mission to enhance my life.’
Arthur looked puzzled, but Atticus continued, ‘She says I should look out of my window and smile.’
‘They’ll be locking you up if you do too much of that.’ Arthur chuckled.
‘I’ve spent all afternoon with her and Jake, going through stuff in an old barn that I wouldn’t let Mungo clear out.’
‘Is there much in there?’
‘Well, I used to store the Little Grey Fergie in one section, but Jake has her in his own workshop now.’
‘Anything else?’
‘Oh, you know, bits and pieces that I didn’t want to get rid of.’ Atticus was enjoying building the suspense. ‘And some of my own things that I’d forgotten about.’
‘Like what?’
‘There’s a pile of shearing gear, some old combs and cutters and weighing scales.’ Atticus stared wistfully into his pint.
‘Not much use to you now.’ Arthur nodded.
‘Aye, I know.’
For a moment, the pair sat with folded arms, a far-offlook in their eyes.
‘Was that it?’ Arthur asked impatiently. ‘No pot of gold that you’d forgotten about?’
‘Well, Mary insisted that I go through everything, and therewassomething…’
Arthur sat up, his curiosity piqued.
‘Do you remember that camper Clara and I used to take on holidays when the twins were small?’
‘The bright yellow 1985 VW Westfalia?’ Arthur almost dropped his pint. He recalled the vehicle with fondness and, reaching out, grabbed his friend’s arm.
‘Aye, that’s the one.’
‘I remember it well. Today, it would be a prized vintage vehicle.’ Arthur nodded enthusiastically. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve still got it?’
‘Jake found her tucked away behind a tall stack of handling pens. I couldn’t believe it because I’d forgotten all about her.’
‘Good grief.’ Arthur rubbed his hands together, then paused. ‘But I expect she’s falling apart?’
‘On the contrary, her bodywork looks good, and once we’d got the bonnet up, Jake felt sure he’d be able to get the engine going.’ Atticus grinned. ‘She was mucky though. Her colour looked grey, not yellow.’
‘So, what are your plans?’
‘I’ll let Jake tinker around and see if he can get the old girl to start. Then I’ll probably sell her, not that she’d be worth much.’
