Page 14 of Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure
Maeve and Caitlin came into the yard, and as Maeve raised her eyes from her phone, she asked, ‘What’s going on?’
‘We’re working on Grandad’s old camper,’ Mary said, linking her arm through Caitlin’s. ‘It’s called Winnie.’
‘It looks like a wreck to me,’ Maeve mumbled.
‘It’s far from a wreck,’ Jake said, studying his handiwork. ‘We’ll have to re-chrome’ – he softly stroked the trim – ‘but the paintwork is amazing. I’ll get to work with polymer wax. It will bring this up like new.’
‘Can you fix the engine?’ Mary asked.
Atticus felt a shiver as Clara whispered in his ear, ‘Of course, you can! You’ll have the old girl fixed up in no time.’
‘Well, it will need stripping down…’ Atticus began. Staring in at the dust-covered engine, he pointed out details to Jake. ‘It’s a fuel-injection system, known as a DigiJet,’ Atticus explained. ‘And this model, built in 1985, is a 1.9 litre, water-cooled.’
Finn joined Jake with the engine inspection. Their heads dipped as they listened to their grandad enthuse.
‘You can see that it’s a manual transmission,’ Atticus adjusted Declan’s weight on his hip.
‘So, she’s heavy on gas.’ Jake nodded.
‘There’s a lot to do to get her back on the road.’ Atticus pursed his lips.
‘All the usual checks – spark plugs, air, fuel, and oil filters.’ Jake began to poke about. ‘The brake fluid will need flushing and replacing,’ he added.
‘If there’s any left after all this time. It’s a big task.’
‘Can me and Teddy sleep in it?’ Declan asked, rubbing his cheek against Atticus’s face.
‘And me?’ Finn turned to his grandad.
‘The inside will be in a state and need fixing up. The mice will have had their way over the years, and everything will be in tatters.’
Atticus moved around the vehicle and, still holding onto Declan, slowly slid back the side door. The mechanism was rusty and reluctant to move, but with Jake’s help, the inside of the camper was soon revealed.
‘Well, that’s a surprise…’ Atticus shook his head as though to clear his vision.
‘Grandad, I can’t believe it!’ Jake’s jaw dropped as he took it all in.
‘Goodness me,’ Mary whispered.
‘Wow!’ Maeve exclaimed, pointing her phone as she began to take photos.
Atticus stared wide-eyed as the decades fell away.
‘Well, would you take a look at that…’
Chapter Six
As July rolled into August, a month passed quickly at Barn Hill Farm, and as another warm summer evening stretched ahead, the garden at The Black Bull was full. Reg moved methodically through the maze of tables, eagle-eyed for abandoned glasses.
At a table overlooking the village green, Mungo sat with Mary.
‘I can’t believe the change in Dad,’ Mungo said. ‘It’s as though his batteries have been charged, and he’s suddenly come back to life.’
Mary reached for her wine. ‘It’s only taken five years but finding that run-down old camper seems to have reinstated his get-up-and-go.’
‘It’s hardly run-down now; he’s worked miracles with Jake. The camper is a showpiece. Have you noticed how guests at the caravan site always wander over to check it out?’
‘Yes, visitors to the café and farm shop stop and stare, too.’ Mary smiled.
