Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.
Jupiter's Breakdown
It had been raining consistently for over a week in Pontypandy, and everyone was quite fed up with it. When the weather finally did clear up, Sarah and James decided to go strawberry picking. Norman met them at the bus stop.
"Hi, you two," Norman said. "Where are you off to?"
"Pandy Lane Farm," Sarah replied. "We're going strawberry picking. Do you want to come?"
Norman scoffed. "Nah! That's boring! I'm going to Newtown to spend my pocket money."
At that moment, Trevor arrived to collect the kids in his bus. "Hello, you lot!" he said cheerfully as the kids climbed aboard. "Where are you all off to today?"
"We're going strawberry picking!" James replied eagerly. "We're glad to get out of the house at last."
"Yeah!" Sarah agreed. "I was beginning to get quite fed up with board games…"
James giggled. "'Bored' games' is the best name for them!"
Trevor chuckled as he drove off. "And what about you, Norman? Where are you going today?"
…
At the Pontypandy fire station, the crew were trying to keep themselves occupied. Fireman Sam had his feet up on the table, reading a book; Penny was cleaning and sorting her mechanics toolkit; Officer Steele was dozing in his in his office; and Elvis was, as always, trying to cook up a storm. 'Trying' being the operative word.
Sam put his book down with a sigh. "Why do I get the feeling that something's about to happen?"
"Because it's been too quiet this week," Penny said. "Norman hasn't been up to any of his tricks because of the rain, and the biggest job we've had was rescuing Rosa from that flooded storm drain."
"At least everything's starting to dry out," Elvis pointed out, just as his pot of boiling water on the stove started bubbling over. "Whoops!"
Sam rolled his eyes. "Well, perhaps not quite everything."
They heard the phone in Officer Steele's office begin ringing. It stopped abruptly after six rings.
Elvis turned the gas off on the stove. "Boy, Sam! When you get the feeling that something's about to happen-"
"It hasn't happened yet, Elvis," Sam interjected.
"Oh. Right." And Elvis returned to his cooking.
Officer Steele emerged from his office, but none of them noticed. He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Nice to see you all looking so relaxed."
Sam, Elvis and Penny immediately jumped to attention. Officer Steele stepped towards them. "That was HQ on the phone. It seems that we're all due for our annual medical exam and flu inoculation. They're sending over a doctor from Newtown to examine us this afternoon."
A collective groan rose from the crew. Naturally, none of them liked having medical exams, but since it went with the job, they just tolerated it as best they could.
"At least we'll have nothing to worry about, Sam," Penny whispered.
Ever since Penny had joined the Pontypandy fire service, she'd been subtly trying to encourage her colleagues to have a healthier diet. So far, Sam was the only one who'd embraced the change, and he was happy to continue with it, because of the benefits. He was now fitter and stronger than he'd ever been before, and that was a huge advantage when it came to fighting fires.
Elvis looked guiltily down at the floor. "Oh, 'eck!"
Officer Steele cleared his throat again. "Yes, well, that is all I have to say for now… Carry on, everyone."
"Carry on with what?" Elvis muttered. "There's nothing to do."
Officer Steele turned to walk away, but then he happened to notice the book Sam had been reading. "Uh, Fireman Sam?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Are you bored?"
"How did you know that, sir?"
"You must be, to be reading Shakespeare. How about you step into my office and help me with my mountain of paperwork instead? It's about as dull as Henry the Fifth."
Sam tried hard not to look disappointed. He knew he couldn't refuse Officer Steele's indirect order. "Yes, sir." He reluctantly followed Officer Steele inside the office. At least he would have something to alleviate his boredom for the next few hours.
Officer Steele smirked to himself. He knew very well that Sam didn't like paperwork anymore than he did, but it was better than having Sam getting so bored he'd come up with another one of his crazy inventions.
…
Meanwhile, out on the Newtown Road, Trevor and the kids were still travelling in the bus. Suddenly, the bus started skidding.
"Whoops! Hang on, kids!" Trevor called as he struggled to control the skidding bus.
"Look out!" James exclaimed, just as Trevor drove straight into a big mud puddle that was covering the entire width of the road.
Trevor stopped the bus. "Drat it! I'm going to try and reverse. Just stay seated, kids."
Putting the bus into reverse, Trevor revved the engine, but nothing happened. Looking out of the window, Trevor saw that the rear wheels were spinning helplessly in the slippery, sticky mud. With a defeated sigh, Trevor turned off the engine.
"I'm sorry, kids. It's no good. I'm going to have to phone the fire service for help." And Trevor took out his mobile phone.
…
Back inside the fire station, Sam was just getting himself settled to tackle the mountain of paperwork on Officer Steele's desk, when the alarm went off.
"Saved by the bell!" Sam exclaimed with relief as he automatically leapt into action.
"Now, who needs the fire service?" Officer Steele wondered, and he tore the paper information ticket from the printer. Sam burst out of the office like a schoolboy escaping class, snatching up his helmet from the rack in the process.
"Special service call," Officer Steele announced, reading from the paper. "Bus stuck in mud on the Newtown Road. Firefighter Morris, please remain here in case you're needed elsewhere."
"That's very unlikely, sir," Penny muttered as she resumed her seat.
Inside the garage, Sam, Elvis and Officer Steele climbed inside Jupiter, and they fastened their seatbelts.
"All present and correct, sir," Sam said.
Officer Steele nodded. "Right. Let's go!"
Sam activated the sirens before he drove Jupiter out of the fire station.
…
Sarah, James and Norman were becoming increasingly bored while they waited for the fire service to arrive. Trevor had climbed out of the back of his bus, but he wouldn't let the kids join him.
"Stay inside the bus, kids," he instructed. "You could easily slip and fall over in this mud."
The kids all perked up when they heard approaching sirens.
"Uncle Sam!" Sarah and James exclaimed happily in unison.
Sam parked Jupiter a short distance behind Trevor's bus, well away from the mud puddle.
"Get to work, men," Officer Steele instructed as, one by one, the fire crew climbed out. They began analysing the situation.
"Oh! Thank 'evans you've come at last!" Trevor exclaimed with relief. He gestured to the kids inside the bus behind him. "The kids have been getting restless."
"Are you three okay in there?" Sam called to the kids.
"Yes, Uncle Sam!" Sarah replied with a wave.
"Good, good," Officer Steele mused. He turned to Elvis. "Criddlington, fetch the tow cable, please."
"Uh, right, sir."
Once Elvis had retrieved the tow cable, Sam began securing one end to Jupiter's front tow bar, while Elvis tossed the other end towards Trevor.
"Catch, Trevor!"
Trevor stepped forwards to catch the cable, but his feet got stuck in the mud, and he fell over, landing a perfect faceplant in the mud. He was a mess, but nobody laughed.
"Are you all right, Mr Evans?" James called anxiously.
Worried, Elvis tried to fix his mistake. "I-I'm sorry, Trevor." Elvis stepped into the mud, but when he tried to walk, he slipped over as well, landing directly on his posterior.
This time, everyone laughed. Officer Steele rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, if you could get a move on, Criddlington. We're not here to watch you both wallow around in mud like piglets."
"They both look like piglets now though!" James whispered to his sister, making them both giggle.
Finally, the other end of the tow cable was secured to the back of the bus. When Trevor was ready, Sam climbed inside Jupiter, ready to begin towing.
"When you're ready, Fireman Sam," Officer Steele said. "Commence towing!"
Sam eased Jupiter into reverse. The cable tightened and stretched. Trevor's bus moved a few inches, but then a loud chirp and squealing sound came from Jupiter's engine bay. Less than a second later, Jupiter's engine shut down all by itself.
"Great Scot!" Officer Steele exclaimed. "What on earth was that?"
"Something's broken inside Jupiter's engine, sir," Sam explained as he got down from the cab. "I got a bunch of warning lights on the dash just before whatever it was broke. I'll have to go underneath to see what's happened."
"Er… Yes, yes. Carry on, Fireman Sam," Officer Steele said.
Sam retrieved a pair of thick leather gloves, and a protective face mask from one of Jupiter's lockers. Since Jupiter's engine was still hot, he didn't want to risk getting burned. Also, because Jupiter was on a slight hill, Elvis chocked up the front wheels, just in case.
"Chocks are in place, Sam," Elvis told him.
"Thanks, Elvis," Sam said, and he scrambled underneath Jupiter.
"Mr Evans?" Norman called. "Couldn't we get out of the bus now, please? We're bored!"
"No, Norman," Trevor replied firmly. "The fire service already have their hands full with Jupiter. The last thing they need is you lot wandering off and getting lost."
"Oh!" the kids muttered in disappointment.
"Quite right, Mr Evans," Officer Steele agreed. "Keep the kids well out of the way while we deal with this."
"Will Jupiter be okay?" Sarah wondered.
"Of course!" Mr Evans reassured her. "Your uncle will fix her up in no time."
James held out a bag of gobstoppers. Sarah took one. "Want one, Norman?"
"Oh! Don't mind if I do…" And Norman grabbed a whole handful.
"Hey!" James protested. "Norman! Give those back!"
"Make me!"
James made a lunge for Norman. Norman fell over, and the gobstoppers flew out of his hand, and bounced out of the bus's back door. While some of them got stuck in the mud, most of them scattered around on the road.
"Now see what you've done, Norman!" James snapped crossly.
Sam scrambled out from beneath Jupiter. He wiped the grease off his gloves before he spoke to Officer Steele. "I'm afraid it's not good, sir. The drive belt's broken and jammed up in the engine. I'm going to need Penny's help with this one."
"Very well, Fireman Sam," Officer Steele sighed. "But do hurry. We may be needed again at any moment."
"I'm aware of that, sir."
Sam took one step towards Jupiter's cab door, but he didn't see the gobstoppers on the ground, and he slipped over on them.
"Whoa!" Sam yelped in surprise. He landed flat on his stomach.
"Are you okay, Sam?" Elvis asked with concern. But as he stepped forwards to help, he also slipped on the gobstoppers.
"Argh! Hey! Whoa!" Elvis exclaimed. He skidded into Jupiter's front, before he fell onto his back, lying on the road beside Sam.
Officer Steele shook his head in disbelief. Sam propped himself up on one elbow, and he looked at Elvis, who was still in a daze.
"Well, I think that was Jupiter's very first head-on collision."
Officer Steele scoffed at Sam's wit. He pointed sternly towards the bus. "Norman Price! I'll be speaking with your mother, later!"
"Oh, 'eck!" Norman whispered nervously.
…
Back at the Pontypandy fire station, Penny answered the ringing phone. "Pontypandy fire station. How can I help you?"
"Penny? It's Sam," Sam said over the phone.
"Oh, hi, Sam. How's it going out there?"
"Not very good. Jupiter's broken her drive belt, and it's jammed up in the engine. I'm sure we have some spare belts in the vehicle maintenance locker in the garage. Could you bring them out here, please? And your trusty toolkit as well, of course."
"Of course, Sam! I'll be with you soon." And Penny hung up the phone.
Moments later, Penny climbed into Venus, having retrieved everything she knew she'd need for the repairs to Jupiter. She activated Venus' siren before she drove away down the road.
…
Sam climbed down from Jupiter's cab. "Penny's on her way now, sir."
"Good!" Officer Steele replied. "What I'd like to know is, who is responsible for Jupiter breaking down in the first place?"
"Well, nobody, sir," Sam said. "Drive belts can break at any moment. They're just like a giant rubber band."
"Ah! Yes, I er…I see that…" Officer Steele muttered.
Elvis was now standing up, leaning against Jupiter's front, while he rubbed a bruised shoulder. Sam placed his hand on Elvis' uninjured shoulder.
"I'm sure you'll be okay, Elvis," he reassured his colleague. "It could've been worse if Jupiter hadn't been in the way. You might have gone rolling all the way down the hill!"
Elvis just sighed heavily in response. Sam decided to try again.
"Who knows? You could be in line for a medal. Injured in the line of duty!"
"That's very reassuring, Sam," poor Elvis muttered.
"Hey, Uncle Sam?" Sarah called. "Can we get out of the bus, please?"
Sam pondered for a moment. "Hmm… All right, kids."
"Yeah!" the kids cheered.
"But only on one condition…" Sam continued, firmly.
"Cor! What's that?" Norman asked excitedly.
"That you pick up all of these gobstoppers before someone else slips over on them," Sam replied, gesturing to the colourful hardboiled lollies still littering the road.
"Okay, Uncle Sam!" the twins readily agreed.
"Good." Sam put his hands on his hips. "Norman?"
Norman stubbornly crossed his arms. "Oh! Okay, Fireman Sam."
"But how are we going to get the kids out of the bus without them getting covered in mud, like me?" Trevor wondered.
Sam thought for a moment. Then he saw an old wooden gate lying against the stone wall nearby. "Elvis? Help me with this old gate."
"Oh, okay, Sam."
Once they'd retrieved the gate, Sam and Elvis placed it over the mud behind the bus.
"There now," Sam said as he tested it. "You should be able to reach us without getting your shoes muddy. And Trevor will be able to get back inside his bus without slipping over again."
Everyone laughed. Then, the kids and Trevor cautiously made their way across the gate. Before long, they were all on dry ground again. A few minutes later, Penny arrived in Venus.
"Hello, everyone. I've brought the new drive belt and my tools for Jupiter, but I'm going to need some help removing the jammed one."
"I'll help you," Sam immediately volunteered. "Trevor and Elvis? Could you both make sure the kids get these gobstoppers cleaned up?"
"Sure, Sam," the men replied in unison.
Penny and Sam scrambled beneath Jupiter to begin the repairs. Reluctantly, the kids began picking up the gobstoppers that they could see. When nobody was looking, Norman snuck up behind Officer Steele, and he placed a gobstopper where he was likely to stand on it.
"Hoohoo!" Norman snickered.
"How are the repairs coming along?" Officer Steele asked impatiently.
"Almost done now, sir," Sam replied.
"That's it!" Penny exclaimed. "Hold it right there, Sam!"
"Ouch!"
"Oh! Sorry, Sam!"
"Now what's happened?" Officer Steele wondered.
Penny and Sam crawled out from beneath Jupiter. Penny had her toolbox and the broken drive belt in hand. Sam was nursing a finger, but he was still smiling. "It's quite all right, sir. My finger got caught under the new belt while Penny was stretching it over the drive wheel. We should be okay to rescue Trevor now." Just then, he noticed the gobstopper Norman had placed near Officer Steele's foot. "Uh, sir? I'd look down before taking my next step if I were you."
"What?" Officer Steele said as he looked down at his feet. "Ah! Norman Price! You seem to have missed one."
"Spoilsport," Norman muttered as he picked up the gobstopper. He was about to slip it into his pocket when Sam took it from him.
"Oh, no you don't, Norman. I'll deal with these."
James handed over the rest of the gobstoppers to his uncle. "Sorry, Uncle Sam."
Officer Steele cleared his throat. "If we're quite ready, could we resume towing Mr Evans out of the mud now?"
"Yes, sir," Sam replied. He climbed inside Jupiter's cab, while Trevor made his way back inside his bus. Sam turned on Jupiter's engine. It roared happily to life, and the kids cheered.
"Excellent!" Officer Steele smiled, rubbing his hands together. "When everyone's ready…" Elvis quickly removed the chocks from Jupiter's wheels.
"Chocks away now, Sam!" Elvis called. Then, he added to himself, "I've always wanted to say that."
"You can resume towing now, Fireman Sam," Officer Steele instructed. "Take it nice and easy…"
With Sam at the controls, Jupiter took up the strain. Elvis and Penny kept the kids well back as Trevor's bus was, finally, dragged out of the mud puddle. The old gate helped too, by giving the bus's wheels some traction.
At last, Trevor's bus was back on dry ground. The kids cheered again. Inside Jupiter's cab, Sam gave the firetruck a fond pat.
"All in a day's work, eh old girl?" he muttered proudly.
"Excellent work, everyone!" Officer Steele praised. "Right, men. Let's knock off and make up."
…
Later that afternoon, back at the Pontypandy fire station, Sam, Elvis and Penny were relaxing in the kitchen again, when Officer Steele emerged from his office. He cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Everything's done around here, is it?"
The crew scrambled to attention. Elvis clumsily tripped over the arm of his chair, and he ended up summersaulting onto his back. Sam and Penny giggled behind their hands.
"Did you enjoy your little trip there, Elvis?" Sam chuckled.
"No…" Elvis groaned. "Aw! I hate being the butt of everyone's jokes! I've had enough bruises for one day…" Still giggling, Penny kindly helped him to his feet.
"If you three don't mind, I do have an announcement to make," Officer Steele said. "I have just received another call from HQ. It seems that the doctor has been unable to reach us today because of that mud over the road, so he won't be able to come until next Monday…"
"Hooray!" Elvis cheered.
Officer Steele cleared his throat. "Which, I may hasten to add, is also your day off, Criddlington. So, I'm going to have to postpone that, so you can be here."
Elvis looked very disappointed. "Oh."
Officer Steele continued. "You'll also be pleased to know that I've booked the chief mechanic from the Newtown fire service to come and give Jupiter a thorough exam on the same day. So, it seems that we're all going to be getting a check-up on Monday."
Sam smiled. "And I think poor old Jupiter needs it more than we do, sir."