It was a very hot summer's day in Pontypandy and usually sixteen-year-old Norman wouldn't have done anything today as it was very hot, except wanting to stay inside Price's Grocery Store to remain nice and cool and watch his favourite tv programmes and play his favourite video games. It was so hot that he could only wear his light green sleeveless shirt, dark green shorts, white socks and black trainers. What motivated him to get out of the shop apart, from his mum's nagging to do so, was that his two best friends Sarah and James were out themselves. James was wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt, dark blue shorts, white socks and white trainers and Sarah was wearing a pink tank top, pink shorts and purple flip flops. Sarah was carrying a big green picnic blanket while James was carrying a large wooden picnic basket and they were standing outside Bella's Café.
Norman had always been friends with Sarah and James, but as they got older together, he had been developing a crush on Sarah as she grew taller and more beautiful.
Then Norman saw Trevor's bus stopping for the twins. "Hop in, my sugar lumps," Trevor said.
"Thanks, Mr. Evan," the twins said, as they boarded the white bus.
Norman grabbed his big yellow skateboard, headed out of his mum's shop and skated after Trevor's bus.
Norman continued to skate his way to the countryside between Pontypandy and Newtown following Trevor the bus. When he saw the bus stopping, he went and hid behind the stone wall in the nearest field. He peeked over the wall to see the twins getting off the bus.
"Thanks, Mr. Evans," they said to Trevor.
"Enjoy your picnic, my sugar lumps," Trevor said. Then he drove off and the twins headed off into the fields. Norman followed them.
Norman kept on following the twins until he stopped when he found them in a big field and having their picnic. He hid behind the trees in front of the field. He wished he was with the twins, not because the food was delicious which it was, but because he wished he could be there with Sarah and tell her what a great girl she was. He wasn't shy about a lot of things but trying to tell Sarah he has a crush on was one of them.
Norman kept walking further in the forest, deciding whether to try of asking Sarah out on a date or not. He was so busy with his thoughts that he didn't look where he was going and –
SPLASH! Norman found himself in the Pontypandy River. "Help!" he cried. "Help!" As if Norman couldn't swim wasn't bad enough, the river had very strong currents and they were washing him away.
"Help! HELP! MUM!"
The twins had finished their picnic ten minutes ago and James was snoozing while Sarah was thinking. She was thinking about Norman. For reasons she couldn't explain, she had feelings for him for a few years. She and James had been best friends with Norman since they were very young and they all knew he was quite a troublemaker, but as they got older, he became less troublesome and she started to develop feelings for him and she couldn't work out why, no matter how hard she tried.
Then Sarah heard a noise. A very loud noise. A very loud distressing noise. She nudged her brother. "Wake up, James."
"What is it, Sarah?" James groaned, as he woke up.
"Listen."
They heard the noise again.
"That sounds like someone is in danger," Sarah said.
"But where's it coming from?" James asked.
They looked around.
"There! Look!"
James looked at where his sister was pointing to. He saw Norman crying for help as the river currents continued to drag him away.
"I'll phone the fire brigade," James said.
"Hurry, James," Sarah said. Then she followed Norman to keep an eye on him. "Don't worry, Norman!" she called to him. "James is going to get Uncle Sam!"
As Norman continued to float away, Sarah began to get more worried about him.
The alarm at Pontypandy Fire Station rang off. Station Officer Sam rose from his chair behind his desk, that had once belonged to his former boss Station Officer Basil Steele five years ago. "Now, who needs the fire service?" He tore the scroll off from the teleprinter and read it. "Great Fires of London! Norman is drowning in Pontypandy River and heading for a waterfall!"
Then Sam ran out of his office and joined Fireman Elvis Cridlington in their fire engine Jupiter.
"All present and correct, Sam," reported Elvis, who was behind the driving wheel.
"Right, let's go," Sam ordered.
Then Elvis turned the sirens on and drove Jupiter out of the fire station and to Pontypandy River. Firefighter Penny Morris got into her fire tender Venus and followed Jupiter.
"Help! Help!" Norman cried, as he held onto the branch from a fallen tree above the river. It was a very loose branch, but it was the only one he could hold onto.
"Don't panic, Norman!" Sarah cried to him. "Uncle Sam will be here soon!"
"Sarah! Norman!" James came running back. "Uncle Sam saw me which means he'll be here. He'll soon rescue you, Norman. Just hang on!"
Norman didn't know if he could for much longer.
Then Sam and Elvis, carrying a rope, arrived.
"Do you see him, Uncle Sam?" James asked.
"Aye, we see him, James" Sam replied. "Now stand back, you two. Elvis, the rope."
Elvis gave Sam the rope.
"Now, Norman, I'm going to throw you this rope. Now, you must get the loop under your arms."
"Okay, Fireman Sam," Norman said.
When the rope was thrown, Norman caught it and Sam and Elvis pulled it to bring him to safety. But the slope underneath the firemen made them slip and fall, letting go of the rope and Norman carried on floating down the rough currents, accompanied with the rope.
"Drat these slopes," Sam muttered as he picked himself up and helped Elvis up. "Elvis, head to the waterfall quickly and let me know how close he is," Sam ordered. "And get the spare rope from Jupiter on your way."
"Right away, Sam," Elvis said, being careful not to slip like the last time.
"Penny," Sam said into his radio. "Drive to the waterfall as close as you can and prepare the inflatable rescue path."
"Understood, Sam," Penny reported.
Then Sam started to run to the waterfall. He knew he was followed by his nephew and niece. "Stay here, you two," he said to them without even needing to look at them.
"Okay, Uncle Sam," the twins said together.
"Sam, I'm at the waterfall," Elvis reported. "I have the spare rope and I see Norman."
"How close is he?" Sam asked.
"I'd say he has about two minutes before he goes over the waterfall," Elvis reported.
"Try and throw the rope you have now to him," Sam ordered. "Penny should with you as soon as she can."
"Understood, Sam."
Sam finally arrived at the waterfall. He saw that Elvis was still trying to throw the rope to Norman, but he was struggling to catch him because the currents were still too strong and fast. But luckily Penny arrived in Jupiter and she got the inflatable rescue path out and she was filling it with air.
"The inflatable rescue path is ready to use, Sam," Penny reported. She even got the life jacket ready for Sam.
"Well done, Penny," Sam said, taking the life jacket and putting it on. Then he went onto the path and went to the end as quickly but safely as he could. "Try and grab my hand, Norman," he said, holding it out.
Norman was approaching Sam quickly. He stretched his hand and Sam managed to grab it and pull him onto the path and walk back to dry, warm land. Norman Price was saved.
Soon Norman was wrapped up in towels as he dried himself.
"How are you feeling, Norman?" Sam asked.
"I'm feeling much better, Fireman Sam," Norman said. "And thank you for rescuing me."
"No problem," Sam said. "But I must ask, what were you doing by the river and how did you fall in?"
Norman sighed and told Sam the truth about everything.
"Well, stalking Sarah is not the right way to ask her on a date," Sam told him. "And putting yourself in a disaster is not the right way to attract her attention. Just go and ask her."
Then they saw Sarah and James running to them.
"Oh, Norman, thank goodness you're safe," Sarah said.
"Thanks, guys. And thank you for calling your Uncle Sam to save me."
"Anything for our best friend," James said.
"How about tomorrow I take you on a picnic?" Norman asked. "As a way to repay for what you did for me?"
"I would come, but I'm helping my dad with on his fishing boat tomorrow," James said.
"Well, I haven't got anything going on tomorrow, so I'll take that generous offer, Norman," Sarah said.
"Great! I'll get everything ready for tomorrow."
"But after you properly dry off," Sam said. "I'm sure neither Sarah nor you want soggy food for a picnic tomorrow."
Everyone laughed at that.
So the next day, after being dropped off by Trevor the bus, Norman and Sarah went to another field for a picnic away from the river.
"Thank you for a lovely picnic," Sarah said. "I really enjoyed it."
"Thanks, Sarah," Norman said. "Are there any of other stuff you'd like to do? Like is there a movie you want to see but James doesn't? Or is there a theatre show?"
"Well, there is a movie I would like to see," Sarah said. "But it's a girl teen movie. You wouldn't enjoy it."
"Maybe not or maybe I will. Either way, I'll be very happy if you let me take you."
"You serious?"
"Deadly serious. And I'll pay for the tickets and the popcorn and everything."
"Okay, then. How about tonight?"
"It's a date."
"Great. Thanks, Norman. I'm really looking forward to it."
Norman had mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was glad that his picnic with Sarah was a success and he managed to ask her out for a date and he felt relieved, but on the other hand, he felt worried that if tonight's date wouldn't go well and he felt embarrassed that he couldn't ask her out earlier and put himself in harm's way. But at least he got to be where he wanted to be – with Sarah – and he was just going to enjoy to see how this new relationship would play out.
THE END