Down Under where the Dinosaurs Roam - Part Two

Instalment two of 'Down Under where the Dinosaurs Roam' can be found by clicking here.

The intrepid explorer returns.

"I wonder if Bobby will be coming back today", Henry thinks to himself as he wanders down to the street entrance to have a look.

"I really hope he is, we have all been SO worried about him, and poor Mum, I'm sure she has ended up with even more grey hairs...at least that is always what she says when one of the boys does something to worry her!"  

Henry thinks he has heard the trike...

He starts to run...

"Bobby, is that you?"  he calls.

A very weary Bobby comes peddling round the corner and onto the garden path.

He hopes off his bike as he really can't pedal any further, his legs are quite worn out!

"Phew, I'm exhausted" he says to himself...not realising Henry is coming down the path to meet him.

"It IS you!"  Henry cries. "I am SO glad to see you"

"You're home!"  Henry shouts while waving at Bobby.

"Hi Henry"  Calls out Bobby waving back.  "I'm home at last"

The boys forget themselves momentarily and have a big welcome home hug, they are so pleased to see each other.

"So tell me all about your trip"  Henry asks Bobby.  "Where have you been?  We've heard all sort of stories and rumours and  don't know what is true and what isn't? 

"Well..." begins Bobby.  "It happened like this..."

"....and I got down the road and used the zebra crossing to go across the road so I could get to the fields that lead to the M25....

Henry listens patiently, while itching to ask the important question...he can wait no longer!

"But is it true you have a performing guinea pig in your back pack?"  Henry asks.

"Well not strictly true"  says Bobby.

"Well what then?"  Henry asks again with a note of frustration in his voice.

"I DO have a guinea pig in my backpack, but it is not a performing one"  Bobby replies.  "I mean who REALLY heard of a guinea pig doing somersaults?  You'd have to be a bit mad to believe that!  The only time I've heard of that happening is when one has tried jumping off a show table and almost fallen before being caught mid air and I don't think it MEANT to do a somersault!"   

"Well I didn't believe that story for one minute"  Henry tries to scoff convincingly.

"Here is the little guinea pig though"  Bobby says as he carefully helps it out of his backpack... "His name is Humphrey"

"Humphrey?!  What a cool name!" Henry says.

"Come on Humphrey, out you come, you know you want to"  Bobby says in a soothing voice to the little guinea pig who has been travelling in his rucksack.

"WheeeeeeeeK!"  Humphrey squeals.

"That's a boy, come on out so I can show you to Henry, and then we can put you on the grass to have a good munch".

"That's it, gentle does it"  Bobby says as he carefully picks up Humphrey.

"Isn't he cute"  Bobby says to Henry.  "I found him wandering along the M25...I think someone must have abandoned him, poor little thing looked very frightened."

"Good thing he didn't go on the M25" says Henry.  "He may have gotten run over otherwise"

"Humphrey is so sweet.  I hope Mum lets me keep him"  Bobby tells Henry.

"I'm sure she will, you know she has taken in rescue guinea pigs in the past and likes looking after them.  Although I think she will say that you are responsible for Humphrey!"  Henry replies.  "I think she has enough to do looking after all the retired piggies she has.  You know the guinea pigs she calls 'the old folk'.  Henry giggles as he thinks of his Mum saying she is off to feed or clean out  'the old folk.  Sometimes he wonders what people would think if they heard her!

"So you didn't get to Devon then?"  Henry asks curiously while hoping he will eventually get to have a hold of Humphrey.

"Of course not silly, that is miles away!"  Bobby laughs.  "I was only away one night, and I stayed with a friend down the road."

"But what about the M25 that you keep going on about?" asks Henry.

"We were playing in the fields near it, that is how we found Humphrey"  Bobby tells Henry.

"So you didn't go and see your Girrrlllfriend?"  Henry asks cautiously.

"I don't have a girlfriend!"  retorts Bobby, while secretly hoping that the rumours HE has heard about Suzi giving Edmund her denim jacket aren't true.

Bobby sets off and leaves Henry and friends...

Bobby woke this morning with a plan in mind and seeing that the weather was finally good he set to putting his plan into motion.  He had been thinking about the message he got from Suzi the other day...

Hey Bobby 
Cool trike - Now you have wheels, you have no excuse to come back and see me again in Devon - wouldn't take long I reckon.... Missing you soooo...much

Suzi xxx

Well why not he thought?  'Have wheels...will travel'

Trouble is he hadn't thought about anyone seeing him...

"Hey Bobby, where are you going?"  Henry asks.

"Oh just for a short bike ride"  Bobby replies.

"But why have you got your back pack?"  Henry asks

"Um..." Bobby quickly thinks... "Just in case I need a drink and a sandwich"  

"Now out of my way Henry" Bobby says as he gets on his trike while Henry stands aside.

Henry stares after Bobby who resolutely rides off...

"Bye Bobby, see you later"  Henry waves.

Henry watches Bobby cycling down the garden path all the while wondering whether Mum knows that Bobby is going out of the garden...

Bobby looks very determined and doesn't dare look back.

"I hope he doesn't grass on me"  Bobby is thinking.  "After all it is not as though it is a big deal going to see Suzi, as she says, it can't be that far surely..."

Bobby sets off down the road, it is early in the morning so there is not many people up yet.  He figures he should arrive at Suzi's fairly soon...perhaps by mid morning.

Little does he realise it is over 200 miles away!

Henry watches Bobby cycle down the road with a worried expression on his face.

Bobby looks so little cycling down the road...and Mum had said they mustn't go out on their bikes without her knowing...

"What should I do" thinks Henry.  "I know I'll see what the other boys say"

"Bobby says he is going for a ride on his Trike this morning and won't be long, but he had his little back pack on"  Henry tells Simon and Harry.

"Perhaps he has just got sandwiches and a drink in his bag"  Harry suggests as that seems the most sensible explanation.

"Well, yes that is what he said"  Henry replies.  "But he had this funny look on his face"

"What sort of look?"  Simon asks.

"You know, the look he has on his face when he is up to something or thinking about Suzi"  Henry tells them.

"Oh THAT look" Harry and Simon chorus together giggling.

"Yes, THAT look"  Henry agrees.  "He went down that way" he points down the garden path.

The boys wander down the path to the street entrance to have a look.  

"He went down the road"  Henry says worrying..."Can you see him?"

"No, can you?"  Simon replies.

"No he is gone now...what should we do?"  Henry asks.

The boys stand there for a bit long watching down the road to see if they can see Bobby, but they can't.  They discuss whether to tell Mum or not or whether to leave it a bit longer to see if Bobby comes back.

I wonder what will happen next?