Lulu Bell and the Cubby Fort Read online

  ‘I don’t think Mum would let us have furniture,’ said Meg. ‘She’s always worried about us putting muddy boots on the sofas.’

  ‘Not real furniture,’ said Lulu. ‘We could make furniture out of old crates or boxes.’

  ‘There are some wooden crates in the shed,’ said Tom.

  ‘And some cushions,’ added Lachie.

  ‘Let’s see what we can borrow,’ Lulu said. ‘This will be the best cubby fort ever.’

  Chapter 5

  Cuzzie Fun

  The cousins raced back to the farmhouse to find Auntie Tor. She told them they could borrow any bits and pieces they found lying around.

  Gus wandered off to round up Chook and Griffin. The rest of the kids set off on a treasure hunt. They found wooden crates and old cushions to use as seats. Tim found a packet of biscuits, a bottle of water and some plastic cups for emergency snacks. They carried everything back to the cubby fort. Gus stayed behind.

  ‘Wow, that was hard work,’ huffed Lulu.

  She and Rosie set the crates in a circle and dropped the cushions on top.

  ‘That’s better,’ said Rosie.

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Lulu. ‘It looks fantastic.’

  Then the cousins began to play a complicated game of cowboys and raiders. Different teams patrolled through the bushes and scrub, and then came sneaking back.

  Jessie was the best guard dog. She whined madly and wagged her tail every time any of the raiders came close to invading the fort. Then she licked them all over the face.

  It was great fun.

  Finally, the sun began to slip below the horizon in the west, streaking the sky with vivid colour. A loud bell sounded from the farmhouse.

  ‘That’s Mum calling us for dinner,’ explained Lachie. ‘We’d better head back.’

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Tom. He winked at Tim and Lachie. ‘Before it gets dark and the ghost comes out.’

  ‘Ooooooh,’ wailed Tim in a spooky voice.

  Rosie glanced around fearfully at the darkening shadows. The boys grinned.

  ‘I’ll go first, Rosie,’ offered Lulu. ‘Then you follow me.’

  One by one the children clambered down the hill and headed back to the farmhouse.

  The mums were in the kitchen, slicing onions and tomatoes. The dads had chopped a big pile of firewood. The kids gathered twigs and dry branches to use as kindling in the camp fire.

  Uncle Nick had built a fireplace with a circle of rocks. Round logs were placed around it to be used as benches.

  Dad lit the fire. He carefully added larger branches as the flames flared up.

  It was now dark. The sky glowed with thousands of stars. They shone far more brightly than at home in the city. Everyone sat around the fire, chatting and laughing.

  Uncle Greg and Lulu’s dad barbecued sausages on a grill over the coals. Lulu’s mouth watered at the delicious smells. Everyone grabbed a bread roll each, and piled on a crispy sausage, cooked onions and tomatoes, and lettuce leaves from the garden.

  These were followed by gooey pink marshmallows toasted on sticks over the flames.

  Finally, one by one, the children began to yawn.

  Chapter 6

  The Ghost

  ‘Time for bed, honey buns,’ said Mum.

  Lulu quickly stifled her yawn and sat up straighter. ‘We’re not tired, Mum,’ she promised. ‘It’s holidays – we can sleep in.’

  ‘We have a big, busy day tomorrow,’ said Mum. ‘It’s definitely time for bed.’

  ‘That’s right. We’re going to swim and ride the horses and check the calves,’ promised Uncle Nick.

  Lulu’s face glowed with excitement. ‘Can we have a really long ride?’ she begged.

  ‘Don’t like horsies,’ complained Gus. His bottom lip trembled. ‘Bug Boy like Chook.’

  Mum stroked Gus’s forehead. ‘I think someone’s very tired.’

  ‘I not tir-ed,’ insisted Gus. His voice rose and wobbled in a sob.

  ‘Off you go,’ said Dad. ‘I’ll come and tuck you in.’

  ‘Here are some torches,’ said Uncle Nick. ‘So you can see your way in the dark.’

  The children kissed the parents goodnight. Then they went over to the tents. The four dogs followed them.

  It was dark away from the brightness of the fire. The torches cast an eerie, thin light. Lulu tripped over a tussock in the grass and squealed.

  ‘Careful,’ said Lachie.

  ‘Watch out for the ghost,’ whispered Tom.

  ‘Why do you keep talking about a ghost? What ghost?’ asked Lulu.

  Rosie grabbed Lulu’s hand and squeezed it.

  ‘The ghost of the old dairy farmer,’ whispered Tom. ‘He wanders around the house at night, moaning and wailing. He’s terrifying!’

  Lachie stifled a giggle.

  Lulu flicked one honey-coloured plait over her shoulder. ‘I don’t believe you,’ she replied. ‘You’re just trying to frighten us.’

  Tom shook his head. ‘Haven’t you heard him? I hope he doesn’t wake you. Well, sleep tight.’

  Tom, Ben and Tim ducked inside their tent. Their shoulders were shaking with giggles. The farm dogs, Daisy and Polly, followed them inside. Gus stopped and looked back at Lulu.

  ‘Don’t worry, Gussie,’ said Lulu. ‘The boys are just being silly.’

  The girls crawled into their tent. They changed into their pyjamas and climbed into their sleeping-bags. Lulu’s dad popped by to tuck them in, then went back to join the adults by the camp fire.

  ‘Goodnight, Rosie. Goodnight, Ella and Meg,’ called Lulu. She switched off the torch.

  They could hear the murmur of the parents talking around the camp fire outside. The flames flickered, leaving dancing shadows on the tent wall. Lulu snuggled down. She felt her eyes grow heavier and heavier.

  An owl hooted. Asha grunted and huffed, and then she started to snore. Jessie climbed onto the end of Lulu’s sleeping-bag. She turned around three times and lay down to snooze.

  Lulu was just dropping off to sleep when she heard a snuffling sound. Her ears strained to identify the noise in the darkness. There was a shuffle and a sob. Lulu’s heart jumped into her mouth.

  What was that?

  There was a whisper as something brushed against the side of the tent. Lulu sat up.

  The door to the tent rustled and then a white hand slid through the opening. Lulu gasped.

  In through the flap slid Gus in his superhero pyjamas. ‘Gussie fwightened,’ he said. ‘Gussie sleep with Lulu.’

  ‘Come on, Gussie,’ said Lulu. ‘Come and lie between us.’

  Gus cuddled in between Lulu and Rosie. He slipped his thumb in his mouth. Lulu rolled over with her back to Gus and closed her eyes. She tried to go back to sleep.

  Suddenly she heard another noise coming from outside the tent. A creepy, chilling sound that set her teeth on edge.

  ‘Ooo-aaahhh,’ moaned an eerie voice.

  ‘Ooo-aaahhhh,’ came another groan from Rosie’s side of the tent.

  Lulu listened carefully. Rosie sat up and clutched Lulu’s arm. Her eyes gleamed white and round in the darkness. Ella huddled against Meg, breathing deeply.

  ‘Shhh,’ whispered Lulu, holding up her hand.

  ‘Oooo-aaahhh,’ wailed the ghostly voice outside. The tent rippled as something brushed against it.

  Lulu narrowed her eyes and wriggled out of her sleeping-bag.

  ‘Lulu?’ whispered Rosie. ‘What are you doing?’

  Lulu tossed a plait over her shoulder and picked up her pillow. She crawled to the tent opening and crept out.

  Two shadowy figures were crouched beside the tent. One rippled the tent with its fingers while the other moaned and wailed.

  Lulu tiptoed slowly towards the shadows. Thump, whack. She hit them both over the shoulders with her pillow.

  ‘Ouch!’ cried one of the ghosts.

  ‘Ow – that hurt,’ yelled the other ghost. ‘Lulu! What did you hit me for?’

  Tom and Ben jumped to th
eir feet. Tim sprinted around from the other side of the tent, giggling.

  Lulu put a hand on her hip. ‘Boys, will you please go to bed? None of us can sleep with your terrible singing outside our tent.’

  ‘We weren’t singing,’ protested Tim. ‘We were moaning, just like ghosts.’

  Lulu shrugged. ‘Oh, I couldn’t tell the difference. I thought you were singing us a lullaby.’

  The boys slunk back to their own tent.

  Inside the girls’ tent, Rosie, Gus, Ella and Meg were all sitting up in their sleeping-bags, giggling. Jessie was smiling her big doggie grin.

  ‘That was the boys?’ asked Rosie. ‘I thought for a moment it really was a ghost.’

  ‘No, just the boys trying to scare us,’ said Lulu. ‘Goodnight, everyone – sleep well. See you in the morning.’

  Chapter 7

  The Water Battle

  The next day dawned bright and fair. It was so exciting to be on holidays at the farm that all the cousins woke up early. They met in the kitchen and ate breakfast.

  ‘Don’t forget we’re riding this morning,’ Lulu’s dad reminded them. ‘We’ll catch the horses and saddle up while you do your chores.’

  All the children cleared their dirty plates from the table. Lachie and Tim emptied the compost while Ben and Ella unpacked the dishwasher.

  Lulu, Meg, Ella and Rosie carried the chickens from the henhouse to the vegetable garden. Suddenly, Meg squealed. A squirt of water had hit her in the middle of her back and dribbled down her shirt.

  ‘Ow,’ yelled Meg. ‘What was that?’

  A giggle came from behind the hydrangea bush. Hidden there were four cowboys with water blasters.

  ‘Boys,’ warned Lulu.

  A spray of water shot from Tom’s water blaster and drenched Lulu’s jeans. Ella hid behind Meg.

  ‘Rosie, look at Gussie,’ cried Lulu.

  The girls stared at their brother. He was no longer dressed in his favourite superhero suit. He was wearing jeans, a blue-and-white checked shirt, a brown cowboy hat and a red kerchief knotted around his neck.

  ‘I not Gussie,’ said Gus. ‘I Billy.’

  ‘But I thought Billy was invisible?’ asked Lulu.

  Gus shrugged and gave a cheeky grin. ‘Billy a cowboy.’

  ‘Stick ’em up,’ called Tim. He twirled two blasters around his fingers. Then he soaked the girls with water. ‘Gotcha.’

  ‘Come on, girls,’ yelled Lulu. ‘Revenge!’

  The boys ran for the safety of the hills. They laughed and hooted. The girls ran for the laundry. There they found cowgirl hats and more water blasters. They filled the blasters with water. Then the four girls crept around the house to see where the boys were hiding.

  There was no sign of the cowboys in the garden or on the hillside sloping down from the house.

  ‘They’re hiding in the fort,’ guessed Lulu. The girls ran down to the creek and across the bridge. At the base of the hill, the rope was gone.

  ‘The boys have pulled up the rope,’ whispered Rosie.

  A shot of water sailed over their heads from above.

  ‘We’ll get soaked if we climb up that way,’ said Meg.

  Lulu pushed her hat back on her head and looked up.

  ‘I have an idea,’ she said. ‘Follow me.’

  Lulu ran around the hill and towards the cattle yards. Here the ground was not so steep. Lulu found a narrow cattle track that led up the hillside.

  The other girls followed, huffing and puffing. They climbed higher and higher until they reached the top of the ridge. They crept along the ridge until they found the cubby fort.

  ‘Sssshh,’ warned Lulu.

  The boys were lying behind the log. They peered over the edge of the clearing and down at the path. The girls crept up behind them, hidden by the huge tree.

  ‘No sign of them yet,’ said Tim.

  ‘Should we let the rope down and send out a patrol?’ asked Lachie.

  ‘No,’ said Tom. ‘They’ll come up soon. They’ll want revenge.’

  Lulu signalled to the girls. She counted down with her fingers – three, two, one …

  At once, the four girls shot streams of cold water – straight onto the backs of the five boys lying in front of them.

  ‘Owww,’ yelled Tim.

  ‘Attack,’ yelled Tom.

  ‘Retreat,’ yelled Ben.

  The boys leapt to their feet and returned fire. The nine cousins ran and blasted and soaked and screamed until they were hoarse with laughter. The battle was only over when Auntie Tor rang the bell to call them back.

  Chapter 8

  The Calf

  ‘Time to go horseriding,’ said Meg.

  ‘Hurray,’ said Lulu. ‘Come on, Gus.’

  Gus shook his head. ‘Billy not like horsie,’ he grumbled.

  ‘Are you sure, Gus?’ asked Lulu. ‘Cowboys ride horses.’

  Gus pouted. Then Lulu remembered what happened last time they were at the farm. Gus had been frightened by sitting so high up on a moving horse.

  ‘Billy go swim,’ insisted Gus. ‘Billy play with Chook.’

  ‘You can’t go swimming yet,’ said Lulu. ‘Let’s take you back to Mum.’

  One by one the cousins slid, slithered and scrambled down the path.

  Gus charged down, skidding the last few metres on his bottom.

  ‘Careful,’ warned Lulu. But he was gone.

  Lulu glanced out over the paddocks. Dad and Uncle Nick had saddled the horses in the yard. The cousins were running towards them. Just below, she could see the cow and her calf splashing across the creek.

  Lulu scrambled down the path after Gus. Then a loud moo caught her attention.

  Beside the creek, the calf had become stuck in the mud. It struggled and floundered as it tried to get out. Its mother bellowed and pawed the ground. The calf was sinking deeper and deeper.

  Lulu’s heart pounded. She walked slowly towards the panicking calf. She didn’t want to frighten it further.

  ‘It’s all right, little calf,’ called Lulu. Her voice was calm and gentle.

  The calf mooed loudly. Its eyes rolled in fear. It had sunk to its belly in the sticky brown mud. The mother glared at Lulu. Dad had warned them never to get too close to a cow with a calf, in case she charged.

  But the calf needed help. Lulu thought quickly. She turned and ran for the horse yards as fast as she could.

  Dad and Uncle Nick were leading the two horses, Nutmeg and Flirt, through the paddock towards her. Ella and Meg rode on their backs, wearing helmets.

  ‘Dad, Dad!’ Lulu yelled. ‘There’s a calf stuck in the mud.’

  Lulu finally reached them. She huffed and puffed. She leaned over and tried to catch her breath.

  ‘Where’s the calf?’ asked Dad. ‘Is it hurt?’

  In a moment, Lulu had explained the problem.

  ‘We’d better ride over there quickly,’ said Uncle Nick. He lifted Ella and Meg down.

  ‘Lulu, you ride behind me to show us the way,’ said Dad. Lulu put on Meg’s helmet. Dad swung up into Nutmeg’s saddle. Then Uncle Nick lifted Lulu up behind him.

  ‘Tom, can you fetch towels and buckets from the house?’ asked Uncle Nick. ‘Bring them down to the creek.’

  Uncle Nick mounted Flirt.

  ‘Hold on tight,’ warned Dad. ‘Let’s go and rescue this calf.’

  Chapter 9

  The Rescue

  Nutmeg and Flirt cantered towards the creek. Lulu held on tight around Dad’s middle. She felt as if she were flying.

  Lulu directed the dads to where the calf was trapped. The animal looked weaker. It was no longer struggling. Its mother was now wallowing in mud up to her belly. She bellowed in fear.

  ‘It’s all right, girl,’ said Uncle Nick. ‘We’ll get you and your calf out of there.’

  Dad dismounted. Lulu scrambled down too. Her legs felt a little shaky.

  ‘Lulu, you hold the horses for us,’ suggested Dad.

  Lulu held the two sets of reins.
Nutmeg nuzzled against her and whickered warm air on her cheek. Lulu breathed in the comforting scent of horse and hay.

  Lulu’s dad undid the leads from the horses’ bridles and knotted them to make a long rope. The dads tried to fasten the rope around the calf. The calf struggled wildly. The two dads slipped and slid.

  Finally they managed to tie the rope around the calf’s belly.

  Lulu’s dad clambered out of the ooze. He took off his hat and wiped his forehead.

  ‘Okay,’ he said to his brother. ‘Time to use those muscles.’

  The two dads grabbed the rope and started to haul. It was like a game of tug-of-war. The calf didn’t budge. The dads pulled harder. The calf slid forward a few centimetres.

  The cow mooed. The calf bleated. The dads strained. Their boots slid on the grass. The dads leaned back and heaved.

  With a loud sucking noise, the calf broke free. It shot forward. The two dads went flying, landing in a heap of waving arms and legs. Lulu couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

  The calf collapsed, its legs trembling. The cow lumbered up the bank after it. The dads jumped up.

  ‘Hurray!’ cried Lulu. ‘You did it.’

  Lulu’s dad carefully checked the young animal by running his hands over its legs and body.

  ‘He seems fine,’ said Dad. He nodded with satisfaction. ‘We’ll wash that mud off and have a closer look, but I think he’ll be okay.’

  A moment later the cousins arrived. They carried buckets and towels. Lulu and the other kids set to work lugging buckets of water up from the creek. They sloshed water over the calf. Lulu carefully wiped his face with a towel. When the mud was gone, Lulu could see he had a crooked white stripe on his black nose.

  The calf mooed with indignation. He struggled to his feet. Lulu thought he looked adorable with his big brown eyes.

  Dad checked him again for cuts or scrapes. ‘We’ll let him go now,’ he said. ‘He needs some quiet time with his mother.’