When the sky was blue and the sun was out, the pink and white ice cream cafe in Peacock Park would open its doors.
Inside, Mister Dennis made and served the most delicious ice cream in town. There were only three flavors, chocolate, mint or smashberry, but each was so delicious that even with only three flavors it was hard to choose which -
SMASHBERRY FLAVOR? And what was Smashberry? Well nobody knew, Mister Dennis just said he found a load of berries and smashed them up, but whatever he did - it was blue, and it was fantastic, and it was Simon’s favorite flavour.
So when Simon’s Dad had bought him a Smashberry ice cream, and they were walking around the lake towards the park gate that led them home, he didn’t notice that the sun was making the ice-cream very soft and runny.
“Dad, how deep is the lake,” Simon asked, not paying attention to his ice cream.
“Oh, about as deep as a swan’s neck, I imagine,” said Dad, when -
The ice cream slipped out of the cone and landed on the gravel path!
Simon just stopped and stared at it. And then he stared at the empty cone in his hand. And then he stared at the blue ice cream on the floor again. And then he stared at his Dad.
“Oh. Well that wasn’t the cleverest thing to do,” said Dad. “You’d only just started that.”
Simon knew he’d only just started it, and he was very much looking forward to continuing it and finishing it as well. But now look!
“Can I get another one?” he asked.
“Of course not! If you drop an ice cream, you don’t get a free one. It’s your job to look after it. Come on, I’m sure there’s something we can find back at home.”
Simon looked at the blue mess on the ground, and then at the cone in his hand, and then at his Dad.
“But…I…”
“Anyway, you’ve still got your cone,” said Dad. “You like a nice cone.”
Simon did like a nice cone, but only when it was full of ice cream. But he was old enough now to know what there was nothing that could be done. He couldn’t eat the ice cream off the path, and he couldn’t get another one. He’d just have to walk home. And so that’s what he and his dad did.
But, you see, that wasn’t the end of the story. If you looked very very closely, down on the path, you’d see an ant called Ash - wandering along on his way to find a leaf. And as Ash saw it, there, all of a sudden, was a huge blue lake of something. He sniffed it, and he tasted it. Wow!
“Guys!” he called to the other ants. “Come and have a taste of THIS!”
And soon hundreds of Ash’s friends were at the cold blue lake, drinking in the smashberry ice cream.
But the warm path made the ice cream even more sloppy, and it dribbled along, until it reached the flowerbed at the side of the path and dripped in.
On the stem of a plant, Mona the lady bug looked down.
“What on Earth is that blue stuff?” she thought, quite alarmed, and scuttled down bravely to investigate.
The blue gloop was gathering at the bottom of the stem but she put in a leg and… tasted it.
“Oh my!” she said.
Now Simon and his Dad were leaving the park, through the gate, and headed for home. Simon’s Dad was talking about how he was going to try and get his old radio to work again, but Simon wasn’t really listening. He was still thinking about his ice cream.
Back at the bottom of the stem, Mona the ladybug had been joined by five friends, and they all ate the ice cream as it sunk, sunk, sunk down into the Earth.
Burrowing himself along, down in the earth, Don the worm was enjoying his dirt. He liked dirt. Some types of dirt more than other types of dirt but the dirt in the park was generally very good indeed.
But this dirt was… “What’s this?” said Dom. The ice cream had soaked through the soil, and Dom had just taken a big yomp.
It was better than any dirt he had ever tasted.
The cold, mysterious blue loveliness was all around him and he decided not to go on burrowing any further but make a lovely blue home for himself right there.
Simon and his Dad got through the front door to their house.
“How was the park,” said Mummy.
“Oh, well… Simon dropped his ice cream,” called back Daddy.
“Oh. Well I think there’s a lolly in the freezer.”
Simon went and checked, and yes - there was only last lolly. He liked a lolly. Not as much as smashberry ice cream, but it would do.
Now back at the park, down under the ground, in a rabbit warren, Hazel the bunny was in bed. She hadn’t been feeling well for two days and her Mummy and Daddy has made sure she was tucked up nice and warm.
But she was bored, because she couldn’t go out and play with her friends.
She looked at the ceiling of her round little bedroom when suddenly, it began to turn blue.
Drip, drip, drip…
A strange and delicious blue goo began to gloop down from the ceiling. Hazel tasted it - and tasted some more - and soon she was feeling SO much better.
“Mummy, Daddy, come and take my temperature! I’m feeling as right as rain!”
Hazel’s Daddy took her temperature and she was right, she was a lot cooler.
I wonder why…
And back in Simon’s house, Simon at his lolly at the kitchen table.
And on the path, Ash and his friends drunk ice cream.
And at the stem of the plant, Mona the ladybug and her friends drunk ice cream.
And in his tunnel, Don the worm settled down in his new, ice cream flavored home.
And at the entrance to the warren, Hazel the bunny hopped out to meet her friends feeling cool and refreshed.
So even though Simon didn’t get to finish his ice cream, it wasn’t all bad, was it?
