The town of Horsmarlonerpool was in crisis. No-body knew what to do, because a terrible thing had happened. There was a shortage of smashberries.
Smashberries are the fruit that only grow around Horsmarlonerpool so you can’t get any more from anywhere else. And that meant that Lord and Lady Devonroe couldn’t have smashberry sandwiches. And Mr Dennis couldn’t sell smashberry ice cream in Peacock Park. And nobody could get a refreshing drinking of smashberryaide to cool them down.
And not only do Smashberries only grow in Horsmarlonerpool - only two farmers grow it at all. Farmer Tangle on Gentleslope Farm, and Farmer Headcorn down on Pippin farm. And both of them knew exactly how this shortage occurred.
Two mystery truck drivers had turned up at each of their farms saying that they were to take all the smashberries from the storage silos straight to the factory for an emergency order. Well, neither Farmer Tangle or Farmer Headcorn had doubted the drivers, and certainly didn’t expect them to take all the smashberries and tip them into a big pit outside of town. Because that is exactly what they did.
And why did they do it? Because the two truck drivers weren’t truck drivers at all. They were in disguise. In fact, they were Pebbles and Crater - the two only really bad and naughty people in town.
So now all the smashberries were ruined and rotting in a big pit. And it was impossible to grow any more quickly enough.
Now, Farmer Tangle and Farmer Headcorn normally didn’t have anything nice to say to each other, they were both just as competitive. Arguing over who had the best farm, or who had the best tractor, or who made the best hay or who would get up earliest in the morning. They would argue about anything!
But at the emergency town meeting, they both agreed with the mayor that both their farms should be dedicated to growing as many smashberries as possible - even if it meant helping each other out.
“But,” said Farmer Tangle. “Smashberries take at least three weeks to grow.”
Farmer Headcorn hated to agree with Tangle, but he nodded his head.
“At least,” he said.
No smashberries for three weeks… what would the town do? But it was Helen, who had won the Science prize at Half Hitch School the previous year, who stood up and made a suggestion.
“What if there was lots of fertilizer,” she said. “You know, plant food. Would that make them grow any faster?”
Both Farmer Tangle and Farmer Headcorn, who both knew a lot about fertilizer, scratched their heads.
“You could have all the fertilizer in the world,” said Tangle. “Smashberries take three weeks. Unless you find us some magic fertilizer.”
Helen thought. “Well. What about all the rotting smashberries in the big pit?” she asked. “What if they were mixed into the ground?”
The two farmers looked at each other. “I don’t see what good that would do,” said Headcorn.
“But has it ever been tried?” said Mayor Dubbin?
The two farmers admitted that it hadn’t.
“To the pit!” shouted the mayor.
The smashberries had been rotting away in the pit for over a week, and two lorryloads of them meant that the stinky lake of smashberries must have been about three meters deep. But none the less, Bense and Elsie Higherground, the builders, brought their biggest digger and scooped bucket after bucket of the smelly berries into the back of a lorry.
One load was taken to Gentleslope farm and spread on the smashberry field there, and another was taken to Pippin Farm and spread on the smashberry field there.
The very next morning, Farmers Tangle and Headcorn woke nice and early and looked out their windows to see - fresh smashberry plants already shooting out of the ground! And within three days - not three weeks, three days! - not only were the smashberries ready to harvest, but they were the biggest and tastiest smashberries anyone had ever seen or tasted. Who knew that all it takes to grow smashberries quickly is to grow them in earth mixed with old rotting smashberries? Helen would probably win the science prize for this year too now, wouldn’t she?
But just as they were getting ready to load up the lorries with the new fruit to send straight to the factories, three letters arrived. One to Farmer Tangle. One to Farmer Headcorn. And one to Mayor Dubbin. But all said the same thing - and all were from a furious Pebbles and Crater.
“Any attempt to drive the smashberries away from any farm will mean we drop mud and sludge from the River Gurgleglug straight into the backs of the lorries and ruin them,” it said.
Well everyone met at Gentleslope farm. “We need to get these smashberries away before they begin to rot,” said Jensen, who was standing with his friend Helen. “We need to transport them secretly so Pebbles and Crater don’t know they’re leaving.”
Everyone came up with suggestions. “We could take some in our dumper truck with straw over the top,” said Elsie Higherground.
“Right,” said Farmer Headcorn. “And I could get the tractor and trailer from Pippin Farm and we could load them in and then put a sheet over them and lay some apples along the top so it looks like a trailer of apples.”
“I’ll carry some in my grass collecting bucket,” said Lucy the Lawnmower.
“And,” said Helen. “We can all come on a school trip this afternoon. And fill all our school bags with as many as we can carry! Pebbles and Crater will never think to look in there!”
Everyone was about to get to work when Mr Bibbin, the newsagent, said “And I’ll drive the lorry.”
“But we can’t use the lorry,” said Mayor Dubbin. “Pebbles and Crater will drop mud into the back!”
But Mr Bibbin just smiled. “Just fill it with hay bails, then cover up the hay bails and sprinkle some smashberries on top. I’ll drive away as far and fast as I can so they’ll follow me and keep the way clear for you!”
Everyone swung into action. As Mr Bibbin drove the lorry away with what LOOKED like a full trailer of smashberries, Pebbles and Crater flew up in their helicopter and chased it all over the countryside trying to drop mud into it.
Meanwhile, by dumper truck, tractor, lawnmower and school bag, the entire smashberry crops from both farms were delivered to the factory.
Well only two days later the products were on the shelves. The best smashberry jam anyone had ever tasted. The best smashberry ice cream anyone had ever tasted. And the best smashberryaide anyone had ever tasted.
And now, they could grow a brand new crop in days instead of weeks - all they had to go was let some rot down in the big pit.
And talking of the big pit… When Pebbles and Crater were caught by Sergeant Handle and were found guilty of stealing all the smashberries… that’s where they had to sleep all night. Right up to their middles in stinking, rotting smashberries - their glaring faces surrounded by millions and millions of fruit flies.
