Marty the motorcycling giraffe Story 32 Marty and the runaway truck

Marty the motorcycling Giraffe

Story 32 Marty and the runaway truck

As you know Marty the motorcycling giraffe works as a window cleaner’s assistant in the big African city of Nairobi.

Marty works with his very good friend Peter, the window cleaner, and with the Victor the trainee window cleaner.

One morning Peter left Marty and Victor working together on cleaning the windows as he had to go to an important business meeting.

Marty liked working with Victor, although Victor was sometimes a little excitable and over enthusiastic and Marty thought that he needs to calm down a bit before he could become a fully trained window cleaner.

“But he is a hard worker and we do get the windows cleaned quicker with his help” Marty thought to himself.

Later that day, Peter cam back to work and called to Marty and Victor to stop cleaning windows as he had something very important to tell them.

“Since young Victor has joined the team we have been able to get the windows cleaned a lot quicker than when it was just me and Marty” said Peter “which means we often have some spare time by the end of the week.

Marty and Victor smiled at the thought of the spare time they had, Marty likes to use his spare time by going for a quick whizz around on his motorcycle, while Victor likes to lie in the sun listening to music.

“Well” continued Peter “ have been meeting with Mr Makuchi, who owns a transport company, and by the end of the week Mr Makuchi’s trucks are all very dirty, inside and out. I have got a contract to wash and clean the trucks every Friday afternoon”.

Marty and Victor felt a little gloomy at the thought of losing their free time. But then Peter added

“It’s a good contract and it means that both of you will get extra wages”

The prospect of being paid more money certainly cheered Marty and Victor up

“When do we start the new job?” asked Marty

“This Friday at 1 pm” replied Peter.

On Friday, after Marty, Peter and Victor had finished there lunch, they al went to Mr Makushi’s yard. Peter and Victor went in Peter’s truck and Marty of course followed behind on his motorcycle.

At the transport yard, which was on the top of a very steep hill, Mr Makuchi showed Marty, Peter and Victor four very dirty trucks that badly needed cleaning.

“Victor, you start cleaning the inside of the trucks’ cabs” instructed Peter “and me and Marty will wash the outsides”.

Marty and Peter high powered pressure hosepipes to wash the thick mud from the outside of the trucks and then used their widow clothes to polish them and make the trucks very nice and shiny.

At the same time Victor worked on leaning the inside of the cabs out, first he took all the rubbish out and then  he started wipe down the seats, the dashboards and the inside of the windows.

As Victor leaned forward in one of the cabs, to clean the inside of the windscreen, he did not notice that he had put his foot on the handbrake leaver, pushing it down and turning the hand break off,

As he wiped the windscreen the truck started to roll forward, out of the yard and down the hill!

“Victor!” shouted Marty and Peter “the truck is moving

Victor was very scared and didn’t know what to do, as he doesn’t know how to drive a truck, so he leapt out of the cab and fell heavily to the ground

But the truck, with its floor flapping open, carried on rolling down the hill and started to get faster and faster and was heading in the direction of the children’s playground at the bottom of the hill.

As quick as a flash of lightning, Marty and Peter jumped onto Marty’s motorcycle.

“Follow that truck” shouted Peter and Marty revved up his motorcycle and shot after the truck as fat as he could go.

Soon Marty and Peter were alongside the truck that was now going very fast indeed and getting closer and closer to the playground where the children were happily playing.

The children’s mothers saw the truck and started to shout at the children to run away.

Peter stood up on the back of Marty’s motorcycle and bravely leapt through the open door and into the trucks cab.

Peter then slammed on the truck’s brakes as hard as he could.

The truck screeched and skidded and finally came to a halt just a few yards from the playground

All the mothers and the children rushed up to Marty and Peter and to thank them for stopping the truck and making sure they  were all safe.

“yako ni jasiri sana, wako ni mashujaa” (you are very brave, you are heroes) shouted the Mothers.

“Hakuna matata”   Mary and Peter replied modestly.

Peter then drove the truck back to the yard and Marty followed on his motorcycle.

Victor was waiting in the yard looking very embarrassed and rubbing his bruises, he got when he jumped out of the truck.

“You must be more careful” scolded Peter

“Sorry” replied Victor “I will be more careful in the future”.

“He has done a very good job, cleaning my trucks though” said Mr Makuchi, “you must have all worked very hard, I have never seen my trucks looking so clean,

It was then time for Marty, Peter and Victor to go home, and as he got onto his motorcycle Marty felt very pleased that he and Peter had been heroes and that they had stopped the truck crashing into the children’s playground, he was also very happy with his extra money he had earned, and off he whizzed in his motorcycle wondering what the next adventure would be for

Marty the Motorcycling Giraffe

Look out for next weeks exciting adventure: story 33 Marty and the bad men to be posted on Saturday 28th Jan 2012