Page 55 of Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure

In the cosy shed at the back of the garden at Shirlarth Cottage, Jake stood at Arthur’s workbench and stared at the collection of broken gnomes. Zen Master Ted was missing his head, and Serenity Sam was in pieces.

‘You’ve made a right mess of things, Uncle Arthur,’ Jake said as he took hold of Peaceful Pete and glued his arms to his torso. ‘Does Aunty Shirley know that you’ve created a gnome-sized apocalypse?’

‘Aye, very funny,’ Arthur sighed. ‘But if we can’t get them back together, Shirley will be fuming like a teapot on turbo, and I’ll be in the doghouse for weeks.’ He sat on his rocker and watched as Jake got to work.

‘I’m not sure I can do anything with Pete’s chipped nose,’ Jake said, looking puzzled as he studied the tools he’d set out for the gnome crisis.

‘Blu-Tack any good?’ Arthur asked. He produced a fluffy ball from his cardigan pocket. ‘I always keep a piece on hand for emergencies.’

‘I’ll use a blob of Polyfilla and a dab of paint.’

‘Good lad.’ Arthur nodded.

Jake assembled a pointed hat in three pieces and reached for a tube of Gorilla Glue. ‘This needs to set. Shall we call Grandad while we wait?’

‘That’s a good idea,’ Arthur replied. Knowing that Atticus had a date that day and his friend would be on edge, a few friendly words from the folks back home might settle his nerves.

‘Let’s FaceTime,’ Jake said excitedly. He pulled out his phone and, turning away from the bench, leaned close to Arthur.

Atticus answered after three rings.

‘Hola, Grandad!’ Jake called out. ‘Can you see us?’

‘Hello.’ Atticus smiled from the screen. ‘What are you two rascals up to?’

He squinted into the camera to see Arthur in his rocker, scarf and bob hat in place, while Jake, muffled into a duffle coat, stood before a shelf of broken garden gnomes.

‘It’s like an episode ofThe Repair Shopin Uncle Arthur’s shed,’ Jake said. ‘He’s broken lots of Aunty Shirley’s gnomes.’

Atticus began to laugh. ‘Ouch, someone’s in trouble. You must have been gnome’ing around, Arthur. Is Jake helping you gnome them back together?’

‘Aye, hilarious. Two comedians to contend with,’Arthur grumbled. ‘We’re working hard while you’re messing around in the sun.’

‘I’m not messing around. I’ve been out with Ness, and now we’re tidying the pitch. There’s lots of dust and leaves to brush up in the morning.’

Arthur and Jake could see Atticus leaning on a broom.

‘I thought you’d be getting ready for your date,’ Arthur said.

‘Date?’ Jake looked from the screen to Arthur and back again. ‘Grandad has a date?’

‘Yep, I’ll let him explain.’

‘Well, it’s nothing to get excited about—’ Atticus began, but Jake interrupted.

‘—I left a list of online Spanish dating sites in the folder,’ Jake said. ‘I knew you’d try them out.’ He punched the air. ‘Was it “Romance Arrugado” or “Amor Anejado”?’

‘Eh?’ Arthur looked puzzled.

‘“Wrinkled Romance” or “Aged Love”,’ Jake explained.

‘Neither, actually. It’s someone who works in a café where I had breakfast.’

‘Wow, the Spanish are so cool, employing pensioners.’ Jake grinned.

Atticus laughed. ‘She’s a bit younger than me, and she’s Dutch.’

‘A kitten queen!’ Jake exclaimed.