Matthew and the Chimney Sweeps: Book One (Completed, Editing)

Chapter Six B: The Garage

As they passed the last house on the street, a Victorian house with a roofed turret, Matthew saw the hill. It was high, covered in trees and was surrounded by a high fence.

'That is Maple Hill,' said John.

'It's quite steep, isn't it?' Matthew responded, gazing up. 'You race carts down the entire thing?'

'That's right,' said Norman. 'We start all the way at the top and finish at the bottom.'

When they entered Maple Hill Park, Matthew didn't need to be told where the race track was. There were no markers marking its boundaries, just a path of churned up soil, devoid of any vegetation, winding its way up the hill. It hugged huge boulders, dipped under gigantic gnarly tree roots, ran through a shallow stream and even disappeared inside the hill.

Seeing that there were hundreds of people inside the park, either taking their dogs for a walk or just having a stroll, Matthew wondered how it was possible to race without anyone noticing. He had been told nobody outside the street children community knew about the cart races and they wanted to keep it that way. 'If the authorities found out what we're doing they would definitely put an end to it,' John had told him.

He asked the others this riddle.

'At night,' answered Norman. 'The park's closed.'

'But if it's at night,' said Matthew, 'won't the drivers be unable to see?'

'The track's lit up,' said John.

'Really?' said Matthew, surprised.

'Really. Now . . . I think we have time to show you our carts.'

Matthew was led back out of Maple Hill Park and taken down a street with scruffy looking shops. They then turned into an alleyway between the back of a row of abandoned houses and a large mattress factory. Halfway down, they came to a halt beside a large image of a fox painted on the ground.

There looked to be no reason for why they stopped, but Matthew just followed the others' lead and dropped whatever was in his hands. Then, something happened that Matthew wouldn't have visioned in his wildest of dreams. Norman began climbing the back of one of the houses using holes in the brick work. Three quarters up he pushed on a patch of wall until it swung open as if it was on hinges.

'Ah, Slink,' Matthew heard Norman say in a surprised tone as he climbed through the wall. 'I didn't know you were going to be here this early.'

'Is that Slink?' John asked Norman.

Norman popped his head out. 'Yeah, it is. He thought he should get started drawing up some plans for some new carts.'

'Hey, Matthew,' said John, 'you first.'

Never having climbed up the side of a house before, it was a rather bizarre feeling for Matthew. And when he reached the hole, Norman helped him through and into a room that was full of tools. There was also some sort of crane against the wall, wheels, scraps of metal, and, of course, five carts, which looked magnificent. It was a garage.

Of the carts, there were two, one red and the other blue that looked like rockets. There was a white one shaped like a bumper car and a pink one that looked like a giant doorstop. The last was black and it reminded Matthew of an old train engine. Every cart had a windshield.

Slink was sitting on a desk at the other end of the room, pencils, pens, rulers, compasses, and pieces of paper scattered all over it. 'Welcome, Matthew, to everything carts.'

'This place is amazing,' replied Matthew, as John came through the hole.

'We build, repair and store our carts here,' said Slink.