Welcome to the home of Cornelius Cone & Bennie Barrier
Explore captivating children's books that spark imagination and creativity. Join Cornelius Cone, Bennie Barrier and their many friends on their thrilling adventures, designed to entertain and educate young readers.
About Our Books
Immerse your children in tales of adventure, education, humour and friendship. Our books encourage reading and foster a love for literature. Join Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier on their unforgettable journeys.
85
Books Published
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Happy Readers
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Local Schools Involved
Who Are Cornelius Cone & Bennie Barrier?
Dive into the exciting escapades of Cornelius Cone. Each story is filled with fun and valuable life lessons for children.
Where Are The Stories Set?
Discover the enchanting village of Hythe on the edge of England's New Forest with Cornelius Cone before delving into the big city of Southampton with Bennie Barrier's Big City Adventures.
How Do I Know These Are The Right Books For My Children To Read?
Our books are crafted to teach important values like friendship, teamwork, and creativity in a fun way. Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier experience their world and face similar challenges to the children as they discover the world around them from their own unique viewpoints. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad but always from a point of learning values that will help children in their life journey.
In 2018, Steve Boyce came up with the idea of Cornelius Cone when he was sat in a traffic queue on the local motorway and noticed a sign displaying the words; CONE HOTLINE and then a phone number to call. This triggered the idea of traffic cones and barriers having their own community and from this, two children's series were created.
During the lockdowns in 2020, John Roberts began reading Steve's Cornelius Cone books to his 6 year old son and together, they came up with some interesting ideas for future adventures that Cornelius Cone and his friends could embark on. When John mentioned these ideas to Steve, rather than write the extra adventures himself, Steve offered John the opportunity to co-author the series with him.
This partnership has so far produced 85 Cornelius Cone adventures and 25 Bennie Barrier Big City Adventures with more being added all the time.
For the latest releases, keep a lookout on this site for announcements, sneak peaks and everything you need to keep up-to-date with the Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier adventures.
Enjoy The Cornelius Cone Series With The First John Roberts Adventure
The Tale Of The Missing Cone
In the first John Roberts adventure, Cornelius Cone meets Bennie Barrier for the first time.
Cornelius Cone: The Tale Of The Missing Cone
The yard lights gave everyone a fright when they shone brightly in the dark night. Cornelius was sleeping and woke up when he heard voices. After a few minutes, the lights were turned off again but as he started to go back to sleep, he could hear someone talking in the distance.
He walked around the corner and noticed a long reflective barrier with red and white stripes. As he walked over, the talking stopped.
“Hello, is anyone there?” Cornelius asked.
“No, nobody here” a voice replied.
“Well there must be or who is talking to me?”
“I have a headache, please don’t talk to me tonight.”
Cornelius was confused. He walked closer and in the light of the moon, he could see the reflective barrier was very upset.
“I’m Cornelius, I haven’t seen you here before. What’s your name?”
“I’m Bennie, Bennie Barrier. I work on the roads like you warning people about any holes that have been made so people don’t fall into them. I was by a playground and some children kept pushing me over. I didn’t mind playing the first few times but they kept pushing me over and over again. It’s not very nice when you don’t want to play that game anymore. Now I have broken parts and I will probably not be allowed out to play any more.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure there are ways that you can be fixed. There’s never a problem that doesn’t have a solution. My friend Mike Microwave lost his ding and thought he’d never be in a kitchen again. I heard last week that he’s now working in a local cafe in town and enjoying himself again.”
“I don’t want to go back outside again. They will keep pushing me over. Every time I get up they push me down again and laugh” Bennie sighed.
Cornelius thought about his old friend Christopher Cone and how he was found on top of a lamppost after being missing all night long.
“Come with me Bennie, I want to show you something.”
Cornelius and Bennie moved to the other side of the yard. They could hear some soft snoring in the distance. As the moon shone through the tall wire fences at the far side of the yard, Bennie saw two adult cones and one baby cone together in their shed.
“See those three cones there Bennie, that’s my friend Christopher, his wife Caroline and baby Bubbles. Caroline came to me very worried a few weeks ago as Christopher never came home with the rest of us. We thought he had been left behind without a light on his head. All kinds of things can happen to a cone if they’re out on their own at night. Anyway, luckily enough, Dave, our driver, found him on top of a lamp post on his way home after work. If we all stick together we make a great team.”
Bennie thought about what Cornelius had said. “Why did they call their baby cone Bubbles?”
“Because when we were all working on a farm, we all came home very muddy and Driver Dave washed us all off and Bubbles kept blowing soap bubbles from the top of her cone after having a wash so now they call her Bubbles.”
At that point, the lights came on again & Driver Dave was collecting up all of the cones to go on to the maintenance truck. He picked up three barriers and placed them alongside the cones before looking at Bennie. Driver Dave picked Bennie up, clicked a few of his joints back into place & then placed him next to Cornelius in the back of the truck before locking the tailgate and climbing into the truck.
Bennie looked around as they headed out into the night. “I didn’t even have a chance to have some supper.
“It must be something important. Driver Dave never takes us out this late at night” Cornelius replied.
Soon they stopped outside the supermarket and there was a strange smell in the air.
“I don’t like this Cornelius,” Bennie said nervously.
Driver Dave opened the tailgate and lifted the barriers and cones out.
“Wow, how did the river end up here?” Bennie asked as he was placed across the road to stop the traffic from coming through.
“It’s not the river Bennie, it’s petrol. There’s been a leak from the petrol station over there and it’s spread to the supermarket” Cornelius explained.
Driver Dave placed headlights on to the heads of each cone as they diverted traffic away from the spillage. It was then that Cornelius heard a distant voice calling his name. He looked over towards the trolley bay and saw Tricia Trolley. She looked very worried. Cornelius left his position at the front of the line of cones and walked over towards Tricia.
“Oh Corny, I’m so worried. I haven’t seen Wet Floor since he was called to the petrol station and now there’s all this mess, I hope he’s ok”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. We’re all here now and everything’s under control. What happened here?” Cornelius asked.
“The tanker came to deliver petrol and one of the connections came loose. Now no one will want to push me around the supermarket with smelly petrol all over my wheels.”
Cornelius tried to calm Tricia but he heard Driver Dave calling him. “I’ll keep a lookout for Wet Floor but I need togo back to my post at the front of the line” he explained.
As night turned into day, everyone worked hard to clean up the spillage. Cornelius watched as Trevor traffic light stopped the cars on their morning journeys into town and allowed people to cross the road safely. Over in the park, he saw Bertie Bin and Bella being fed wrappers and plastic bottles as everyone continued on their daily journeys. He wanted to go and say hello to his old friends but he knew he’d be in trouble if he left his position again.
By the end of the day, the cones and barriers were very tired as Driver Dave collected them all up to take them back to the yard. Tricia called over to Cornelius again but he still hadn’t seen Wet Floor around the petrol station all day. As he ran to catch up with the maintenance truck before it left without him, he promised to keep a lookout on his travels.
When they arrived back at the yard, everyone was very tired & went back into their own corners to have some well-deserved sleep. As the lights went out, Cornelius saw something yellow trembling in the corner. He gave Bennie a nudge. “Bennie, Bennie Barrier, wake up. What’s that in the corner.”
Bennie rubbed his eyes and saw the yellow cone in the corner of the yard. As they slowly approached, they noticed he had a dustpan and a brush in his hands. “Don’t come any closer. I knew I’d be sent away after I missed Sam slipping on aisle eight. Tricia said I was overreacting but...”
“Wet Floor?” Cornelius asked.
The yellow cone stopped and looked at him. “Are you Corny?”
“Corny?” Bennie Barrier asked.
“Tricia Trolley calls me Corny. You must be Wet Floor. What are you doing here?” Cornelius asked.
“I, I, oh dear. It was nearly the end of my shift and I was called to the petrol station for a spillage and and oh there was so much. I was slipping and sliding all over the place and I was so scared that I hid on your truck and I must have fallen asleep and and, oh, I’m in so much trouble” Wet Floor sighed.
“No, you’re not. But Tricia Trolley is very worried about you. We need to get you back to the supermarket tonight” Cornelius explained.
“Tonight, but..” Bennie Barrier protested as Cornelius interrupted him.
“Remember I told you the story about Christopher Cone, we all stick together.”
“But Driver Dave would have gone home by now. How do you think we can make it to the supermarket in the dark?” Bennie Barrier asked.
“With some help from our friends, we can do anything. The supermarket is on the opposite side of town. We need to move across the industrial estate, past the recycling plant, down the hill, across the park and we’ll be on the road to the supermarket. Come on” Cornelius replied.
Bennie, Cornelius and Wet Floor walked over to the shed at the bottom of the yard. Cornelius knocked on the door but nobody answered. Christopher Cone, Caroline Cone and Bubbles were heading back to their corner of the yard.
“Christopher, Caroline, could you please help us. I need to knock on that window and get Larry Ladder’s attention.”
“Of course Cornelius, what do you want us to do?” Christopher replied.
“I need to stand on Bennie Barrier and I need you to lift him up so I can reach the window.”
“Isn’t that dangerous Cornelius?” Bennie asked. “You could fall and hurt yourself.”
Cornelius then noticed that Bubbles was playing with a football. This gave him an idea. He took aim and kicked the ball against the window.
“Hey, who is making all that noise!” Larry Ladder called out as he opened the shed door.
“Larry, we need your help. We need to help our friend get back to the supermarket” Cornelius explained.
Larry leant forward and stepped out of the shed. “I hope you’re not getting yourself into any more trouble Cornelius,” he said as he walked over to the gate.
Larry leant forward and held on to the railings so Cornelius, Bennie and Wet Floor could climb up to the top of the gate. Cornelius led them on to the wall at the side of the gate after thanking Larry. There was a dumpster full of rubbish bags on the other side.
“Come on, this is our way out” Cornelius explained as he jumped down on to the bags and then down on to the ground.
“I’m not sure about this Corny” Wet Floor worried.
“I’ll help you” Bennie replied and he held Wet Floor’s hand as they both jumped together into the rubbish bags and then on to the ground.
At the supermarket, Checkout Charlie was using a hose to wash the petrol off of Tricia Trolley’s wheels.
“Oh Charlie, I’m so worried. I haven’t seen Wet Floor since he went over to the Petrol Station for the spillage last night. What if he’s had an accident, or maybe he’s been taken away. He was so worried about not being in the right place...”
“I’ll put a missing cone notice on the board when I go back into the supermarket Tricia. Don’t you worry, I’m sure there is a simple explanation for why he’s not here” Charlie reassured her.
Tricia sighed. “I guess you’re right. Why are you outside anyway?
“The supermarket has been quiet because of the petrol spillage so we’re all cleaning to pass the time.”
Car headlights and street lamps lit up the industrial estate as Cornelius, Bennie and Wet Floor walked past the offices and the recycling plant. As they reached the main road a car pulled up alongside them and a man wound his window down.
“Hey, where are you three heading off to this time of night?” he asked.
“Just down to....” Bennie started but Cornelius interrupted him.
“Nowhere, just heading home” Cornelius replied.
“Well jump in and I’ll give you a ride.”
Bennie reached out his hand to the car door but Cornelius stopped him again.
“No thank you. We’ll make our own way. Goodnight mister” Cornelius replied before ushering Bennie and Wet Floor further along the path.
They watched the car disappear into the distance.
“Why did you say no to that nice man offering us a lift. We could be at the supermarket in no time then back home to sleep” Bennie complained.
“We don’t know him, Bennie. Remember the story I told you about Christopher Cone. We could all have ended up in that same situation and we might not be as lucky as Christopher” Cornelius explained. “You should never go anywhere with strangers. It’s dangerous.”
They continued down the road and came across the recreation ground. As they walked through the park they heard some grumbling and then a Chomp, Chomp, Burp.
“Bertie Bin, is that you?” Cornelius called out.
As they walked around the corner they saw a huge pile of bottles, wrappers and leftover food spread all over the park.
“Corny! What are you doing out here so late?” Bertie called out.
“We’re on our way to the supermarket so our friend Wet Floor can explain how he went missing earlier today. What happened here?”
“Oh, there was a party but not everyone understands why they should put their rubbish in the bins after they have used it. I feel sorry for the poor animals that might accidentally eat it before we have the chance to clear it all away. Bella is on the other side of the park collecting all the bottles and cardboard for recycling whilst I try and clear up the rest of it. My poor old joints aren’t as flexible as they used to be so I’m a bit slow at all this.”
“We can help you” Wet Floor suggested. “Cleaning up mess is what I do best.”
Between the four of them, they managed to clear up all of the rubbish and feed it to Bertie Bin before heading over to the other side of the park and feeding all of the recycling rubbish to Bella. Both bins were so full by the time that they had finished, they sat together by the park entrance and settled down for a nap.
“Thank you all so much and good luck with your journey back to the supermarket,” Bella said as Bennie, Cornelius and Wet Floor continued on their way.
Wet Floor was looking up at the full moon. He very rarely saw the night sky and was fascinated by the stars and their patterns. Suddenly he heard a voice shout “STOP!!!”
Wet Floor leapt into the air and then realised he had accidentally walked on to a pelican crossing when the traffic light was showing the traffic a green light. Cornelius quickly pulled Wet Floor back on to the path just before a car sped past.
“You must always press my button and wait for the green WALK sign” Trevor Traffic Light explained.
“I’m so sorry Trevor. I was not concentrating on where I was going” Wet Floor replied.
They waited until the green WALK sign was shining and then Bennie, Cornelius and Wet Floor walked across the road watching for any traffic approaching as they headed for the opposite side. They continued down the road, turned right at the junction and then they finally saw the supermarket lights in the distance.
“Oh thank you so much, Corny. I couldn’t have done this without you” Wet Floor said.
As the sun began to rise behind the supermarket, Wet Floor and Tricia headed back inside to start another day leaving Bennie and Cornelius to start their journey home. As they started walking they saw a familiar truck pull up alongside them.
“Have you two been out all night?” Driver Dave asked.
They both nodded as Driver Dave opened the tailgate on his Maintenance Truck so both Bennie and Cornelius could climb in. By the time they reached the yard, they were both asleep dreaming of their next adventure together.
See you in the next adventure!!
Bennie Barrier Begins His Big City Adventure
When Bennie Barrier Left Cornelius Cone's Maintenance Team Behind, He Never Knew What Awaited Him In The Big City
Bennie Barrier’s Big City Adventures: The Tale Of Bennie’s Big Decision
Snowflakes fell softly over The Maintenance Yard as Bennie Barrier wandered out of the sleeping quarters and headed over towards the gate. Larry Ladder was busy reading a book, occasionally looking up as the odd car or pedestrian wandered by, as night gave way to day.
“Good morning Bennie, you’re up early this morning. Is this part of your new year’s resolution?” Larry Ladder asked.
“What’s a new year’s resolution?”
“Oh it’s a silly thing that people tend to do at the start of a new year. They make these big plans like they want to write a book, lose weight or become a vegetarian or something. Normally, after a couple of weeks, they tend to give up on it.”
“Maybe I need to make a new year’s resolution too,” Bennie Barrier sighed.
“Are you still missing Cornelius Cone? Christopher Cone will make a superb leader of the team whilst he’s away.”
“Do you think Cornelius will come back?”
“When he stepped onto that helicopter and flew away on Christmas Eve, I was very surprised. Cornelius has always been a proud leader of this team ever since he took over from his father.”
“Wasn’t Corny’s grandad Custer Cone also a leader here?”
“Yes, when Driver Donald first brought me here as a young ladder, Custer led the team to some amazing sites and helped create a lot of the roads that make our village what it is today. Times do change though. Donald grew old and his son, Driver Dave took over looking after everyone here. Now Cornelius is gone, although sooner than we all expected, maybe it is time for Christopher to become our leader,” Larry Ladder explained.
“Did you ever think about leaving?”
“Me? No, where would I go? I’m an old man now, Bennie. I watch over the yard each night to keep everyone safe and come out to help occasionally when the other ladders can’t do something. I’ll be seeing out my days here until I’m too old to be useful or Dave decides to move me on.”
“Don’t you think you’re missing out on things? There’s a whole world of adventures outside these big metal gates.”
“If I was your age and had more energy and enthusiasm then perhaps I would go looking for new things. Whatever you decide, there will always be a home for you here.”
Bennie Barrier thought about that for a moment.
“Don’t regret something you didn’t do,” Larry Ladder said as Bennie began heading back towards the sleeping quarters. “It’s better to try and fail at something then wonder what if?”
Bennie Barrier smiled. “Thanks Larry, I know exactly what I need to do.”
Bennie rushed into his bedroom, packed some warm clothes into a suitcase and slipped on a warm coat before heading towards the door. As he left, he noticed a photo of him and Cornelius outside the lighthouse at Lepe Beach. What an incredible day that turned out to be. He picked up the photo and slipped it into his suitcase before heading out of the door.
“Uncle Bennie, are you coming to breakfast with us?” Chloe Cone asked as she rushed towards the food hall.
“Not today Bubbles, I need to do something first,” Bennie Barrier replied.
Chloe Cone looked at him disappointed. “Oh ok, but hurry back, we need to have a snowball fight later!”
Bennie smiled as he watched her run away towards the food hall. He walked out of the sleeping quarters and across the yard towards the side gate. Larry Ladder opened the gate and Bennie wandered through and headed outside. Larry watched him as he crossed the road and headed over towards the bus stop outside Bluebell Park.
“Oh dear, oh my, oh dear, oh my,” Bruno Bus gasped as he approached the bus stop and skidded to a stop in the snow and slush on the road.
“Calm down Bruno, slow and steady wins the race,” his driver commented as Bennie stepped on board.
“Happy new year Bruno, a single ticket to the city please,” Bennie Barrier said.
“Are you not planning on coming back?” Bruno Bus asked.
“I’m not sure to be honest.”
“Someone else with a new year’s resolution,” Bruno’s driver chuckled.
“Maybe my new year’s resolution should be to stop driving in the snow. My wheels are cold, I’m sliding all over the place and the salt on the road is playing havoc with my sinuses,” Bruno Bus complained.
“You can have a nice warm scrub down later in the yard to warm you up. For now, let’s get Bennie and the rest of the passengers to where they need to go,” Bruno’s driver replied.
Bennie Barrier sat down by the window as Bruno Bus carefully drove along the country roads of The New Forest with its freshly laid blanket of snow covering the woodlands and fields. As woodland gave way to tall tower blocks and factories, Bennie soon began to realise the different world he was entering into. Bruno Bus skidded to a stop outside Southampton Central Railway Station.
“Stay safe out there!” Bruno Bus called out as Bennie carefully walked along the path.
“We’re used to working in bad weather Bruno,” Bennie Barrier replied.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it though!”
“Cornelius used to say, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes.”
“If only that was true,” Bruno Bus smiled before continuing on his way.
Bennie Barrier wandered up Civic Centre Hill and walked along past the shops towards Palmerston Park before heading towards the football stadium. There was a tunnel with images of football players from years ago painted on the walls. Driver Dave had often talked about the successful team from years ago but football had never really interested Bennie before. After a slow and icy walk, Bennie found himself in front of two tall wooden gates painted blue with a wire fence surrounding a messy Maintenance Yard. Rusted metal sheets and poles, half built furniture, tyres and pieces of broken bicycles were scattered everywhere. There was a side gate with a doorbell on the left side of the main gate. Bennie pressed the doorbell and waited.
“What do you want?” a voice shouted from above the gate.
Bennie Barrier looked up and saw a cone with a piece of his high visibility belt missing looking down on him. “Um, my name is…”
“Don’t care, what do you want?”
“Is Highway Harry here?” Bennie Barrier asked.
“Nope.”
“He said if I wanted a job I could…”
“No jobs here.”
“Are you sure? He said…”
“Don’t care,” the cone snapped before heading back inside.
Bennie Barrier rang the bell again.
“You don’t take a hint do ya!” the cone shouted.
“I don’t like your attitude…”
“That makes two of us. We don’t need no barrier who couldn’t make it in his own team dragging us down.”
“But Harry said…”
“Harry don’t know nothin’”
“When will he…”
“Don’t know, don’t care!”
“Can you let him know that Bennie Barrier called to see him.”
“If I remember.”
Bennie Barrier turned and walked away. The cone watched him from the top of the gate before turning to face a ladder wh had wandered over.
“No need to be like that Carlton,” the ladder snapped. “A new barrier could’ve been just what we need to tidy this place up.”
“Shut it Lewis, you know what happens when a new member joins the team. Suddenly Harry thinks we can do the impossible…”
“He won’t be happy if he knows you’re turning workers away. We need all the help we can get.”
“You just shut up and do your job and leave the decisions to me. That barrier didn’t know one end of a roadblock from the other.”
Lewis Ladder looked over the gate and saw Bennie Barrier slowly wandering away towards the football tunnel once again. He looked back at Carlton Cone who was arguing with another cone in the yard. He knew he had to do something to help but he didn’t know what.
Bennie Barrier wandered back through Palmerston Park before finding the High Street. Shopkeepers were opening their shutters ready for another working day whilst a man in a huge green coat played a guitar and sang a song that Bennie didn’t recognise in the shelter of the overhanging entrance of the shopping centre.
“Hey, why so blue?” a voice called out.
“He ain’t blue, he’s orange and yellow you silly sausage,” another voice replied.
Bennie Barrier looked around and saw two bins with their backs to each other. “Are you talking to me?”
“There’s no one else out ‘ere on this freezing cold mornin’ is there? Bonzo Bin’s the name and she’s Boomer Bin. These new gen-Z lot need to be told how to recycle things. Too much plastic gives me a lot of gas,” Bonzo Bin explained.
“I know a bin that has the same problem out in the countryside,” Bennie Barrier replied.
“Pah, he don’t know how good he’s got it. We feed on the scraps that get thrown out for the pigeons over ‘ere. He’s probably getting bacon sarnies with the occasional bit of horse muck thrown in for good measure.”
“Oh stop complaining Bonzo,” Boomer Bin replied. “You’ll scare the poor barrier away before he’s even had time to get to know us. What brings you to our wonderful city centre today?”
Bonzo Bin chuckled and Boomer backheeled him in his leg.
“Oi, that hurt!”
“It was meant to,” Boomer Bin replied.
“I guess I’ve been a bit silly,” Bennie Barrier admitted.
“Why’s that?” Boomer Bin asked.
“My friend has gone away and I thought if he could create a new life for himself somewhere else then I could too.”
“Well you’re still a young barrier, I’m sure there would be lots of Maintenance Teams you could work for.”
“Not the city one.”
“Oh, you met ol’ Carlton did ya?” Bonzo Bin asked. “Nasty piece of work that cone. One night they were meant to be covering a huge hole on the big roundabout at the top of town. You know, the one with the big hotel built on it…”
“I get confused with roundabouts, it feels like I’m going round and round in circles all the time,” Bennie Barrier confessed.
Bonzo and Boomer Bin looked at each other before Bonzo continued. “Anyway, one Friday night, ol’ Carlton wanted to go to the concert at the guildhall, some postman with his band I’d never heard of but anyway, he left his post with his buddy Coquelin and a car drove straight into the hole. There were police, ambulance, fire brigade, you name it.”
“Did he get into trouble?” Bennie Barrier asked.
“Nah, ol’ Highway Henry or whatever his name is said Carlton was injured during the accident and there was nothing more said about it but we know the truth,” Boomer Bin explained.
“Is that why he’s missing part of his high visibility belt?”
“No, he lost that in a bet with one of the bollards on that new cyclepath they built down in Millbrook a while back. He raced the bollards down the full stretch of the cyclepath but when the bollard got ahead of him, he deliberately tripped him up,” Bonzo Bin explained.
“That’s so bad, he tripped him just so he could win the race?” Bennie Barrier gasped.
“That was his plan but the bollard fell over in front of Carlton, tripping him up and sending him into the side of a heavy goods vehicle which ripped his high visibility belt in half. The recycling plant managed to save the other half but now Carlton can’t work at night anymore in case people don’t see him.”
Boomer Bin reached out and took a bottle from someone walking by.
“Why do you two stand with your backs against each other? Don’t you wander around and see more of the city?” Bennie Barrier asked.
Bonzo Bin pulled out a white thermometer from his inside pocket. “At the moment it’s minus three degrees celsius, we need to share bodily warmth or I’ll be crunching frozen food and Boomer will be getting plastic splinters in her teeth from the frozen bottles and trust me, it ain’t a pretty sight!”
“Maybe I’m better off staying where I was in Hythe Village. There’s nothing for a barrier in the city. I was silly to think otherwise.”
“I wouldn’t say that, you only regret the chances you don’t take,” Boomer Bin replied.
“A friend told me that this morning. I wanted my new year’s resolution to be a new start in the city. I won’t let Carlton Cone bully me into not following my dream.”
“Er, small problem with that. If you’ve already annoyed him, chances of you working in that team are slim to none,” Bonzo Bin replied.
“So what do you suggest?”
“There’s always… No, maybe not,” Boomer Bin started.
“No, no, tell me, is there another team?”
“You could try Yuri or Yurika.”
“Who are they?”
“They work in the loading bays of the shopping centre. The bollards joined the team after they fell out with Carlton Cone and they had nowhere else to go.”
“Where do I find these people?”
“Person, Yuri and Yurika is one person. Sometimes he’s Yuri, sometimes she’s Yurika,” Bonzo Bin explained.
Bennie Barrier looked confused. “So I’m looking for one person who could be a man or a woman?”
“Yes but you don’t find them, they find you.”
Bennie Barrier thanked the bins and continued on his way down the High Street towards the remaining ruins of the Bargate Castle. He saw a sign claiming that the road he was on was part of the QE2 mile. If things didn’t work out at the shopping centre, maybe he could work at the docks. He always wanted to travel all around the world although he tended to have seasickness so a cruise ship was probably not the best idea. He walked past a row of restaurants and a newly built cinema before finding a car park with the loading bays for the shopping centre further along the road. The smell of burgers and pizzas made his tummy rumble and reminded him that he hadn’t eaten anything yet today. He opened his suitcase and found some chocolate biscuits that he had taken from the food hall back at The Maintenance Yard last night. It wasn’t much but it would be ok for now. Bennie leant against the wall at the side of the multi-storey car park and ate his biscuits. It was getting colder and he knew he needed to find somewhere warm soon.
As Bennie finished eating his biscuits, he saw a long white heavy goods vehicle manoeuvre into its correct position before reversing towards the loading bay. This was his chance. Bennie Barrier rushed across the road and headed down towards the loading bay. The reversing vehicle beeped as it slowly reversed.
“Keep going!” a voice called out.
At that moment, Bennie noticed a bollard stepping out from what looked like an office at the side of the loading bay, looking at a piece of paper. The vehicle driver did not see him.
“Stop!” Bennie Barrier shouted as he ran towards the vehicle and hit the passenger door as hard as he could.
The bollard looked up and screamed.
The driver quickly hit the brakes and the vehicle shuddered to a stop.
Bennie Barrier rushed towards the back of the vehicle and saw the bollard carefully removing himself from underneath the tail lift of the vehicle.
“Barnaby?” Bennie Barrier gasped.
“No, it can’t be? Bennie Barrier, what are you doing here?” Barnaby Bollard gasped.
“Everything all right back there?” another voice called out.
“What’s going on?” the driver of the heavy goods vehicle shouted.
Bennie Barrier and Barnaby Bollard moved to the side before the driver continued reversing towards the loading bay.
“Bradley is here too?” Bennie Barrier asked.
“Bennie Barrier, what brings you to this part of the city?” Bradley called out as he climbed down from the platform near the loading bay entrance.
“Bennie just stopped me from getting crushed!” Barnaby Bollard replied.
“Were you too busy looking at paperwork again. Honestly, I thought you’d know how to cross busy roads by now,” Bradley Bollard sighed. “Sorry Bennie, Yuri doesn’t like new faces around here. What brings you to us?”
“I was kind of hoping that I might be able to find some work here,” Bennie Barrier replied.
“Has Driver Dave run out of work over in the forest? We haven’t worked the roads since that Millbrook cyclepath job.”
“Cornelius Cone has left and I feel like I need to follow my new year’s resolution and find somewhere else to explore.”
“You know new year’s resolutions never last.”
“I’m hoping this one will.”
“Why don’t you go and see Highway Harry. I’m sure he could use a new barrier to sort his team of questionable abilities out.”
“I’ve been there already, they didn’t want me,” Bennie Barrier admitted.
“They or Carlton?” Barnaby asked as he helped the driver open up the back of his heavy goods vehicle.
“I heard what happened at the race in Millbrook.”
“That was a long time ago,” Bradley Bollard admitted.
“Carlton forced you out of their team.”
“And I made a new life here.”
“Unloading deliveries for the shops in the shopping centre?” Bennie Barrier asked.
“It pays well and I’m not left out in all weathers like The Maintenance Team getting run over by hooligans driving too fast through the roadworks.”
“What’s going on down there?” a voice called out.
“Oh no, that’s Yuri, you have to go,” Bradley Bollard replied before rushing over to help Barnaby Bollard unload the delivery.
Bennie Barrier wandered over towards the platform at the side of the loading bay and saw a man wearing a grey suit walking towards him.
“You’re a long way from your yard barrier, what are you doing in my loading bay?” Yuri asked.
“I’m looking for work, I heard that you might be looking for some extra help,” Bennie Barrier replied.
“You thought you could work in my loading bay. We don’t have any holes to dig or traffic lights to control inside here my boy. What could a roadside barrier like you offer that the bollards cannot?”
“He just stopped one of your bollards from getting crushed when he wasn’t looking where he was going!” the delivery driver called out.
“Did he, now?” Yuri asked. “Perhaps you may be of use after all. Do you have a name?”
“Bennie, Bennie Barrier.”
“Well Bennie, Bennie Barrier, I have two separate living quarters in here for my workers but you will have to earn your keep. If Barnaby and Bradley are happy to teach you what needs to be done to keep everything running efficiently then I am willing to give you a chance but I will be watching… One false move and you’re out! Deal?”
“Deal,” Bennie Barrier smiled.
“Well go and put your stuff away, we can’t have the place looking untidy and then hurry back as we have two sofa deliveries for the department store due to arrive soon,” Yuri replied before heading towards the office.
Bennie Barrier rushed over and helped Barnaby and Bradley Bollard finish unloading the delivery before Barnaby Bollard showed him where the living quarters were. Bennie Barrier lifted his suitcase up onto the bed before heading back down to the loading bay for the next delivery.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do, Bennie? Warehouse and loading bays are not for everyone. You and Cornelius led an amazing team when we had to work together,” Barnaby Bollard asked.
“A wise friend once told me that you should never regret the chances you take, only the ones you don’t. Now Cornelius Cone has gone, I need to make new friends and go on some new adventures in the big city.”
“Then I wish you good luck Bennie, it’s going to be one hell of an adventure.”
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT ADVENTURE!!
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