Discover The World Of Bennie Barrier's Big City Adventures

It was a cold frosty February morning when Bennie Barrier stepped outside the shopping centre. Patches of ice on the paths made it slippery as he walked along towards the High Street. As he turned the corner, he heard a chug, chug, chug, then a hiss.

“It’s no good!” Bruno Bus sighed.

“You’re not doing it right. I don’t know, buses these days, think they know it all and Jumpstart Jo knows nothing. I’ve been jumpstarting buses before you even arrived at the station. Of course, you buses know best…”

“Good morning Bruno, good morning Jo!” Bennie Barrier beamed as he walked over towards them.

“Is it? Nothing good about these cold and icy mornings when engines don’t start and buses think they know best and poor ol’ Jumpstart Jo has to rush into action. Do I get any thanks for it? Well, do I? No, of course not. Jumpstart Jo has to sort everything out. Nobody helps me out when I need help but oh no…”

“You’re doing a fine job Jo and I’m sure Bruno Bus appreciates your effort,” Bennie Barrier replied as Bruno Bus pulled a funny face.

“Appreciate, appreciate, a girl needs more than appreciation getting up and about on this cold morning. I could’ve been at home watching morning telly. Did you know that the morning news goes on for four hours now. But oh no, Jumpstart Jo has to be out working at all hours…” Jumpstart Jo continued complaining.

Bruno Bus tried starting his engine again. Chug, chug, chug, chug, hiss. 

“I don’t suppose you know a Jumpstarter with an off switch do you? I’m going to have a headache as well as a flat battery soon,” Bruno Bus complained.

“Jo’s okay when you get to know her. She just wants the job done properly and makes sure that you know about it,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“What are you doing up and about so bright and early today?” Bruno Bus asked.

“I’m meeting a couple of friends and we’re going to have a look at the demolition behind the walls of the Bargate Centre.”

“You seem to be settling in well over here. How did you get on with Highway Harry and his team?”

“Let’s just say I wasn’t very welcome and now I have a Cone that is determined to chase me out of the city.”

“Wow, I thought Cornelius Cone had it bad when Tricia Trolley wouldn’t leave him alone.”

“Tricia loved Cornelius and I’m sure he felt the same. Carlton Cone on the other hand seems to hate anyone who tries to help other members of his team,” Bennie Barrier explained. 

“What does Highway Harry have to say about that?”

“I think he feels sorry for Carlton as he had an accident and now only has half of a high visibility belt so can only work during the daytime.”

“If he’s causing so much trouble, he needs to be stopped. Christopher Cone has been leading your old Maintenance Team and he’s been having trouble with Bryony Barrier.”

“Why? What happened?”

“He asked if she could give him a hand on a job but she said she needed both of them to direct the traffic.”

Bennie Barrier laughed. “I don’t think he meant it like that.”

“I’m lucky that I don’t have to worry about any hands and fingers just look weird.”

“I like my fingers. I can count on every one of them,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“Try again Bruno!” Jumpstart Jo called out.

Chug, chug, chug, vrooom! “Ah ha! Finally!” Bruno Bus beamed. “Thank you Jo!”

“Well, you have to be patient, you see there’s a fine art to this job. A lot of people think Jumpstarting is easy but I think…” Jumpstart Jo began.

“See you soon Bennie!” Bruno Bus called out before driving away leaving Jumpstart Jo talking to herself. 

“Well, of all the… How rude was that bus! Driving away when I was mid-conversation! How is a girl meant to get herself heard when all she gets is ignored after helping out others?”

“I’m sure he was happy with what you did for him, Jo. I must be off now, bye,” Bennie Barrier replied before quickly moving away.

He smiled to himself as he headed towards The Bargate Centre. He’d only met Jo a couple of weeks ago but he quickly realised that she could talk more than anyone else he had ever met. 

“Bennie!” Tilly Trolley called out as she scooted down the High Street towards him. “You weren’t at breakfast this morning. I managed to get hold of some freshly baked croissants from the new bakery at the top of town.”

“Sorry, usually Yuri and the bollards tend to have muffins with eggs that look and taste like a plastic toy,” Bennie Barrier replied. “Anyway, I wanted to have a closer look at this Bargate Centre before it’s fully demolished.”

“Oh, it’s a shame. It used to be a lovely shopping centre before the big one that we work in was built. All of the shops moved away after that. There used to be a gaming zone on the lower shopping level and a lot of my friends who used to work at the superstore used to go there.”

“They used to go to a shopping centre to play Monopoly?” 

“No, you silly thing,” Tilly Trolley laughed. “The gaming zone used to be for computer games. You know, like arcade machines. They used to have adventure games, ones with a fast blue hedgehog, ones with a plumber and his brother, an emoji eating little seeds, mystery games, fighting games, all types of games. Everyone used to play against each other to see who could get the best score.”

“Isn’t that what Barnaby Bollard and Bradley Bollard do now with their games consoles in the living areas of the loading bays?”

“Yes but this was more of a community thing. Like going to the cinema. You all sit together and watch the film eating popcorn and sweets and drinking fizzy drinks.”

“We do that at home anyway. Last night I watched a film about a man who chased villains all over the world and he had three numbers for his name,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“It’s not the same. The internet has pulled us further apart than ever before. People are becoming more lonely because they don’t have the opportunities to see people and do things together.”

“I still see people and do things but sometimes I enjoy being alone. Especially when things become a little bit crazy over here.”

“City life can be chaotic sometimes. That’s why places like New York are known as the cities that never sleep. Have you never been to a cinema or a game zone, Bennie?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Oh my, well when we both have some time off from work, I will take you to see a film at the cinema. You’ll enjoy it.”

As the two friends walked down the side street, Bennie Barrier looked up and saw a huge crane high up in the sky.

“Wow! I’ve never seen a crane that tall before!” Bennie Barrier gasped.

The crane began lifting two large pieces of metal into the air before placing them on top of a newly built wall at the back of the building site. A brand new electric Maintenance Truck stopped just in front of them at the side of the road. Bennie Barrier and Tilly Trolley watched as the lead cone helped everybody out and led them down a corridor between the shops towards the building site.

“Do you miss it?” Tilly Trolley asked.

“Miss what?” 

“Being part of a Maintenance Team and going out in a large group to do something amazing.”

“A little bit I think making a new life in the city away from all of my friends and everything I know will help me discover who I really am,” Bennie Barrier explained.

“Hello Ted, how are you?” a voice called out from behind the truck.

Bennie Barrier and Tilly Trolley rushed around to the opposite side of the truck and saw Marv, the music man talking to the driver. 

The driver looked over at Bennie Barrier. “Hang on, you’re not part of this team…”

“No, no, Ted, Bennie Barrier works with Yuri at the shopping centre,” Marv explained.

Ted looked over at Bennie and Tilly Trolley. “You need to be careful around building sites, if they think you’re still a Maintenance Worker then they’ll expect you to work for them.”

“I thought Highway Harry’s team looked after the city centre,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“Usually they do but this is the fourth team that I’ve had to bring in on this job and Harry won’t let his team anywhere near it,” Ted explained.

“Why? Have all the others quit?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“No, they just disappeared.”

“There must be another explanation. A team of workers can’t just disappear!” Marv replied.

“One day they’re here, the next day they’re not. I just hope that this lot stays,” Ted replied.

“Where are they from?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“This team is from Portsmouth. I had spoken to Dave Smith about his team from The New Forest but he’s too busy and has had some of his team leave.”

Bennie Barrier nodded. He knew that he needed to find out what was happening to The Maintenance Teams before Dave sent over his old team. 

“Anyway, I must be off. Have a good day,” Ted replied as he stepped back into his Maintenance Truck and drove away.

“Tilly said that there used to be a game zone in this old building…” Bennie Barrier began.

“Oh yes, everybody used to come down here and have a great time. That was before you could have the amazing games consoles at home and everyone would rather speak to you through a screen than real life,” Marv replied.

Bennie Barrier looked over at The Maintenance Team working on the building site. “If I wanted to escape from someone or something in there, where would I have to go?”

“You’ve got that look in your eye again Bennie. This is going to cause trouble.”

“Not if you don’t know anything about it.”

“Come on, this way,” Marv replied as he led Bennie Barrier and Tilly Trolley around the building site and over towards Hanover Buildings.

They stopped at an alleyway between two closed down shops that had been boarded up with graffiti sprayed across them.

“I guess art is in the eye of whoever appreciates it,” Bennie Barrier said as he looked at the graffiti. 

“It’s so sad to see the city like this. We used to have some lovely department stores, cafes, coffee shops and sweet shops around here,” Tilly Trolley added.

“What happened?”

“The internet and then the virus finished them off. People stopped leaving their homes because it was easier to have the postman or someone else deliver it to them,” Marv replied.

“Yeh, Postman Pete, our local postman in Hythe used to complain about having so many parcels to deliver. That’s probably why he always told so many bad jokes.”

“I used to know a postman like that. It doesn’t matter how bad the joke was because it was all in the delivery,” Tilly Trolley laughed.

Marv and Bennie Barrier looked at her.

“Ok, ok, I’ll find some better jokes next time,” Tilly sighed before scooting over towards an old extractor fan unit. “I think I might have found something.”

Marv and Bennie came closer and moved an old dumpster out of the way.

“This is it,” Marv said as he pulled a metal bar out of his rucksack.

“Why do you carry a crowbar around with you?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“You never know when you might need your tools,” Marv replied as he removed the metal plate which revealed a dark tunnel.

“Where does it lead?” Tilly Trolley asked.

“In my younger days before I became a volunteer firefighter and a musician, I used to need to escape the law occasionally and we used these tunnels a lot.”

“You never fail to surprise me Marv,” Bennie Barrier chuckled as he followed Marv through the tunnel.

“I’ll just stay out here!” Tilly Trolley called out.

Marv led Bennie Barrier right, left, then right again before they arrived at a bridge over a large sewer.

“Oh my, I haven’t smelt anything that bad since Cornelius Cone brought home a bad curry one night,” Bennie Barrier gasped.

“Did he have vindaloo?”

“He needed the loo afterwards!”

“It’s still here!” Marv shouted as he arrived at a wooden door with small windows that flashed blue lights into their walkway.

Bennie Barrier tried the door handle. “It’s locked.”

Marv used his crowbar again and tried to force the door open. The wooden frame creaked and groaned before eventually the door opened. As the two friends entered, they discovered twenty arcade machines and a row of desks with computer monitors placed on them. Looking back at them were a group of at least thirty cones and barriers covered in grey cement dust.

“Oh my, I thought they had destroyed this place!” Marv gasped.

Bennie Barrier wandered into the room and looked around.

“It’s not often they send a human down here too,” one of the cones stated as he walked over towards them. “I’m Colin Cone, welcome to the foundations of the new tower blocks.”

“The foundations?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“Yeh, we all were workers on the building site up above. The crane told us to leave but we didn’t listen and then some cone, Carlton I think his name was, came along and if we weren’t performing to a certain level, he’d bury us in the concrete that forms the base for the new buildings.”

“Whoa, hang on a minute, if you were buried in concrete, how did you end up here?” Marv asked.

“Ah, that’s the good thing about Carrie Crane. She lifted some steel beams and placed them above this old gaming room and then they concreted over it so nobody would know it was here,” Colin Cone explained.

“Surely if you were buried under concrete, you’d die?” Bennie Barrier asked. “A friend of mine got his foot stuck in concrete once and they had to break it with a sledgehammer.”

“Did they get him out of it?” Marv asked.

“Eventually but he made sure he never put his foot in it again.”

“We need to really work on your punchlines Bennie,” Marv chuckled. “So how long do you all intend to stay down here?”

“Until the job is done. Carrie Crane made sure that there are tunnels leading from the foundations of the new buildings so anyone who gets buried can slide down into here and hide until it’s safe to leave,” Colin Cone explained.

“Carlton Cone can’t go around making everyone else’s life a misery. He needs to be taught a lesson,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“How? He knows every Maintenance Team leader in the area. If we go against Carlton Cone, we’ll never be able to work again,” Colin Cone replied.

“I think I need to meet this Carrie Crane. There has to be something she can do.”

“You won’t tell anyone about this will you? We like it here. We’re safe, it’s warm and dry and Bollero Barrier has found a tunnel leading to the old pizza restaurant so there’s unlimited food and drink available too,” Colin Cone explained.

“I promise I won’t let anyone know about your gaming room but Carlton Cone will be stopped and then you will all be free,” Bennie Barrier replied before heading back down the tunnel towards Hanover Buildings and Tilly Trolley again.

“Who is that guy?” Colin Cone asked.

“Someone who cares,” Marv replied. “I’ll be back later to see if any of you have beaten my high score.”

“Challenge accepted,” Colin Cone replied as he watched Marv disappear down the tunnel.

“What’s down there?” Tilly Trolley asked when they both arrived back outside.

“Oh, just a maze of underground tunnels and it smells awful,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“So what now?”

“I need to get onto that building site.”

“I noticed a gap in the fence round by the charity shop,” Tilly Trolley replied.

“Great, let’s go.”

Marv stepped out of the tunnel as the two friends began heading towards the other side of the building site. “Bennie!”

Bennie Barrier turned around and looked at Marv. 

“Be careful, Carlton Cone has a lot of friends in the city.”

“I had an old friend who always said that bullies should never be allowed to win and I’m not going to let him,” Bennie Barrier replied before following Tilly Trolley around the corner.

The two friends found a gap in the fence and quickly moved into the building site. 

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Tilly Trolley asked.

Before Bennie Barrier could answer, a large metal beam was lowered in front of them.

“Barriers should be on the road, not in the building area!” Carrie Crane said as she blocked their way. “Hang on a minute, you’re not part of the new team.”

Bennie Barrier looked up and saw a black and white bird flying around near Carrie Crane’s face before returning to its nest on the top of the building next to the site.

“Are you Bennie Barrier?” Carrie Crane asked.

“Er, yes, how did you…”

“You’re a long way from the forest.”

“Hang on a minute, how do you know me?” 

“I have a friend up on that building over there that recognised you. Apparently your friend Corchristmas helped him when he and Madison Magpie had to leave their nest at a supermarket after their chicks had been born.”

“Who’s Corchristmas?” Tilly Trolley asked.

“Mickey Magpie? He could never say Cornelius’s name. There were loads of people in our local area who were losing jewellery and Cornelius discovered that there was a magpie’s nest on top of the supermarket roof. When Mickey Magpie got himself stuck in a football net, Cornelius helped him and untied the string. In exchange, Mickey Magpie gave all the jewellery back just before the chicks hatched.”

“And he watched over you both ever since and he never forgot that kindness,” Carrie Crane replied. “So, take my advice and get out of here as fast as you can and never come back!”

“See, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. How can everyone let a cone with a damaged high visibility belt put fear into the whole city?” 

“Because Carlton Cone knows too many people and if you cross him, you’ll never work in the city again.”

“When does he come to the site?”

“Usually around five o’clock to make sure everyone is working until their finish time and not cutting any corners.”

“And burying the ones that are not working hard in the concrete,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“He wants a relationship that he can build on.”

“But you don’t agree with that, do you?”

Carrie Crane lifted up the metal beam. “Get out of here whilst you still can.”

“I know that you helped the others…”

Carrie Crane looked at him.

“I can help you get rid of Carlton Cone and free the other Maintenance workers.”

“How?”

“Who owns that building where Micky Magpie has nested?”

“No one, it’s an old closed down cafe.”

“Can you get me up there?”

“Not without everyone noticing.”

“When do they go for their lunch break?”

“One o’clock.”

“That gives us two hours. I’ll be back then.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Carrie Crane replied as she watched Bennie Barrier and Tilly Trolley leave. 

“Do you know what you’re doing Bennie?” Tilly Trolley asked as they headed back to the High Street.

“The only way that Carlton Cone can be stopped is if he is caught doing things he shouldn’t be. If I can video him on my phone from the building opposite, I’ll have the proof to make Highway Harry remove him from the team,” Bennie Barrier explained.

“Er, have you forgotten then you’re meant to be working at the loading bays in the shopping centre today?”

“Yeh, about that…”

“Okay, I’ll cover you but you owe me!”

“Thanks Tilly, you won’t regret it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Tilly Trolley replied as she scooted towards the shopping centre.

At one o’clock, Bennie Barrier entered the building site through the same gap in the fence that he had discovered earlier. He had a plan and hoped that it would work. He sent a message to Marv for all of the cones to be ready when he gave the signal. Marv replied but he wasn’t convinced that Bennie’s plan would work.

Bennie Barrier watched as the cones and barriers all headed towards the metal containers with bags of food and drink. Carrie Crane lowered a platform and Bennie stepped onto it. Carrie lifted it slowly up to the top of the building opposite the site and Bennie stepped off onto the flat roof.

“Do you have shiny?” A small Magpie asked.

Bennie Barrier reached into his pocket and gave the Magpie a pound coin. He picked it up in his beak and flew back to the nest on the other side of the roof. 

“You’re not here to remove us again are you?” Mickey Magpie asked.

“No, not this time Mickey. Glad to see your little one is growing up fast.”

“They are, thanks to Corchristmas. Why did you come into the city?”

“Cornelius Cone left and I felt like I needed a new challenge,” Bennie Barrier explained.

“Where did he go?”

“No one knows. He flew away on a helicopter on Christmas Eve and now his brother, Christopher Cone is leading the team.”

“So how does this new life lead you to being on this roof with us?” Mickey Magpie asked.

“A cone is causing a lot of trouble for the workers in the city.”

“And you want to catch him in the act,” Mickey Magpie finished.

“Exactly. I need to get a video of him doing something that will get him kicked off the team.”

“Well, you’re in luck. Carlton Cone is here,” Mickey Magpie said, pointing towards a bright orange cone.

They both heard a lot of shouting coming from the street below. Bennie Barrier quickly took out his phone and hit record. Carlton Cone was shouting at the workers and kicking away any cones that were not in working.

“He's going to bury one of them in the concrete,” Bennie whispered to Mickey Magpie.

The workers cowered as Carlton Cone picked up a shovel and headed towards one of the cones. Bennie Barrier continued recording as Carlton Cone started to pour concrete into the hole where the worker was standing.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed through the site. “Stop right there!”

Everyone turned to see Highway Harry, the leader of the Maintenance team, walking towards them.

“What is going on here?”

"This is perfect," Bennie Barrier smiled.

Carrie Crane looked over towards Bennie Barrier.

“Now!” Bennie Barrier shouted and Carrie Crane lifted up the metal cover that opened up the entrance to the tunnel beneath the building site.

An army of cones and barriers led by Marv came rushing out of the tunnel. The new Maintenance Team watched in astonishment as everyone gathered around Carlton Cone and Highway Harry. Colin Cone rushed over and helped Carlton Cone’s latest victim out of the wet concrete.

“So this is where all of the teams have been going to,” Highway Harry fumed. “I gave you one job, to make sure that this project had a strong team of workers and you buried them beneath the site!”

“I can explain…” Carlton Cone began.

“You can explain on your way to the police station!”

At that moment, Carlton Cone turned and ran out of the site. An army of cones and barriers chased down the road after him. Carrie Crane lifted up the platform for Bennie Barrier to step onto before lowering him back down to the site. He sent the video of the whole incident to Harry’s phone.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you Bennie,” Highway Harry admitted. “I didn’t realise how much the responsibility of running the city team had changed Carlton Cone.”

“Cornelius Cone always said, if you look after your team, your team will look after you,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“With Carlton Cone gone, I’m going to need somebody I can trust to run my Maintenance Team whilst I sort this mess out. Do you really want to be unloading deliveries for the shopping centre for the rest of your time here?”

Bennie Barrier looked over at Marv and then up to Carrie Crane.

“Once a Maintenance worker, always a Maintenance worker,” Carrie Crane added. “Not many barriers would have done what you did today.”

“Does this include jobs for the cones and barriers that were buried underneath the site and Carrie Crane too?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“Whatever you need to get my team working again,” Highway Harry replied.

“Then you have a deal,” Bennie Barrier replied as he shook Highway Harry’s hand.

“But what about Carlton?” Carrie Crane asked as she looked across the city. “He’s heading towards the football stadium.”

“Let him run for a while, I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him. I’ll see you at the yard first thing in the morning Bennie,” Highway Harry smiled before heading back towards his Maintenance Truck.

Colin Cone stood next to Bennie Barrier as a few of the cones began returning to the site. “Well, come on cones, that’s enough excitement for one day, let’s get these jobs done!”

The cones cheered and returned to their positions once again.

“You never cease to amaze me,” Marv added.

“Making friends with an angry army of gaming cones and then taking over Carlton’s Maintenance Team?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“No, making friends with a crane and then convincing her to help you trap a rogue cone in one afternoon.”

“I’m not sure what Yuri’s going to say.”

“Tilly Trolley will be able to help them and she’s much more adaptable than I am.”

Carrie Crane lowered the platform for Marv and Bennie Barrier to step on. “You need to take a look at this!” she said.

Both friends held on as Carrie Crane lifted them high into the air. On the far side of the city, Carlton Cone was climbing up a lamp post on the Northam Bridge with an army of cones and barriers gathering around the bottom of the post.

“You know this reminds me a lot of Cornelius Cone’s brother, Christopher Cone, who once ended up on top of a lamp post after a crazy night out,” Bennie Barrier explained.

“Was he causing a mutiny within the Maintenance Teams?” Marv asked.

“No, but at least with Carrie Crane on our team it’ll always be uplifting!”

Carrie Crane groaned and they all laughed.

SEE YOU IN THE NEXT ADVENTURE!!