Postman Pete's Perfect Page

Tuesday morning after a Bank Holiday Monday was always a strange time for Cornelius Cone. The extended weekend meant that The Maintenance Team only had 4 more working days until it was the weekend once again. 

“Are you feeling ok, Cornelius?” Bennie Barrier asked as the two friends strolled over towards the yard gate. 

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you, Bennie. I always feel a bit lost when we don’t have a busy working week ahead.”

“Well that’s ok, the weather is nice and sunny so why don’t we go for a walk into the village and see if Mike Microwave wants to join us for brunch.”

“You know what, I think that’s exactly what I need, let’s go,” Cornelius Cone smiled as they headed out of the yard and down the road towards Bluebell Park.

As they entered Bluebell Park, there was a crowd of children gathered around a new van that had parked up just behind the bench. Bertie Bin was nearby collecting a selection of wrappers and crispy cones that the children were willing to feed him.

“Good morning Cornelius, good morning Bennie,” Bella Bin called out as the two friends walked over towards her.

“Good morning Bella, who’s the new van?” Cornelius Cone asked.

“Oh that’s Immy, Immy The Ice Cream Creator. She’s here for the summer selling ice creams, drinks, snacks, pretty much anything really so Bertie is making sure he gets his fair share.”

“Well, we might stop and have an ice cream with you later but we’re off to have some brunch in the village,” Bennie Barrier replied.

“Oh that sounds nice. I would love to be able to go to a cafe for brunch. Whenever we go we have to wait by the back door for the leftovers and Bertie gets such bad gas that none of us get any sleep,” Bella Bin explained.

At that moment, they heard a chug, chug, chug, pop sound coming from one of the side roads that led out towards Purlieu Court. Chug, chug, chug, hiss.

“What on Earth is that all about?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound right, come on Bennie!” Cornelius Cone replied as the two friends headed down the path towards Purlieu Court.

As they approached Noads Way and Lime Walk, they saw a red van with steam escaping from its front bonnet. Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier rushed over to find out what was happening. As they arrived, they saw Postman Pete carrying an oily rag and a bottle of water.

“Hello Postman Pete, are you having a few problems?” Cornelius Cone asked.

“Hello Cornelius, hello Bennie, oh my word, where do I start! This van is absolutely useless!” Postman Pete complained.

“I thought your Wednesday van never broke down!” Cornelius Cone teased.

“But it’s Tuesday, Corny…” Bennie Barrier added.

“My Wednesday van has never broken down but it had to go to the garage for its MOT and the new manager has given me this replacement van to use and has moved me on to a new post round that I’ve never done before,” Postman Pete replied.

“So is this your Tuesday van then? I’m confused,” Bennie Barrier asked.

“I used to work in a car workshop before I became a postman Bennie and if there’s one thing that I learnt from there, you should always make sure whenever you buy a new car or van, it has to be made on a Wednesday.”

“Why?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“Think about a working week when you and Cornelius are out working long hours in all weathers. Monday is always the hardest day to step out into the cold. Tuesday is the same but not quite as bad. Wednesday, you’re feeling great and doing everything to the best that it can be. Thursday, you’re looking forward to the weekend and making plans. Friday is pay day and you’d rather be out spending your money and having fun than working hard. So, if you buy something made on a Wednesday, you know it will be the best car, van or whatever it is you’re buying, because the people are the most motivated when they make it on Wednesdays as everyone is working as hard as they can. It’s far enough away from the start of the week but not too close to the end of the week. That’s why I always have Wednesday cars and vans and they never let me down,” Postman Pete explained.

“So is this a Tuesday van?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“I think it might be a Friday van unfortunately. It needs a new radiator and it’s been chugging black smoke out of its exhaust so it definitely needs repairing. I’ll have to leave it here and keep walking back to it to pick up my mail and parcels. If I knew the roads around here a little better then it would make things a lot easier.”

“We can help,” Cornelius Cone suggested. “We’ve lived round here a while and I know most of the roads from when we resurfaced the roundabouts a while ago.”

“What about our brunch?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“We can still do that later, Bennie. How difficult can it be? Follow from number 1 and deliver the odd numbers this side and then come back with the even numbers on that side and finish at number 2. Come on Bennie, we’ll be done in no time and we can help Postman Pete complete his round before he has to get the van repaired,” Cornelius Cone explained.

Postman Pete handed over a bag full of letters to Cornelius Cone and a bag full of parcels to Bennie Barrier and smiled.

“Er, Pete, there’s no numbers…” Cornelius Cone gasped.

“I know,”  Postman Pete laughed. “These roads are different to where I usually deliver. All the houses have names instead of numbers.”

“So how do I find out where Gwendoline House is?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“Luckily for you, when we prepare the round in the morning, all the houses are in the right order so if you start from the top of the pile, the houses should follow in the same order. Cornelius will need to let you know when you need to find a parcel in your bag Bennie and if you take these,” Postman Pete explained as he handed over some red and white pieces of paper, “then the customers can sign the piece of paper when you give them their parcel.”

“Sounds very complicated,” Bennie Barrier replied. “How will Cornelius know which houses have a parcel today and which ones don’t?

“If you look at the pile of letters that Cornelius is holding in his hand, all of the letters are facing the same way so he can read the address before delivering it.”

Both friends nodded.

“Well, as you work through the pile, there will be a letter in there that is upside down and Cornelius will need to turn the letter around to read the next address. If that happens, then the address for the letter that was upside down has a parcel to go with it.”

“So it reminds you to check the other bag,” Cornelius Cone replied.

“Exactly,” Postman Pete smiled. “I’m going to deliver my mail and parcels to Purlieu Court whilst you two deliver here and I’ll meet you back here when you’ve finished.”

The two friends agreed and began delivering the letters and parcels whilst Postman Pete walked in the opposite direction towards Purlieu Court.

“I never realised how complicated Pete’s job can be,” Bennie Barrier said as they delivered letters to the first few houses.

“We all have our own skills, Bennie. Pete can deliver mail and parcels quickly and he knows where most of the addresses are in our area but we know how to control traffic, dig up a road, fill in potholes and help build new homes and offices. Everyone has their own area where they are at their best. Tricia Trolley and Wet Floor are great at what they do in the supermarket but I wouldn’t want them to build us a new road.”

“I guess you’re right,” Bennie Barrier laughed.

“Ah here’s one of those upside down letters Bennie, Mrs Pillington who lives at SpiderPlant House.”

“Ew, I hate spiders,” Bennie Barrier replied as he searched through the bag. “Here it is.”

Cornelius Cone wandered up to the door and pressed the doorbell but as he stepped back, he felt something hit him on the back of his head.

“In one,” a voice called out.

“In two,” another voice replied as Cornelius was hit on the head for the second time.

“In three,”  the first voice continued, hitting Cornelius on the head again.

“In four,” the second voice replied.

“Ok enough!” Cornelius Cone said as he stepped back and two hanging baskets with SpiderPlants in them came together in the middle of the porch and collided.

“Ow, five,” they both replied.

At that moment, the front door opened and a man was standing there wearing a pair of black swimming shorts.

“Your parcel Sir,” Cornelius Cone said as he handed the parcel and letters to the man.

“That’s odd, we normally have a postman, not a traffic cone delivering to us,” the man said before closing the door once more.

Cornelius Cone looked up at the SpiderPlants that had stopped swaying before wandering back down the path towards Bennie Barrier.

“Do you ever get the feeling someone doesn’t like you?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“I think we still have a lot to learn about being posties, Bennie,” Cornelius Cone laughed as the two friends continued down the road.

Meanwhile, at the supermarket, Mr Mullet and Checkout Charlie were standing outside in the car park looking at two pallets of front doors that had been delivered by mistake.

“The hardware store in Holbury will take them for us,” Checkout Charlie suggested.

“Nonsense, we can make good use of these!” Mr Mullet replied.

“Who will come to a supermarket to buy a new front door and how will we scan them through the checkout?”

“You always bring me problems Charles. It’s been a bank holiday this week. The time when all the locals think they can be DIY experts and usually make a huge mess in their homes. We can make some serious money here!”

“And the trolleys? Tricia struggles with the supersize dog food bags that we still haven’t shifted.”

“Fifty kilos of kibble will keep a dog fed for weeks. Good investment if you ask me.”

“Hello Charlie, hello Mr Mullet!” Wet Floor called out as he scooted towards the supermarket entrance. “Ooh, these look nice.”

“They’re one hundred pounds each!” Mr Mullet replied.

“That’s a bargain, they’re nearly two hundred in the hardware store. Mrs Floor will be pleased. I’ll take one. Er, how do I carry it to the checkout?” Wet Floor asked.

“We need some kind of ticket system,” Mr Mullet replied. “Charles, go into the office and pick up those raffle tickets for me, there’s a good chap. Wet Floor, how would you like to be my new salesman at the front of the store today?”

Wet Floor smiled. “Me? Really? Wow, I’ve never been a salesman before. What about keeping the supermarket clean and safe?”

“I’m sure you’ll manage to do that in between sales. Come on, help me get this cling film off of the doors and stand them up by the entrance. We want our customers to see them!”

Tricia Trolley wandered out of the supermarket and over towards the trolley bay whilst Mrs Quilliam lifted her shopping out of her trolley.

“What on Earth is he doing now?” Tricia Trolley asked.

“I don’t know but it looks like Wet Floor is going to get himself into trouble,” Mrs Quilliam laughed. “Good luck Tricia.”

Bennie Barrier and Cornelius Cone had made their way to the last house on Lime Walk. 

“Wow, this is more tiring than I thought it would be,” Bennie Barrier complained.

Cornelius Cone handed him the letters for the last house. “Your turn Bennie, Troubadour Cottage.”

Bennie Barrier opened the gate and strolled up the long path towards the front door. He noticed a small pond in the corner of the garden with some lily pads floating on it. He wondered if any frogs were living there or somewhere nearby. Bennie liked frogs. Postman Pete said that he used to keep frogs as pets and they had their own aquarium at his house. He said they became annoying though when he was trying to read stories to his children as whatever book he chose, the frogs had already read it. Bennie never knew that such a little creature could be so intelligent. He posted the letters through the letterbox but as the letterbox slammed shut, Bennie could hear loud barking coming from somewhere. He looked left, looked right, looked in front, looked behind. The barking became louder and more intense. Bennie was worried. He began walking back towards the gate. Then he jogged. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw two huge dogs running from the back garden towards the gate. Bennie Barrier ran as fast as his legs could carry him.  Cornelius Cone opened the gate and Bennie zoomed past him. Cornelius closed the gate just in time before the dogs were able to escape. They leapt against the gate and fence and barked as loudly as they could. Bennie Barrier sat on the curb at the side of the road to catch his breath.

“Rex! Rover!” a man called out looking over at Bennie Barrier and Cornelius Cone. 

The two dogs wandered back inside the house.

“It’s ok, they don’t bite!” the man said as Cornelius Cone looked over at them.

“Easy.. For.. You.. To.. Say..” Bennie Barrier managed to reply as he caught his breath.

“That’s the fastest I’ve seen you move in a long time Bennie,” Cornelius Cone replied as he helped his friend back on to his feet. “Come on, let’s go and find Pete.”

Meanwhile, at Driver Dave’s house, his daughter Daphne and his wife, Davina, came back from the supermarket holding a raffle ticket.

“Is Mr Mullet raffling off his groceries now?” Driver Dave asked.

“No, we’ve just found a new DIY project for you,” Daphne replied.

“I wish I hadn’t asked.”

“Oh, come on Dave, you’ve been complaining about that front door for months and now you can change it,” Davina added.

“You brought a front door from the supermarket. You know how Mr Mullet doesn’t care about the quality of things.”

“Luckily he’s selling them for half price compared to the hardware store,” Daphne replied.

“I’ll get my toolkit,” Driver Dave replied before disappearing outside towards the garage.

“Hey guys, how did you get on?” Postman Pete asked as Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier arrived back at the van.

“Bennie met Rex and Rover,” Cornelius Cone replied.

“Ah, yeh, sorry I forgot to warn you about them.”

“And Cornelius played with two SpiderPlants,”  Bennie Barrier added.

“How many did they get?”

“Five.”

“On my old round, Charlie managed to get up to twenty-four,” Postman Pete laughed. “I’ve had some good news, the breakdown truck is on its way but I still have three more bags of mail to deliver. Would you mind helping me with one more whilst I wait for the mechanic?”

“I’m sure we can do that,” Cornelius Cone replied.

Bennie Barrier groaned. 

“It’s ok Bennie, Driver Dave lives on this next one so you two can stop off for a drink on the way,” Postman Pete replied as he lifted a black trolley out of the back of the van.

“What is that?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“We call it a golf trolley,” Postman Pete replied.

“I thought we were posting letters not playing golf!” 

“We are Bennie,” Cornelius Cone laughed. “People who play golf use trollies like these to carry their golf clubs around when they’re playing. Posties use them to carry their bags when there’s too many to carry on their shoulders.”

Postman Pete placed a bag full of mail on each side of the trolley before handing a bag of parcels to Bennie Barrier.

“I’ve never seen so many parcels before!” Bennie Barrier gasped. “This must have cost a lot of money!”

“Which is why it is important that you deliver them all safely and to the right house,” Postman Pete replied. “Do you think you can manage all of that?”

“Start at number 1 and follow the numbers!” Cornelius Cone added as he held up the first letter.

“We’ll make posties out of you two yet!” Postman Pete laughed. “Remember though, there’s only one way to tell a good postman joke…”

“How?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“It’s all in the delivery!” 

“I should’ve known that,” Cornelius Cone replied. “We’ll meet you back here soon!”

Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier continued on their way down Applemore Hill towards Cumberland Way. The sunshine was shining through the leaves on the trees which created shadow patterns on the ground as they walked on by.

“I never understand how people can work in offices, Bennie,” Cornelius Cone sighed. “Look at all this beauty outside. The birds singing, the sun shining, the fresh air…”

“The dog poo on the trolley wheels,” Bennie Barrier added.

“The dog… what?” Cornelius Cone gasped as he looked down. “Oh no!”

“Looks like we have our own special delivery,” Bennie Barrier laughed.

Meanwhile at the supermarket, Driver Dave was carefully manoeuvring his Maintenance Truck into position in front of the supermarket entrance.

“Left a bit!” Wet Floor called out.

Driver Dave looked out of his window.

“No, no, right a bit,” Checkout Charlie called out.

“No left!” Wet Floor replied.

“No right!” Checkout Charlie added.

Eventually Driver Dave managed to line it up in the pick up point lay-by before stepping out of the truck.

“You can’t park there David!” Mr Mullet called out as he wandered out of the supermarket.

“My wife has decided to buy one of your questionably cheap front doors so if you don’t want my money…”

“Oh, oh, I wouldn’t say that…” Mr Mullet gasped.

“Mr Mullet!” Tricia Trolley called out. “Mrs Simpson, one of Driver Dave’s neighbours would like to buy one of the doors too but she won’t be able to move it herself. Could you help her?” Tricia Trolley asked.

“Hmm, you said you were buying one of our doors, David…?” Mr Mullet asked, looking at Driver Dave.

“I’ll deliver one to Mrs Simpson as well,” Driver Dave replied.

“Surely that deserves a discount!” Wet Floor added.

Mr Mullet glared at him before turning back towards Driver Dave and Mrs Simpson. “Fine, ten per cent!” he snapped before rushing back inside the supermarket.

Checkout Charlie and Tricia Trolley laughed as Wet Floor watched him run back inside.

“I think you’ll be cleaning a lot more toilets this week, Wet Floor,” Checkout Charlie laughed.

“Luckily I bought a new brush at the weekend!” Wet Floor smiled.

Meanwhile, further down the road on Cumberland Way, Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier were heading in and out of different roads.

“I thought Postman Pete said we were delivering Cumberland Way,” Bennie Barrier said as he handed a parcel to Cornelius.

“Posties have to work their way around different areas, Bennie. We are delivering Cumberland Way but we also have to deliver to all of the little roads that come off of it too. Otherwise the posties would have to come back down Cumberland Way again to deliver to all of these little roads separately instead of doing it as they walk by.”

“So how do you know which one is number 12 Cumberland Way and number 12 Canterbury Way?”

“You have to carefully look at the addresses before you deliver them so you don’t get confused. Remember what Postman Pete said, we have to make sure we deliver the right things to the right house otherwise someone else might steal something that wasn’t meant for them.”

“Being a postie is an important job!” Bennie Barrier replied.

“It can be very important. Some letters and cards could be very important to people who are waiting for hospital appointments, birthday cards, lots of things.”

Bennie was about to reply when he heard something running and breathing heavily behind him. He carefully turned around.

“Corny!” Bennie Barrier gasped as a brown long furry animal leapt up at him and pushed him over.

“Max!” Cornelius Cone shouted.

“Cornelius? What are you doing with Postman Pete’s Trolley?” Max asked.

“Pete’s van broke down so we’re helping him deliver his round. By the way, you’ve just squashed my friend,” Cornelius Cone replied.

“Woof, Oh I’m sorry,” Max said as he climbed off of Bennie Barrier. “I thought someone was stealing Postman Pete’s mailbags.”

“That’s the second time I’ve been hounded by dogs today,” Bennie Barrier complained as he brushed himself off.

“Dachshunds are not just any dog, I am Maximus McWoofington the third, named after my great-grandfather don’t you know?” Max snapped.

“And Postman Pete’s loyal friend on his round,” Cornelius Cone added. “I’ll make sure that Postman Pete comes to see you after he’s finished his delivery. Come on Bennie, let’s finish what we started.”

“I can help too! Woof! I know exactly where to go!” Max beamed excitedly.

“Don’t you have a home to go to?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“Hmm, yeh, about that, my owners bought a new front door from the supermarket & now I can’t sneak back in through the cat flap anymore.”

“I’m sure they’ll let you in the new door, you just need to get their attention,” Cornelius Cone explained.

“I guess you’re right. I’ll see you next time! Woof!” Max replied before rushing off down the road.

“What a strange little dog,” Bennie Barrier said as the two friends continued on their way.

“Would you prefer to have Pedro Pug jumping on you instead?” Cornelius Cone asked.

“I guess I’m not very good with dogs. When I was sent to Barrier training, we were tested on how we would react in certain situations. One of the barriers had a dog walk over to him and wee all over his leg.”

“That’s disgusting, what did he do?”

“He did the same thing to the dog so our teacher sent him home and he failed the test.”

“And what happened to the dog?”

“He was promoted.”

Cornelius Cone stopped. “But he did it first!”

“I know but with dogs, if they find something that isn’t useful then they wee on it and walk away. The academy saw that the barrier was no longer useful so the dog had made the decision for them.”

“And that’s why you don’t trust dogs… in case they decide you’re not good enough to be on the team?”

“I guess so.”

“You’ll always be good enough for our team Bennie,” Cornelius Cone smiled. “And after we’ve finished here, we will go and enjoy our brunch.”

“It’ll be lunch by the time we get there,” Bennie Barrier laughed.

“Even more reason to enjoy a bacon sandwich with lots of brown sauce!”

Bennie Barrier’s stomach rumbled loudly and both friends laughed.

Meanwhile, further on up the road, Driver Dave and Daphne were carefully unloading the new front doors as Davina and Mrs Simpson watched on. 

“Would you like Dave to replace your front door Mrs Simpson?” Davina asked.

“Oh no, it’s ok. My son will be home soon so he can do it. If you could lift it into the hallway for me, that would be wonderful, thank you,” Mrs Simpson replied.

Daphne and Driver Dave carefully lifted the front door off of the Maintenance Truck and lifted it into Mrs Simpson’s hallway.

“It looks like it has the same hinges as our old door,” Daphne commented as they walked back towards the truck.

“Good, that means we can use the old hinges and save ourselves time,” Driver Dave replied as they lifted the new door over towards their front garden and leant it against the wall. 

“See, not everything you buy from Mr Mullet is rubbish,” Davina teased.

“We haven’t fixed it into place yet,” Driver Dave laughed as he picked up his screwdriver. “Come on Daphne, can you hold this door for me please whilst I unscrew the old door?”

Daphne helped him whilst Davina wandered inside to make some drinks for them all. 

Meanwhile, at the supermarket, Checkout Charlie was talking to a customer at the front entrance whilst Wet Floor was cleaning up a spillage.

“So where’s the letterbox then?” the customer asked.

Charlie looked at the front door before turning back to the customer. 

“It appears that it doesn’t have one but in our garden section of the supermarket, you can buy a metal post box which can hang on the wall next to your front door…”

“Pah, too much hassle,” the customer huffed.

“Is there a problem Sir?” Mr Mullet asked as he approached them.

“Your front doors don’t have a letterbox in them!”

“Well I’m sure you could cut one out, we have some very good tools in our…”

“Cut one out! Spend over a hundred pounds on a door just to cut it up with some tools! Cowboys, the lot of you!” the customer huffed before walking away.

“Another satisfied customer Mr Mullet,” Checkout Charlie chuckled.

“Not funny Charles,” Mr Mullet snapped. “Where’s Wet Floor?”

“He’s cleaning up the tomatoes in the produce department.”

“Tomatoes?”

“Yes, a customer knocked the tray over earlier and Tricia slipped on one of them and ran into the baking potatoes.”

“Oh my, what next?”

“I don’t think she wants to make a meal out of it.”

“Sounds like she tried to,” Mr Mullet sighed. “When Wet Floor comes back, can you ask him to bring the postboxes out from the gardening department?”

“Are they on a new promotion?”

“No but we need to use this opportunity with the doors to sell some of them. Warehouse Wayne has so many, even the postman is getting confused.”

At that moment, a yellow minibus stopped outside the supermarket entrance. As the door swooshed open, a group of elderly cones and barriers stumbled out and began heading towards the trolley bays.

“Brand new front doors half price over here!” Mr Mullet called out.

“What’s happening then?” one of the cones called out as he stepped off of the bus.

“What’s happening sir is the deal of a lifetime…” Mr Mullet began.

“I’m still in my prime, thank you very much,” the cone replied as he looked at the front doors. “You ain’t got any letterboxes…”

“We have a selection of…” Mr Mullet began.

“How are the people meant to get their letters without any letterboxes?”

“I’m trying to…” 

“No need to cry son, Custer’s the name, Custer Cone. My grandson looks after The Maintenance Team up the road there,” the cone explained.

“Grandad Cone!” Wet Floor called out.

“Eh? Ah yes, er, um, whatsyername, Get More?” 

“It’s Wet Floor,” Tricia Trolley laughed as she moved over to join them. 

“You two know this cone?” Mr Mullet asked.

“I’m not havin’ a moan…” Custer Cone added.

“He’s Cornelius Cone’s grandad,” Wet Floor explained. “He won’t buy one of our doors as he lives in Conesville Retirement Home.”

“Cornelius Cone? Yeh, he’s my grandson,” Custer Cone replied.

“Well can you move him on, I need to convince Dave that he wants to help us with delivering these doors to the locals,” Mr Mullet added.

“Dave has one of those doors…?” Custer Cone asked.

“Yes, he took one for his neighbour as well,” Checkout Charlie replied.

“He needs a padded cell,” Custer huffed before wandering away towards the car park.

“What does that mean?” Mr Mullet asked.

“I think he means Dave must be mad to buy a front door from us,” Checkout Charlie replied, scratching his head.

“Grandad Cone, wait up!” Tricia Trolley called out as she scooted after him. “Where are you going?”

“That crook has sold Dave a duff door and he needs to be told!” Custer Cone replied.

“Then I’m coming with you. Hold onto my handles!” Tricia Trolley said as she moved in front of him.

“Did you say you were wearing sandals?” Custer Cone asked.

“Only on special occasions but don’t tell anybody!” Tricia Trolley replied and they both laughed as they wandered down the road towards Driver Dave’s house.

Meanwhile, Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier were wandering down the road from the opposite direction. 

“I hope Driver Dave is home…” Bennie Barrier said as he moved from side to side on each leg.

“Why are you dancing Bennie?” Cornelius Cone asked.

“I didn’t use the toilet before we left the yard and my three glasses of Orange Juice are starting to have an effect on me.”

“I do wonder how Postman Pete manages to do this everyday.”

“You mean all the long walking?”

“Not just that but when we work, we always have a portaloo or a public toilet nearby for us. Tricia and Wet Floor have a public toilet at the supermarket they can use. Poor Postman Pete has to wait until he gets home or back to his office which means he could be bursting to go for hours.”

“I know how he feels,” Bennie Barrier sighed.

“We’re nearly there, just one more parcel for number twenty and then, oh…” Cornelius Cone replied as he looked over at Driver Dave’s house at number twelve.

“He’s got a new door,” Bennie Barrier said as he rushed across towards his house.

“Hey Dad, Bennie Barrier is here!” Daphne called out.

“I’ll be there in a minute Bennie!” Driver Dave called out. “Oh…”

“Is that a good, oh?” Bennie Barrier asked.

“Can you open the door Daphne?” Driver Dave asked.

Daphne pulled on the handle. “No, it’s locked. Have you got the keys?”

“No, are they in the packaging outside?” Driver Dave asked.

“This might not be a good time but can I use your toilet?” Bennie Barrier asked.

Daphne started looking through the empty packaging. “No keys here, are they on your side!” 

Cornelius Cone wandered over to join them. “Have you lost something, Daphne?”

“Yes, the keys to the new door!” Daphne replied as she moved the cardboard and plastic around. “No, definitely not here Dad!”

“Corny!” Tricia Trolley called out as she scooted around the corner with Grandad Custer Cone pushing her.

“I’ve gotta go!” Bennie Barrier shouted as he ran past them and onwards towards the supermarket.

“What’s happening then?” Grandad Custer Cone called out.

“When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go!” Cornelius Cone laughed.

“The lawn needs a mow?” Grandad Cone asked.

“What are you doing here & why are you pushing Postman Pete’s trolley?” Tricia Trolley asked.

“It’s a long story, we were meant to be getting brunch in Hythe when we saw that Postman Pete’s van had broken down and…”

“This door doesn’t have any keys!” Mrs Simpson called out as she wandered down her garden path.

Cornelius Cone handed her some letters as she arrived at the end of her path.

“That’s why they’re so cheap!” Daphne sighed.

“Who’s asleep?” Grandad Custer Cone asked.

Cornelius Cone leant forward and turned up Grandad Custer Cone’s hearing aid.

“Ah that’s better, now here young David, I heard that crook down at the supermarket has sold you a duff door!” Grandad Custer Cone called out. “Er, where is he?”

“Inside the house,” Daphne replied.

“Well he’s no good in there, open the door!”

“He can’t, it’s locked.”

“Well, use the key! Oh my word, kids of today, stumped by any little problem,” Grandad Custer Cone grumbled.

“There isn’t one!” Mrs Simpson replied. “Mullet has sold us two front doors without any keys to unlock them with!”

“Or a postbox to put the letters through,” Cornelius Cone added as he handed some letters to Daphne.

“Cornelius! Is that you?” Driver Dave called out from the window.

At that moment, a red van pulled up outside Driver Dave’s house. 

“Postman Pete, what are you doing here?” Daphne asked.

“I thought Cornelius and Bennie would have finished the round by now,” Postman Pete laughed as he climbed out of his van.

“Yeh, we run into a few problems,” Cornelius Cone replied.

“Dave’s locked himself inside as the new door from the supermarket doesn’t have any keys!” Tricia Trolley added.

Postman Pete pulled his phone out of his pocket. “You need a locksmith to open that. I know someone down at Lepe who could help but it might take a while.”

“All this new fangled technology and a little lock stumps you,” Grandad Custer Cone complained as he walked over to Postman Pete. “‘Ere, give me your pass.”

Postman Pete handed his lanyard which held his pass around his neck to Grandad Custer Cone. 

“Done time?” Grandad Custer Cone asked.

“No, of course not, I…” Postman Pete began.

“Well, you could’ve done with that photo!” Grandad Custer Cone laughed as he removed Pete’s ID card and straightened out the metal edges that held it in place.

“What’s he doing?” Daphne asked.

Grandad Custer Cone walked over to the door and inserted the two metal spikes that he’d made out of Postman Pete’s ID lanyard into the lock. He moved it gently side to side, up and down and side to side again before standing back as the door opened.

“Well done Grandad Cone!” Cornelius Cone cheered.

Driver Dave and his wife Davina, stepped outside to join them.

“Yes, thank you Custer,” Driver Dave added.

“How did you know how to do that?” Tricia Trolley asked as Custer handed the lanyard back to Postman Pete.

“When I was a young cone, we didn’t need a screen in front of our eyes to get into trouble,” Grandad Custer Cone laughed.

“Well, I know where this door is going,” Driver Dave said as he began unscrewing the hinges.

“I thought Mr Mullet had a no returns policy at the supermarket,” Tricia Trolley said.

“He does at the supermarket but I know where he lives. Do you fancy an extra Special Delivery Postman Pete?” Driver Dave asked.

“Well you know what they say, when one door closes…” Postman Pete replied and they all laughed.

See you in the next adventure!!