rated *
The Bob-Whites Way Down Under
by Hilary
Part One
“Come on! Hurry up!” twenty-year-old Trixie Belden yelled from the driver’s seat of her jeep. The front door of the Manor House flew open and Jim and Honey ran down the driveway, suitcases in hand and day packs on their back. Jim climbed in the front beside Trixie and Honey squeezed in beside Mart and Brian in the backseat. They drove down the road a way then stopped to pick up Dan and Diana who were waiting at the Lynch Estate.
“I’m so excited I just can’t wait to get to the airport!” Trixie squealed as she pulled the car out on to the highway.
“I know what you mean,” Jim said.
“I can’t wait to meet your pen pal. What was her name again?” Honey asked.
“Her name is Sarah and she lives in Tasmania,” Trixie replied.
“Where’s Tas-whatever?” Di asked confused.
“Tasmania is a small state south of Australia. Its capital city is Hobart. We are going to come in at Devonport then drive for about half-hour until we come to Penguin,” Mart informed them all after he deciphered Trixie’s hurried directions.
“I wonder if we’ll need warm clothing. I know it’s summer there but wouldn’t it be cold since we will be so close to Antarctica?” Honey asked.
“We should be fine with what we’ve got. Even though they are so close to Antarctica, it can still get pretty hot,” Brian said.
“Oh, that’s good,” Honey said, relieved. The rest of the drive was quiet, everyone thinking what they thought Sarah would look like, what Tasmania would be like and, more importantly, if Sarah would like them.
A while later Trixie pulled the car into the airport. They all climbed out, gathered their luggage and walked into the airport. They had no sooner sat down when their flight was called. They got up and boarded the plane.
Trixie slid into her seat and Jim slid in beside her. Trixie sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Jim asked her once the plane was airborne.
“Nothing, I just can’t believe I am finally going to meet Sarah,” Trixie sighed again. Jim put his arm around her and soon they both fell asleep
"Attention, we are about to land at Sydney airport, please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for landing."
Trixie and Jim quickly awoke as soon as they heard the PA system come on. They buckled their seatbelts and prepared for landing.
“I’m so excited!” Trixie squealed.
“So am I,” Jim said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Once off the plane, the Bob-Whites gathered together around a phone booth.
“Where do we go from here?” Di asked.
“Well, we have to go to the dock and board the Spirit of Tasmania. It doesn’t leave for another three hours, but we could still go now and have a look around the boat,” Trixie replied.
“That sounds good. Lead the way, Beatrix,” Mart said in an Australian accent.
“Mart, you suck at accents, so give up and let someone else do that. Okay, sweetie?” Di said.
“Okay,” Mart mumbled pretending he was a little child. Everyone laughed.
An hour later they were boarding the Spirit of Tasmania. Once on board they went and found their rooms. Trixie was sharing a room with Jim. The group walked up a hallway which held all their rooms. Two by two, the group split up. First Honey and Brian, then Mart and Di. Trixie and Jim went to their room and Dan continued to his room.
The next day they got ready to leave the boat at Devonport.
As the boat stopped at the dock it was a big crowd of people that were scrambling for the exit.
“First one out!” Trixie yelled as soon as all the Bob-Whites were standing on the dock away from other people.
“Yeah, Yeah. Get going, we have to be at Sarah’s in an hour,” Mart said as he pushed his sister toward the car that they were to use while they were on holiday.
Trixie climbed in behind the wheel and pulled out a map. She handed the map to Jim as soon as he sat down beside her. She pointed out where Penguin was and pulled the car out onto the road. She drove along the road and turned where Jim indicated. Finally they arrived at Penguin. Trixie followed the directions Jim gave her and soon they arrived at the top of Lester Road. Trixie turned down Lester Road and drove slowly along until they came across number 12. She pulled into the long driveway. Flowers lined either side of the driveway and, behind the flowers, Crabapple and Gum trees stood. At the end of the driveway stood a large mansion. The mansion was gorgeous. Trixie parked the car and they all climbed out and collected their luggage from the boot. The door to the mansion opened and a tall woman with long wavy blonde hair past her shoulders stood in the doorway. She took one look at the group and walked quickly over to them.
“Hello, I’m Sarah. You must be Trixie,” Sarah said, pointing at Trixie.
“Hello Sarah, It’s great to finally meet you in person” Trixie said.
“Same here. Who are your friends here?” Sarah asked.
“This is my boyfriend Jim Frayne, my brother Brian, my other brother Mart, my best friend Honey Wheeler, my other best friend Di Lynch, and Dan Mangan,” Trixie said, pointing to each person as she said their name.
“Cool,” Sarah said. “Come and I’ll show you to your rooms.” They all followed Sarah up the steps of the big mansion.
“She’s quite something, ain’t she?” Dan whispered to Mart as they walked through the big open doorway. Once inside they noticed that the interior of the house was just as gorgeous as the outside. On either side of them there were rich red coloured wooden panels. There were paintings and photographs on both sides. They hung their coats up on the coat rack Sarah indicated and continued up the hall.
“She must be loaded,” Mart whispered to Dan. Dan nodded his agreement. Sarah led the group up three flights of stairs until they stood in the hall which held all the bedrooms.
“Trixie, you can decide who will have what room. You can share or each have your own. I certainly have enough space,” Sarah laughed. She pointed out the rooms they had to choose from then retreated to the living room.
“She seems nice,” Honey said.
“She must have a lot of money,” Mart commented.
“She did say that she has a lot of money from what she earns,” Trixie said.
“Okay, how do you want to decide who gets what room?” Trixie asked the group.
“I wouldn’t mind sharing,” Jim said.
“Okay, who want’s to share?” Trixie asked. All the Bob-Whites put their hands up except for Dan.
“I don’t mind either way,” Dan said. They got themselves into pairs and each found themselves a room. Trixie dragged Jim down the hall to a room across from Sarah’s.
“I want this one,” she said.
Jim opened the door to reveal a beautiful room. The walls were painted a soft blue. The carpet was a welcoming blue. In the middle of the room up against the wall was a four poster king size bed. There was a big window with sliding glass doors that led out onto a private balcony.
“This is way better than any hotel I have ever stayed in!” Trixie exclaimed in awe.
“You said it, and to think that we don’t even have to pay!” Jim exclaimed. They dumped the bags on the floor and walked over to the sliding door. Jim opened it and they walked out. Down below them was the most beautiful garden. Paths winded in and out of plants. Right in the middle of the garden there was a large pool. A gazebo stood to the left of the pool. Roses had their own special place to the right of the pool. There was even a little maze north of the pool. There was a knock at the door and Trixie jumped in surprise. She ran across the room and flung open the door.
“Do you like your room?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, yes, I do. How did you know I was in this room?” Trixie replied with a confused look upon her face.
“I just guessed,” Sarah replied. “I see you’ve already seen the backyard”
“Oh, yes! It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!” Trixie exclaimed.
“I’m glad you like it. Maybe later I’ll show you around the yard,” Sarah said.
“Gleeps! That would be absolutely wonderful!” Trixie replied.
“Good, tea will be served in an hour or so. I’ll meet you and all your wonderful friends in the living room half hour. How’s that and I’ll see what I can do entertainment wise?” Sarah asked.
“Wonderful, we’ll see you then,” Trixie replied. Sarah walked out and Trixie shut the door behind her. She walked back out to the balcony to tell Jim what Sarah had said.
An Hour Later
“You might like to get your bathers on so we can go for a swim after our walk” Sarah said once the group was gathered in the living room.
“Okay,” the Bob-Whites replied in unison. While the Bob-Whites were changing, Sarah made two phone calls. The Bob-Whites returned a few minutes after Sarah had finished on the phone
Knock, Knock.
“Come in!” Sarah called. The front door flew open and two women stood in the doorway. They were both fairly tall. One had frizzy hair, the other had shoulder length red hair.
“Hey, Kate, Gabriella! I would like you to meet my new friends” Sarah said. Kate and Gabriella walked into the room, closing the door behind them.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” they said simultaneously.
“Same here,” Trixie replied. The big group walked out to the back yard and followed Sarah until they reached the pool.
Trixie removed her towel, revealing a blue bikini. She walked up to the diving board and dove in. To her pleasant surprise the water was warm. She swam to the surface just in time to see Sarah’s bathing suit. It was a light purple bikini that set off her tan perfectly. She dove into the water and began to swim laps. Kate and Gabriella revealed their bathing suits which were very similar to Sarah’s except that Kate’s was blue and Gabriella’s was red. Dan swam over to Sarah and they began to talk. Soon they were interrupted by Gabriella.
“Sarah, is it ok if our boyfriends come over and join us?” Gabriella asked, climbing out onto the edge of the pool.
“That’s fine, the more the merrier I say!” Sarah replied.
“Great!” Gabriella said, as she walked over to where Kate was sitting talking on her mobile.
To Be Continued