Noah and the Stuck Bell

Noah the firefighter was polishing the big red truck when the bell began to ring by itself. Clang, clang, clang.

"Not now," said Noah. "I have a busy day."

He had a list. First, wash the truck. Second, visit the school. Third, tell the children how to stay safe. He had promised Pia, a girl at the school, that he would bring the truck and let her ring the bell. He always kept a promise.

But the bell would not stop. Clang, clang, clang. It rang and rang, even when he held it.

"Oh dear," said Noah. "A bell that will not stop cannot go to school."

He tried oil from a little can. Clang, clang. He tried tapping it with his boot. Clang, clang, CLANG. A fat grey cat came out from under the truck to see what the noise was. She had come for the warm spot by the wheel and was not interested in bells.

"Not helping, Mittens," said Noah.

He sat on the step and rubbed his chin. Then he noticed something. Every time the truck rocked, the bell rang. And the truck rocked every time Mittens scratched her back on the bumper.

Noah looked closer. A bit of rope hung from the bell. It was tied to the bumper, and he had no idea how it got there.

"Aha," he said. "The rope pulls the bell when the truck wiggles."

He did not have a knife. He had no scissors. But he had a hose clip in his pocket, and a hook on the side of the truck. He tied the rope up short and hooked it high, away from the bumper.

The truck rocked. Mittens scratched. The bell stayed quiet.

"Hooray," whispered Noah.

At the school, Pia was waiting by the gate. Noah lifted her up. She pulled the rope once, just once.

Clang.

The sound rolled across the yard and a little way down the road. Then it grew softer and softer. Mittens, who had hopped aboard to ride along, curled up on the seat and purred.