The Intrepid Canadian Expedition (4 page)

The next morning, bright and early, Stanley and Nick bid good-bye to Mountie Martin at the airport and boarded the plane. “Whatever happens at Niagara Falls,” they told each other, “we’re already like brothers.”

The flight was pleasant, but with nothing to distract them, both boys began to worry about their families
again. Where had they gone? How would they ever be reunited?

By the time they landed, Stanley and Nick were very homesick indeed.

An airport shuttle bus whisked them to Niagara Falls. As soon as they stepped off the bus, the boys heard the powerful waterfalls crashing in the distance. They couldn’t see anything except a great cloud of misty spray, though. They headed for the sound, along with a crush of tourists.

As they walked, the boys passed several signs. “Look, Nick,” Stanley pointed one out. “The falls are more than one hundred and seventy feet high here.”

“One hundred and fifty thousand gallons of water goes over the crest line every second,” Nick read on another.

Just then the mist cleared. The boys stared in wonder at the majestic sight of Niagara Falls, thundering beside them in a curtain of rainbows.

Nick ran to the railing. “Come here, Stanley!” he cried over the roar. “It’s awesome!”

Stanley rushed to catch up. But when he reached the edge, he began to flap in the winds churned up by the rushing water. How could he have forgotten his problems with wind so soon? A sudden gust lifted him and plastered him to a signpost dangerously close to the edge.
Stanley tried to slither down, but the wind held him tight.

Nick climbed up onto the rail to try to peel him off. “You’re the first friend I’ve ever had,” he cried. “The only one who’s put up with my bragging. I’m not about to lose you now!”

But as he struggled to push Stanley down to safety, Nick lost his footing on the mist-slicked metal. Over the railing he went, hurtling through the air, straight for the crashing waterfalls below!

Stanley didn’t think for a second. He launched himself out, reached Nick in midair, and curved himself around his new friend. Like a barrel!

Together they crashed into the churning water. Over and over and over they smashed and battered against the rocks and angry waters.

Finally, the terrible tumbling stopped, and all was still blackness.

Stanley awoke to find his parents’ faces hovering above him. He rubbed his eyes…. Was this a dream? Or worse—was he…dead?

“My goodness, dear, you gave us quite a fright!” said his mother.

“Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?” Stanley asked.

“Don’t you remember?” Mr.
Lambchop asked. “When you were up so high at the snowboarding championships, you kept yelling, ‘We’re going to the Falls!’ ‘We’re going to the Falls!’ We would never have allowed it if we’d known you were planning to go
in
to the falls, though! We just thought you’d meet us here for the wedding.”

“What? No, that was Nick. He was yelling…oh, never mind. The important thing is that you’re here! I’m so glad to see you! But, hey, where
is
Nick?”

“Hay is for horses, dear,” Mrs. Lambchop reminded him. “Do try to remember that. Nick is over there. His father is examining him now.”

Doctor Dave came over then. “My boy’s fine,” he said. “How about I take a look at yours, Lambchops?”

“Please do!” said Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop at the same time.

Doctor Dave gave Stanley a thorough examination. Then he called Stanley’s parents back over. “No broken bones, that’s the good news,” he began.

“Oh, dear!” Mrs. Lambchop exclaimed. “If there’s bad news, you’d better give it to us right away. Delaying it won’t make it any easier.” Harriet Lambchop was both very practical and very brave.

“Well, here it is, then,” Doctor Dave said. “The repeated violent impact
with the rushing water has flattened your son. Water trauma can do that. That’s why you don’t see anyone swimming around here. I can’t tell how long the flatness will last, but you should be prepared for the worst.”

“But, Doctor Dave, Stanley was flat
before
all this,” Mrs. Lambchop said. “So if that’s all, then he’s fine!”

Doctor Dave patted Mrs. Lambchop’s hand. “Denial. Very common in cases like this. You just keep thinking whatever you need to think in order to get through it. Well, I must be off…. Nick and I have a wedding to get to.”

“Why, so do we!” Mrs. Lambchop said. “I know a lot of people get married
at Niagara Falls, but do you suppose it’s the same wedding?”

Wonder of wonders, it was! The bride was an old college chum of Nick’s mother, Shelby Smith. The groom was an old college chum of Stanley’s father, Ralph Jones. Their families sat on different sides of the aisle, but Stanley watched with pride as his new friend, Nick, carried the ring for the bride and groom.

Afterward, at the reception, Stanley, Nick, and Arthur
had a wonderful time together. Doctor Dave had been right about Arthur’s ankle—a few days of rest and it was as good as new.

After a while, Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop came over to fetch the boys. “It’s time we congratulated the newlyweds.”

As they walked over, Stanley told Nick about the groom. “Mr. Jones has a remarkable memory…. He never forgets anything!”

And sure enough, when they reached Mr. Jones, he astonished them with his perfect recall. “Hello there, Stanley,” he said. “What do you hear from Egypt? That Sir Abu Shenti Hawara the fourth still in prison for trying to rob the tomb
of Pharaoh Khufufull?”

Mr. Lambchop came up then. “Congratulations, Ralph,” he said, shaking his friend’s hand. “That wonderful memory of yours should make for a happy marriage, I predict. At least you’ll never forget your anniversary!”

“Let’s hope so,” Ralph Jones said. “But, you know, my excellent memory is the very thing that kept me from marrying Shelby years ago.” Here he paused to gaze down at his bride fondly. “All that time apart…what a waste!” He sighed.

“What happened?” Stanley asked.

“We went to high school together.
I remembered that once, at a football game, Shelby had smiled fetchingly at the star quarterback. His name was B. F. Wellington. Big fellow. Everyone called him Beef. Beef Wellington…get it? Har, har. Except my heart was broken…. Shelby had smiled at him, not me. For all those years, Shelby denied it. But then finally, she admitted she
had
smiled at him…but only to make me jealous. So I forgave her and asked her to be my bride.”

The new Mr. and Mrs. Jones kissed each other then.

“In a marriage,” Mrs. Lambchop advised the groom, “forgiveness is much more important than memory.”

“That sounds like good advice,” Mr. Jones said. “I’ll try to remember that.”

That evening, the Lambchops enjoyed the Maple Leafs’ game very much. But all four of them agreed they were even happier to return home that evening.

Stanley thumbtacked a newspaper clipping to the bulletin board over his bed. “OVER THE FALLS IS NO BARREL OF LAUGHS FOR TWO BRAVE BOYS,” read the headline.

“That was quite a vacation,” Stanley said. “I wish you
could have made the trip with me, though, Arthur.”

“It was my fault,” Arthur said. “I was showing off on the ski slope. And Stanley…I’m sorry for all the teasing about your shape.”

“That’s all right,” Stanley replied. “Actually, it’s kind of
flat
-tering.”

He turned off the lamp, and the two brothers lay in their beds chuckling for a few minutes about Stanley’s joke. And then they fell fast asleep.

THE END