The Intrepid Canadian Expedition
The Intrepid Canadian Expedition
Created by Jeff Brown
Written by Sara Pennypacker
Pictures by Macky Pamintuan
1.
Stanley Goes Skiing
2.
Arthur’s Accident
3.
Up, Up, and Away!
4.
The Northwest Territories
5.
Mountie Martin
6.
The Stanley Cup!
7.
Over the Falls!
8.
Together Again
Stanley Goes Skiing
“Ha, ha!” Arthur Lambchop crowed as he skied past his older brother, Stanley. “Last one to the bottom is a frozen pancake!”
Stanley grunted as he dug his poles into the snow and strained against the frosty Canadian wind. Ever since he had awakened to find himself flattened
by a bulletin board, Stanley had been putting up with Arthur’s teasing about his shape. He didn’t really mind—Arthur was a good brother: cheerful and loyal and a lot of fun.
And so what if being flat made it nearly impossible to ski? It had some mighty big advantages! For instance, Stanley could now travel by mailing himself anywhere in the world for a fraction of the cost of airfare. And he’d sure had a lot of adventures that would not have been available to a rounder boy!
His shape had been a big help to others, also. Stanley allowed himself a little smile of pride as he flapped another few feet down the slope. Wasn’t
his mother wearing her favorite ring because he had been able to slip down into a storm drain to retrieve it? Wasn’t Abraham Lincoln’s nose still in place at Mount Rushmore because he had turned himself into a human Band-Aid? And right now, weren’t there a couple of museum sneak thieves playing poker in the city jail who were very sorry indeed they’d ever run into a boy flat enough to pose as a painting?
Just then Arthur whizzed by for a second time. “See you a-
ROUND
!” he shouted.
Stanley struggled harder against the wind and reminded himself even more firmly he should not feel sorry for
himself. Why, already on this vacation his flatness had been an advantage: Because he could simply bend his legs at the knees, he had not needed to rent skis. With the money this had saved, the Lambchop family had enjoyed a hot chocolate party in the lodge the night before.
Stanley paused to catch his breath. Really…so what if he wasn’t aerodynamic anymore? The sun was shining on the snowcapped mountains, and the air felt fresh on his cheeks. The scene spread below him was straight out of a winter wonderland postcard! Over on the expert trail, daredevils were enjoying the jumps, leaping and
twisting in the air. In front of him, brightly dressed skiers swooshed by tall, frosted pines.
By the color of their parkas, Stanley recognized a band of kids he and Arthur had met the day before. He watched as his brother dashed down the mountain to them now. Everyone waved merrily to one another, and their shouts of greeting drifted up the mountain.
And there, in the middle of the trail, Stanley sank to the snow in defeat. He couldn’t deny it anymore: Lately, his flatness had made him feel he just didn’t have much in common with other people. Lately, it had made him feel lonely.
Tears froze on his eyelashes. Stanley brushed them off to watch Arthur and the other kids weave in and out of each other’s paths, gliding gleefully down the mountain. Suddenly, though, Arthur shouted something and broke off from the group. He was heading toward the daredevil skiers!
Stanley scrambled to his feet. “No, Arthur!” he cried. “There are jumps!”
Too late! Stanley watched in horror as his brother flew up in the air and then crashed in a pinwheel of skis and poles and flying gloves!
Without a second thought, Stanley angled his body edgewise into the wind, like the blade of a knife. He ripped down the mountain at a terrifying speed, and within seconds he was at his brother’s side.
“Are you all right?” Stanley asked. He offered Arthur his hand to help him up.
Just then a boy about Stanley’s age skidded to a stop in a spray of snow
beside the brothers. “Don’t try to move him!” he warned. “He may have a broken bone. I’ll go to get my father…. He’s a doctor; he’s on ski patrol today!” And then, just as suddenly, the boy took off on his snowboard again.
Stanley bent down beside his brother. “Does it hurt awfully?” he asked. “Do you want me to go get Mom and Dad?”
Arthur shook his head. “Just stay here with me until that fellow’s father comes, all right?”
“Of course,” Stanley promised. “I won’t leave you.”
Arthur’s Accident
“Ah! Just breathe this fresh Canadian air, Harriet!” marveled George Lambchop to his wife. “I feel like a new man!”
Before Mrs. Lambchop could reply, a boy on a snowboard slooshed to a stop in a cloud of sparkling snow in front of them. “Are you Arthur and Stanley Lambchop’s parents?” the boy asked.
“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Lambchop fretted. “Is everything all right with the boys?”
“Arthur’s had an accident. Follow me.”
Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop hurried to follow the boy. In the lodge, they were alarmed to see Arthur on a couch, looking quite pale. His ankle was the size of a cantaloupe. A man in a white coat was bending over him, while Stanley looked on anxiously.
“Good gracious!” Mrs. Lambchop cried, flying to her son’s side. “Are you all right, dear?”
Arthur winced. “It hurts a lot,” he admitted. “But the doctor says it’s just a bad sprain.”
At this, the man in the white coat straightened and shook hands with the Lambchops. “The boy’s lucky,” he said. “He’ll have to stay inside and heal for a few days, but then he’ll be good as new.”
“Stay
inside
?” Arthur cried. “No fair! Stanley and I have tickets for the World Snowboarding Championships this afternoon!”
“Out of the question, I’m afraid, young man.”
Arthur slumped down with a groan, and the doctor turned back to Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop. “I’m Doctor Dave, by the way. It was my boy, Nick, who fetched you.”
“Thank you so much for tending to our son,” Mr. Lambchop said. “Perhaps we should give a call to Doctor Dan, the boys’ regular doctor back home, to let him know what’s going on….”
“Doctor Dan? Not Doctor Dan of
America by any chance?”
When the Lambchops nodded, Doctor Dave smacked his forehead. “Well, it’s a small world indeed!” he exclaimed. “Doctor Dan and I were roommates in medical school. What a cutup! And he’s still got quite a sense of humor. Why, not long ago he wrote to say he was treating a most unusual case—Sudden Flatness Syndrome. As if anyone would believe he’d run into that!” Doctor Dave chuckled as he packed his bag. Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop looked at each other in confusion. “Our son Stanley is—” began Mr. Lambchop.
Doctor Dave ignored him and turned to Arthur. “Remember—complete bed
rest, and get lots of exercise. Stay inside and breathe plenty of fresh air. Keep the leg up, and soak it in ice water—as hot as you can stand it.”
“Hot ice water? Exercise and bed rest? I’m confused!” began Mrs. Lambchop.
“Perfectly natural,” Doctor Dave said kindly. “Don’t worry about it. After all, you’re not a doctor.” And then he left.
Stanley couldn’t stand to see Arthur looking so glum. “I’ll stay with you,” he said. “We can play checkers.”
Arthur heaved a big sigh. “No, you go. One of us might as well be there.” He took a ticket out of his ski pants and held it out. “And take that boy Nick in my
place. To thank him for helping me.”
Stanley was moved by his younger brother’s good sportsmanship. And, as he left to find Nick, he thought maybe this was just the opportunity he needed: Flat or not, he would make a new friend today!
