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It was a hot summer day. The sun was
shining brightly. The air was full of midges and they were buzzing around
Norton’s ears, annoying him. He kept swatting them away with his long
tail. The beach was noisy today. The sand was dotted with colorful towels,
buckets and shovels and half built sandcastles.
The waves were gently rushing onto
the sand, pulling bits of shell, seaweed and tiny crabs as sucked back
into the sea. Norton was kept busy, walking back and forth along the
beach. He loved to feel the waves lapping at his hooves.
Murdoch had just tied him back up to
his pole when he heard a ringing noise. He turned his head to see what it
was. Just then a wee girl shouted, "It’s the ice cream man!" Norton
watched as half the children on the beach dashed towards him. He was
riding on a large tricycle with a box on front, filled with ice creams. He
was ringing his bell to let all the children know he was there. The wee
girl came back carrying a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream on a stick.
It was so hot that it was already dripping down her hands. She licked it
off and then bit into the ice cream. The chocolate broke into big chunks
as she gobbled it down. Norton wished that he could have a bite. It looked
delicious and refreshing.
Murdoch whispered, "Would you like
one of those, Norton?" Norton let out a soft bray. "I’ll be back shortly."
Murdoch headed for the ice cream man. He came back with two ice creams.
One was the chocolate-covered one and the other was an ice lolly. Murdoch
held the chocolate ice cream for Norton to eat. His sharp teeth bit into
it. A piece of chocolate fell into the sand. It was gone in two bites. The
ice lolly was banana flavored and was cold and icy and very sticky. Midges
stuck to his nose and lips. Norton kept licking the lolly until there was
nothing but sticks. "Did you like that, Norton?" Murdoch asked. Norton
brayed loudly. All the children on the beach heard him and came running to
get a ride.
Every day the ice cream man rode his
tricycle along the beach, ringing his bell, and every day Murdoch bought
Norton an ice-lolly. Sometimes the children came for rides on his back
holding ice-lollies in their hands. They’d make a sticky mess all over him
but he didn’t mind. Norton loved hot summer days at the beach! |
