Chapter 7 Lulu and Moo and the Road to the Next Adventure
Chapter 7
Lulu and Moo woke up at their campsite high in the mountains, knowing that this was going to be their last day of exploring.
"Buenos dias!", tried Lulu, shyly.
"Buenos dias", giggled Moo. They had been practising a little Spanish; it felt really fun, like their little secret!
They packed their things and had one last look around before setting off. Tomorrow they would be heading to the ferry and, after that, home.
As they rode out of the campsite, Lulu spotted the road ahead.
Lulu looked at Moo. Moo looked at Lulu.
Right in front of them was the rough, rocky track leading away from the campsite.
They rode slowly at first, but soon they were bouncing over the stones, wobbling around the corners and laughing as the bikes jumped and bumped their way down the mountain.
“I think we’re going to miss this!” shouted Moo.
But Lulu was so busy laughing, she couldn’t answer!
When they finally reached the smoother road, they carried on through some sleepy villages, with pretty stone houses, one after another. And before long, they spotted a large herd of cows grazing beside the road. There were lots of calves with them, some staying close to their mums while others were happily racing around the grass.
Moo watched one particularly lively calf bouncing about.
“Do you remember when we first started seeing all the animals?” he asked.
Lulu smiled. “It seems like ages ago.”
They stopped for a while on top of a great big hill, where some horses were grazing. A mare stood peacefully with her foal beside her, and the little one was busy practising its rather wobbly running. The foal suddenly galloped across the grass before skidding to a stop beside its mum.
Moo laughed.
Further along the road, they came across another flock of sheep spread across the hillside. This time they were safely off the road, although Moo kept a suspicious eye on them as they passed.
“I’m watching you,” he murmured. One sheep looked straight back at him, so he waved.
By lunchtime, they spotted something completely unexpected: a burger van, in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed to Lulu and Moo. Parked beside the road, it had an incredible view over the valley below.
On the side of the van was a big sign: Hamburguesas Veganas
“Hamburguesas!” exclaimed Moo, making Lulu jump a little. “That’s hamburgers in Spanish!”
“Vegana!” they both squealed excitedly. “That means ‘meat-free’. Perfect!”
They stopped immediately.
Sitting together with their burgers, they looked out over the mountains and villages they had travelled through.
“This is a pretty good place for our last lunch,” said Lulu.
Moo agreed.
They slowly and quietly munched on their burgers, soaking in the incredible view of the Spanish countryside, not wanting the day to disappear too quickly, but by late afternoon, they arrived at their final campsite and settled in, knowing there was nowhere else they needed to ride today.
They had done it.
Their last bumpy track.
Their last mountain road.
Their last day of exploring.
That evening, Lulu and Moo sat outside their tent as the sun began to disappear behind the mountains. For a little while, neither of them said anything. They were thinking of all the wonderful things they had seen.
They remembered the Giant Bridges, standing high above the landscape and making them feel very small indeed.
They remembered the bright blue lakes, tucked away among the mountains like enormous pools of sky.
They remembered the thundering train and the fallen rider.
They remembered the foggy blanket. And the emerald river.
They remembered the day they had encountered the sheepy roadblock, when an entire flock had decided that the road belonged to them.
“I think those sheep were trying to stop us,” said Moo.
“They certainly weren’t in any hurry to move!” Lulu replied.
And then there had been the tunnels, one after another, disappearing into the mountains and bringing them out into completely different landscapes.
“We’ve been through an awful lot of tunnels,” said Moo.
“And an awful lot of mountains,” added Lulu.
“We’ve seen some incredible places,” said Lulu.
“And done some pretty crazy things,” added Moo.
Lulu smiled.
“I’m really glad we did it together.”
Moo looked out across the mountains.
“Me too.”
They sat quietly, watching the last of the sunlight fade from the peaks. They knew that they would always have the memories of this incredible adventure to share.
“What a wonderful time we’ve had,” said Lulu.
“The best,” said Moo.
They sat in silence for a little while before Moo looked at Lulu with a grin.
“Do you think we’ll come back?”
Lulu laughed. “I think we both know the answer to that.”
“Then one day, we’ll come back to Spain, find all our favourite places again, discover some new ones, and do it all over.”
“Even the sheepy roadblock?”
“Especially the sheepy roadblock.”
“And the tunnels?”
“All of them.”
Moo settled down happily beside her.
“Then I’m not sad about going home tomorrow.”
“Why not?”
“Because it isn’t really the end. It’s just goodbye for now.”
Together they watched the stars appear above the mountains, already imagining the day they would return to Spain and begin another incredible adventure.
And with that happy thought, Lulu and Moo snuggled into their sleeping bags for their final night of this adventure, grateful for everything they had shared and excited about all the adventures that were still waiting for them.
Buenas noches, Moo
Buenas noches, Lulu.
Sleep well, both of you.
Adios! Hasta la proxima...
Goodbye! Until next time...
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