6 A Very Un-“Happy Meal”

Chapter 6 A VERY UN-"HAPPY MEAL" As the truck rumbled along the road, Andrew tried to saw through the plastic bag with a sliver of eggshell. "If we can get out of the bag," he said, "we can find a place to stay on the truck till it goes back to school." Andrew lurched as the garbage truck turned onto a narrow road. Through the clear plastic bag he could see a sign. It said CITY DUMP. An arrow pointed straight ahead. Soon the truck pulled up alongside a strange building. Its walls were made of tires stacked on top of each other. A sign in front read:

STOP HERE BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE DUMP. THANK YOU! HUGO WILSON, MANAGER The yard in front of the tire building was covered with furniture and toys—rocking chairs, rocking horses, tables, mirror frames, and swings. And they were all made from tires! "What a weird place!" said Judy. meep… "Hugo Wilson famous," said Thudd. "Come up with lotsa ways to use old stuff." "Mr. Wilson is friends with Uncle Al," said Andrew. "Uncle Al told me they've been figuring out how many ways they could recycle old tires. "They chop up tires and use them to cover playgrounds with soft stuff so kids don't get hurt. They make floor tiles out of tires. They shred tires and mix them with cement to pave roads so that they aren't slippery in the rain and snow. Mr. Wilson is a neat guy."

Near the door of the tire building were piles and piles of tires. There were regular-sized tires from cars, big tires from trucks and buses, and huge tires from tractors. A tall man wearing a leather apron was cutting up a tire with an electric saw. A one-legged seagull was perched on his shoulder. "G'day, mates!" the man called out. He turned off his saw. "Hey, Hugo," said Jeff. "Want you to meet my new partner, Frank." Hugo stretched out a big, strong hand to Frank. "What are you up to here, Hugo?" asked Frank, waving his hand at the yard. "Comin' up with ways to use old tires, mate," said Hugo. "Every year, we toss out a billion tires.

If we lined 'em up, they'd circle the earth four times. They'd reach halfway to the moon. Can't have that!" Hugo checked his watch. "It's feedin' time at the zoo. Have you got somethin' for my guys?" "Something real juicy," said Jeff. Judy peered through the garbage bag. "He's coming this way," she said. "Hurry up with that cutting!" But it was too late. Andrew and Judy were tossed like a garbage salad as Jeff yanked their bag off the top of the pile. "Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!" Judy griped as the bag bounced with Jeff's hurried steps. Jeff caught up with Hugo on the shady side of the tire building and handed him the bag. "Thanks, mate," said Hugo. "First, I'd better feed Matilda so she won't be feasting on the zoo." Hugo reached into his pocket and pulled out a peanut. "Heads up, Matilda!" he said.

He tossed the peanut high into the air. The seagull caught it in her beak. "Funny thing," said Hugo. "She doesn't eat the peanuts straightaway. Keeps 'em in her beak and flies off to the dump across the road. Bet she's got a nest there." Jeff glanced at his watch. "Don't have time to visit the zoo today, Hugo," said Jeff. "We'd better unload and take off." Hugo nodded. "Yours is a special load, fellas," he said. "It's the very last one for this place." Jeff and Frank walked off toward the truck. Lined up against the tire building were large plastic bins with lids. The lids were marked GIANT GIPPSLAND, TIGERS, OREGON GIANT, and RED WRIGGLERS. Hugo laid the garbage bag on top of a bin and lifted the lid labeled RED WRIGGLERS. Andrew saw that the open bin was filled almost to the top with dirt, shredded newspapers, and leaves. Hugo reached into the bin and pulled up a handful of squirming worms.

"You're lookin' good!" he said. "It's chow time!" "Chow time!" said Judy. "The chow must be us!" meep… "Oody and Drewd still too big for red wriggler worms to eat," said Thudd. "Hugo use worms to turn stinky garbage into super plant food. Worms eat garbage and paper. In one day, worm eat as much as worm weigh! Worm poop out stuff called 'castings.' Super food for plants." Hugo scooped a hole in the dirt mixture and laid the worms gently into the bin. The garbage bag jiggled. The tips of Hugo's big fingers were heading for Andrew! "Yikes!" yelled Andrew. He hid under the eggshell. A slice of gooey brown banana slid over him. Kraaaack! Andrew's eggshell snapped between Hugo's fingers! Hugo was dragging him up with a handful of gross, disgusting garbage!