Harvest Scramble

A cool wind rustled the leaves outside the Lookout. WHOOSH. It was a brand new kind of wind, one that smelled like chilly nights and cozy sweaters. Inside, Jake and the pups were getting ready for bed. Tank was already curled up, his tummy making a little gurgle-whistle sound as he dreamed about dinner.

Suddenly, the big screen lit up. BEEP-BOOP-BEEP. Farmer Gus's worried face appeared. He was standing in his field.

"Jake! Clover Cove Crew! I need your help!" he said, his voice hurried. "A surprise frost is coming! It's rolling in right off the water."

Jake stood up. He could see the dark rows of vegetables behind Farmer Gus. "The frost is early this year," Jake said.

"It sure is," said Farmer Gus. "My whole harvest is still in the field! Pumpkins, squash, corn… everything! If we don't get it all picked before that frost hits, it will be ruined. There won't be anything for the Harvest Market tomorrow."

Jake saw the problem. The fields were huge, stretching all the way from the barn to the dark treeline. It would take a long time to pick all of those vegetables.

Then, something white with floppy ears ran past Farmer Gus. BAAA!

"And my goat, Clementine, is loose!" Gus cried. "She's knocking over all my crates!" In the background, there was a loud crash. CLATTER-CLATTER-BAM!

Jake nodded, calm and confident. "Don't worry, Farmer Gus. We're on our way!"

The screen went dark. Jake turned to the pups. "This is a big job, and we have to be fast. This is a job for… Tank!"

The little bulldog hopped up, his sleepy look gone. "Let's dig it!" he barked.

"And we'll need some creative thinking," Jake added. "This is a job for… Bolt!"

Bolt wagged his tail with a grin. "I can fix that!"

"Crew, launch!" Jake shouted.

WHIZZZ! Tank shot down the zipline. CLUNK! He landed perfectly in his yellow bulldozer.

WHIZZZ! Bolt was next. CLANG! He landed in his tow truck, ready to roll.

The big garage door rumbled open. VRRRROOOM! The two pups raced out, their headlights cutting through the growing dark. Jake followed close behind on his ATV. They sped down the hill toward the farm.

When they arrived, the air was even colder. They could see their breath puffing out in little white clouds. Farmer Gus met them by the barn. "Well, I'll be," he said. "I'm glad to see you critters."

The field was just as he'd said. Rows and rows of round pumpkins, bumpy squash, and tall cornstalks waited. By the barn, a stack of empty harvest crates lay scattered on the ground. SMACK! Clementine the goat head-butted another one for fun.

"Okay, Crew," Jake said. "Here's the plan. Farmer Gus and I will pick. Tank, you use your big scoop to carry the full crates to the barn."

Everyone got to work. Jake twisted a big orange pumpkin from its vine. FWUMP. He put it in a crate. Farmer Gus pulled three yellow squash. PLONK, PLONK, PLONK. Soon they had a crate full.

Tank rolled up in his bulldozer. He lowered his scoop to pick up the crate. But then… he stopped. His nose twitched. SNIFF… SNIFF… SNIFF. He was sniffing a pumpkin. His big bulldog tummy let out a loud RUMBLE-GURGLE. He was thinking about snacks, not about working.

"Tank, we have to hurry!" said Jake.

Meanwhile, Clementine was having a wonderful time. BAAA! She galloped through a row of corn, her little hooves kicking up dirt. She leaped over a pumpkin and then… BAM! She ran right into another stack of empty crates, sending them tumbling.

Jake sighed. This was too slow. The leaves on the ground were starting to get crispy. The frost was coming.

Bolt watched it all from his truck. He saw Tank sniffing the vegetables. He saw Clementine scattering the crates. He looked at the long, long rows. Then, he looked at his tow truck. He looked at Tank's bulldozer. And he looked at a pile of wood planks leaning against the barn. An idea started to bubble in his brain.

"Jake! I've got it!" he barked. "We're trying to carry the harvest. What if we let it carry itself?"

Bolt got his tools from his truck. "Okay, drill," he said, "let's get to work!" WHIRRRRR went his drill. BANG! BANG! BANG! went his hammer. He worked fast, connecting the planks to make one long, smooth ramp. A slide!

He attached one end of the slide to the side of Tank's bulldozer. Then he and Jake lifted the other end, so it pointed right at the open barn door.

"Okay, Tank!" said Jake. "Drive very, very slowly along the rows!"

Tank started his engine. RUMBLE-RUMBLE. He crept forward. Now, as Jake and Farmer Gus picked the vegetables, they didn't have to put them in crates. They just put them right on the slide.

FWUMP! A pumpkin rolled down the wooden ramp. WHOOSH! It slid all the way down and landed in a soft pile of hay inside the barn. FWUMP-FWUMP! Two more followed. PLINK-PLONK-WHOOSH! A pile of squash slid right behind them. It was like a vegetable parade!

Now there was just one problem. Clementine! She saw the rolling pumpkins and thought it was a new game. BAAA! She charged toward the slide.

But Jake was ready. He picked up a funny-looking, crooked squash. "Hey, Clementine!" he called. He wiggled it. The goat skidded to a stop. Her ears perked up. Jake walked backward, wiggling the squash just out of her reach. Clementine followed, her eyes on the prize, right into her pen. CLICK. Jake slid the latch on the gate. Clementine started munching happily on her crooked treat. CRUNCH, MUNCH, CRUNCH.

Now they could really work fast. Pick and slide. Pick and slide. WHOOSH… FWUMP… PLONK. Soon, the very last pumpkin was picked. It rolled down the slide just as a thin layer of white frost began to sparkle on the grass. Everything was safe in the barn.

Farmer Gus let out a long, happy sigh. He patted Bolt on the head. "Thanks, critters," he said. "You saved my harvest." He went inside and came back with a big jug of warm apple cider for Jake, and three crisp, crunchy apples for the pups.

Tank took a huge bite of his apple. CRUNCH! His big tummy, finally happy, let out a soft little gurgle. Everyone laughed. The whole barn felt warm and cozy, filled with the sweet smell of pumpkins and a job well done. The Clover Cove Harvest Market would be full tomorrow.