Pipp stepped forward, her usual confidence and energy blazing from her performance.
"A Brand New Day!
A Brand New Chance to bend the way!
To be the very best buddy!
And live my best life!
Cause there's only one now/
Yeah only one now!"
Rocky and Jazz, who had agreed to serve as backup dancers, joined in on vocals. However, Jazz's voice was a bit quiet compared to the others.
"Sometimes it feels like a bit of a circus!
That's just fine by me/
Because I like it that way!"
Pipp then sang solo.
"A life full of adventure!"
Pipp and Rocky then resumed dueting.
"It fills me with purpose!"
Before Pipp switched back to soloing.
"It keeps me on my feet/
And yeah/
That's how its gonna stay!" (How its gonna stay!)
All three then sang together, their combined energy electrifying the crowd and producing enough power to provide Falmouth's electrical needs.
"Everyday's so bright/
Everyday's full of magic!
Everyday feels right/
Everyday is a classic!
And just when I think/
It can't get any better/
Every new day is the best day ever!
"Wo-o-o-o-oah!
It's like, It's like/
Every new day is the best day ever!"
Pipp switched back to soloing. "Can't bring me down!" (He-he-hey)
Both Pipp and Rocky then switched back to singing duty.
"Can't stop the vibes/
I'm bringin' 'round!"
"To everybody here in town!" Pipp added.
Before she and Rocky switched back to singing together.
"So live your best life/
Cause there's only one now!
Yeah only one now!"
Then all three of them sang together, continuing with the elaborate choeography.
"Everyday's so bright/ (so bright)
Everyday's full of magic! (full of magic)
Everyday feels right/ (feeeels right)
Everyday is a classic!
And just when I think/
It can't get any better/
Every new day is the best day ever! (best day ever)
"Wo-o-o-o-oah! (Everyday's so bright)
It's like, It's like/
Every new day is the best day ever!" (Everyday's full of magic!)
"Wo-o-o-o-oah!
It's like, It's like/
Every new day is the best day ever!" (Every new day is the best day ever!)
Pipp checked her watch after they had finished. "Right, four hours down. Twenty to go!"
Even though she had started early to try and ensure that she got some decent sleep after completing the twenty four hour streaming challenge, Pipp was still feeling pretty tired when she got up at her usual time of eight in the morning. "Hopefully a shower and a coffee will wake me up," she said. Pipp usually limited herself to one caffeinated drink a day, but she thought today she would need it.
As she walked down the corridor to downstairs, she saw Zipp waiting for her. "Hey Zipp."
"So, how'd it go?" Zipp asked.
"I managed to stream for 24 hours!" Pipp said, punching the air as she did so. "I'm one of only a few people who can say that."
Zipp nodded. "Yeah, it might be a good thing for you avoid screens for a bit. So, did you get enough rest?"
"I think so," Pipp said, before yawning very loudly.
Zipp looked worried. "Are you sure?"
"I'm fine," Pipp said defensively.
"Look, you can have a lie in. I'll do your tasks for you and-"
"I said I'm fine!" Pipp snapped. "Sheesh, don't you have ears?"
As she walked off, Zipp shook her head. "She's too stubborn to realise it but she's tired. She's only this crabby when she's tired."
At the engine shed, Pipp had arrived to fire Sophie up for the day. The cool sea air and breeze was helping her to stay awake. "Well, it's a lovely morning," she said, before leaning on Sophie and momentarily shutting her eyes.
She was suddenly awoken by a loud klaxon. "WAKEY WAKEY!"
Pipp shook her head. "Izzy, seriously? I was only resting my eyes!"
"Resting your eyes?" Porter said. "You looked like you'd fallen asleep!"
Hitch noticed this as well. "Look, I know you're keen to show you're right as rain after your recent bout of illness, but this is clearly serious. Sleep deprivation can cause serious accidents!"
Pipp snorted. "What is this, educating Pipp day? I'm perfectly wide awake. I can do whatever tasks are required of me."
Just then the foreman handed her a work order. Pipp glanced over it. "Chickens to the market, sheep to the farm, and children to the school. Sounds easy enough."
Salty chimed in. "We can split the jobs up if that helps. There aren't many trawlers in the dock today."
Pipp looked at him, annoyed. "If you mention sleep one more time I'll use some perfume on you!" She hopped into Sophie's cab, fired up the engine, and drove away.
Sunny looked worried. "She's definitely sleep deprived if she's acting like this."
Problems began almost immediately. Pipp shunted all the vehicles required into a single train instead of three separate ones.
"Pipp?" Sophie asked. "Why are we putting all of these vehicles together? They don't have compatible brake systems!"
"If we move all three at once we get the job done much faster," Pipp pointed out. She looked at the work order again. "Chickens to the market, sheep to the farm, and children to the school."
The long train was pushed into the loading dock. The chickens, currently stored in wire baskets, were placed inside open vans. The sheep were loaded into cattle vans with open sides to allow for plenty of ventilation. Once this task was complete, Pipp moved the train into the platform and the children climbed aboard.
Pipp picked up the radio. "Good morning!" she said. "We'll shortly be shetting off. I hope you have jice nourney."
"What?" asked one of the children. "What a jice nourney?"
"I think she meant a nice journey," said one of the other children.
Seashell glanced at Peach Fizz. "Pipp was doing a long livestream yesterday," she said. "I didn't watch the full thing- mom wouldn't let me- but she was on for a super long time."
"Maybe she's tired?" Peach Fizz suggested.
"If she's getting her letters mixed up, she probably is!" Glory added.
Eventually, the train began to make its way up the line. Pipp was finding it increasingly difficult to remember what order to complete all the jobs in. "Sheep to the market, children to the farm, chickens to school," she murmured.
They arrived first at Penmere, where the market was taking place. "Unload the sheep!" she called.
The station staff looked very confused, as they were expecting chickens, but they unloaded them anyway. A similar thing happened at the private siding at Perranwell, where the children were instructed to get off.
"Unless we're having a visit day this doesn't look right!" said Glory. "We'll get very muddy!"
And at Truro itself, the chickens were unloaded as they were the only things left. The vans were reloaded with new cargo, and Sophie took them with her back to Falmouth. Sunny was waiting at the loading dock. "I hope the new part is here!" she said. "The sooner I can get the new smoothie flavours made the better."
Sure enough, the van was unloaded, and Sunny took the part with her. Sophie went back to the shed and was stabled.
"So, how did the delivery go?" Salty asked.
"Pipp seemed awfully muddled," Sophie said. "I'm pretty certain the children weren't meant to go to the farm. Pipp?"
The only answer to Sophie's question was loud snoring. Just then, Charles returned from Lighthouse Quarry. "How has everybody been doing whilst I was away?" he asked.
"Apart from Von Snorehousen here, pretty well," Sophie replied.
Zipp leaned out of the cab and saw Pipp slumped over the controls. "I knew it." She reached down and pushed the horn lever.
"AHHHHH!" Pipp leaped out of her seat and looked around. "Is something going on?"
"The only thing going on is that you're in no condition to work," Zipp scolded her. "What sort of mess might you have made now?"
"I haven't made a mess!" Pipp retorted. "Chickens to the market, sheep to the farm, and children to the school. That was what I had to deliver, and I delivered it!"
Suddenly, the foreman arrived. "I've been getting some very strange phone calls," he said. "Can somebody explain to me why there are sheep at the market, schoolchildren at the farm, and chickens at the school?"
Zipp looked over again. "Well, Pipp?"
"Well, the work order was in smaller print than usual and-"
"You're sleep deprived. Why else would you mix the instructions up?"
Pipp was about to speak, but before she could there was loud screaming from the town.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Jazz shouted. "SUNNY'S SMOOTHIE MACHINE HAS GONE WRONG!"
Projectiles of fruit rained down on buildings and splattered all over the street, making a frightful mess. Sunny was both terrified and baffled. "What's going on?" she asked, as she tried to switch the machine off. "Can somebody help me stop this thing?"
Hitch sprinted over, and spotted the power cable. He ran over to the wall and pulled out the plug. "We're gonna have a hard time explaining this one to the council."
Sunny took the top off the machine and looked at the part. "I don't understand," she said quietly. "I installed the new part."
"What's the serial number you ordered?" Hitch asked.
"10172004," Sunny replied.
Hitch looked at it. "This is serial number 10712004. Did somebody give you the wrong part?"
"OK, so we've got three loads of goods in the wrong locations and a malfunctioning smoothie machine fitted with the wrong parts," Zipp summarised. "Sounds like a typical day for us."
Pipp sighed. "I'll get them all fixed and-"
"No you won't," Hitch said sternly. "You tried to do all the work yourself and only left everybody else in a massive mess. The only place you're going is home to sleep. End of conversation. Zipp, make sure she goes."
"My pleasure," Zipp said, and calmly walked Pipp away. "This way!"
"I'm not tired! Just because you're my big sister doesn't mean you have to be a jerk!"
"Only older by a few minutes!"
Hitch glanced back to his friends. "So, who wants to do what?"
Sunny got to work cleaning up the mess her machine made and changing the parts over, whilst Porter went to pick up the sheep from the market. Bellerophon was roped in to take the chickens from Truro to the market, and Rebecca transported the children from the farm to Truro. Having said that, the children certainly enjoyed their unexpected day out!
The next morning, Pipp woke up, and yawned as she pulled herself out of bed. "What a nice day out there," she said to herself as she headed for the shower.
After she was ready, she headed along the corridor towards the stairs. Zipp emerged from her room as well. "Sup," she asked. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah," Pipp replied. "But you know, I had this really strange dream. I was driving, and was required to take chickens to the market, sheep to the farm, and children to the school. But somehow I mixed up the work order and took sheep to the market, children to the farm, and chickens to school! Crazy, amiright? Something like that would never happen in real life!"
Zipp didn't quite know what to say to that. "Yeah. Sounds completely improbable. So, you fired up for the day?"
"You bet!" Pipp replied, as she walked away.
Zipp pulled her phone out and fired up WhatsApp before sending a message. Pipp is OK, and seems well rested. She slept like a log for most of the day, but thinks yesterday's events were a dream.
She then got several replies.
In fairness the story is pretty implausible. Feels like an episode of a children's TV show.
Zipp laughed after reading that response before putting her phone away. It just went to show that, sometimes, there are situations where the truth actually is stranger than fiction.