Silly Siren

At Station 3, the biggest smile belonged to Giggles the fire truck. Giggles was bright red, shiny as a berry, and loved to help. Giggles also had a very special siren.

When Giggles went, "WEE-ooo, WEE-ooo," it sometimes added a funny extra sound: "WEE-ooo—HIC!" The hiccup made Captain Bella snort-laugh, Firefighter Max drop his glove, and Firefighter Tiya cover her face so her giggles wouldn’t fall out.

Even Pancake, the firehouse dog, wagged so hard his tail went thwap-thwap-thwap against the mop bucket.

One sunny morning, the bell clanged. Clang! Clang! Captain Bella popped on her hat. "Team! We have a sticky situation on Sunny Street!"

"Sticky?" asked Max, hopping into his boots.

"Very sticky," said Tiya, pointing at the call sheet. "The Pancake Parade spilled syrup. Everything’s stuck!"

Giggles revved with excitement. Pancakes were Pancake the dog’s favorite word. He zoom-wiggled into the cab.

"Ready, Giggles?" Captain Bella called.

Giggles flashed lights. "WEE-ooo—HIC!" The garage doors rolled open.

The team roared down the road. People waved. Ducks waddled across the crosswalk in a line like tan rubber bands. Giggles whispered to the horn, "Be polite," and gave a soft, "Honk-honk." The ducks nodded as if they knew.

When they turned onto Sunny Street, the team saw it: syrup everywhere! The street looked shiny like a candy apple. The marching band was glued in place. A giant pancake float was stuck to a lamppost. Mr. Mayor hopped gently, trying to free one foot. A cat with a tiny crown, Mr. Whiskers, clung to a balloon string and meowed, "Mew-elp!"

"We’ve got this," said Captain Bella. "Plan: Warm water, gentle spray. Max, start the hose. Tiya, get the soft soap. I’ll set the ladder for Mr. Whiskers."

Max turned the valve. Giggles took a deep breath. "Steady," Giggles told the nozzle. The water started in a nice smooth line and then—

"WEE-ooo—HIC!"

The hiccup wiggled the stream into a zig and a zag and a curly-cue. The water made polka dots on the pancake float.

"It’s art!" yelled the drummer, still stuck. "I love it!"

Tiya slid past on the syrup like she was on invisible skates. Pancake the dog leaped onto a baking tray that had fallen. Shooosh! He slid too—right toward the mayor! Pancake pressed his paws out like a tiny surfer and bumped the mayor free. Pop!

"Good pup!" laughed the mayor, doing a sticky little dance.

Captain Bella raised the ladder. It stretched up, up, up with a gentle groan. "Hello, Mr. Whiskers," she said in a calm voice. "Would you like the Fancy Basket or the Super Fancy Basket?"

Mr. Whiskers blinked. Captain Bella held up a laundry basket with a soft towel. "Super Fancy," she said. Mr. Whiskers stepped in with royal grace. Down he went, safe and unruffled.

Meanwhile, Max and Tiya scrubbed. "Warm water! Gentle swirls!" sang Tiya. Giggles hummed along. "WEE-ooo—HIC!" The hiccup made spirals in the spray that swished the syrup away in loops. Soon the marching band popped free one by one. Pop! Pop! Pop!

The tuba player cheered, then accidentally played, "Bwooooomp!" Pancake barked the same note. "Bwoooomf!" Everyone laughed.

"All clear on the float!" Max called. Giggles gave one more careful rinse. The lamppost let go. The giant pancake wobbled and settled gently onto the street with a flump.

Captain Bella looked around. Sunny Street sparkled (not sticky-sparkle, clean-sparkle). Mr. Whiskers was purring. The mayor had both shoes again.

"Team, great job," she said.

The crowd clapped and cheered. Someone waved a spatula like a flag. A baker brought out a tray. "Thank you, heroes! Pancakes for everyone!"

Giggles got a blueberry kiss of jam right on the bumper.

"How do I look?" Giggles asked.

"Delicious," said Tiya.

"Dashing," said Max.

Pancake licked the air in agreement.

As the team packed up, Captain Bella patted Giggles’s fender. "About that siren…"

Giggles tried a serious sound. "WEE-ooo, WEE-ooo—" No hiccup. Everyone waited.

"—HIC!" squeaked the siren at last.

There was a beat of quiet. Then Sunny Street exploded with giggles. Even Mr. Whiskers made a tiny "Hee." Giggles glowed. A silly siren could still save the day.

Back at the station, Pancake curled on his mat. Max wrote "Syrup Saved" on the big board. Tiya polished the jam spot. Captain Bella hung a new sign: "Station 3: Where Sticky Gets Un-Stuck."

Giggles settled in, proud and shiny. If tomorrow brought a spaghetti slip or a bubble tumble, Giggles would be ready—with lights, with ladders, and with one very silly siren.