MOUSE OF COMMONS. MOUSE OF LORDS.: PART 2 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL!!!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

PART 2 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL!!!

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL!!! - PART 2

Part 2 of a 15 part internet-exclusive mini-adventure by Paul Chandler, set in Barcelona.

To be perfectly honest, neither Ollie nor Gladstone were particularly keen on simply upping sticks and heading off after the bear. They were staying in the Sagrada Familia area of the city and Gladstone had been hoping to catch sight of the famous incomplete cathedral after dark and Oliver had vaguely considered settling down for the night with a local speciality; a paella in the Rambla district of town - but it didn't look like they were going to get the chance to do anything and they had promised him implicitly that they would accompany him on one of the bear's infamous pie-crawls.

...And now Charlie was talking about it being a HAUNTED pie-crawl, of all things.

"The only way that we're going to find out about the whole pie-crawl business is to follow him... Goodness knows what he means about it being haunted..." sighed Gladstone. "...but I'm sure we'll find out one way or another!!"

"Come on then... Let's go, boss..." suggested Ollie with a frown and reluctantly the two friends rose to their feet and hurried across the square after the rapidly departing Master Grrr.

As they hurried down the alleyway after Charlie, neither of them noticed the strange pie-headed stranger who was lurking in the shadows - but then this was probably for the best. The stranger watched them go and then emerged from the gloom and continued on his way.

Thankfully, Gladstone and Ollie didn't have to go much further down the dark passageways before they reached the particular pie parlour that Charlie was intending them to visit. This particular establishment was known as DE-GRRR-TASTO and rather bizarrely it looked a little like a launderette at first glance. As they discovered as they entered, it actually WAS a launderette, but Charlie assured them that it was also a very good "place of pies" too.

"This place..." he enthused. "Is the best pie place in all Barcelona - if not in all of Catalonia - so let's start as we mean to go on..."

"It doesn't look very haunted, so far..." Ollie commented as they were ushered to their seats by a beary waitress.

"No, I have to say it just looks quite normal - except for the launderette..." agreed Glad.

Charlie chuckled. "You'll see..." he explained. "The haunted bit comes later - this is just to get us started on a good quality pie or twelve..."

As they sat down at the nearest table to the bar and begun looking at the menus Ollie suddenly had a brain wave. "I think I've guessed what a pie-crawl is, boss..." he whispered and Gladstone nodded; for he had too. "I think it's about eating lots and lots of pies..." he added, as if having made some grand deduction that no-one could possibly have guessed at.

All the same, Gladstone was polite. "I think you're probably right, Ollie..." he agreed. "Lots of pies in lots of venues sounds about the measure of it..." he agreed. "Pretty much like a normal day for Charlie, really..." he added, with a rather cheeky grin.

The bear had overheard them and let out a chuckle of his own. "That's not QUITE true..." he corrected them. "Because these pies are exceptional - you just wait until you taste them, boys... You'll be knocked for six... Now hurry up and make your decisions - here comes the waiter..."

Sure enough, he was right - for hurrying across the room came the head waiter - all neatly dressed in a plush black suit and bowtie.

"How can I help you, sirs!?" purred the waiter camply as he arrived at the table and took in the three diners before him.

Gladstone looked up from his menu and his face froze as he met the eyes of their host - for much to his horror it appeared that the head waiter of DE-GRRR-TASTO, was a big, hungry looking, tabby cat...

...And he seemed to be looking especially hungrily at Gladstone...

TO BE CONTINUED, TOMORROW.

How will Gladstone cope with the hungry looking waiter - or will he end up on the young cat's own dinner menu?

This instalment was originally written in Barcelona on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th November 2007.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL

More pictures below, from the Barcelona trip.

Friday 9th November 2007: Picture 1 - a slightly less than quiet square just off The Rambla. Picture 2 - me pretending to be all intellectual and writer-ish. Some hope!! Picture 3 - Faithful sidekick, Quint. Picture 4 - Faithful sidekick - Calum.