MOUSE OF COMMONS. MOUSE OF LORDS.: PART 5 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL!!!

Friday, November 16, 2007

PART 5 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL!!!

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL!!! - PART 5

Part 5 of a 15 part internet-exclusive mini-adventure by Paul Chandler, set in Barcelona.

It had to be said that Ollie had never been swimming in gravy before - although he had almost drowned in the Thames ones, whilst trapped inside a strange blue bottle.

It was actually kind of nice at first; the gravy was warm and relaxing and a little like having a hot bath; but very soon the pungent aroma of beef gravy began to fill his ears and eyes and nostrils and he decided that perhaps he ought to come up for air; but before he had a chance to do anything he was plucked from the gravy by Charlie's large furry paw and found himself suspended in mid-air before the bears snuffling pastry coated muzzle.

"Waitress! There's a louse in my gravy which I didn't order!!" he boomed and one of budgerigars came running over looking very apologetic.

"I'm terribly sorry - senor, grrr... I'll take him away - I don't know how that happened..."

"He got carried away, that's what happened..." Gladstone snapped. "The smell of beef gravy went to head..."

"Well, let me just take him away, senor..." twittered the bird apologetically.

"Well, you may..." Charlie declared. "But if you could just rinse him off and bring him back again, he's actually a very good friend of mine..."

"Certainly Senor Grrr!!" agreed the waitress and hurried away excitedly, in the hope that she would get a bigger tip later.

Gladstone sighed and watched as his friend departed and then took a quick, yet nervous nibble of his pie. "I'm terribly sorry about that, Charlie..." he apologised. "He doesn't usually do that..."

"Never mind!!" chortled Charlie. "I'm sure my gravy will taste even better with a little Ollie soaked directly into it..."

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen Oliver was feeling extremely embarrassed about having slipped into the gravy and although the budgerigar had rinsed him off he was now forced to shiver under a tea towel as the waitress dried his clothes under the hand drier. It was the last thing he'd imagined - and the last thing he'd wanted to happen.

"Excuse me..." said a voice suddenly behind him, making him jump. "I do hate to ask - but is there any chance of an autograph..."

Ollie frowned and looked up from under his towel. It was Claud, the cat waiter and he was looming over Oliver with a camera clasped in his paws. To be quite honest Ollie felt quite gob-smacked - for he didn't know quite what to say.

"Umm... Well... I suppose..."

But his words trailed off - for from where he stood he had seen something - a face framed in the kitchen window behind Claud. A large and nightmarish vision of a man simply leering at them both through the glass - face twisted and distorted by the imperfect glass in the window.

But all the same Oliver could tell that this was no ordinary man.

This was a man with a pie for a head...

TO BE CONTINUED, ON MONDAY.

What will the pie-faced phantom do next? How will Oliver cope with what he has seen - not to mention his fanatical new fan...

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

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

The various sights and sounds of Barcelona; the beach - the zoo - the streets and of us!!