MOUSE OF COMMONS. MOUSE OF LORDS.: PART 10 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA...

Friday, December 14, 2007

PART 10 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA...

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA... - PART 10

The 10th part of our new internet-exclusive mini-adventure by Paul Chandler, set in Spain and the Islands, which is a sequel to GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL.

Majorca, Late Autumn.

For a moment the cub simply couldn't believe his eyes. "I have to protect Mr Augustus; his son is not one of us and his friend's are trouble..." he muttered to himself under his breath.

Kob blinked and realised that the restaurant owner was standing there before him and that the man was talking to him and sounded quite dismayed about something. "No more paellas for bears, senor!!" he implored and then pointed to the sky. "No more paella - it is snowing now; the sea creatures are tucked up in their beds - too cold..."

It certainly was snowing; but Kob wasn't really that interested in paellas; well, not today, at least - he just wanted to get hold of Augustus Grrr; his one ticket to reaching the lost city of Bearcelona...

Meanwhile, back in the van - Charlie was driving, once again - whilst Oliver had been given the rather unattractive task of waving spoonfuls of piping hot paella under the nose of Augustus Grrr from the back of the moving van. The spoon itself was almost too heavy for him to lift and it was even worse with chunks of steaming rice piled onto it.

"Flick it at him, Ollie - if you have to..." advised Charlie. "Just as long as some of it gets in his box and he can snuffle it; the very smell of it seems to be reviving him..."

"He's giving you new directions?" Ollie enquired, trying not to let go of the spoon.

"Yes... Yes..." nodded Charlie, sounding a little distracted. "He wants us to go up into the mountains towards Valdemossa..." he declared, after a moment or two's silence and then filled his mouth with another pawful of paella. "What a shame we had to have take-out..." he sighed. "I'd have liked to have kept on eating in that Square; snow or no snow - it looked nice..."

"You just liked the fact our arrival caused so much attention..." Ollie replied, still having not quite gotten over the embarrassment, yet.

"Oh no!" Charlie disputed, but he was grinning through a mouthful of rice. "It never even occurred to me that our arrival would cause such a stir..."

"Perhaps it was you growling furiously at the manager of that restaurant..." Ollie suggested, but Charlie didn't seem to be listening again.

"Any chance you can blow some of the snow off father..." he muttered instead. "It's causing a few problems..."

"With his telepathy!?" Ollie enquired, as he attempted to poke the newly fallen snow off the bears head with the end of the paella spoon.

"No - it's just making him growlly and his noggin's getting a little chilly..." he chuckled and then mouthed. "He's gone a bit bald on top in his old age..." he added and then corrected himself. "Actually - that shouldn't be a problem now he's half the age that he used to be a this time last year..."

Ollie really wasn't sure quite how to reply to that; so he didn't and just kept on trying to poke the snow off Augustus's head as they drove on up into the snowy hills towards Valdemossa...

Back in Soller, meanwhile - Gladstone was hurriedly trying to find a way out of the taxi and had just learnt that he had good news AND bad news to impart to Claud.

"I've found a way out..." he said, but didn't look at all enthusiastic. "But there's a problem... It's a mouse-sized exit - not a cat-sized one..."

Claud didn't hestitate for a moment. "Just take it, Gladstone... You've got no choice... You've got to get out of here and try and catch up with Oliver... I'll be okay - when he opens the door I'll spring out on him; he won't see me coming..."

But Gladstone shook his head. "I'm not leaving you, Claud - that's the end of the matter; either we both go or we both stay..."

"Well, what if you get out and then find a way of getting me out or something..."

"That's not going to work..."

Claud sighed. "Throw a rock through the window or something. Look - just get out of here whilst you can, Glad - PLEASE..." he insisted and Gladstone had a sudden guilty change of heart.

"Okay..." he agreed. "But I'll be back for you - so be ready to go, alright!?"

Claud nodded, eagerly - pleased that he'd been able to convince Gladstone to go. "I'll be ready..." he confirmed and with that Gladstone turned and began to burrow down the side of the back seat where he'd been exploring before.

As he delved deeper he soon spotted the hole in the side of the car, just up ahead of him. He could feel light and the chill of the air outside from the snow. It took a little struggling to get himself through the hole, but he managed it and dropped to the snowy tarmac below...

"Stop right there; you're not going anywhere..." snapped a familiar voice and reluctantly Gladstone looked up into the face of Kob who was pointing what appeared to be a bunch of oranges at him. It was only when he looked closer that he realised that they were merely being used to conceal a deadly looking gun which the cub held in his left paw. "Don't you move - this fruit is loaded and dangerous and I'm not afraid to use it..." he threatened, looking like he really meant it too.

Gladstone didn't doubt him for a moment - he wasn't going anywhere...

Next episode family problems between Charlie and Augustus cause Oliver much concern...

TUNE IN AGAIN, ON MONDAY FOR PART 11 OF THIS ADVENTURE...

This instalment of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA was originally written in Majorca on Sunday 2nd December 2007.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA...

Next week the story heads to the snowy town of Valdemossa; although when I visited there was only lots of sun. That said; I did see a few postcards of the town in snowy weather - so I presume that it's not inaccurate to have set a story in the town in such wintry weather. Anyway - here's a preview of the location of the last 5 chapters of our story...