MOUSE OF COMMONS. MOUSE OF LORDS.: PART 8 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA...

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

PART 8 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA...

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA... - PART 8

The 8th 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.

Claud looked very pale as he heard Gladstone's theory; but he had to admit that it did make some kind of ludicrous sense. Thankfully Kob, or whatever his real name was, was too busy following the GPS system, after Charlie's van - and almost seemed to have forgotten they were even there.

"So why did he pick us up like that!?" Claud asked. "I mean, what good are we to him?"

Gladstone frowned. "Perhaps as hostages - perhaps simply in revenge for all the trouble that we caused him; after all it was you and I dressed up as the pie man that made him lose control of the digger; and probably gave him that limp too!"

"We have to get out of here..." Claud continued, trying not to panic too much, but Gladstone had a plan.

"We definitely need to get out of here, for sure - but the car door is locked; we have to choose our moment and hope that the car has to make a stop..."

Claud nodded, after a moment's thought and just at that moment the cub turned back to them, smiling. "You okay back there?" he enquired, pleasantly enough. "We're just going to have to stop for a moment or two; Charlie's van has stopped in the town of Soller, just ahead - but the signal has become muffled. He paused before continuing. "You might as well know this - but Mr Grrr told me that this could turn out to be a pretty dangerous mission; he never mentioned anything about stopping on the way to the lost city - so this may mean that there has been trouble..."

"He probably just needs a pie..." Gladstone replied airily, but Kob didn't say much.

"We'll see..." he sighed and Glad shot a quick glance over at Claud.

"This might be our chance..." he mouthed. "Once he's gone we must try to escape..."

Meanwhile, a little way ahead in the town of Soller, Charlie - Ollie and the crate containing Augustus, were sat around a table a restaurant just off the main square.

Times had changed in the last few years and in the big cities across Europe most shops and eating establishment; most people, for that matter - now welcomed the integration of talking bears into the community. A lot of the Beargrrrian bears had a lot of money to spend - so it was good for business and the bears were very well-mannered; so what was the problem!?

But Soller was still just a small town and not used to bear visitors, still - and they were definitely more alarmed at the arrival of Charlie and his father; especially at the restaurant where they had just seated themselves.

The manager came scampering out nervously from inside. "Senor, we are closing... So sorry..." he explained, as cheerfully as he could manage, having watched their arrival with great dismay from behind his cash till.

Other shops in the square were also closing; not because it was late or because it was siesta time - for it wasn't. Although it was beginning to get dark now; this was because it was late autumn and in fact it was bearly 5 O'clock and ordinarily the shops would have been open for another hour or more; the restaurants far later. As they'd driven into the town a lot of the shops were only just starting to re-open after their afternoon rest - but now, since they'd been spotted - it appeared that they were now all pulling down their shutters once more.

"Sorry senor - we're closing..." urged the manager again, but Charlie appeared to be pretending that he couldn't hear.

Ollie, however, was feeling a little embarrassed. "Shall we go!?" he suggested. "It's freezing out here, as it is..."

But it seemed that niether Charlie or his father were going anywhere. In fact Charlie had risen to his full height and was now taller than the owner or any of his lurking waiters. "Senor..." hissed the manager. "Please, Senor..."

"Listen..." snapped Charlie. "I don't care if you're closing..." he continued. "You will re-open and you will cook us your bestest paella ever..."

"Charlie..." Ollie began to protest, for he was quite taken aback at the bear's rude behaviour, but it appeared that he hadn't finished quite yet.

"Do you hear me!?" Charlie bellowed furiously. "MY NAME IS AUGUSTUS GRRR AND YOU WILL DO EXACTLY WHAT I COMMAND..."

Next episode Charlie demands quick service - Gladstone and Claud make an escape plan and Kob heads onto the streets to hunt down Augustus Grrr...

TUNE IN AGAIN, TOMORROW FOR PART 9 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...

Today I conclude my photos from Soller and the nearby port, before we head to other locations for later episodes of this story...