MOUSE OF COMMONS. MOUSE OF LORDS.: PART 5 of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

PART 5 of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...
- PART 5

Welcome to the 5th part of our new internet-exclusive, 15 part, mini-adventure by Paul Chandler, once again set in Spain, which is a sequel to GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL and GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA. Although the story refers back to some elements from the previous two stories it can be read on its own and detailed below is a brief summary of the events of the two stories so far. The three stories will be published, along with other stories from this site, in a collection called POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, due in Spring/Summer 2009.

The story so far…

During a visit to Barcelona; Gladstone, Oliver and Charlie meet a cat waiter called Claud and embark on a pie-crawl around the city. During their adventures they stumble on secret goings-on under a pie factory and discover a map that leads them to The Lost City Of Bearcelona - which just happens to be somewhere on the island of Majorca. The only person who can understand the map is Charlie's father Augustus; who is imprisoned inside a cocoon where he can't cause any further trouble. He isn't dead - and yet he isn't really alive in any proper sense; although he is able to communicate with Charlie psychically and during their visit to Barcelona he escapes and Charlie and he fall through a portal that may or may not lead to the lost city… The portal closes behind them and there is no sign of them for months. This new story takes place almost a year later and nothing has been heard from either Charlie or Augustus…

So far this adventure: Oliver Louse and Laura Dust-mite have trailed Gladstone McWhiskers to Barcelona where there have been sightings of Charlie up in the mountains near Alquézar… Meanwhile, Charlie is safe and sound, but stuck in "The Lost City of Bearcelona", which is rather smaller than expected; he and Augustus are at loggerheads - but Charlie has decided that he must escape - he would rather be dead than trapped in the lost city with only his father for company...

Alquézar, Spain. Early Autumn

Meanwhile, back on the other side of the portal, back in what most people refer to as "the real world", Oliver Louse and Laura Dust-mite were finally getting a chance to catch their breaths; it had been a hair-raising few hours; not to mention a rather dangerous time for them both too…

"Darling! When you said we were going to catch a lift I had no idea that you meant anything quite so crazy and unplanned…"

"It wasn't unplanned…" Ollie snapped a little too quickly and then smiled, apologetically. "Although it probably was kind of crazy; I'll give you that…"
Having spotted Gladstone and Claud climbing into their chauffeur-driven limousine Ollie had decided that there was no alternative but to create a diversion. Having rescued Laura only moments before he had hurried straight into the path of the limousine and almost got both of them run over in the process. However it had done the job and the limo had slowed and once Ollie had waved them on furiously with his walking stick, as the car had passed, Oliver had been able to attach them both to the vehicles back bumper using another of Smith's devices inside the stick. So, although they had been safely attached to the limousine for the period of the journey neither of them had really felt that safe as they had blown around in the breeze somewhere just above the exhaust pipe. That said, whilst Laura had almost lost her fake butterfly wings on a couple of occasions, she had been amazed to see that Oliver appeared to be looking quite calm and was even filling in further pages of his notepad; updating his diary even though they were speeding along tight mountain roads at 100 km an hour, or some such ridiculous speed…

To be honest Laura was too scared by the whole journey to say anything and the g-force that she was experiencing also put pay to much conversation…

But now, THANKFULLY, all that was over because they appeared to have finally reached their destination - a town, high up in the mountains, called Alquézar…

"I may be jumping to the wrong conclusions here, darling…" Laura began coyly. "But I have a nasty feeling that there are no superb fashion houses up here in the mountains… Tell me I'm wrong, sweetie? Well?"

But Oliver simply tried to ignore her and stared around the square in which they now stood. "Don't be so negative…" he replied with a slight smirk. "I'm sure you'll find a few I LOVE SPAIN t-shirts in your colour and size and all manner of pleasant tourist trinkets…"

Laura said nothing, but simply glared at Ollie - but the louse was distracted. They had held back a moment or two to allow Gladstone and Claud to get some distance between them, but they now needed to make a move so as not to lose them entirely amongst the maze of streets that made up the small town. "Come on slow coach…" he urged his companion. "No dawdling now, dear!"

Laura was so surprised at the sarcasm in his tone that she didn't even consider arguing - but tried instead to pretend that she was interested in the architecture of the town; stumbling along after the louse, still wearing her butterfly wings with her head turned towards the rooves and arches far above her tiny dust-mite hairdo bee-hive. "Do we even know why we're her yet, darling?" she enquired eventually.

"Err - yeah - well…" Ollie mumbled, for he was distracted - but looking more relieved now, for Gladstone and Claud had appeared ahead of them at the other end of the cobbled streets of Alquézar. "It's Charlie, isn't it - is he here, darling - how super!? He's here, but he's sick is that it? Oh dear, poor bear…"

Ollie shot her another disapproving glance. "Look Laura - I really have no idea - but I'm sure it's more complicated than just that…"

It was beginning to grow quite dark now, especially down the back streets where what sunlight that was left could no longer reach. The shadows were stretching on ahead of them and they kept making Ollie jump because he kept mistaking them for people, but other than Gladstone and Claud up ahead there was no sign of anyone else…

No sign - and no sound; except…

Suddenly, a familiar growl rang out across the streets; echoing around them…

There was no mistaking it; it was Charlie...

What exactly is going on? Has Charlie managed to find his way through from the other dimension or is this merely another beary phantom? In Friday's episode we return to "The Lost City of Bearcelona" to find out exactly what has been going on between Charlie and Augustus Grrr...

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION WILL (HOPEFULLY) BE POSTED THRICE-WEEKLY: ON MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY - UNLESS STATED ELSEWHERE…

SO TUNE IN AGAIN, ON FRIDAY 31ST OCTOBER FOR PART 6 OF THIS ADVENTURE!!

This instalment of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION was originally written in Bierge, Spain on Monday 13th October 2008.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

In this post we continue to look around Alquézar - to see what lies in store within the shadows… Next episode we return to "The Lost City of Bearcelona" to see more of the sights and sounds in that neck of the woods...