MOUSE OF COMMONS. MOUSE OF LORDS.

PART 8 of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

PICTURES TO FOLLOW!!!

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...
- PART 8

Welcome to the 8th 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 another dimension in "The Lost City of Bearcelona", which is rather smaller than expected; he and Augustus are at loggerheads - but Charlie has decided that he will escape - one way or another and manages to get a pie with a HELP message on it, through the barrier…

The Other Dimension: The Lost "City" of Bearcelona...

To be honest, seeing the tourists in the “city” had been both a blessing and a curse for Charlie – there was simply no denying it…

In some ways it had made him sad and cross that he was still imprisoned, but in other ways it gave him hope and the ambition to keep searching for a way out. The fact that the tourists had arrived and then left again also gave him the hope that, as long as he could find the portal again – that he could probably get out that way too…

Well, surely – it had to be possible!?

It took him a long time to work out if there was any science behind the opening of the portals and whether they appeared at any regular time or place. Pretty much the answer seemed to be a resounding NO!! – but it was possible, over time, to work a potential pattern of when the opportunity would present itself and although no more strangers like the French tourists found their way in he did often stumble upon the same familiar shimmering lights that he’d seen in the mountain town of Valldemossa in Majorca, where they had first fallen into the portal.

But always too late…

His activities did not go unnoticed by his father – who kept appearing on the hillside outside the monastery watching him busying himself down in the town through binoculars. At first Charlie had wondered whether Augustus was somehow able to control the portal activity – but he seemed almost as intrigued by the whole phenomena as Charlie, himself, was. That said the bear’s father seemed to be quite content living in the tiny Lost City of Bearcelona; unlike his celebearity, show-business, show-off offspring.

On the other hand he didn’t seem keen on the idea of Charlie attempting to make his escape – although he seemed to know more about the whole matter than Charlie did.

“You won’t be able to escape, son… You can only get in that way – you can’t get out!”

“Nonsense…” Charlie refuted, he had been stalking around the “city” square all afternoon and hadn’t noticed his father approach; he’d not seen him close up in months and it was strange to think that the young-ish looking bear who stood opposite him and who looked no older than him was his father – this was due to all the life-forces that he had drained from innocent London theatre-goers some time ago now. “Nonsense!” Charlie repeated. “Not so long ago we had visitors here – a bus load of French tourists – they came in through the portal and then quite quickly they left again…”

Augustus grinned at hearing this and patted his stomach. “Yes…” he beamed. “They came and they went; they went well with a nice three-bean salad and some steam-cooked rice, I should say…” he added and then licked his lips.

"I don't believe you, father... You're making it up..."

"I'm jolly well not..." Augustus sneered. "They were a little bit chewy, it has to be said - but the older ones made decent pies and the younger ones the meat just fell right off the bones... I have the skeletons to prove it back in my basement if you really want to see!"

"No thank you!" Charlie spat back, in disgust. "So if you really saw them, where is their vehicle? I don't see it standing around anywhere?" he challenged.

“Oh! That old thing... Well, the bus eventually ran out of gas – didn’t you see me riding around on it – you are unobservant, Charlie. Still – it didn’t go to waste; once the fuel ran out I simply took it apart and made a nice croissant-baking machine out of the remains…” Charlie wasn’t sure if what his father was saying was true, but the bear had more to say. “You should get used to staying here – one day the portals will close for good – believe me – I know these things; for you own well being – if you find a portal whatever you do don’t try and go through it because it will kill you! Nothing can travel through from the other side and survive…”

However, once he’d been told this Charlie say it as a challenge in itself, of course – and that night he returned home and began to bake. He baked pies with warnings spelt out in on the crust in large, chunky, capital letter pastry; messages that pleaded for help…

Messages that he hoped he could throw through the portal, that would somehow reach the outside world…

FROM NEXT WEEK GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION WILL BE POSTED TWICE-WEEKLY: ON TUESDAY AND THURSDAY - UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE…

PART 9 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION WILL BE POSTED ON THIS SITE ON TUESDAY 9TH DECEMBER…

This instalment of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION was originally written in Bierge, Spain on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th October 2008.

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

We continue to explore “The Lost City of Bearcelona…” in photos…

PICTURES TO FOLLOW!!!

Story, Text and Photos copyright – Paul Chandler, 2008.

Labels: BARCELONA, Charlie Grrr, Claud, fiction, Gladstone McWhiskers, HUMOR, HUMOUR, Laura Dust-mite, Mouse of Commons, Oliver Louse, SPAIN

posted by Paul Chandler @ 8:51 AM