THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE 2: A NEW BEGINNING
A "Great Mouse Detective" Fanfiction By The Mouse Avenger

Chapter 5:
A Trip To The Mall

Sunday, October 25, 1897

(CUE MUSIC: "Morning", from Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt" Suite)

Dawn was just beginning to break over Mouse London, & the morning sunlight painted every part of the cityscape with its warm, golden glow. Flowers, trees, & other plants arose to greet the day with their flourishing fall foliage, & tiny drops of cool dew dotted each blade of green grass that grew. A pair of bluebirds chirped cheerfully as they flew down along the length of Baker Street, going past the second story of Basil's house. Inside her bedroom, surrounded by the closed curtains of her canopy bed, Olivia Flaversham was nestled nicely & neatly under the covers, cuddling her teddy bear. When her ears perked up to the sound of the bluebirds singing outside her window, Olivia opened her eyes, sat up in bed, & stretched her arms with a deep yawn. Oh, what a wonderful night's sleep she had had! Aside from that nasty nightmare that had given her a rough start, Olivia's slumber was otherwise very pleasant & peaceful—just the way she liked it!

After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her tiny fist, Olivia took her teddy bear, then pulled back one of her bedcurtains, before crawling out of bed, & landing feet-first on the floor. As she looked around her room, Olivia smiled widely, & let out a sigh of satisfaction. Never had she imagined that she & her family would be living such a life of luxury, when they had been dwelling in the shadows of poverty only days ago! It was certainly a welcome change in their existence, & Olivia would forever be grateful to Basil for making it all possible. Speaking of Basil, Olivia wondered, where is he?

No sooner did this thought occur to Olivia, than Basil (still dressed in his robe & other house attire) opened the door, & came into the bedroom, smiling from ear to ear. "Good morning, Olivia!" Basil said merrily, as he picked Olivia up in his arms, & twirled her around in the air, holding her beneath her underarms. "Glad to see you're awake bright & early!" After he was finished frolicking with Olivia, Basil carefully put the young mouseling down onto the floor, & added in the same cheerful tone, "We've got a busy day today!"

Now, Olivia was curious to know what the day had in store for her. Still holding her teddy bear in her arms, Olivia followed Basil as he walked out of her room, & down the second-story hallway. "What are we doing today, Basil?" the mouseling asked inquisitively, toddling after her godfather as both mice made their way down the stairs, & into the living room.

"It's a surprise, my dear," Basil replied in a voice brimming with excitement, as he continued to smile broadly at Olivia, holding up his left forefinger like a schoolteacher lecturing his students. "A very marvelous surprise!" When Olivia pretended to pout with dissatisfaction at this ambiguous answer, Basil was quick to assure his goddaughter, "But fear not, Olivia! You'll find out what it is soon enough!" Basil escorted Olivia through the living room, & led her over to the door leading into the kitchen. With gentlemousely grace & gentility, the Great Mouse Detective opened the door, & gestured for Olivia to walk inside. Olivia gladly obliged, & Basil followed her through the kitchen into the dining room, where Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Dr. Dawson, Ratigan, & Fidget were seated at the long mahogany table, getting ready to eat the breakfast that Mrs. Judson was preparing for them. As it turned out, Olivia & Basil weren't the only ones still dressed in their pajamas; Hiram & Cousin Timmy hadn't changed out of their sleep attire, either. But even though Basil had planned an outing for today, it was still Sunday, so there was no need to rush—besides, it was only 7:00 in the morning!

"You'll want to sit down with us for breakfast," Dr. Dawson said eagerly to Basil & Olivia as they approached the table, & took their seats with the others. "Mrs. Judson has a good meal in store for us this morning!" Already, the medical mouse could feel his mouth watering at the thought of all the delicious dishes that would be served shortly!

"I noticed," Basil remarked, unable to keep from smirking when he saw Dr. Dawson salivating—a tell-tale indicator of his associate's ravenous appetite. When it came to food, beverages, & other edibles, Dawson certainly did not discriminate—if it smelled good & tasted good, he would consume every single, solitary scrap of it! Truly, Basil thought, if you were to play a trivia game with Dawson, he would have no trouble with any question pertaining to cuisine & medicine!

At this point, Mrs. Judson came out of the kitchen, & walked into the dining room. Like Dr. Dawson, Ratigan, & Fidget, she was also fully dressed for the exciting day that lay ahead! With a chipper lilt to her Scottish brogue, Mrs. Judson asked her employers & friends, "Cheese pancakes, cheese muffins, cereal, toast, rolls, waffles, Scotch eggs, yogurt, chocolate milk, & coffee, anyone?"

"Yes, please, Mrs. Judson!" Hiram responded enthusiastically, licking his lips in hungry anticipation. With that, Mrs. Judson handed Olivia, Basil, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Dr. Dawson, Ratigan, & Fidget all sorts of scrumptious things to eat—plates of steaming cheese pancakes with maple syrup & butter, cheese muffins with butter & jam, toast with butter & cinnamon sprinkles, bowls of yogurt, cups of coffee & chocolate milk, bread rolls with butter, waffles, Scotch eggs, & Sugar Sparkles cereal! Oh, what a marvelous morning meal that had been prepared for everyone! I simply mustn't miss out on this feast! Mrs. Judson thought to herself, eager to help herself to some hearty helpings.

Once everyone had received their food, Mrs. Judson took some breakfast for herself, & sat down to eat with the others. As Basil & his friends ate together, they shared a wide variety of conversations with one another, & cheerfully chatted in between mouthfuls of morning munchies. Then, as soon as breakfast was over, Mrs. Judson took up all the empty dishes, & put them in the sink to be washed later. Basil, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, & Hiram then went upstairs to get dressed for the day, & once their ordinary outfits were on, they all went back downstairs to join Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson in the antechamber that led to the living room.

After taking a moment to adjust his deerstalker cap onto his head, Basil opened the front door, & everyone began filing out onto the porch. Basil was the last to exit the house, shutting the door behind him as he walked out of the antechamber. When Basil & his friends had all stepped outside, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, & Hiram were shocked to see that their little green car had been replaced with a totally-different vehicle altogether! A large, red-colored automobile was now resting in the carport section of the porch.

When he saw the Flavershams' reaction to the presence of this strange new transporter, Basil quickly assured the trio of mice, "Not to worry, your car is tucked away safely below, in a little underground garage I had built for it. But we'll be using this can to travel to the place where we'll be going on our outing." With that, Basil opened the doors to the van, & Olivia, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson all climbed into the seats, making sure to buckle up. As he took his place at the steering wheel, Basil turned his head to face the others, & exclaimed excitedly, "Isn't this van absolutely marvelous? I made sure it had all the latest equipment—myriad gadgets & gizmos for the dashboard, cupholders, a voltage adapter for electronic devices, plenty of storage space, & GPS tracking. And to top it off, it's virtually indestructible! Oh, & it comes with three sets of seats...& a trunk, as well!"

"Boy, you certainly spared no expense for us, Basil!" Hiram declared in amazement, as he gazed around the interior of the van with a wide-eyed look of fascination. (The toymaker was seated at the front of the vehicle, right next to Basil; Dr. Dawson & Mrs. Judson sat behind them in the second row of passenger seats, & Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget all sat together in the back seat.) Basil then proceeded to fasten his own seatbelt, before shutting the driver-side door, & turning on the engine. The van immediately roared to life, & proceeded to back down the porch's wooden entry ramp, onto a cement pathway that lay sprawled out across one side of the front yard, & led to the pavement. After backing up out of the front yard, & turning around to face ahead of the road, the van began driving down the sidewalk of Baker Street, heading for its occupants' destination.

"So, where are we going for our outing, Basil?" Olivia asked, hoping that she would receive an answer this time.

But Basil would not reveal the secret so easily. "Uh-uh-uh," the detective replied with a waggle of his finger, "it's a surprise!" Olivia pouted again, frustrated with Basil's refusal to satisfy her curiosity.

Of course, Olivia wasn't the only furson who wanted to find out where everyone was going; her fellow youths were pondering over the very same issue. Hoping to convince Basil to spill the proverbial beans, Ratigan asked mischievously, "You're sure you don't want to give us even a little-bitty clue, Basil?" He gave a coy wink of his eye in Basil's direction. "Hmm?"

Basil, still driving the van, just smiled & shook his head. "Sorry, Ratigan, but no can do!" the detective replied playfully. Hiram couldn't help but chuckle mischievously into his paw, amused by the exchange taking place between Basil & the kids.

"Come on, spit it out!" Fidget blurted, getting increasingly excited. "Don't leave us hangin'!"

"Oh, Fidget," Basil answered in a mock-apologetic tone, "I'm afraid that's a definite no, non, nein, nyet, & a big, fat negatory!"

"But WHY-Y-Y-Y-Y?" Fidget whined.

"Because then, I would spoil the surprise for you," Basil replied bluntly. "That's precisely why I can't reveal anything to you, my dear Fidget."

When he heard this, Fidget crossed his arms, & sported a grumpy expression, sulking in irritation. Olivia looked a little impatient, as did Cousin Timmy. Ratigan, however, just smirked coolly, as he took the plastic straw he'd just begun chewing out of his mouth. Smiling & gesturing to Fidget with his straw, Ratigan told his batty brother-figure encouragingly, "Don't worry, Fidget. I've got a feeling we'll find out what this surprise is before too long." Ratigan then put the end of the straw back in his mouth, & continued chewing on it. As he did, he marveled to himself in delight, "My goodness, this is so much better than smoking on those nasty cigarettes!" Already, Ratigan was feeling glad that he had decided to give up his unhealthy little habit—he didn't want to set a bad example for his younger "siblings". [1] And besides, the reformed rogue thought to himself, it was my master who taught me the atrocious art of smoking in the first place! The more I can do to set myself apart from his ways, the better!

After a while of driving across the West End of Mouse London, the Baker Street Family finally made it to the mouse street of Mall Drive (known to us humans as Norfolk Crescent). The group's van traveled down the pavement of the aforementioned road, before turning into an open courtyard that adjoined Mall Drive. In this courtyard, there was a humongous parking lot full of mouse-sized automobiles gathered out in front of a large building that stood at the back of the plaza, looming in the distance.

The Baker Street Family's van proceeded to pull into one of the empty spots in the parking lot. Basil turned off the engine, & everyone opened the doors, before unbuckling their seatbelts, & climbing out of the van. Olivia, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson all followed Basil across the courtyard, before stopping when they got to the front of the giant building at the rear. The rodents all gazed in astonishment at the edifice of the structure, their nerves tingling with excitement for the things they planned to do within its walls. Above the entrance of the building, there was a brilliantly-decorated electric sign that welcomed the Baker Street Family onto its premises. "Welcome to the London Mouse Mini-Mall," Olivia read aloud.

"What da heck's a mall?" Fidget inquired, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Adjusting his deerstalker cap, Basil looked at the others with an eager smile on his face. "Let's find out, shall we?" the detective asked. With that, Basil, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Hiram, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson proceeded to make their way inside the building.


(CUE MUSIC: 1st movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Violin Concerto No. 3 In G Major", as performed by Wendy Carlos)

The London Mouse Mini-Mall was an enormous (& I do mean enormous!) center of activity. Shoppers were hustling & bustling about, carrying boxes, bags, & sacks with their purchased items. Rodent families were all over the mall, either shopping, buying things, eating at the food courts, window-browsing the shops, wandering around, or checking out the entertainment. Shopkeepers were selling their wares; some haggled with a few of their customers. A large, ornate fountain in the center of the mall spewed out water. Giant windows let the sunshine in through their multicolored stained-glass panes. Big potted plants decorated some of the resting places, & all the floors were tiled. Beautiful rainbow things decorated the whole mall, & lovely neon lights shined everywhere; colorful flags & streamers lined the ceiling & walls. Large escalators carried rodent passengers up & down from the first floor of the mall to the second story; golden glass elevators also provided transportation for mall-goers. Soothing classical music streamed through the speakers, filling the area with pleasant audio ambiance.

As they began walking through the London Mouse Mini-Mall, the Baker Street Family simply couldn't contain their amazement & astonishment at the sight of everything around them! What a magnificent building they had discovered! There was so much to see, & so much to do...Basil & the others simply couldn't wait to commence their family outing! And, so, the eager, excited, & enthusiastic rodents embarked on their excursion through the shopping center, looking around for any awesome activities to partake in.

After a bit of strolling, the Baker Street Family got to their first stop, standing at the threshold of a gigantic toy store. Over the entrance, two animatronic angels (in the forms of baby mice in nappies, with wings on their backs & curly mops of hair on their heads) faced each other, appearing to blow on golden trumpets as they heralded a large blue sign that said "Toyland" in giant letters (each in the seven different colors of the rainbow). The members of the Baker Street Family looked up at the exterior of the shop, but while everyone else was wide-eyed with glee & giddiness, Hiram felt downcast & downhearted inside. This is one of the new toy shops that's trying to run me out of business, the toymaker lamented to himself, his spirits sinking at the very thought of it. Hiram felt an increasing urge to go over to one of the adjacent shops, & buy something from them instead...but when he saw how eager his daughter, nephew, & friends were to check out Toyland, he couldn't bring himself to say "no".

Trying to act as though nothing were troubling him, Hiram put on a smile, & said cheerfully, "Well, shall we go in?" With that, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget immediately rushed into the toy store, with all the adults proceeding to follow them inside. The "Toyland" store was so vast, it took up the space of three individual shops! Beautiful paintings of rainbows, clouds, angels, & toys of all kinds covered the wide walls in a brilliantly-colored mural. Lovely rainbow-checkered tiles lined the floor. Happy classical music flowed through the speakers. In the center of the toy store, a giant spiral of various toys reached up to the sky-high ceiling. Large shelves, stacks, trunks, chests, bags, boxes, drawers, & displays of all kinds of toys & games were all over the place—in short, it was a toy-lover's paradise!

Upon entering the Toyland store, the members of the Baker Street Family looked around, gazing at all the wonderful toys & games. Then, they finally began shopping! As they browsed every inch of the store for stuff to buy, Basil & his friends found a lot of neat items to take home with them! First, they picked out various assortments of Rainbow Toys. Then, they also got some games (Olivia bought a few board games, Ratigan bought a chess set, Fidget bought a deck of cards, & Cousin Timmy bought a checkers set). Afterwards, they selected some musical instruments (Olivia bought a rainbow xylophone, Ratigan bought a miniature harp, Fidget bought a harmonica, & Cousin Timmy bought a mouseling-sized grand piano). Then, they got a few coloring books, crayons, paints, markers, & other art supplies. Finally, they picked out all kinds of various other toys to add to their collections.

Once they were all done selecting the items they wanted, the members of the Baker Street Family went to the check-out counter to make their purchases. As Basil placed each item upon the cashier's desk, Olivia turned around, & looked at her father. Even though Hiram had encouraged Olivia & the rest of the Baker Street Family to have a good time here, she could tell that being in the rival toy store was still taking an emotional toll on him. I ought to do something about this, Olivia thought selflessly, as she went over to talk to the Toyland clerk. When the clerk took notice of Olivia's arrival, he smiled at her, & said, "Is there anything I can help you with, young lady?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," Olivia replied, taking out a copy of her father's business card, & placing it on the counter before the clerk. "You see, my daddy runs a toy shop that's been in the family for years, but we're having a lot of financial trouble, now that all these changes in the toy industry have developed. I would hate to see my daddy's business go under, after all the years it's been in operation. If it pleases you, good sir, would you & your family take the time to support our toy shop? Your patronage would be greatly appreciated, & my daddy would be eternally grateful to you for it."

All the while, the Toyland clerk had been listening to Olivia's story with heartfelt sympathy & sorrow, & when he took another look at the business card on his desk, he couldn't bring himself to refuse the mouseling's request. "Certainly," the clerk said with a tender smile, as he took the business card, & put it into his pocket for safekeeping. "Certainly, I'd be glad to help your father out in any way I can!"

"Thank you, mister," Olivia said sweetly with a curtsy. "I look forward to seeing you at our shop soon!"

"You can be sure that my family & I will look forward to every visit!" the clerk replied warmly. [2]

At this point, Basil paid the cashier the appropriate amount of money, & the Baker Street Family put all their purchases into a number of sacks & bags. Afterwards, they walked out of the Toyland toy store, ready to hit the next place of interest. As Basil & his friends walked through the mall with their recent purchases in tow, Olivia looked up at Hiram with a wide smile. "You'll never guess what I did, Daddy!" the mouseling said excitedly.

"What, my bairn?" Hiram replied curiously.

"I talked to the clerk at the toy store," Olivia answered, "& I explained to him about what was going on at our shop. I gave him your business card, & told him to bring his family over any time!"

Needless to say, Hiram was astonished by his daughter's act of selfless generosity, & his heart was greatly touched. "Oh, Olivia," the toymaker sighed, "that's so wonderful of you! But, really, you didn't have to go through all that trouble..."

"It's no trouble at all, Daddy!" Olivia exclaimed encouragingly. "In fact, I think I'll do the same thing for every place we go to from now on! That should be enough to get your toy shop back on its feet again!"

"That sounds like a mighty fine idea to me, dear," Hiram remarked, a wide smile forming on his face.

Shortly afterwards, the Baker Street Family approached the front of a nearby clothing store, cleverly named "Gilly Gouda's Garments". Wanting to see what fine examples of apparel the shop had to offer for sale, Basil & his friends went inside the building, & proceeded to walk around the aforementioned clothing store, checking out all the clothes & outfits there. What a magnificent array of attire there was on display! In addition to some clothing styles from a few months ago, there were also plenty of new, Neo-Mousetorian fashions, too—including T-shirts, tank tops, tube tops, shorts, blue jeans, capris, miniskirts, "skorts", sneakers, sandals, & so much more! The members of the Baker Street Family couldn't resist trying on all the clothes, & modeling in them, before picking out the ones they wanted to buy. (At one point, Fidget tried on a fancy black suit with a red-lined opera cape & matching necktie, much like the stage & screen star Vincent Price I would wear. The others pointed & laughed at Fidget, amused by his choice of outfit, but Fidget just struck a theatrical pose, & cracked a wicked-looking, fanged grin. No matter where the young bat was, he loved getting goofy!)

Once the Baker Street Family had taken all their chosen outfits to the check-out counter, Basil paid for their purchases, & put them all in complimentary containers. Then, the Great Mouse Detective & his friends walked out of Gilly Gouda's Garments to their next stop, still carrying all the items they had bought over the course of the morning. So far, everyone was having a gay, grand old time at the London Mouse Mini-Mall, & it was only bound to get better as the day progressed!


At one point, while they were strolling through the shopping center, the Baker Street Family stopped when their ears perked up to the sound of singing. The group all turned around to see the source of the music, & it didn't take long for them to notice that there was a huge crowd of rodents gathered in the center of the mall. "Hey, what's that?" Olivia wondered aloud, as she & her loved ones took a look at the activity taking place not too far away from them. A huge stage had been set up in the mall's center, with a brightly-colored sign announcing the current event: "Big Karaoke ContestWinning Prize Up To 1,000 Pounds!" On the stage, a teenage shrew with a large nose was singing a nasal version of a song called "Midnight, The Stars, & You". [3]

Ratigan quickly figured out what everyone was doing on & around the stage. "That, my dear Olivia," Ratigan explained, "happens to be a contest for karaoke-singing."

"Boy, that sure looks like fun!" Olivia said enthusiastically, bouncing up & down in her eagerness to partake in the pop-culture powwow.

"Can we go join it, Uncle Hiram?" Cousin Timmy asked excitedly, to which Hiram replied with a warm smile, "Sure, why not?"

Meanwhile, on the karaoke stage, the shrew continued to sing his song in his stuffed-up, nasal tone. Unfortunately for the young fellow, the audience was starting to dislike his performance, for he was not only singing nasally, but also off-key. Totally oblivious to his failure at musical mastery, the shrew kept belting out his song for the crowd, while the Baker Street Family took their seats at a group of chairs in the makeshift karaoke arena...

Midnight...what a sweet romance...
I know...all my whole life through...
I'll be remembering you...whatever else I do...
Midnight...with the stars & you...

At this point, the audience members started booing, hissing, & jeering as they tossed popcorn & other snacks in the karaoke singer's direction. The singer attempted to say a few last words to his not-so-adoring public, but the audience's aggravated reaction sent him dashing off the stage in a hurry! When they saw the karaoke singer flee the area, the audience members immediately calmed down, & sat back down in their seats. Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget, however, didn't pay any attention to all the ruckus—they were too busy thinking about participating in the karaoke contest.

"So...which one of you guys wants to go first?" Cousin Timmy asked, munching on some cookies he had purchased at the snack bar.

"Perhaps, I should, Timmy," Ratigan replied with a coy smile. "I'll get them all warmed up for you kids, eh?"

"That's a good idea, Ratigan!" Olivia remarked.

"All right, then!" Ratigan said, getting up out of his seat. "Wish me luck!"

(CUE SONG: "The World's Greatest Brother Around")

As he was bathed in the glow of a bright spotlight, Ratigan strolled confidently onto the karaoke stage, before taking the microphone, & turning to face the audience. Just as he was about to begin his big performance, Ratigan took one look at the sea of spectators...& immediately gulped when he saw who else was in the auditorium. Poor Ratigan broke out into a cold sweat, & his eyes widened with fear, as he became increasingly nervous. He never would have guessed that they'd show up here, of all places, but there they were! His former thugs & assistants were sitting right in front of him, with the rest of the audience!

Agent 001, Walker, Snotty Sam, Gunsmoke Gary (slurping on a blue lollipop), Eunice, Shellington Batly, Peewee Pete, Terry & Thomas Farrell, "Manchester" Maurice Favell, & Jaywalk James stared back at Ratigan with confused & puzzled expressions. What on Earth is the boss doing here, they wondered, & why is he dressed in his royal garb from the night of the Diamond Jubilee? Bill The Lizard, Bartholomew Favell (clutching a bottle of sugary grape soda), Red Robertson (chewing on some bubble gum), Snakes Henshaw, Olga, Miriam, & Old Blind Joe glared angrily at Ratigan, not looking very pleased to see him. Unless something's been going on with Ratigan that we don't know about, the do-gooders thought, we can assume he's still up to his old tricks!

Still cracking a nervous grin, Ratigan tried to wipe the sweat off his brow with his handkerchief, hoping that he hadn't lost face in front of everybody. Trying to overcome his anxiety, Ratigan stuttered, "My...My friends...Wh...Wh..." It was then that Ratigan realized that he had never really told his former minions why he had fired them in the first place—not to mention that there were still plenty of rodents in Mouse London who had yet to learn of his reformation. Well, this is a perfectly good time to remedy that egregious little oversight! Ratigan decided. His bravado returned to him, & he proudly announced to the fursons in the audience, "W-We are about to embark on the most delightful, the most wonderful, the most glorious scheme of my infamous career! A scheme to top all schemes, a scheme that will live in eternal fame!"

When Ratigan received no reaction from the audience, he continued on with his speech, undaunted: "On this oh-too-lovely day, your reviled enemy celebrates his official reformation." (He struck his chest with his fist, smiling in a friendly manner.) "And, with the enthusiastic help of our good friends...That's all you wonderful rodents out there..." (Some of the audience members began muttering.) "It promises to be a day you will never forget." (The clamoring from the audience became more excited.) "My first day in Mouse London as the new-&-improved Ratigan!" Ratigan struck a dramatic pose, bringing his arms up in the air with a grand flourish, & forming his paws into peace signs.

At this point, the rodents in the audience, as well as Old Blind Joe & the members of the Goodie Gang, began standing up & cheering joyfully. Manchester Maurice & the other thugs, on the other hand, were completely & utterly confused by just what Ratigan was saying. Nevertheless, Ratigan went on: "And now, for my entry in the karaoke contest, I would like to reprise a familiar song that some of you may remember from the days of yore..." And, so, Ratigan took the microphone, & began to stroll down off the stage into the seating area, making his way through the red carpet that was laid out between the two groups of chairs were the audience was seated, as the spotlight followed him. As he did a little dance, Ratigan began to sing...

There was once an era of great transgression
And I'm not afraid to make such a confession,
But there was a time when all good & just
Was replaced in my heart by ill will & bloodlust

The audience members were stunned to hear the words coming out of Ratigan's mouth. Sure, there had been recent rumors that Ratigan had reformed, but they had no way to believe it...until now. If what Ratigan was saying was true, & he really had turned over a new leaf, then they were bearing witness to a miracle in the making! As the audience members began reacting pleasantly to his news, Ratigan continued singing...

But now, as you see, things have changed!
I'm no longer vile & deranged!

In one part of the arena, two mice stood up next to the chairs they had been sitting in. The first furson (a lady ambassador by the name of Mrs. Wellington) glanced up fearfully with a wide-eyed, terrified expression as she protectively clutched her young son (a little tike named Joey). [4] Ratigan approached Mrs. Wellington & Joey, gave a sweeping bow to both mice, & then crouched down to kneel at Joey's level, singing all the while...

I'm pleased to announce that I have denounced
The horrible lifestyle I had...

Ratigan smiled amiably at Joey as he took off his beanie cup, & tousled his fur-hair playfully. Then, Ratigan reached into the pockets of his royal robes, & presented Joey with a big candy bar, a comic book, a few toys, & a box of crayons. As he performed all these actions, Ratigan wrapped up the first verse of his song...

And you'll be delighted, amazed, & excited
To know that I'm no longer bad!

After handing Joey the last of his presents, Ratigan smiled once more at the boy, then gracefully left their presence. A happy Joey turned to face his pleased & delighted mother as he showed her the candy bar, comic book, toys, & crayons that Ratigan had so kindly given him. Meanwhile, the other audience members had witnessed Ratigan's interactions with the Wellingtons, & they were indeed delighted, amazed, & excited to see how much Ratigan had changed in the course of only a few months! After a still-smiling Ratigan strolled towards them, the audience members immediately crowded around the former criminal, as they burst into joyous song...

What a change that has happened!
We can start living without any fear!

Unnoticed by anyone, Bartholomew popped up among the audience members, holding onto the bottle of sugary grape soda that he had just finished. Shaking his empty bottle, Bartholomew sported a sad frown on his face as he sang, "Though, to be honest, I miss me beer..." Then, the audience members picked Ratigan up, & started carrying him over their heads & shoulders in an imitation of crowd-surfing. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Bartholomew was accidentally carried up with Ratigan, & as Ratigan "surfed the crowd", poor Bart did, too! All the while, the audience members sang...

To Ratigan,
To Ratigan...
The best guy in town!
Oh, Ratigan,
Oh, Ratigan...
The truth of his words is abound!

Ratigan was subsequently lowered down onto the floor by the audience members, while Bartholomew landed on his bum with a rough thud. With the spotlight still shining on him, Ratigan then returned to the karaoke stage, continuing to speak through his microphone as he switched to a spoken interlude. "Thank you, thank you all very much," Ratigan said, smiling & bowing to the audience. Then, staring at the audience with a solemn, grave look on his face, he continued, "But you must realize that I wasn't always the monster I used to be. I once had kindness & love in my heart, a long time ago..."—his mood immediately became angry—"...but the candle of caring that burned was quickly stamped out by the feet of that miserable scoundrel, Mouses Fiennes!"

Ratigan reached into the pockets of his royal robes once more, & whipped out a photograph of a smirking, roguishly-handsome mouse with gray fur, yellow eyes with green irises, a fang-filled smile, a pink nose, & a wild shock of fur-hair on his head. The audience members reacted in horror to the picture, as horrible memories of past crimes & transgression-induced tragedies came rushing back to them. The thugs said nothing in response. The Goodie Gang & Old Blind Joe, however, started booing, jeering, & otherwise reacting angrily to the photo of Mouses that Ratigan had presented to them. "BOO!" the heroic "hoodlums" all cried.

"I hate you, Mouses Fiennes!" Bill The Lizard shouted, making an angry face at the picture as he shook a green fist at it.

"Go to heck!" Red snarled, making a reversed peace-sign in front of Mouses' likeness. The other thugs glared in distaste & spite at Old Blind Joe & the members of the Goodie Gang for their public display of their hatred for Mouses Fiennes. We know very well that you could care less about our old boss, the rogues thought to themselves in irritation. Why don't you tell the whole mouse world about it, eh?

Meanwhile, Ratigan carried on with his mournful monologue. The ex-criminal sank to his knees upon the karaoke stage, on the verge of tears. Getting more & more choked-up with every word he said, Ratigan continued, "For many long & terrible years, that callous, incorrigible monster manipulated me into becoming an agent of the devil! He made me who I used to be!" (Ratigan began to sob & cry.) "And only now, have I realized what innocence is left of the little boy Mouses transformed into a heartless villain—the very rodent standing before you!"

The audience members were immediately overcome with sympathy for Ratigan. How unfortunate it was that he had been turned over to the dark side at such a tender young age! [5] It never should have been allowed to happen—not to Ratigan, or to anyone else! Sporting empathetic expressions, the audience members moaned, "Aaaawwww..." Bartholomew, sitting up on the floor, began to cry noisily. Ratigan dried his teary eyes with his handkerchief, then looked back up at the audience with a broad smile, as he finished his speech: "But fear not, my fellow Londoners. I assure you that no one, not even Mouses, will return my soul to its troubled state! Now you can live in safety without any reason to be afraid—for the Napoleon Of Crime has abdicated his evil throne!" With this comforting vow in mind, the audience members went back up to Ratigan, & resumed singing...

Oh, Ratigan,
Oh, Ratigan...
He's great, & that's that!

Ratigan couldn't help but smile as he basked in the audience's praise, glad to be admired & revered by his peers at long last. Meanwhile, Bartholomew (still on the floor of the karaoke arena) was reaching for a full bottle of sugary grape soda that rested not too far away from where he was sitting. The little mouse was simply parched, & he felt a great need to satisfy his thirst! Bartholomew grabbed the bottle, then opened it, & began guzzling its contents greedily, while the other audience members continued singing...

To Ratigan,
To Ratigan...

Bartholomew quickly finished his drink, then wiped his mouth with his shirt-sleeve, & finished the chorus of the ongoing song: "To Ratigan, the world's greatest mouse!" (He then let out a noisy belch, & covered his mouth with his paws in embarrassment.) Upon registering the word "mouse", Ratigan suddenly opened his eyes again, & glared angrily at Bartholomew. How dare he?! he thought to himself furiously. Doesn't he realize that I no longer need to masquerade behind a false facade of self-denial? I have come to embrace my true species! I now take pride in my rat heritage, & am no longer ashamed of it! With these thoughts still raging inside his head, Ratigan made his way down from the karaoke stage to the arena floor, & began walking over to Bartholomew, looking quite irritated. "What was THAT?!" he inquired irately. "What did you call me?"

Still sitting down on the floor, Bartholomew—not realizing why Ratigan was upset—just stared at his ex-boss cluelessly, holding his empty bottle of grape soda in his paws (& blinking his eyes a couple of times). Oh, no! Red thought to himself. Bartholomew's done it again! We better do something to help him, before Ratigan goes off the deep end! Bill, Red, & Snakes went up to Ratigan, hoping to intervene before anything drastic happened. All three of the Goodie Gang members sported big, sycophantic, toothy grins as they tried to reason with Ratigan. "Oh, oh, he didn't mean it, Professor..." Red said soothingly.

"I-I-It was just a slip of the tongue!" Bill begged.

Ratigan dodged past Bill, Red, & Snakes, however, & continued storming off until he approached Bartholomew. Ratigan then bent down to grab Bartholomew by his shirt collar, hoisting him up into the air; the poor thug shrunk back in fear, & looked frightened out of his wits, as Ratigan yelled angrily at him, "I AM NOT A MOUSE!" Then, Ratigan turned back to face Bill, Red, & Snakes, before snapping, "And may I add that I'm NOT a professor, either!" [6]

The members of the Goodie Gang kept trying to appease Ratigan, hoping they could soothe his troubled soul. "'Course you're not," Snakes said reassuringly, quickly realizing what Ratigan was getting at. "You're a rat!"

"Yeah, that's right," Red agreed. "Right! A rat!"

"Yeah," Bill exclaimed with a stutter. "A CUDDLY rat!"

But Ratigan would have none of it. "SILENCE, YOU FOOLS!" he shouted irritatedly at the three thugs, before coolly releasing his grip on Bartholomew's shirt-collar. Bartholomew fell down, & landed bum-first on the floor, before looking up timidly as Ratigan turned around with a sigh, & calmly started walking away from him. "Oh, my dear Bartholomew," Ratigan lamented, "I'm afraid that you've gone & upset me." The former criminal stopped in his tracks...then slowly turned back to face Bartholomew, glowering angrily at him. "And do you know what happens...when someone upsets me?" Ratigan asked icily. With that, Ratigan began walking towards Bartholomew again, the furious look not leaving his face.

Now, Bartholomew was worried about what might happen to him. Felicia might not be around, he thought timidly, but Ratigan can still deal me a lot of damage! Bartholomew gulped, then cracked a nervous smile that became more & more of a terrified expression as Ratigan got closer & closer to him. Gradually sounding more scared, Bartholomew tried singing the chorus of Ratigan's song again (but with appropriately-altered lyrics)...

Oh, Ratigan,
Oh, Ratigan,
You're the guy, & that's that...(Oh, cheese-sticks!)
To Ratigan,
To Ratigan,
To Ratigan, the world's greatest...

When Ratigan got the closest to him that he could get, Bartholomew was unable to hide his fear. Expecting something terrible to befall upon him, the portly minion flinched & shielded himself with his arms for a few seconds...but nothing happened. Just when Bartholomew thought it was safe for him to drop his guard, Ratigan suddenly popped his head in, sneering angrily at Bartholomew as he made a fearsome growl through gritted teeth. In response, Bartholomew squealed like a little girl, then crouched down to the floor, covering himself with his arms as he shivered & quivered all over. Holy smokes, that was scary! Bartholomew thought to himself. Oh, well, at least I'm all right...

Ratigan, now having calmed down considerably, turned away from Bartholomew...but when he saw the shocked looks on the audience members' faces, he cracked a sheepish, toothy grin, & chuckled nervously. In a pleasant tone-of-voice, Ratigan said, "I trust there will be no further interruptions from Mr. Favell..." Ratigan cleared his throat into his fist, then smiled at the audience once again, as he added, "And now, as you were singing?"

The audience members couldn't believe what they had just seen! They had expected Ratigan to do something bad to Bartholomew, but instead of acting out on his anger with physical attacks, he had chosen to walk away peacefully! Now more than ever, Ratigan's reformation looked like it was truly the real deal! With that lovely thought occupying their minds, the audience members broke into the last stanza of the song, smiling broadly from ear to ear...

He's not violent or vicious!
He curbs his wrath with a growl & then leaves!
He said he's reformed, & now we believe!
Oh, Ratigan,
Oh, Ratigan,
His change is profound!
To Ratigan,
To Ratigan,
The world's greatest brother around!

With a stirring finale, the song came to a triumphant end. Ratigan smiled & bowed before the audience, who was now applauding & cheering wildly. A few moments later, though, the contest announcer piped up, "Uh, excuse me...Ratigan..." Ratigan suddenly stopped basking in his applause, & turned to face the contest announcer, who continued, "As glad as I am to hear about your reformation..."—he put on a toothy grin, trying to gain favor with Ratigan—"...& I mean that with the utmost sincerity..."—he cleared his throat—"...I'm afraid that the stage is no place to strut your personal stuff...You're disqualified."

Ratigan didn't take the news badly at all. "Well, that's perfectly fine, sir," the reformed rat said nonchalantly, handing the microphone back to the contest announcer. "I'm certain that Miss Flaversham, however, would like to come up & join the contest."

The spotlight that was once on Ratigan moved over to focus on Olivia (still seated with the rest of the Baker Street Family). "Me?" the surprised mouseling asked, gesturing to herself. The audience began encouraging & egging Olivia on, & Olivia found it harder & harder to resist Ratigan's proposal. "Well, if you really want me to...OK!" she said. Finally, Olivia got out of her seat, & walked down the red carpet, going up to the karaoke stage. After Olivia had gotten onto the platform, Ratigan bowed to her, & then exited, allowing his younger "sister" to take her spot in the limelight. The stage was all hers now!

"Here you go, miss," the contest announcer said, handing Olivia the microphone.

"Thank you," Olivia replied sweetly, smiling up at the contest announcer as she took the microphone into her paws. After the contest announcer had left to give her some space, Olivia turned to look at the audience, & with a clear of her throat, she said, "For my karaoke number, I'm going to sing the latest single by the Little Women, 'The Most Wonderful Dad In The World'. OK...ready, everyone?" [7] The instrumental music for the song started playing, & Olivia began to sing...

(CUE SONG: "The Most Wonderful Dad In The World") [8]

Could you be
The most wonderful dad in the world?
It's plain to see
You're the reason that I am alive

When the day
Turns into the last day of all time,
I can say
I hope you'll still be here in my life

And when night
Falls on me, & I cry tears of fright,
I know you'll wipe them away,
And tell me that it will be all right

Could you be
The most wonderful dad in the world?
It's plain to see
You're the reason that I am alive

Oh, yes, you are...

How can I
Get through days, when I can't get through hours? (Oh, no...)
I can try,
But when I do, I sometimes feel devoured

So devoured
Almost feel like a frail little flower...
But when you come
To pull me through,
I can rest eased at each passing hour

Could you be
The most wonderful dad in the world?
It's plain to see
You're the reason that I am alive

Oh, yes, you are!

It was at this point that Olivia started to freeze. For a moment, she had forgotten the lyrics to the bridge of the song! Luckily, Ratigan had listened to the tune, as well, & he was quick to come to her aid, delivering the lines in a "rap" style...

And if the stars ever fell one by one from the sky,
I know for sure that you won't be too far behind
Your only child, she's got no reason to ever be shy
This only child, she looks to you for peace of mind

Olivia then finished the song, with Ratigan providing additional backup...

Could you be (Could you be)
The most wonderful dad in the world?
It's plain to see (Plain to see)
You're the reason that I am alive

Could you be
The most wonderful dad in the world?
It's plain to see
You're the reason that I am alive

As the audience applauded & cheered for her, Olivia took several bows & curtsies. The contest announcer walked over to join the mouseling at her side, smiling from ear to ear. "Well, that was a very spirited performance!" the announcer complimented Olivia, as he shook her hand. "A performance deserving of the winning prize...1,000 pounds!" With that, the contest announcer presented Olivia with a great, big bag of the prize money, & placed it into her receiving arms. The audience applauded even more wildly now! Learning down to Olivia as he held her microphone up to her mouth, the contest announcer asked, "So, what are you gonna do with your prize money?"

Olivia grunted a little as she struggled to lift up the very, very heavy bag of pounds. Exhausted as she was from the energy she'd spent trying to hold up the money sack, Olivia managed to crack a broad smile at the contest announcer, as she made her reply: "Finish my shopping spree with my family!" Finally, Olivia's arms gave way, & she let the money bag fall to the stage floor, panting & heaving for much-needed breath. Oh, what fun she had taking part in the karaoke contest! And now that she had won the big cash prize, the day was about to get even more awesome!


(CUE MUSIC: "Sinfonia In D Major" from Johann Sebastian Bach's "Cantata No. 29", as performed by Wendy Carlos)

Upon exiting the karaoke auditorium, the Baker Street Family went to the mall's food court to have lunch. They decided to have their midday meal at the Limburger King restaurant there, & they greatly enjoyed eating at that place! For many of the members of the Baker Street Family, it was their first time trying fast food, & the burgers, French fries, drinks, & desserts certainly did not disappoint! The food tasted so good, they couldn't get enough of it, & their taste buds tingled in sheer delight!

After finishing lunch, the Baker Street Family went to the mall's theater to see one of the latest films being shown. Even though they had just eaten, they couldn't resist leisurely dining on candy, popcorn, & soda as they sat in the comfortable plush chairs in the auditorium, watching the movie playing on the big screen. To their astonishment, not only was the movie in full color, but they could also hear the characters talking, as background music & sound effects accompanied their actions! The Baker Street Family had never seen anything like it before, & they were simply blown away by it all! The progression of technology over the last few months was, to say the very least, truly remarkable!

After the movie was over, the Baker Street Family went over to one of the mall's many "family entertainment" areas, where there were a lot of fun & exciting things for them to do. First, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget went on the merry-go-round, riding a group of prettily-colored ponies as the adults watched on lovingly from nearby seats (they would have also gone on the ride...but, alas, there weren't enough horses for them!). Then, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget played in the mall's playground...&, oh, what fun they had swinging on the swings, going down the slides, playing on the seesaws & hobby horses, frolicking in the ball pit, exploring the big playplace, & checking out all the other entertaining & exciting equipment in the area! Once the kids were all done, the Baker Street Family took their seats in front of a small stage, watching a puppet show with some of the other families who had come to the mall. The puppet show was delightful in every way, & all of the spectators were greatly amused by the antics of the lovable rascals Punch & Judy.

Once the puppet show was over, the Baker Street Family left for a nearby bookstore. As they browsed through the shelves, Basil & his friends found a lot of interesting books on display—"The Travels Of Fitzwilliam Pound" (by Charles Delbert), "A Clockwork Rodent" (by Amergin Burgess), "The Trouble With Trolls" (by Sally McBride), "Gargoyle Mansion" (by Simon King), "Creepy Culinary Delights" (a cookbook by none other than Vincent Price I), "The Silver Bullet" (a Nancy Shrew mystery), "Our Feline Foes" (by Edvard Hagerup), & "In The Mind Of The Lost" (by Rudyard Kingsley) were just a few examples of them! [9] The Baker Street Family couldn't resist taking several of these books, & bringing them to the check-out counter for purchase. Oh, how they would enjoy reading every word & seeing every illustration of these marvelous, treasured tomes!

After leaving the bookstore, the Baker Street Family went to shop at a music-box store, followed by a store for custom-made gifts—both of which had plenty of wonderful wares to sell to Basil & his companions. Then, the rodents did a little shopping at the Cheesney Store, where they found a lot of fascinating toys, games, books, & other goodies pertaining to the works of up-&-coming animation mogul Walt Cheesney. After that, the Baker Street Family went to a huge candy store, filled to the ceiling with all kinds of delicious desserts, tasty treats, & choice confections (Fidget really enjoyed it here, along with Olivia, Cousin Timmy, & Dr. Dawson!). Then, the Baker Street Family went to a games & sports store, where they found a lot of great stuff for athletic activities. Afterwards, Basil & his friends shopped at a record store, where they not only bought a few old-fashioned vinyl albums, but also several of the latest hit CDs. Finally, the Baker Street Family finished their shopping spree at a store for house decorations, where Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget found plenty of good stuff to put in their rooms at home.


By the time the Baker Street Family left the London Mouse Mini-Mall, it was already sunset, & the Great Mouse Detective & his colleagues were eager to get home. As fun as their outing was, they were quite fashed & fatigued from their energy expenditures. [10] After a while of driving back across the West End, the Baker Street Family finally made it to their house, their van full of the purchases they had made during their earlier adventures at the mall. Once the van had parked in the carport, Basil turned off the automobile, & the sliding doors opened to let Basil, Olivia, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson out. As he walked over to the front door with his kinsrodents, Basil said, "Don't worry, everyone, I'll have our stuff all out of the van by tomorrow morning!"

"OK, Basil," Olivia replied, merrily skipping along with the others.

"So, what's for dinner?" Fidget asked.

"I'll see what I can make for all of you," Mrs. Judson answered, as she went to unlock the door, & opened it for everyone. After everyone had entered the house, Basil—the last to leave the carport—shut the door behind him, & joined the others in the dining room for supper. Tonight's meal would be the perfect ending to a lovely, leisurely day! And for the rest of their lives, the Baker Street Family would never forget their first trip to the mall.


[1] Awww, Ratigan's already starting to feel like part of a real family... ^_^

[2] In retrospect, I wish I'd added that part of the chapter into my script for the film version of GMD 2.

[3] Yet again, another Stanley Kubrick reference winds its way into my work! (giggles)

[4] Mrs. Wellington & Joey will make additional appearances in future chapters of the story.

[5] Funny I should mention the "dark side"—I've been on a real "Star Wars" kick lately. And, incidentally, the more I think about it, the more I feel like Mouses Fiennes is the Emperor Palpatine to Ratigan's Darth Vader. In fact, that's one of the very reasons why I just recently made Palpatine one of Mouses' character models!

[6] My explanation for how Ratigan got the title of "professor" will be revealed in future chapters of the story.

[7] That's right, I'm talking about none other than future Baker Street Family members Eliza, Gadget, Jane, & Julie McBride! ^_^

[8] This one's for you, Prince! :-) (big hugs)

[9] Edvard Hagerup & his book were originally mentioned in one of Eve Titus' "Basil Of Baker Street" stories.

[10] Well, what do you know? A surprise "Clockwork Orange" reference!