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

Chapter 7:
Our Heroes' Adventures Begin

Tuesday, October 27, 1897

The terrible storm from the night before had passed, & the sun was shining brightly over London once again, filling each nook & cranny of the city with its cheery warmth & light. In the West End, on the mouse street of Buckingham Palace Road (known to us humans by the same name), the Baker Street Family's van was driving down the sidewalk, with its occupants feeling as happy as they could ever be. Already, the incident from yesterday had been largely forgotten, & life had returned to normal for Basil & his loved ones. (It certainly helped that Basil had recovered from his injuries quite quickly, & was looking a lot better than he did after what happened the day before.) Once again, Basil was driving the van, with Hiram seated in the chair next to his; Dr. Dawson & Mrs. Judson occupied their usual spots in the middle row, & all of the Baker Street Kids were sitting together in the back of the vehicle. All rodents were dressed up in their outing clothes, & eagerly awaiting the adventures that lay ahead for them on this fine day!

"So, Basil," Olivia asked, "what's the big surprise you have planned for us today?"

"Yeah!" Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget said in unison, wanting to find out more.

Back in the front row of seats, Basil turned a bit to face his young charges while he was driving. "Well, there's two surprises, actually," Basil answered. Brimming with excitement & anticipation, the Baker Street Kids burst into wide smiles, & Olivia gasped in delight. With one paw on the wheel, Basil somehow managed not to lose control of the vehicle or get into any accidents, as he continued with a broad smile, "I shan't give you any details about them...but I will say that one is for all of you children...& the second one is...well, I suppose I could say it's for all you children, but especially for Olivia." (Olivia cooed in fascination when she heard this!) "And I think you'll all enjoy these surprises very, very much." With that, Basil went back to commandeering the van, humming a merry tune as he drove down the street.

(CUE MUSIC: "Rule Britannia", as orchestrated by Sir Edward Elgar)

Just a short distance away from our heroes, stood the grand estate of Buckingham Palace, where England's royalty lived & thrived. In the small mouse palace that was located within the walls of the same building, the royal bedchambers were currently occupied by none other than Her Imperial Majesty, Queen Mousetoria, & her two young maid-servants, Josie & Jenny Richardson.

Since we didn't describe her during her introduction, allow us to briefly elaborate on Queen Mousetoria's appearance to you. The monarch mouse was short for a woman her age, with a plump, portly figure. She had tan fur (with light-tan markings going all across her muzzle & underbelly), & her straight white hair was tied in a bun. A prominent chin, some signs of aging on her face, & wide, high cheekbones (curved at a slight angle) adorned her rounded head. Her slightly-prominent pink nose poked out from between two sweet violet eyes, & a small pair of pink ears flanked either side of her head. Small paws & feet topped off her stout arms & legs, & her short pink tail hid under her clothing. She was regally dressed in a dark-fuschia fur "robe" with ermine cuffs & trimmings, a lavender silk dress, a rather long (& very frilly) pink cravat, a small dark-fuschia crown (decorated with golden ornamentation & turquoise gems), a (very frilly) pink silk veil, & a pair of fuschia high-heel shoes (along with pink linen petticoats & bluish-lavender bloomers).

Meanwhile, Josie & Jenny were both of average height for mouse girls their age, with slim, slender figures. They had soft peach-colored fur & straight hair in ponytails (Josie's was yellow-blonde, while Jenny's was dyed fuschia); their elliptical-shaped heads both had wide cheekbones that curved at an angle, small pink noses, bright blue eyes, & small pink ears. Their lean arms & legs ended in delicate paws & feet, & they had long, slender pink tails. Josie wore a fuschia dress with a pink collar, waistband, & trimmings, as well as fuschia high-heel shoes, & a fuschia silk ribbon at the bottom of her ponytail; Jenny wore the same outfit, but in blue & turquoise.

Queen Mousetoria was sitting in a plush fuschia armchair, her bare feet propped up on a matching stool. Josie & Jenny were helping Her Majesty on with her shoes; alas, they struggled with said shoes, which were a little small, & were meant to fit quite snugly on her feet. Mousetoria leaned over a bit, & looked down at Josie & Jenny in concern, seeing that her servant girls were having trouble with the task of putting on her shoes. "Josie...Jenny...do you need some help?" Queen Mousetoria asked. Not making any noise, Josie gave Mousetoria's right shoe a hard push to try & put it onto her foot. A frustrated Josie angrily beat on the shoe three times with her fist in a vain attempt to push it on, then grunted as she continued to struggle with the shoe, straining & striving with each endeavor.

When she looked up to see the Queen looking down at her, Josie suddenly stopped what she was doing. Trying to smile through her work-worn expression & act as though nothing was troubling her, Josie shook her head, & said, "Oh, no, Queen Mousetoria! Jenny & I are OK...really..."

Still struggling to put on Mousetoria's left shoe, Jenny added in between grunts of effort, "But thanks so very much, Your Majesty. We really do appreciate...your offer...to assist us." However, even when they put on phony smiles & made their replies, Josie & Jenny didn't look like they could handle it. After watching her ladies-in-waiting keep struggling vainly to slip on her shoes, Queen Mousetoria was not convinced that the Richardson sisters didn't need her help.

Taking pity on Josie & Jenny, Queen Mousetoria said with kindness in her voice, "Oh, don't put yourself through so much trouble, girls! I'd be happy to help you!" When Jenny tried to protest, Queen Mousetoria shook her head in an assuring manner, & implored encouragingly, "It's no problem at all, really! Trust me—I don't want you to do all the work!" In fact, Queen Mousetoria decided to help her handmaidens out by pushing her feet into the shoes. Once their task was successfully done, Josie & Jenny were happy to have finished that chore at last, but they also looked a little tired from the earlier effort. "Oh, you poor dears!" Queen Mousetoria said kindly when she saw the Richardson sisters' sorry state. "Would you care to rest for a few minutes?"

"That would...be most...lovely," Josie replied, heaving for breath as she crawled away from Mousetoria with Jenny.

"Yes...Thank you..." Jenny replied, following her sister. With that, the exhausted Josie & Jenny crawled onto Queen Mousetoria's bed, & flopped down onto the mattress, gasping for air.

Mousetoria watched the girls for a couple of seconds to make sure they were all right, then got up onto her feet, & walked over to her vanity. As she did so, the monarch said to herself, "Well, while I'm here, I might as well get ready to greet my guests for the guided palace tour & luncheon that I hold every day at noon." Now seated at her vanity, Queen Mousetoria gave her face a quick powder, & then reached for a small case of lipstick. Just as she was about to put the coloring cosmetic on, Mousetoria was startled by a knocking on the door, causing her to accidentally smear her lipstick over her mouth. Turning to face the door, Queen Mousetoria said, "Just a moment." She took a piece of tissue paper from a box on the table, & wiped off the lipstick, before adding, "You may enter."

The oaken double-doors to the royal bedchambers opened, & three of the Queen's guards (in full dress, but without bayonets) stepped in. As he appeared with his comrades, the first guard announced, "Your Majesty, today's guests for the daily tour & luncheon are here."

(CUE MUSIC: The opening drums & strings intro for the overture to Giaochino Rossini's "The Thieving Magpie")

Upon hearing this, Queen Mousetoria immediately got up from her vanity, & bustled through the room, nearly knocking over the guard-mice as she made her way out through the doors, & pranced merrily down the halls. All the while, she said happily, "Oh, goodie-goodie! My guests are here to see me!" Once Queen Mousetoria had departed, the guard-mice took a moment to regain their bearings, then turned to walk out the door, & follow Her Majesty.


At this moment, Basil Of Baker Street & his loved ones had just arrived at Buckingham Palace, & they were now entering the throne room. When they opened the doors, they were delighted to see Queen Mousetoria herself sitting at the back of the lavish chamber, in the royal seating area. The queen was flanked by Josie & Jenny, & the three guards stood off to the side, keeping a vigilant watch over their ruler. When she saw Basil, Olivia, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson entering the throne room, Queen Mousetoria burst into a wide smile, & said happily, "Oh, Sir Holmesington! Dr. Dawson! Everyone, welcome! Welcome to Buckingham Palace!" Mousetoria promptly got out of her throne, made her way down the flight of steps in front of the royal seating area, & scurried across the floor to meet up with the others, with Josie, Jenny, & the three guards following close behind. Queen Mousetoria then proceeded to greet each of her guests individually, starting with Basil.

Smiling at Basil as she shook his paw, Queen Mousetoria said cheerfully, "Oh, Basil, thank you so much for coming! It's wonderful to see you today." Then, turning to smile at Basil's assistant (& shake his paw), Mousetoria added, "And you, too, Dr. Dawson." Afterwards, Queen Mousetoria gasped, then fawned in heartfelt delight & adoration as she stooped down to Olivia's level to meet eye-to-eye with the mouseling. "Oh, hello!" Mousetoria greeted genially. "What an adorable young lady you are!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the little Scotsmouse replied, flattered.

Now, Queen Mousetoria was beginning to recognize her young visitor. "I think I remember you," the monarch said. "You're Olivia, right? The daughter of the toymaker in the Flaversham Case?"

"Yes, I am," Olivia answered with a humble smile.

"And you helped Sir Holmesington & Dr. Dawson rescue me from the assassination attempt on the night of my Diamond Jubilee, didn't you?" Queen Mousetoria asked.

"Yes, I did, Your Majesty," Olivia replied with a nod, now radiating with an aura of pride about her. "How kind of you to notice."

"And you were with your family at the audience for Basil's knighting ceremony a few nights later?" Queen Mousetoria recalled, bursting into a wide smile as she fawned even more happily. "Oh, & you're that same little girl I talked with that evening at the reception!" Reaching out a paw to shake Olivia's hand, Mousetoria exclaimed ecstatically, "It really is a delightful treat to be in your company once again, Miss Flaversham!"

Putting her arms behind her back, & posing coyly before her leader, Olivia burst into a wide smile of her own, as she said, "Thank you, Queen Mousetoria. It's wonderful to be seeing you again, too."

"Oh, you're such a sweetheart, Olivia!" Queen Mousetoria gushed admiringly. The regal rodent then leaned forward to kiss Olivia on the cheek. The mouseling blushed a bright red, & giggled bashfully, coyly wringing the loose end of her scarf in her paws as she found herself unable to hide the sensation of happy, flattered little butterflies dancing in her tummy. Then, Mousetoria went over to Cousin Timmy, who was simply awestruck upon seeing the Queen standing less than a few inches in front of him. "Are you related to sweet little Miss Flaversham, by any chance?" Queen Mousetoria asked Timmy.

Cousin Timmy tried to overcome his shyness. He gulped, then stuttered for a few seconds, before finally plucking up the courage to reply. Gradually becoming more confident in the presence of Queen Mousetoria, Timmy answered with a nod of his head, "Uh...um...Yeah! Yeah, I'm her cousin." (He extended his little paw out to shake the Queen's.) "Cousin Timmy Flaversham!"

As she shook Cousin Timmy's paw, Queen Mousetoria smiled down at the mouseling, & said sweetly, "Well, I must say, it's a divine pleasure to make your acquaintance, young Mr. Flaversham."

"Th-Thank you, Your Majesty," Cousin Timmy replied, gently pulling his paw away from Mousetoria, & letting it fall back at his side. The boy gave a little bow...& then, before he could stop himself, he suddenly found himself blurting out, "You're very pretty!" Cousin Timmy immediately covered his mouth with his paw, mortified by what he had just said. After all, this wasn't just any pretty girl on the street—this was Her Royal Highness, which automatically placed her on a pedestal above all other females in the United Mouse Kingdom!

Much to Cousin Timmy's dismay, his verbal faux pas was counteracted with a tongue-lashing from his uncle. "Timothy Antonius Flaversham," Hiram scolded, "if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, don't make advances on women like that! Especially those who are royalty!"

However, Queen Mousetoria was not offended by the statement, & she was quick to make this known to the Baker Street Family. "Oh, no, no, it's quite all right," the monarch insisted. "Timmy didn't mean any harm! Besides, I'm actually quite flattered by what he said." (Cousin Timmy was very glad to know that the Queen had taken his outburst as a compliment!) To Olivia's kinsmouse, Mousetoria said warmly, "Thank you very much for telling me I was beautiful. I do appreciate your kind words!"

The Queen then rose to her feet, & went over to greet the other members of the family. A cheesed-off & embarrassed Olivia marched over to Cousin Timmy, & stood in front of him with her paws on her hips, & an irritated scowl on her face. Once again, Timmy had let his inner Lothario take control of him, & mortified his relatives with his uncontrollable urges to flirt with every girl or woman he saw! But Cousin Timmy just tittered & smiled sheepishly at Olivia, as he shrugged his shoulders. The boy just couldn't help himself when Cupid's arrow struck him!

Meanwhile, an absolutely-delighted Queen Mousetoria said to Hiram, "Ah, you must be Mr. Flaversham, I presume?...Yes, of course, we've met before!" The Queen reached out a paw to shake Hiram's hand, & the toymaker gladly returned the gesture, as she continued, "It's very nice to be in the company of you & your loved ones, as I've already told your precious daughter..." (She took a moment to gush.) "Oh, & did I mention Olivia & Timmy are positively adorable little angels?"

Hiram, not quite sure how to handle the Queen's sincere praise, smiled & acted quite modestly in response. "Well," the Scotsmouse replied humbly, "you couldn't have asked for a better mouse to raise them, Your Majesty!"

At this point, Mrs. Judson approached Queen Mousetoria with a warm, genial smile. "I certainly agree with Mr. Flaversham!" she assented.

"I'm sorry," Queen Mousetoria said, turning to face Mrs. Judson with a quizzical stare. "Do I know you?"

(CUE MUSIC: "Minuet In G", by Ludwig Van Beethoven)

It was then that Basil & Dr. Dawson went over to formally introduce Mrs. Judson to Queen Mousetoria. Placing a paw on his employee's shoulder, Basil explained, "No, I don't believe she attended the knighting ceremony with the Flavershams, but anyway, this is the family mousekeeper, cook, maid, & landlady, Mrs. Emily Judson."

"Oh, well, a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Judson!" Queen Mousetoria exclaimed, extending her paw out to shake the other woman's hand.

"Yes, as with you, too, Your Majesty!" Mrs. Judson said happily, reciprocating the pawshake. After finally withdrawing her hand from the Queen's, Mrs. Judson & everyone else listened to Basil as he continued talking.

"I should take the opportunity to tell you, Queen Mousetoria, that Mrs. Judson excels highly at her occupations!" Basil declared. "Aside from her mousekeeping duties, she is also an excellent chef!"

"Yes, far more excellent, I'd say, than the head chef at the fanciest restaurant in Mouse London!" Dr. Dawson complimented.

"And her cookbook of cheese recipes has a multitude of the most delicious dairy delights your palate has ever had the pleasure of sampling!" Basil said.

"Oh, you boys are just too much, really..." Mrs. Judson gushed, blushing & fawning coyly in response to Basil & Dawson's praise.

"Well, then, I suppose that's all the guests for today's tour & luncheon," Queen Mousetoria decided...but just as everyone was about to set off, a white gloved paw suddenly reached in from behind the throne room's double doors, catching the attention of the Queen & her visitors.

"Your Majesty, wait!" a voice called out, & the doors swung open to reveal Ratigan & Fidget standing in the threshold, nervous as can be. As he looked up anxiously at Queen Mousetoria (with Fidget looking just as panicky as he did), Ratigan said with a weak smile, "Um, I'd say you're missing a...couple of guests...Your...Majesty." (Fidget let out a timid chuckle.) "Do you mind if we join you?"

At first, Queen Mousetoria couldn't believe her eyes! She never would have guessed that the two most-wanted criminals in Mouse London (well, after Mouses Fiennes, anyway) would dare to show up at her residence again, but here they were, standing only feet away from her! The nerve of those scoundrels! Queen Mousetoria fumed to herself. After what they tried to do to me on the night of my Diamond Jubilee, they have the audacity to return to Buckingham Palace, as though nothing ever happened?! Who do they think I am, a fool? Well, these rapscallions have got another thing coming to them, that's for sure!

"What are THEY doing here?!" Queen Mousetoria said angrily, glowering at Ratigan & Fidget as she pointed a sharp finger at them. Almost immediately, Ratigan & Fidget both recoiled fearfully in response to the Queen's gesture, shaking & shivering & quivering all over as they wailed & whimpered & whined, begging to be spared from Queen Mousetoria's wrath. The guard-mice came over to Ratigan & Fidget, & closed in on the two rodents, their bayonets fully drawn. At this point, Basil went to intervene, & he said to Queen Mousetoria, "Your Majesty, I think I should explain to you that Ratigan & Fidget have done a lot of thinking since the events of three months ago. They're reformed—they've changed their ways & abandoned their criminal lifestyles in order to find a happier & much more fulfilling existence among law-abiding citizens."

Even though Queen Mousetoria knew that Basil was an honest & trustworthy furson, she also knew what Ratigan & Fidget were capable of...&, so, she wasn't quite sure whether to believe Basil's remarkable claims. Eyeing the detective with some suspicion in her gaze, Queen Mousetoria asked, "And I can trust that you're telling the honest truth to me, Sir Holmesington?" Basil nodded. "The whole truth? And nothing but the whole truth?" Basil nodded again. "So help you, the higher being of your choice?" Basil nodded once more, doing the sign of the cross on his chest to make his words sound more convincing to her. [1] After a pause in thought, Queen Mousetoria finally decided to trust Basil, & she said, "Very well, then." Then, the monarch called to her appointed protectors, "Guards...let Ratigan & Fidget into the throne room at this time, if you please."

Ratigan & Fidget began to relax as the guard-mice backed away from them, & dropped their bayonets to the floor. As he retreated from the reformed rogues with his partners, however, the second guard muttered under his breath, "Don't think you're getting off the hook so easily. We'll still be keeping a close eye on you two...just to make sure you don't try any funny stuff."

"You won't sir," Ratigan replied with a sincere smile, as he nodded his head in affirmation. "Trust me."

With that, Ratigan & Fidget walked off to join the rest of the Baker Street Family. Once her guests were all together, Queen Mousetoria smiled pleasantly, & asked, "I suppose that's everyone, now?" When Basil & his loved ones nodded in reply, Mousetoria said happily, "All right, then! Off we go!" And, so, Queen Mousetoria walked off to begin the tour of Buckingham Palace, with the members of the Baker Street Family, Josie, Jenny, & the three guard-mice loyally trailing after her through every chamber & corridor of the monarchical mansion.


(CUE MUSIC: "Sinfonia", from Igor Stravinsky's "Octet For Wind Instruments")

A couple of hours later, the Baker Street Family were finished with their tour of Buckingham Palace (&, oh, what a delightful tour it had been!). Now, they were sitting down to join Queen Mousetoria & her ladies-in-waiting at the big table in the royal banquet hall for the subsequent luncheon. It wasn't long before Mousetoria's attendants gave her hungry guests a smorgasbord to die for—tea & cheese crumpets, cheese soufflé, cheese soup, cheese & cherry tarts, cheese-cake, cheese muffins, cheese pie, cheesemallow delights, sparkling grape soda, candy, kettle popcorn, cookies, Swiss cheese on crackers, cakes, hamburgers & French fries, champagne, caviar, & ice cream! The rodents all dug into their meal happily, enjoying every mouthful & morsel of it.

At one point, while everyone was eating, Basil beckoned for Queen Mousetoria to lean over to him so that he could whisper in her ear. Speaking to the Queen in hushed tones, Basil said, "Your Majesty, if I may ask you to do a small favor..." When Queen Mousetoria gave Basil her full, undivided attention, the detective continued, "I know it is not generally custom procedure for a monarch to leave the palace, but my family & I could seriously use some of your highly-acclaimed interior-decorating skills." Basil whispered into Queen Mousetoria's ear about what he exactly needed those skills for—I shan't elaborate any further, for fear of spoiling you!—& when he had laid out his proposed plans, Basil added, "Of course...ahem...that is, if you want to."

Registering Basil's words, Queen Mousetoria said hesitantly, "You...want me...to help you...prepare the big surprise you have planned for Olivia?" When Basil nodded in affirmation, Mousetoria was immediately ecstatic about the idea! "Why, I would be most honored to assist you, Sir Holmesington!" the Queen declared in delight. "After what you & your friends did to save my life three months ago, I am eternally in your debt."


Once the Baker Street Family & their royal hosts were finally finished with their midday banquet, they left Buckingham Palace, & made their way to Basil's house. After their van parked inside the carport, the members of the Baker Street Family got out of the vehicle, & scampered towards the front door to enter their home. Queen Mousetoria soon followed her friends, huffing & puffing for breath as she held up the hem of her dress while she ran across the porch & into the building. As she hurried to catch up with the others, Queen Mousetoria cried out in between gasps for air, "Wait, everyone! Please don't leave me behind! I had to say 'goodbye' to the royal coachmouse first!"

Once the Baker Street Family & Her Imperial Majesty were inside the house, they all gathered together in the living room. Basil, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson all chatted & conversed covertly with Queen Mousetoria; Olivia stood off to the side, wondering what the others could be saying underneath all those quiet whispers that she couldn't seem to make out for herself. At one point, Hiram went over to Olivia, & knelt down in front of his daughter. Smiling, the toymaker said, "OK, Olivia, why don't you go upstairs & wait in your room, while we set up your big surprise?"

"OK, Daddy," Olivia replied, returning the smile as she nodded her head. Olivia then ran off to her upstairs quarters, & Hiram watched her leave, before looking back at the others. "So," the toymaker asked, "shall we get started on the..."—ahem—"...project?"

The rest of the Baker Street Family & Queen Mousetoria all nodded their heads. "By royal decree," Mousetoria declared, "I officially order for Operation: Olivia's Big Surprise to commence!"


(CUE MUSIC: Allegro movement from Franz Joseph Haydn's "Concerto In D For Cello")

Just underneath the ground floor of the Baker Street Family's house, Basil, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, Mrs. Judson, & Queen Mousetoria were working together on remodeling Basil's largely-abandoned basement, which was now being put to good use as a mega-playroom for Olivia & anyone else who wanted to play in it. The big project was far from finished, of course, but so far, quite a lot had been done already. A swimming pool had been built in the center of the playroom, & Cousin Timmy was currently filling it with water from a hose. Mrs. Judson was planting beautifully-colored flowers in a series of lush green bushes surrounding the trunk of a large "tree" (actually a bush), where Ratigan was adding equipment to a treehouse. Fidget, who was working with Ratigan, hung upside-down from one of the branches to fasten a few swings for a swingset. After Fidget had fastened the last of the swings to the tree, he went over to Ratigan, & gave him a high five. What great progress everyone was making so far!

Down below, the "director" Basil was supervising all the work, standing in the center of the room as he surveyed everything around him, framing what he saw with an imaginary "picture frame" formed by the forefingers & thumbs of his two paws. "And we'll need a nice touch of fuschia here, to bring out the color of the flowers in the garden..." Basil said, looking through his "viewfinder". Unfortunately, Basil didn't look where he was going, & he yelped in surprise as he slipped & fell into the swimming pool with a splash! After a few seconds, Basil resurfaced from the water, his fur & clothes soaking wet. Well, the detective thought, that wasn't exactly the best part of my day...but no matter! Back to work!

And, so, Basil, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, Mrs. Judson, & Queen Mousetoria worked tirelessly into the late afternoon, until their project was finally completed at last. When the rodents all stood together at the entrance to the mega-playroom, they couldn't help but smile as they admired their handiwork. They had done a fantastic job putting all of this together for Olivia, & she would undoubtedly fall head over heels in love with her playroom when she saw it in all its splendor! Satisfied with everyone's accomplishments, Basil said proudly with his arms akimbo, "Well...I'd say that Olivia is certainly going to enjoy her big surprise!" The others nodded & muttered their agreement. Adjusting his deerstalker cap on his head as he turned around to march through the doorway, Basil added, "I suppose it's time for me to bring Olivia down, so she can see her big surprise waiting for her!" (He started walking away at this point.) "Now, remember, everyone: when Olivia & I come through the doorway, you all yell 'Surprise!'"

"Got it, Pop!" Fidget replied, giving a thumbs-up to Basil.

In the living room, there was a door on the side of the staircase, which covered the secret passageway leading to the mega-playroom. Basil emerged from this door, then turned around to start climbing up the stairs to the second floor. As he ascended the steps, Basil said excitedly, "Oh, Olivia is going to be so surprised!"


Meanwhile, Olivia (now wearing her "inside" day clothes) was sitting on the floor of her room, playing with her dancing doll. After the dancing doll finished its dance, & took a grand bow in front of Olivia, it turned back into a lily; Olivia then picked it up off the floor, then got up, & walked off. Olivia went over to one of her numerous toy chests, before opening up the lid, & placing her dancing doll inside with the other toys in the chest. After closing the lid shut, Olivia heard the sound of knocking on her door, & quickly dashed across the room until she reached said door, which she opened to reveal a smiling Basil standing in the threshold. "Olivia," the detective said happily, "your big surprise is ready!"

Her eyes growing wide as saucers, & her smile widening from ear to ear, Olivia gasped in delight, & started bouncing up & down in excitement. Unable to contain her enthusiasm, Olivia exclaimed, "Oh, boy, Basil! What is it? What is it? What is it?"

Basil chuckled in amusement, then bent down towards Olivia, & said, "All right, now...Close your eyes." (Olivia covered her eyes with her paws, but couldn't resist peeking through them!) "On second thought, you can peek if you want to." When Olivia had uncovered her paws from her eyes, Basil took his goddaughter by the paw, & started leading her out of her room. As he escorted her outside, Basil said, "Now, come along with me, dear..."

(CUE MUSIC: "Intermezzo", from Franz Schmidt's "Notre Dame")

No longer able to restrain herself, Olivia rushed eagerly down the stairs, & turned to enter the secret passageway on the side of the stairs. Basil quickly followed after the mouseling, & the two mice went through the tunnels to approach the doorway at the very end. Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, Mrs. Judson, & Queen Mousetoria were standing together in front of Olivia & Basil, sporting wide smiles on their faces as they shouted cheerfully in unison, "Surprise!" The rodents all parted to make way for Olivia, who came in closer, & found herself looking at the most-wonderful gift she had ever received in her life—a mega-playroom just for her (& all her family & friends, too)!

The floor of the mega-playroom was painted a solid beige, & a beautiful mural was painted all over the walls; on said mural, there were colorful rainbows, rolling green hills, pretty flowers, blue rivers, flourishing trees, little mushrooms & pebbles, flying bluebirds, puffy white clouds, & a smiling yellow sun (with bright orange rays) pictured against a bright blue sky. In the center of the playroom, there was a large swimming pool, which contained a low diving board, a small waterslide, a gazebo, & plenty of pool toys. Scattered everywhere across the room was a humongous, enormous assortment of Rainbow Toys, along with various assortments of other toys (including many that had been built by Hiram), games, dolls, stuffed animals, puzzles, musical instruments, & just about every other kind of plaything that you could possibly desire.

On the north wall, near the door that led into the playroom, there was a large stage made out of the top of a barrel. It had beautiful magenta curtains with golden draw-tassels, bright stage lights, & a curvy staircase flanking either side of the stage. Around the bottom of the stage, there were boxes of props & costumes, as well as other equipment.

In the northwest corner of the room, there was a dining area, which was decorated with a tropical island motif. The snack bar had plenty of food & drinks, as well as four large tables (each of which was surrounded by a set of four chairs), a snack-eating booth (with variously-colored bar-style stools, a counter, & a rainbow-colored awning), a storage area, & a fridge, microwave, oven, blender, & freezer (all of which were in real working order).

On the west wall, there was a big-screen color TV with a VCR, a DVD player, & large audio speakers. Next to the TV, beside one of the speakers, there was a large wooden bookcase (the shelves of which were filled with all kinds of videos & DVDs). A few chairs & beanbag seats were placed in front of the TV for visitors to sit in.

In the southwest corner of the room, there was a big playground with swings, seesaws, slides, hobby-horses, monkey-bars, a trampoline, a jungle-gym, a sandbox, a playhouse, & a merry-go-round.

In the southeast corner of the room, next to a spectacular garden in front of the pool that covered a lot of the south wall, pretty flowers bloomed around the base of a large bush, the branches of which held a giant boat-shaped treehouse. The treehouse itself had a long rope ladder that led inside, a big slide that led outside, an observation balcony on the "bow", little "portholes" for windows, & a whole bunch of neat stuff inside.

On the east wall, there was a large "disco den", with a wide variety of musical instruments (including a keyboard), a DJ-desk (complete with a turntable, scratching records, a CD-player, & mixing equipment), a stereo system with large speakers, a sparkly disco ball, & a beautiful multicolored lighted floor.

In the northeast corner of the room, by the secret entrance, there was a wooden desk with an easy chair & a small PC computer, with plenty of CD-ROMs (many of which were computer games), a printer, & a scanner.

Olivia couldn't believe her eyes when she saw all of the wonderful things in front of her! Already, she was yearning & burning to check everything out! Of course, Olivia couldn't forget to properly thank her family & their gracious guest for providing her with this present, so before she did anything else, the mouseling went up to give everyone big hugs & kisses as she offered words of thanks to them, showing her heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful gift she had received. Olivia then broke away from the others, & went to have fun in her mega-playroom, as Basil, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, Mrs. Judson, & Queen Mousetoria gave friendly waves of their paws, & bid her a good time. And, oh, what fun Olivia had! [2]


A few hours later, the sun was beginning to set over Baker Street, & it was time for Queen Mousetoria to return to Buckingham Palace. On the porch of the Baker Street Family's house, Basil & his loved ones were standing outside the front door as they bid the Queen "goodbye", & gave her "farewell" hugs & handshakes. "I wish to thank you, Queen Mousetoria, for your help today in preparing Olivia's mega-playroom for her," Basil said warmly. "She really does appear to be enjoying it splendidly."

"Oh, it's no problem at all, Basil...everyone," Queen Mousetoria replied. "It's the least I can do for all of you." At this point, the royal carriage drove up along the sidewalk, & pulled to a stop in front of the Baker Street Family's yard. When she saw her ride waiting outside, Queen Mousetoria cried out, "Oh, that's my carriage!" The Queen gathered the hem of her dress in her paw, & then smiled & waved "goodbye" to the Baker Street Family, as Basil & his relatives did the same. "Goodbye!" Queen Mousetoria said. "It was wonderful spending the day with all of you!" With that, Mousetoria exited the front porch, traveled down the pavement onto the sidewalk, got into her carriage, & headed off for Buckingham Palace. As she left, she couldn't help but think to herself, This has definitely been one of the most-memorable & most-interesting days of my life! I'll be sure to remember it for as long as I live!


Wednesday, October 28, 1897

Early the next morning, Ratigan & Fidget were sleeping soundly in their room. Already, they had made themselves feel quite at home on Baker Street, & their fursonal quarters were living proof of that! Ratigan & Fidget's bedroom had sky-blue walls, & a dark-blue carpet. A line of tape indicated the border between Ratigan & Fidget's sides of the room. A closet Ratigan shared with Fidget (with different sections to separate their clothes) was on the east wall, where the door was. On the same wall, between the door & the closet, a large TV with a remote rested on a mahogany table, next to a vault that had yet to be filled with anything. On the north wall, there was a large super-computer (with an easy chair in front).

In Ratigan's section of the room, everything was neat & tidy. On the west wall, a large square window (flanked on either side by large fuschia curtains with golden draw-tassels) was positioned over Ratigan's bed (made out of a light-blue mattress with a white pillow, a mahogany headboard, light-blue sheets, & a warm, fuzzy blue blanket). A lamp & alarm clock rested on Ratigan's mahogany nightstand (which was to the left of the bed), & a golden harp with a plush stool-seat was tucked away in the southwest corner of the room.

Fidget's very messy, unkempt side of the room had an upside-down bed that hung from the ceiling; the bed was made out of a hammock supporting a cocoon of blankets (stuffed with pillows). A small refrigerator was in the southeast corner of the room, & on the south wall, near the place where Ratigan's harp was stored, there was a bookcase adorned with small trinkets, mementos, & books (particularly comics). Also on the south wall, between the fridge & the bookcase, a large toy chest (full of different playthings) rested on the floor. Tacked upon the empty space of wall above the toy chest was a large, colorful poster of the singing star Princess.

Fidget was sleeping in his bed, snoring loudly as he lingered in his last few minutes of slumber. Suddenly, when he awoke to a loud burst of music coming from below, Fidget fell down, & went crashing to the floor with a thud. The little bat got up, & stumbled towards the bedroom door in a daze, as Ratigan (dressed in his long nightshirt) followed him. The two rodents went down into the living room, where Basil (dressed in his house attire) was playing "Reveille" on a trumpet to summon the family downstairs. It wasn't long before Olivia, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson (all dressed in their nightclothes) joined Basil, Ratigan, & Fidget in the sitting area, yawning & rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Egging his loved ones on in a peppy voice, Basil exclaimed, "Come on, get up, get up, get up! Rise & shine, everyone! It's a beautiful morning, & we've got to do a bit of fall cleaning to keep the house ship-shape! Come along, rodents, don't dally!"

"So," Ratigan asked with a yawn, "what chores do we plan to do today?"

"Simple housework," Basil replied. "Just little tasks like dusting the floors & shelves, picking up items, tending to the front yard, cleaning the chimney, taking out the trash, cleaning the kitchen, making the beds..."

"Aw, dat'll take forever!" Fidget complained.

"Not if we all work together!" Basil encouraged. "When everyone pitches in to lend a helping paw, it usually makes the time go faster." (Then, Basil presented a list, which he began reading.) "All right, now, let's see what our first chore for today is..."


Once everyone had gotten dressed in their day clothes, the members of the Baker Street Family got to work on their "fall cleaning". They polished & cleaned all of the furniture in the living room. They made their beds, put away all stray & scattered items, & swept the floors in each of their respective rooms. They took out the trash, & laid it all down on the porch for the garbage-mice to come get. They trimmed the grass on the front lawn, & made sure that no weeds were growing anywhere in the yard. They dusted all necessary surfaces & knickknacks, & cleaned the chimney. Within a few hours, the Baker Street Family had made remarkable progress with their housekeeping, & when everyone gathered together in the living room for a status report, they eagerly waited to hear what Basil had to say.

"Well, everyone," the detective declared happily, "I must commend you for all your hard work today! It hasn't even been three hours, & look!" (Basil showed the Baker Street Family the cleaning checklist, which now had almost all of the items on it crossed through.) "Our chores are nearly done!" Olivia, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson cheered, before listening attentively as Basil continued, "According to my calculations, there's only one thing we have left to do before we're completely finished with our chores..."

When the Baker Street Family found out what their final task was, Mrs. Judson (who was given the assignment, along with Ratigan & Fidget) wasn't too happy about it. "Humph...Only one more chore to do...& that's to clean the kitchen!" Mrs. Judson grumbled irritatedly, crossing her arms over her chest (& looking quite peeved) as she stood in front of the door to the aforementioned room. "But leave it to Basil to put it at the end of the list—just before lunchtime! After that, I'll have to clean the kitchen all over again!"

Ratigan & Fidget, however, were far less reluctant to do their final task. Already, they were standing in the middle of the kitchen floor, laying down sponges & a bucket of sudsy water. "Don't worry, Mrs. Judson!" Fidget said with a big smile. "We'll help you!" Not changing from her sulky countenance, Mrs. Judson merely acknowledged Fidget's words with a grunt.

(CUE MUSIC: Opening intro & refrain of Johann Strauss' "The Blue Danube")

"You need some assistance cleaning the kitchen, Mrs. Judson?" Ratigan asked the mousekeeper. "Well, allow me to present a most delightful method of helping you get the job done!" With that, Ratigan picked up two of the yellow cleaning sponges, & tied them onto his feet with string, before smiling toothily at Mrs. Judson as he gave her a wink & a thumbs-up. Ratigan was going to bowl her over with the awesome tricks he had up his sleeve! When Mrs. Judson rolled her eyes in annoyance, Ratigan didn't give up in his efforts to impress the maid; he dunked his makeshift skates into the bucket of sudsy water until they were nice & soggy. Then, Fidget knocked the bucket over with a kick from his rump, watching with interest as its contents spilled out onto the floor. The curious expression that had just appeared on Mrs. Judson's face, immediately changed to one of shock, followed by irritation; she subsequently slapped her paw to her forehead in frustration. Could you have done that a little less haphazardly? Mrs. Judson complained mentally. Nevertheless, Ratigan pressed on; he planted one foot out in front of him, into the big puddle of sudsy water...& started skating around in it!

Becoming more & more fascinated, Mrs. Judson watched with interest as Ratigan proceeded to perform an elaborate skating routine whilst sponge-scrubbing the kitchen floor. He did all sorts of amazing moves—twirls, pirouettes, arabesques, grand jetes, & even a very good attempt at a triple Lutz! Just as Ratigan was finishing his most-recent maneuver, however, he accidentally slipped on his sponge-skate, & lost his balance. "Whoa-HOA!" Ratigan cried out in startlement, before yelping & yelling as his sponge-skates took him on a wild ride all around the kitchen. As this was happening, Fidget tried to avoid getting hit, while Mrs. Judson watched on in concern. Finally, Ratigan slid smack-dab into the kitchen wall with a mighty crash, causing the room to shake from the impact. "Oh, goodness gracious!" Ratigan moaned in pain. "My back!"

"Can you get up?" Fidget asked.

"I think so..." Ratigan replied. As he attempted to rise from the floor, he got a little worried when he heard his bones cracking...but when no sensation of severe pain followed, he began to relax, relieved that he hadn't received any major damage. "It doesn't hurt too badly," Ratigan added. "But can you go ask Dr. Dawson to lend me an ice pack for a few minutes?"


After Ratigan's injury was attended to, the Baker Street Family teamed back up in the living room, & congratulated each other on completing their chores. Much to Mrs. Judson's relief, Basil & his loved ones decided not to eat at home so soon after cleaning the kitchen, so they went out to eat, instead. Basil had heard about this lovely Italian restaurant that had just recently opened, & the Baker Street Family thought that would be a wonderful place to have lunch. So, they all took the van to the South End of Mouse London, before stopping in front of a brick building on Queen Mousetoria Street (known to us humans as Queen Victoria Street). "Well, here we are!" Basil announced as he & his relatives got out of the van, & went to enter the restaurant. "Lower 472—Merchiorre's Pizza Parlor!"

The pizza parlor had a very cozy & comfortable atmosphere. Red-&-white checkered tablecloths were on every table, as well as homemade centerpieces & small lamps. The floor was covered in black linoleum, & large glass windows provided customers with a view of the street outside. The walls were painted a deep crimson, & all kinds of Italian decor & memorabilia—ranging from posters, to statues, to paintings, to cultural artifacts, & everything in between—decorated almost every square inch of the restaurant. There was a small stage for musical performances, & a video arcade occupied an alcove near the washrooms. The biggest thing that caught customers' attention, however, was the large open window revealing the kitchen, where the members of the Merchiorre family were hard at work preparing meals for their patrons.

Once the Baker Street Family sat down at the biggest table they could find, the matriarch of the Merchiorre clan came forward to greet her guests with a big smile & bright, twinkling blue eyes. "Welcome, one & all, to our little pizza parlor!" the mouse woman exclaimed cheerfully. "A divine pleasure to meet you! My name is Carmietta Merchiorre, & I'll be your server! Can I start you off with something to drink?" When the Baker Street Family made their respective requests for beverages, Carmietta handed everyone a menu, & said, "Va bene! Coming right up!" Carmietta then headed off for the kitchen, leaving the Baker Street Family to sit & chat as they admired their surroundings.

"My word, Basil," Dr. Dawson marveled, "this place is very nice!"

"It almost feels as though Mouse Italy took a piece of herself, & brought it here to share with all the rodent world!" Ratigan complimented.

"Grazie, grazie!" said a tall, thin mouse in chef's attire, as he approached the Baker Street Family's table with a big smile on his face. "Thank you very much for saying so!"

"You're quite welcome, Mr...?" Basil replied.

"Alfredo Merchiorre, proud patriarch & proprietor of this fine establishment, at your service!" the mouse introduced himself, going around the table to shake paws with each member of the Baker Street Family. "My loved ones & I are glad to make your acquaintance!"

"And us, you," Mrs. Judson replied sweetly.

"So, I shall leave you alone with your menus now," Alfredo finally said, before walking off. "Hope you find something to please your palates!" Indeed, the Baker Street Family found a wide variety of delicious dishes to dine upon—spaghetti & other pastas, paw-tossed pizzas, salads, breadsticks, cheeses, lasagna, fettuccine alfredo, shrimp scampi, tortellini, & so much more! When Carmietta came back to pass out drinks & take everyone's orders, Basil & his loved ones gave a list of all the things they wanted to eat; once she had written everything down, Carmietta went off to the kitchen to hand the information to her relatives. As the Baker Street Family chatted & conversed with one another, occasionally sipping from their sodas & other beverages, they watched in fascination as Carmietta & Alfredo Merchiorre worked together with two other adults & five youths (ranging in age from 8 to 14) to prepare each & every one of the Baker Street Family's meals.

Much as Hiram was when he went to the "Taste Of America" restaurant a few months ago, our heroes were impressed & amazed by the culinary craftsmouseship they bore witness to. But, perhaps, the most-amazing aspect of this process was neither the clever combination of old & new technology that the Merchiorres used in making their lunch, nor the skillful methods of preparation that seemed more like theatrical tricks & magic maneuvers, nor even how wonderful everything smelled...but the unity & harmony that the members of the Merchiorre clan displayed together as they labored on their patrons' midday meal. Indeed, Basil & the others could easily see that the family of Italian immigrants was very close to one another...& with each passing day, the Great Mouse Detective & his loved ones increasingly felt that same strong bond growing among themselves. How strange, & yet how fantastic, it was that rodents from so many different walks of life, could come to love & care for each other so greatly!

Finally, all of the Merchiorres completed their culinary work, then exited the kitchen, & went over to the Baker Street Family's table, carefully carrying all of the dishes they had ordered. Once Carmietta, Alfredo, & their relatives had handed everyone their food, they all went back to the kitchen...except for one of the Merchiorre mouselings, who stayed behind to remain with the Baker Street Family. The mouseling was of average height & weight for his age. He had wheat-colored fur, & his straight dark-coffee-brown hair was kept up in a tall, neatly-coifed pompadour. His rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, & a slightly-prominent coffee-brown nose was fixed between his kindly light-brown eyes. A pair of big, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head, & a long, slender pink tail extended from his backside. His slim arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a gray tuxedo jacket with matching trousers, a set of white "button-down" shirt-sleeves, a red silk necktie, a red silk cummerbund-belt, & a pair of shiny dark-gray shoes. A white silk handkerchief was tucked carefully into his left jacket-breast pocket, & a red carnation was pinned to the lower-left flap of his jacket collar. On the plastic tag that had been pinned onto his right lapel, was the name "Luciano".

"So," Luciano asked with a friendly smile, "how are your enjoying your meal, guys?"

"Oh, it's absolutely grand!" Hiram exclaimed ecstatically, & the rest of the Baker Street Family eagerly agreed.

When Luciano heard these words, he couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. "Splendido!" he cheered in Italian, before subsequently saying, "You know, I think I recognize a few familiar faces in your little crowd..." When the Baker Street Family's curiosity was aroused, Luciano continued, illustrating his speech with the appropriate gestures: "You're Basil Of Baker Street, The Great Mouse Detective. Of course, everyone in the whole rodent world knows who you are...And you're Mr. Flaversham, right? My family & I have been to your toy shop before—it's a really nice place! You got a good business going for yourself there!"

Upon hearing what Luciano said, Hiram felt a wave of sorrow sweeping through his soul—if only the young mouseling before them knew the truth about what had become of his toymaking enterprise! Still, Hiram tried to smile at Luciano, as he thanked him for his kind praise (while secretly hoping that it wasn't too late for his mercantile misfortunes to somehow turn around). Then, Luciano looked at Ratigan & Fidget...&, to their delight, he wasn't afraid of them in the slightest! In fact, the Italian boy was quite friendly with the two ex-criminals, & eager to talk with them. "I've heard a lot about what you guys have been up to," Luciano said. "You've been making a big splash in Mouse London lately! Every furson in the whole city is talking about how you reformed, & became good guys!"

"News certainly travels fast, doesn't it, Luciano?" Ratigan quipped with a chuckle.

"You bet," Luciano replied, "especially in this day & age! At first, when there were only rumors about you turning over a new leaf, my folks & I couldn't quite believe it. Mama always tells us to be suspicious of rumors, you know. But, then, more & more rodents were saying that you had actually given up your criminal lifestyle, & there were a lot of eyewitnesses to prove it! They even said that last week, while you were walking to Baker Street, you & Fidget did a lot of things to help fursons out along the way. You gave money to street beggars, you picked up litter, you helped little kids cross the street safely, you helped rodents out with anything they needed assistance for...anything at all! You did the kind of things no one would ever have seen you do when you were evil! [3] And to top it all off, we read your interview with Nellie Brie in the newspaper the other day! When you discussed the reasons behind your choice to reform, you were so sincere & honest about everything...At that point, it was kinda impossible for us to not believe in your reformation!"

"Well, I'm certainly glad you did, Luciano," Ratigan said warmly. "And I can wholeheartedly assure you that I will never, ever do anything to betray your trust in me."

"I know you won't," Luciano responded, as the smile on his face widened. "By the way, I just wanted to let you know that I'm very proud of you for making such a big turn-around. Changing isn't always an easy thing to accomplish, but when you do, it opens up a whole lotta doors for you! Even doors you never would have dreamed of!" Finally, Luciano turned to look at Olivia, & when he recognized her, he exclaimed excitedly, "Hey, Flaversham girlie! I know you from school!"

"You do?" Olivia asked in astonishment. "I don't recognize you."

"Probably because I just started going to Basil Of Baker Street Grammar School," Luciano replied. "We moved to Mouse London when I was six, but for the last few years, my parents home-schooled me, my siblings, & my cousins while they were getting the restaurant ready for business. Now that Merchiorre's Pizza Parlor is open, I can go back to regular school again! It kinda feels good to be back in a normal classroom with other kids...Anyway, who's your teacher?"

"Mrs. Sanchez," Olivia replied.

Luciano's eyebrows flew up in pleasant surprise. "By the ghost of Caligula, no way!" the Venetian lad blurted. "She's my teacher, too!"

"Where do you sit?" Olivia asked.

"In the back row, by the computers," Luciano answered. From there, the two mouselings engaged in a series of delightful conversations that lasted all throughout the duration of the Baker Street Family's lunch. Then, when Basil & his loved ones were finally finished with their midday meal, they helped themselves to one of the pizza parlor's specialty desserts—chocolate lasagna—while Alfredo serenaded them on his mandolin. As the Baker Street Family lingered in the last several minutes of their luncheon hour, they were quite glad to be in the presence of their new friends, & they couldn't wait to see them again soon.


Thursday, October 29, 1897

(CUE MUSIC: Andante movement from Franz Joseph Haydn's "Symphony No. 101 In D Major ['The Clock']")

The next morning was another bright & beautiful one, & the mouse street of Ivy Lane (known to us humans as London Lane) was hustling & bustling with activity. At one of the many mouse structures lining the street—specifically, Lower 111—there was a very popular shop, known to the public as Barney's Bookstore. The building was filled to the brim with rows of large bookcases, stocked with every kind of tome imaginable; the only places where there weren't any books to be found, were at the entrance & at the back, where the check-out counter was. In front of said counter, a booth had been set up for a special event that was taking place today—an event so special, in fact, that rodents were lined up almost all the way out onto the sidewalk outside the bookstore! The members of the Baker Street Family were among the visitors at the bookstore this morning, & they were eager to participate in the activity going on in front of their very eyes, looking at each other with happy & excited expressions as they patiently waited their turn. "Oh, boy, Olivia!" Cousin Timmy said excitedly. "I can't believe we're in line for the book signing with Amergin Burgess!"

"The author of 'A Clockwork Rodent', 'Mausthoven's Symphony', 'A Dead Mouse In Devonshire', & other critically-acclaimed writings!" Ratigan gushed.

Showing the book tucked in the crook of her arm, Olivia said, "I've got a copy of one of his children's novels for him to sign."

"And I've brought along my copy of 'Silver Lining'," Ratigan added, showing the book that he had tucked in the crook of his arm.

For the next several minutes, the members of the Baker Street Family chatted about Amergin Burgess & his works, as they gradually progressed to the end of the line. Finally, it was their turn to get their books signed by the great author himself! After a mouse walked away from the book-signing booth with his newly-autographed tome, Ratigan approached said booth, with Olivia (waiting to go next) & the rest of the Baker Street Family standing behind him. As he took the book tucked underneath his arm, & placed it onto the booth table, Ratigan greeted with a smile, "Hello, Mr. Burgess. Would you please be so kind as to sign my copy of 'Silver Lining' for me?"

Amergin Burgess looked up at Ratigan with a dull expression. Amergin was a thin, lean mouse with smoky-gray fur, & his short silver hair had a few loose bangs. His slightly-prominent pink nose was fixed between a pair of cynical dark-gray eyes (each topped with smooth, angular silver eyebrows). His rounded head was flanked by big, curvy pink ears on either side, & a long pink tail extended from his hindquarters. Also, a white bucktooth could be seen jutting out from his upper lip. He wore an olive-green jacket & matching trousers (held up by a brown leather belt with a golden buckle), a dark-gray waistcoat, a set of white shirt-sleeves with a starched white collar (which he kept turned up around his neck), a dark-turquoise silk necktie, & a pair of dull, off-black brogan shoes. Speaking in an Irish brogue, with a soft voice that had a posh tone to it, Amergin said, "Certainly, um..."

"Ratigan, sir," the former rogue replied.

"Ah, Ratigan, yes..." Amergin declared, nodding as he took Ratigan's book, & opened it to reveal the inside of the front cover. The author then took his pen from off of the table, & clicked it open, before proceeding to sign the inside cover of Ratigan's aforementioned tome. "I know all about you, of course," Amergin quipped as he wrote his autograph, "so I should have no trouble spelling your name." Then, Amergin clicked the pen shut, & handed the newly-signed book to Ratigan with a dull smile. "I see you are a fan of my works, Ratigan," Amergin remarked pleasantly.

"Yes, indeed, Mr. Burgess," Ratigan replied.

"Out of curiosity," Amergin asked, "which of my works do you enjoy most?"

"Well, it's hard to choose, really," Ratigan answered. "But I'd say I really enjoy reading your novels." (Still smiling, Amergin closed his eyes as he nodded his head in acknowledgement of Ratigan's words.) "Especially 'A Dead Mouse In Devonshire', 'One Mouse's Trash', 'Mausthoven's Symphony'...& 'Silver Lining', of course...Oh, & 'A Clockwork Rodent'!"

Amergin suddenly opened his eyes when he heard the name of that last title. Then, to Ratigan's surprise, the writer's ears drooped, & his face fell, as his smile turned into a bitter frown. "To be honest," Amergin brooded sullenly, "I never really cared for that book...I must confess that I wrote 'A Clockwork Rodent' simply because I was desperate for money when I began my professional writing career. I fursonally am far prouder & fonder of my other works...But even so, I suppose I appreciate my fans' adoration of 'A Clockwork Rodent' nonetheless. If they love it so much, they have a right to, I suppose..." Still, Amergin couldn't help but grumble to himself in irritation, "Although I do wish Cecil B. DeMont had asked me to let him film a movie version of one of my other stories, instead of a bloody 'Clockwork Rodent'..." [4] At this point, Amergin stopped rambling, then looked back at Ratigan with another dull smile, as he said, "But in any case, I'm glad you enjoy my novels. Have a splendid day, Ratigan."

Ratigan smiled & waved at Amergin, then took his book, & walked away. Olivia then came up to the signing booth, smiling from ear to ear as she placed her book down on the table in front of Amergin. Looking up at Olivia with the same dull smile as earlier, Amergin greeted in a pleasant tone, "Ah, hello, there, young lass. How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing fine," Olivia replied with her characteristic cheerfulness.

"Excellent, excellent," Amergin said, taking Olivia's book, & opening it to the inside front cover.

"And how about you, Mr. Burgess?" Olivia asked.

Amergin sighed, & answered with a jaded quality to his voice, "I suppose I'm doing fine, as well...Granted, my days aren't filled with sunshine & rainbows & fluffy kittens, but...still, life's fine." Amergin took his pen off the table, & clicked it open, before preparing to sign Olivia's book. "May I ask what your name is, child?" Amergin inquired. Once Olivia made her reply, Amergin proceeded to autograph her copy of his children's novel, muttering to himself as he did so, "To Olivia...Flaversham...Love, Amergin...Burgess." When he was done with his task, Amergin snapped the pen shut, then closed the newly-signed book, & handed it back to Olivia. "Here you are, Miss Flaversham," Amergin said genially. "Have a good day." With that, Olivia took her book into her paws, then smiled & waved "goodbye" to Amergin as she made her way over to her family (who was standing nearby). I can't believe it! Olivia fawned to herself, as she went to show everyone her prize. Amergin Burgess himself signed my book! And he talked to me! And he even told me to have a good day! Wait'll I tell all my friends at school about this!


(CUE MUSIC: "Trumpet Tune & Air", by Henry Purcell)

Later that morning, the Baker Street Family went to Regents Park, where they joined a large crowd of rodents that were gathered in front of a tall object looming over them, veiled with a tan sheet that had been draped over it. While having lunch at the Merchiorres' pizza parlor yesterday, Basil & his loved ones heard from their hearty hosts that something really awesome was going to take place at the park today, so while they were on today's family outings, they simply couldn't forget to stop by, & see what the big event was! As the Baker Street Family & other rodents in the crowd chattered amongst themselves, a lone mouse woman stood not too far away, holding a news microphone in her paw.

The woman was of average height & weight for her age. She had pinkish-tan fur & straight blazing-red hair (which she kept up in a bun). Her rounded head (adorned with wide & curvy cheekbones) sported a small dark-pink nose, bright deep-green eyes, & small pink ears, as well as a bucktooth (only visible when she spoke or otherwise opened her mouth). Her slender pink tail was of average length, & her equally-slender arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. She was sharply dressed in a buttonless navy-blue jacket, a blue shirtwaist blouse, a dark-blue pleated skirt, a cornbread-yellow boater hat (which had a blue ribbon around the "dome"), & a pair of dull, dark-navy-blue boots (as well as a modest amount of makeup on her face). This woman was up-&-coming television anchormouse Nate Gregson, & she had quite a big story to tell for the cameras in front of her!

"This is ace reporter Nate Gregson, reporting to you live from Regents Park," Nate said into her microphone, addressing any & all audiences who were watching her from their TV sets. "A massive crowd has gathered in front of the statue of Basil Of Baker Street that is soon to be unveiled. The detective himself & his so-called 'family' are among the rodents in the crowd, & I can tell that they, too, are excited to see what the statue glorifying London's crimefighting ace will look like...And to tell you the honest-to-goodness truth, I completely empathize with them...I'm kind of excited, myself." At this point, a mouse came over to whisper in Nate's ear, then walked off. Nate watched the mouse leave, then brought the microphone up to her lips as she addressed her viewers again: "This just in—they're getting ready to unveil the statue of Basil Of Baker Street! Cameramice are at the scene, preparing to capture this grand moment, as journalists stand by to record the historic event for today's papers! And with that said, this is Nate Gregson, signing off."

Meanwhile, the Baker Street Family & the busy, bustling crowd behind them were still gazing upwards at the tall object draped in cloth, sporting excited & anticipated looks as they awaited the upcoming unveiling. "Oh, boy, this is gonna be so cool!" Fidget beamed, brimming & bouncing with excitement as he smiled from ear to ear. "Can you believe they actually made a statue of you, Basil?"

"And they're going to unveil it in just a few seconds!" Olivia exclaimed.

"I, for one, am positively thrilled to see the glorious event that shall unfold!" Ratigan declared in delight.

"As am I, Ratigan," Mrs. Judson agreed, before turning to look at Basil. Upon noticing that her employer wasn't saying anything, the mousekeeper remarked, "Well, you're awfully quiet at this moment, Mr. Basil..."

Stifling a chuckle, Dr. Dawson asked teasingly, "For once, the Great Mouse Detective has nothing to say?"

"Correct, Dawson," Basil replied, speaking through his toothy, ear-to-ear smile like a ventriloquist's dummy, as he clasped his paws together in front of his chest. "I am utterly speechless!" At this point, the crowd suddenly fell silent, ceasing their chattering; they then proceeded to look up, up, up at the tall object once again, with the Baker Street Family following suit. Right beside the aforementioned item, there was a ladder with a mouse standing on it. With his paws, the mouse grabbed the drape covering the tall object, then yanked it off to reveal the statue of Basil Of Baker Street in all its stony splendor. When the statue was unveiled, the audience oohed, aahed, gasped, & uttered other noises of amazement & awe, before ultimately cheering & applauding. The Baker Street Family was also clapping heartily, smiling proudly as they basked in their moment of glory.

"This is certainly going to be a pivotal moment in Mouse English history," Dr. Dawson declared.

"And Baker Street Family history?" Hiram added.

"That, too," Dawson replied, not quite paying attention to the inner meaning of Hiram's remark. But, oh, if only the medical mouse knew what significance that comment would come to have later on!


(CUE MUSIC: "Triumphal March", from Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida")

Not too long afterward, in the South End of Mouse London—specifically, on the mouse street of Crystal Palace Park Road (known to us humans by the same name)—the famous Crystal Palace was thriving & alive with activity, as seas of rodents swarmed through the grand & lavishly-decorated building's busy halls. There were so many things to see & do at the Crystal Palace; circuses, carnivals, concerts, public entertainment, museum exhibits, art galleries, special display courts & pavilions, botanical gardens, fine restaurants, pageants, animal & other exhibition shows, lectures, sporting events, festivals, conventions, workshops, & fun, family-oriented programs are but a handful of numerous examples! One of the Crystal Palace's biggest draws, though, was their exhibition hall, where inventors from all over the world would come to show off their latest creations to the visitors that gathered within the building's walls.

The hustling, bustling sea of fursons continued to swarm as they made their way through the Exhibition Hall, wandering around & checking out the various inventions being put on display for all to view. The Baker Street Family was among these rodents, crowding together to keep from being separated from one another. "Stay close, now, wee ones," Hiram said, holding Olivia & Cousin Timmy by the paw in each hand. "Wouldn't want you to get lost in this massive crowd!"

"'Massive'?" Ratigan said to himself with a scoff. "I think 'gargantuan' is the word you're looking for, Hiram!"

After walking through the Exhibition Hall for a few more minutes, the Baker Street Family stopped in front of one of the display stages, where a mouse inventor was getting ready to show off one of his inventions to the audience gathered before him. This inventor—one Professor Phineas Doppler by name—was quite tall for a mouse his age, with a lean, slim figure. He had brown fur (with pale-brown markings going all across his muzzle & underbelly), & his wavy dark-brown hair was fashioned in a shoulder-length page-boy's cut. His rounded head (which was adorned with wide & curvy cheekbones) sported a neatly-trimmed dark-brown moustache, & his prominent dark-brown nose jutted out from between a pair of deep green eyes (topped with smooth, angular dark-brown eyebrows). A pair of big, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head, & a big white bucktooth poked out from his upper lip. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his lanky arms & legs ended in appendages of rather disproportionate size—small paws & large feet! He wore a sea-green tuxedo jacket, a form-fitting pair of navy-blue trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle), a scarlet waistcoat, a set of light-yellow "button-down" shirt-sleeves (which had a starched white collar that he kept turned up around his neck), a crimson silk necktie, a pair of large, round spectacles with green-tinted lenses (perched upon his nose), & a pair of dark-navy-blue patent-leather shoes covered with white spats. A white silk handkerchief was tucked carefully into his left jacket-breast pocket.

With a proud smile on his face, Professor Doppler exclaimed to his audience, "Ladies & gentlerodents of all species, ages, genders, & races...I am pleased to see you here with me today, at the Crystal Palace Exhibition Hall! You're just in time for the official unveiling of my latest—& possibly greatest—invention ever!"

"Yeah?" Fidget asked. "What's that?"

"Shhh!" Ratigan whispered sharply, putting a finger to his lips. "Listen..."

The Baker Street Family then turned their attention back to Professor Doppler, who was standing beside a table on the invention display stage. A big object (covered in a tarp) rested on said table, & Professor Doppler gestured to it as he proudly announced, "Today is the day when I reveal to all of you an invention that will soon be seen by rodents across the globe!" Doppler swiftly removed the tarp, & unveiled the creation that was once hidden underneath it—a glistening, gleaming metal object that looked like several robotic paws springing forth from a large slotted column, with a mixing bowl & two beaters at the top, & a compartment with an ejectable tray at the bottom. "Voila!" Professor Doppler cried, as the audience 'oohed' & 'aahed' upon seeing the invention. "This here, ladies & gentlerodents, is the perfect answer to all your culinary worries! Want to prepare a meal for your family, but you're running short on time for one reason or another? Or are you just in the mood for a snack that isn't too run-of-the-mill? Well, don't fret! My patented Meal-O-Matic is guaranteed to satisfy all your gastronomical needs!" [5]

The audience continued to mutter in fascination. Then, a lady in the crowd asked, "How do you operate this magnificent machine, Professor Doppler?"

"Glad you asked that, dear lady," Professor Doppler replied with a smile. "While the controls of the Meal-O-Matic are a bit convoluted, they're easy to master with a bit of practice. But, first, let me demonstrate how the Meal-O-Matic works..." Just as Professor Doppler was about to work his mechanical magic, however, he was suddenly joined by an uninvited guest. The intruder was a short male hamster with a plump, portly figure. He had white fur with silver fur-hair (which he always kept neatly combed). His rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, a small pink nose with whiskers, & mischievous red eyes that were rather large in size (& topped with thick, angular silver eyebrows). A big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip, & a pair of small, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. His thick arms & legs ended in large paws & feet, & he had a short, fluffy white tail that looked very much like a bunny rabbit's. He wore a double-breasted deep-silver lab-coat, a snug-fitting pair of gray trousers, a set of red "button-down" shirt-sleeves, a black silk bow-tie, & a pair of shiny black shoes. The hamster's name was Professor Carl Gibson, & he & Professor Doppler had a very deep-seated rivalry that had been brewing between them for the past several years.

"Professor Gibson!" Professor Doppler gasped in shock, totally taken by surprise when the other scientist showed up right next to him on the stage. Before Doppler could do anything to stop his nemesis, the hamster snatched the Meal-O-Matic from the table, & sprinted away with the stolen goods, smirking & snickering to himself. "Give me back my invention, you plagiarizing crook!" Professor Doppler said angrily, as he immediately gave chase after Professor Gibson. It took a while for Professor Doppler to retrieve the Meal-O-Matic, but once that was successfully accomplished, the gentlemouse genius returned to his table, & proceeded to demonstrate his device to the amazed audience in front of the stage. Needless to say, the rodents were absolutely impressed, & the Baker Street Family couldn't wait to get their paws on the invention once it hit store shelves!


Shortly before noon, the Baker Street Family went back to the West End of Mouse London, ultimately arriving at the mouse street of Aerial Square (known to us humans as Hans Place). Here, in this plaza, was the newly-established Flight Mouseum & Arena. As of right now, there wasn't much in the museum portion of the building, but that would certainly change in the years to come; meanwhile, the outdoor arena was already open to the public, & what a grand event had been prepared for today! The Baker Street Family was gathered with another crowd of rodents in the aforementioned arena, where an air show was about to take place. A primitive-looking version of an airplane sat idling in front of a makeshift dock. The pilot, a pretty African-American mousette named Bessie Colemouse, strolled out onto the dock.

Bessie was rather short for a woman her age, with a slender, athletic figure. She had light-brown fur, & her straight black hair was kept up a bun. Her rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, & a small pink nose with whiskers was fixed between a pair of adventurous blue eyes. A pair of small, curvy pink ears flanked either side of her head, & a slender pink tail of average length poked out from her posterior. Her slender arms & legs ended in small paws & feet. She wore a brown, double-breasted aviator's jacket with matching trousers, a white shirtwaist blouse (which had a stiff, starched collar that went around her neck), a snug-fitting pair of black leather piloting gloves, & a pair of shiny, black leather boots. Bessie put a brown leather aviator's cap over her head, then adjusted the attached set of old-fashioned plane goggles over her eyes. After that, she wrapped a long, off-white-colored scarf around her neck, before making her way off the dock, climbing into the plane, & taking her seat at the controls.

The amazed audience & Baker Street Family muttered in fascination, as a voice announced over the P.A. system, "Ladies & gentlerodents, prepare to bear witness to the greatest milestone in transportation history! For the first time ever, rodents will achieve what no human has done before—accomplish the long-time goal of taking to the skies in a successful airplane flight!"

Cousin Timmy couldn't help but smirk & elbow Olivia in the ribs as he made his own little comment: "There's no way a human would ever be able to do this! The plane would be too heavy to get off the ground!"

"And even if humans did make a plane, & got it to take off," Fidget added snarkily, "they'd still crash, 'cause they're too big to fly, anyway!"

Olivia shushed everyone, & the Baker Street Family turned their attention back to Bessie Colemouse. Now comfortably seated in the cockpit of her airplane, Bessie grabbed the steering wheel, then turned to give the audience a "thumbs-up", & left the dock. The plane slid up the surface of a ramp, & then launched into the sky, its engine roaring in triumph. The audience, now on the ground below, cheered wildly! Never before had these rodents imagined that they would one day witness actual aeronautic travel, but here they were now, watching it take place before their very eyes! The audience couldn't contain their amazement & astonishment as they watched the air show in utmost fascination, seeing Bessie maneuver her airplane in a series of loop-de-loops, spirals, & other tricks.

At one point, while doing a loop-de-loop, Bessie suddenly lost control of the plane, which started plummeting towards the ground. The Baker Street Family & the rest of the audience gasped fearfully as they watched the plane fall. How was Bessie going to make it out of this dire, deadly dilemma? Luckily, Bessie knew just what to do to save herself; she pressed a few buttons, pulled a few levers, & grabbed the steering wheel of the plane, pulling it back as far as she could so that she would be able to bring the flying machine back upright. After a few moments of suspense, the plane finally managed to avoid the ground, & came back up into the air. The audience cheered again as they watched Bessie launch back into the skies, & the air show continued without any further incident. "Thank you very much, ladies & gentlerodents!" Bessie said to the spectators below her. "Thank you!"


(CUE MUSIC: Abridged version of the allegro menuetto movement from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Symphony No. 9")

Once the air show had come to a triumphant conclusion, the Baker Street Family went to the nearby mouse street of Burlington Street (known to us humans as Burlington Gardens), where they decided to visit the Museum Of Mousekind. The Museum Of Mousekind was a place where folks came to learn about the rich & colorful history of various rodential cultures—from the early mouse civilizations in Egypt, Mousopatamia, Africa, & India, to Ancient Mouse Greece & Rome, to Renaissance Italy, to Medieval Mouse England, & just about every other rodent civilization in the world that thrived in the centuries leading up to today.

At one point, while going through the Museum Of Mousekind, the Baker Street Family wandered through a particular wing of the educational institute, which had various displays on the cultures & civilizations of African rodent tribes in Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, the Congo, & whatnot. [6] "My word, Basil," Dr. Dawson marveled in amazement, as he gazed around with the Baker Street Family at all the displays on exhibit in the wing. "Can you believe how much interesting information there is to know about the Mouse African tribes?"

"Look at all those beautiful masks," Mrs. Judson fawned, admiring the brilliantly-colored headpieces hung up on the walls. "That one mask with the pretty feathers is supposed to be from Burundi!"

It was then that Basil expressed some thoughts that had been occupying his mind for quite some time. "If King Leopold of the human world would put a stop to the atrocities going on in the Congo, & actually get to know the natives being forced into slavery on his rubber plantations," the detective opined, "I'm certain he'd find their cultures to be utterly fascinating, rich, & colorful, with a unique history all their own that's every bit as wonderful as that of anywhere in Europe!"

And as they continued to explore the African cultures wing (followed by the rest of the Museum Of Mousekind), the Baker Street Family were extremely grateful that their society, in addition to their technology, had changed for the better. Rodents could now look upon other civilizations & cultures with respect & reverence, & they no longer needed to feel like their nations were superior (or inferior) to all others. In this new utopian universe, rodents of all types could get along with each other in peace & harmony, & for the most part, everyone around the mouse world was gladly doing just that! If Madame Ratburn & Anya don't receive some kind of accolades for their great services to rodentkind, Basil & his loved ones thought, it will be a slighting of the most-grievous sort!


(CUE MUSIC: Abridged version of the 1st movement of "Autumn", from Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons")

Early in the afternoon, the Baker Street Family had finished visiting the Museum Of Mousekind, & now they were on the mouse boulevard of Allwright Street (known to us humans as Awkright Road). Word on the street was that there was something of great interest in one of the human buildings, & the Baker Street Family couldn't wait to discover what that mysterious thing was! When Basil & his companions arrived at No. 402, they realized that this super-huge structure was of a most-unusual type; at first glance, it seemed to be a store, but upon closer inspection, it actually appeared to be an abandoned warehouse filled with miniature Rainbow Toys (most likely to put in dollhouses & playsets). To the Baker Street Family, though, the place looked like one giant playroom filled with just about every Rainbow Toy you could ever imagine—which was even better!

"Wow..." Olivia marveled, completely dazzled by the sight before her. "A big playroom filled with every Rainbow Toy imaginable..."

"Sah-WEET..." Cousin Timmy said.

"This family outing day just gets better & better!" Fidget exclaimed ecstatically.

"Come on, everybody," Olivia told her family excitedly, "let's all go check it out!" With that, Olivia, Basil, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson all gave each other a high-five, then rushed further into the abandoned warehouse with adventurous expressions on their faces. The Baker Street Family then dove into a huge mountain of Rainbow Toys, as though it were a pile of autumn leaves. "Banzai!" Fidget cried as he plunged in with the others. Upon impact, the mountain of Rainbow Toys quickly collapsed into an ocean of nonstop, neverending fun! As he swam around in the vast sea of multicolored playthings, Fidget did a backstroke, kicking his peg-leg & only foot as he rotated his wings from front to back. Nearby, Olivia & Cousin Timmy both popped up out from beneath the toys, giggling merrily. Olivia was wearing a Rainbow Clown Wig, with her face heavily adorned with Rainbow Make-Up. Cousin Timmy had a Rainbow Beanie Cap on top of his brown English cap, & a Rainbow Sherbet Teddy Bear was stuck to his clothing. Truly, the Baker Street Kids looked like a motley crew, indeed!

And the fun didn't stop there! The Baker Street Family eagerly helped themselves to all the Rainbow Toys the warehouse had to offer! Fidget juggled Rainbow Bouncy Balls around in the air. Olivia shifted a Rainbow Slinky back & forth in her paws, watching the colors dance in front of her eyes as she played with the toy. Hiram & Cousin Timmy played "catch" with a Rainbow Beach Ball. Ratigan played with a Rainbow Yo-yo. Basil put a Rainbow Puzzle together. Olivia played with a set of Rainbow Stack Cups, & Cousin Timmy played with a set of Rainbow Rings. Fidget played with a Rainbow Jack-In-The-Box, yelping in surprise when it popped out. Cousin Timmy tooted on a Rainbow Noisemaker. Olivia played a tune on a Rainbow Xylophone. Mrs. Judson spun a Rainbow Top. Hiram played with some Rainbow Blocks. Basil played with a Rainbow Rubik's Cube. Dr. Dawson shook a Rainbow Snowglobe, & watched the snow inside it fall. Olivia blew on a Rainbow Pinwheel. Mrs. Judson did a dance to the beat of the Rainbow Rattle that Dr. Dawson shook back & forth in his paw. Cousin Timmy played with a Jungle Cruise Playset. Fidget played with a Sherbet Teddy Bear, making it do a little dance. Ratigan attempted to fly a Rainbow Kite...but it fell to the ground. Ratigan pouted in disappointment, but then smiled as Fidget came over to give the kite a lift with the air that rushed out of the holes in the bottom of an empty Rainbow Squirter that he squeezed. Ratigan & Fidget watched, impressed, as the kite soared into the air, & took flight. This is the life! the two reformed rogues thought blissfully as they (& the rest of their family) continued to enjoy themselves.


(CUE MUSIC: Orchestral version of "Spring Song", from Felix Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words")

Once the Baker Street Family felt like they'd had enough fun at the Rainbow Toy warehouse for one day, they left the area, & went to the nearby park known as Hampstead Heath (but not without ducking home to make preparations for what they planned to do there). It was a lovely afternoon, as was usual in Mouse London; kids were flying kites & playing, birds were singing, the grass was green with life, flowers burst into bloom, butterflies fluttered everywhere, & the sun was shining in the clear blue skies. Olivia, Basil, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, & Mrs. Judson sat together on a red-&-white-checkered blanket on the green of Hampstead Heath. The Baker Street Family was having a picnic lunch, with plenty of delicious food to dine on—cheese soufflé, cheese & cherry tarts, cheese-cake, cheese muffins, cheese pie, cheesemallow delights, candy, cookies, cakes, sandwiches, fruits & vegetables, strawberries & cream, potted Stilton, pretzels, chips, & trail mix. For drinks, Mrs. Judson served everyone cool lemonade from a pitcher.

"Ah...what a beautiful afternoon!" Basil sighed contentedly. "Perfect for a family picnic at Hampstead Heath!"

"Would you care for some more lemonade, dear?" Mrs. Judson asked Olivia, preparing to pour some for the mouseling.

"Yes, Mrs. Judson," Olivia replied, nodding with a pleasant smile, as she offered her glass to the mousekeeper. When Mrs. Judson filled said glass with lemonade, Olivia said sweetly, "Thank you." Olivia took a sip of her lemonade, then munched on some trail mix & cheese muffins.

Meanwhile, Fidget ate a cookie, then helped himself to some cheese soufflé. "Boy, this cheese soufflé is great stuff!" Fidget remarked as he sampled the delectable dish. "No wonder Basil loves it so much!"

Sitting on one side of the picnic blanket, next to a nearby rock, Ratigan ate a cheesemallow delight. When he was done with that, he took one of the sandwiches, & ate it, before leaning back casually against the rock as he dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "So," Ratigan asked pleasantly as he relaxed, "where did you come up with that recipe for cheesemallow delights, Mrs. Judson?"

"Oh, it wasn't much of a hassle, really," Mrs. Judson replied humbly. "I actually borrowed the recipe from my grandmother up in Edinburgh."

"Well, it's simply marvelous!" Ratigan praised.

Meanwhile, Cousin Timmy was eating a few cheese & cherry tarts, & while he was munching on the morsels, a thought occurred to him. "Say, Uncle Hiram," Timmy started to ask with a mouthful of food...but, then, he remembered his manners. He gulped down the tarts he was eating, then finally brought up his question: "Did the Queen Of Hearts make cherry tarts or cheese tarts?"

"Hmm..." Hiram said, thinking to himself for a moment. Then, the toymaker made his answer: "Probably cherry tarts, since cherries are red, like hearts..."

"Oh, OK," Cousin Timmy remarked. "I was just wondering."

Meanwhile, Dr. Dawson had his plate full with hearty helpings of fruits & veggies, cheese muffins, pretzels, chips, cakes, cookies, candy, trail mix, cheese pie, & two sandwiches! Seeing how much the medical mouse had on his platter, Olivia asked in astonishment, "Dr. Dawson, are you really going to eat all that food?"

"Well, dear, I suppose I should," Dr. Dawson replied, taking the food dish into his paws. "I've already put it on my plate, & I don't want any of it to go to waste..."

With that, Dr. Dawson started eating his food. As he watched his associate help himself to his treats, Basil admonished gently, "Oh, Dawson, you need to be careful with your eating choices! You are what you eat, you know." Basil then proceeded to eat a sizable serving of potted Stilton, before helping himself to some lemonade from his glass.

At the same time, Ratigan snacked on a few pieces of candy. He smacked his lips after doing so, & mused, "Hmmm...I think these butterscotch bites were made in Germany...Yes, yes, they were—their rich & creamy flavor is easy to tell apart from other butterscotch candies."

"I don't think it makes much difference, really," Mrs. Judson opined. "To me, all butterscotch candies are heavenly!"

"I totally agree with you on that!" Fidget exclaimed.

"Same here!" Olivia agreed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Dawson was still eating, but he wanted to contribute to the current conversation. "I must say, however..."—the physician swallowed his mouthful of food—"...you really are a candy connoisseur, Ratigan."

Ratigan chuckled in amusement. "Well, if there's one thing I'm happy to thank Mouses for," he quipped, "it's my acquired taste in gourmet sweets!"

The members of the Baker Street Family laughed for a few seconds in response to Ratigan's witty comment...but when the laughter subsided, everyone's ears perked up to a faint whistling sound. "Do you hear that?" Dr. Dawson asked, as he cocked his ear to listen to the noise.

"Yeah..." Fidget replied, listening for the sound with the others. "It's kinda faint, but if you listen real hard, you can barely hear it..."

"Well, you're a bat, Fidget," Basil said. "You can hear things that none of us can hear at all!"

"SHH!" Fidget whispered harshly, putting a finger to his lips to shush everyone. The little bat listened for the noise again, & when he paid more attention to said sound, he said, "It's getting louder..." The whistling noise continued to increase in volume with each second that passed. The Baker Street Family soon gasped when they realized that something was falling down towards them! Basil & his loved ones froze, not sure what to do; luckily, Fidget was there to save the day! Pushing himself up off the ground with his hands, Fidget told his relatives, "Stay here, guys! I'm gonna try & catch that fallin' thing, so it won't hit any of you!"

Fidget then took off into the air, & flapped his wings to fly through the sky. With the help of his supersonic hearing, Fidget soon managed to locate the object that was falling down towards his family. It was a soccer ball! Fidget quickly flew up to catch the soccer ball in his arms, but just as he grabbed it with a sigh of relief, he realized that he wasn't flapping his arms to keep himself airborne. The bat looked at the ground, then looked back up with a worried gaze, as he said, "Uh-oh..." Then, Fidget plummeted down, down, down...& finally landed on the ground with a crash. On the park green, Fidget moaned a little as he lay on the grass, flopped over on his stomach. He was unhurt from the rough landing, but a tad fazed; little images of soccer balls flew around his head. At this point, a pretty bat girl came over to Fidget, & when she found the poor lad lying on the ground, she gasped.

The bat girl was tall for her age, with a slender, shapely figure. She had adobe-pink fur, & straight black hair that went all the way down to her calves (with the addition of several small bangs & two waist-length tendrils that fell across her torso). Her rounded head had a delicately-pointed chin & high cheekbones that curved at a slight angle. A slightly-prominent (but demure) black nose was fixed between her sweet dark-green eyes (which had sky-blue eyelids & long eyelashes). Her large wings had light-pink webbing, & two rows of sharp white teeth filled her mouth. A pair of tall light-pink ears extended from either side of her head, & her slim limbs ended in small hands & feet (the former of which had light-pink webbing). She mainly wore a long, sleeveless turquoise dress that was cut in such a way to flaunt her feminine figure; a pair of dark-turquoise shoes, shiny silver earrings, & a heart-shaped silver locket also adorned her furson. Upon seeing Fidget, the bat girl cooed in concern, "Oh, pobrecito, you poor little thing!" She rushed over to Fidget, & scooped him up tenderly into her wings, as she said soothingly, "Esta bien, little fellow...It's OK."

(CUE MUSIC: "Poeme", by Zdenek Fibich)

After comforting Fidget, the bat girl set him back down onto his feet. "Can you walk fine?" she asked.

"I think so," Fidget said, moving a little bit. After double-checking to see if he was all right, he added, "Yeah, I guess I'm..." Then, Fidget finally reacted to the sight of the lovely bat girl in front of him. He shut his eyes, & shook his head a little, then opened his eyes again. Sure enough, the girl was standing before Fidget, smiling sweetly at him. Every bit of her suddenly appeared more & more beautiful to Fidget, as her slender, feminine figure was gradually surrounded by an angelic halo (or so it seemed to him!). Now, Fidget was completely lovestruck, & he couldn't help but smile like a drunken fool as he admired her beauty. The girl giggled in response to Fidget's reaction towards her. "What's with the funny face?" she asked, pleasantly amused.

Fidget tried to come out of his affection-induced state, but without much success. Fumbling for the words as he attempted to snap out of his romantic reverie, Fidget finally managed to blurt out, "G...G...Gosh, you're pretty!"

The girl giggled again, then leaned down towards Fidget, still sporting that radiant smile on her face. "Muchas gracias," she replied, flattered. She gave Fidget a kiss on the cheek, completely thwarting the boy's attempts to come out of his enamored trance. Once again, Fidget smiled like a drunken fool, then wobbled around a bit on his peg-leg, & fainted to the ground in utter bliss. The girl was quick to help him up on his feet. "So, what's your name?" she asked genially.

"Uhh...it's Fidget," Fidget replied with the big smile still on his face, now coming back down to Earth.

"Nice to meet you, Fidget!" the girl said amiably, offering her webbed hand in a gesture to shake. "I'm Cecelia Green. But you can just call me Cecelia...or Cece."

Still smiling at his new friend, Fidget took Cecelia's hand, & shook it heartily as he said, "Nice to meet you, too, Cecelia!" He stopped shaking Cecelia's hand, then cleared his throat. "So, would you like to meet my family?" Fidget asked.

"Oh, si!" Cecelia replied. "That would be muy bien, Fidget!" She then took Fidget by the paw, & he started to lead her away...but, then, he remembered something.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Fidget exclaimed, before whipping out the soccer ball, & presenting it to Cecelia. "Is this your soccer ball?"

Cecelia gasped in delight, & took the ball from Fidget's hands, before wrapping her wings around him, & bringing him in for plenty of great big hugs & kisses. "Oh, gracias, Fidget!" she said gratefully. "Thanks for finding my soccer ball for me! I was going to look for it when I lost it during my game, but you beat me to it!" Cecelia gave Fidget one more hug & kiss, before she finally let him go, & added, "Thanks!"

Fidget smiled coyly at Cecelia, & replied, "No problem, Cece..." (A beat.) "So, what do you say we go meet the folks?" The two bats started to walk off...but, then, Cecelia stopped when she heard her father calling out to her. "Cecelia, mi hija, come on!" Mr. Green shouted. "We need to get along home!"

"That's my papi," Cecelia explained, turning back to Fidget with a wistful smile. "He's calling for me to go home with him & Mama." Taking Fidget's chin in her hand, she added sweetly, "But I'd be happy to see your family next time we meet up! Until then..."—she kissed him on the nose—"...adios." With that, Cecelia gently parted from Fidget, & waved "goodbye" to him as she walked over to her parents. Fidget went into another romantic daze, then sighed as he fainted to the ground, overcome with emotional ecstasy. I think she likes me a lot more than I thought! he mused giddily. I think she wants to be my girlfriend...Boy, wait'll Basil & the gang hear about this!


(CUE MUSIC: Abridged version of Camille Saint-Saens' "Clarinet Sonata")

Once they were finished with their picnic lunch, the Baker Street Family left Hampstead Heath, & went to the launch site of a boating area near the Palaces Of Westminster. The afternoon was still as bright & sunny as before, & it was a perfect time to go for a boat ride in the Thames River! As the Baker Street Family stood on the cobblestone-lined West Bank, a long wooden rowboat came up to them, paddled by a boatmouse. "Would you care to go on a lovely boat ride down the Thames?" the boatmouse asked the Baker Street Family. "Admission's only a guinea."

Basil took a guinea from his trenchcoat pocket, & deftly tossed it to the boatmouse, who caught the coin swiftly in his paw, & stuffed it into his trousers pocket. "Hope on board, everyone!" the boatmouse cried, grandly gesturing for the family to come into his vessel. The Baker Street Family boarded the boat, & the oarsmouse began rowing his passengers down the stream. As Basil & his loved ones glided down the blue waters of the Thames River, watching the lovely scenery go by, they enjoyed partaking in this peaceful pastime together. How very much the Baker Street Family enjoyed spending time with one another! When they did, they could forget all their troubles, & find pleasure & happiness even on the darkest of days! And, hopefully, our heroes thought, we'll be able to share such good times for many years to come...


Not too long afterwards, the Baker Street Family went to the mouse street of Racing Square (known to us humans as Grosvenor Square), which was home to one of Mouse London's most-famous sporting venues: Apricot Racetrack. Here, rodents came to watch purebred dogs race each other in competitions, & even make bets on their favorite hound if they were in the mood for gambling. But the Baker Street Family had no desire for wasting their money on such foolish frivolities; they were only here to see the dogs race, & nothing more.

After purchasing their entry tickets, & grabbing some popcorn & peanuts from the snack bar, the members of the Baker Street Family made their way to the bleachers, where several other rodents were eagerly awaiting the upcoming sports spectacle. As soon as Basil & his loved ones took their seats in the stands, a voice on the P.A. system announced, "Ladies & gentlerodents, welcome to Apricot Racetrack. Our next race will begin in just a few minutes. But, first, let us all rise for the singing of our national anthem, followed by a certain patriotic hymn that has just been rewritten to reflect our progressive social attitudes...for those of you who didn't know already." The audience subsequently proceeded to perform "God Save The Queen", & when the next song began to play over the loudspeakers, they all sang along in perfect harmony...

(CUE SONG: "Rule, Britannia [Rodential Version]")

When British history first began
'Mong rolling hills & verdant plains,
This was the charter of the land,
And all its micefolk sung this strain

Rule, Britannia, home of the free & brave
Rodents never, never, ever shall be slaves!

The other nations, blessed like thee,
Shall ne'er to brutes or bigots fall,
And thou shalt flourish affably
As friend & ally of them all

Rule, Britannia, home of the free & brave
Rodents never, never, ever shall be slaves!

Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
Assisted by each foreign stroke
No tears shall flow from natives' eyes,
And we'll be good to all micefolk

Rule, Britannia, home of the free & brave
Rodents never, never, ever shall be slaves!

No racist tyrant e'er shall tame
Any attempts to bring them down,
But let them fall in woe & shame,
So there'll be joy in every town!

Rule, Britannia, home of the free & brave
Rodents never, never, ever shall be slaves!

To all belongs the right to thrive
In peace & love & harmony,
So keep the rights of mouse alive
In every rodential country!

Rule, Britannia, home of the free & brave
Rodents never, never, ever shall be slaves!

All rodentkind, pure & unstained,
Shall dance with joy, free from control
No one is fit to rule or reign
But mousely hearts & caring souls

Rule, Britannia, home of the free & brave
Rodents never, never, ever shall be slaves!

(CUE MUSIC: "Tristch Trastch Polka", by Johann Strauss II)

When the audience sat back down, it was time for the race to begin! With the firing of a pistol, five small beagles emerged from behind the swinging doors of their starting stalls, each of them commandeered by rodents riding in saddles on their backs. The dogs then proceeded to race, running alongside each other in varying speeds as they traversed the elliptical dirt track that was their racecourse. The Baker Street Family & other audience members eagerly watched the race progress as they munched on popcorn, peanuts, & other treats, cheering their favorite contestants on. "Come on, Cheese Biscuit!" Fidget yelled out through webbed hands cupped around over his mouth.

"Go, Barry, go!" a rat lady in the crowd shouted, punctuating her words as she pumped a fist into the air. "Go, Barry, go!"

"Let's go, Malcy! You can win this thing!" cried a shrew gentleman, shaking his own fist.

Two of the other rodents in the audience were seated near the Baker Street Family. The first of these fursons was a teenage squirrel who was quite tall for his age, with a lean, slender figure. He had golden fur with a wave of matching fur-hair, & his rounded head (adorned with wide & curvy cheekbones) had a small brown nose fixed between his mischievous amber eyes. A big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip, & a pair of small, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. He had a long (not to mention very large & bushy) squirrel tail that curled inward at the end, & his lanky arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a buttonless black jacket, a form-fitting pair of black "drainpipe" trousers, a single-breasted dark-gray waistcoat, a set of white "button-down" shirt-sleeves (with a starched white collar that he kept turned up around his neck), a silk necktie (completely covered with thin diagonal stripes in colors of red, white, & blue), a pair of knitted white socks, & a pair of shiny black shoes. Instead of a cigarette, he chewed on the end of a piece of hay in his mouth. His real name was Charlie Wilde Flavius Laverick, but everyone called him "Chutzpah The Squirrel"; his nickname was rather fitting, for he was one of Mouse London's most-notorious teenage troublemakers (&, truth be told, he was quite proud of his dubious reputation & lifestyle).

The second rodent was a lady mouse, though "lady" might not really be the best term to describe her. She was tall for a woman her age, with a lean, skinny figure. She had tan fur & straight red hair (which she kept up in a tall pompadour). Her rounded head had wide cheekbones that curved at an angle, & her slightly-prominent dark-pink nose jutted out from between two tough green eyes. A big pair of curvy pink ears flanked either side of her head, & a large mole adorned her left cheek. Her pink tail was of average length & thickness, & her slender limbs ended in average-sized paws & small feet. She wore a loose-fitting tank-top with large sky-blue & yellow-green stripes, a form-fitting pair of yellow-green bloomers, a medium-sized yellow-green beret, a long chartreuse feather-boa, two lime-green hoop bracelets (worn on her left wrist), mauve nylon stockings, & a pair of yellow-green high-heel shoes; also, a heavy amount of makeup decorated her face, & fake nails (covered in red polish) topped each of her fingers. Her name was Cathy Sheridan, & she was an American flapper (among other things) who had been living in Mouse London for quite some time. The locals often considered her a "hedonistic harlot", but Cathy didn't care—she was one of those fursons who was always in search of a good time, & as long as she was having fun in some form or fashion, it shouldn't matter to anyone what pastimes or pursuits she partook in to achieve that pleasure!

Incidentally, Cathy & Chutzpah had both made bets on their favorite dogs, & they were watching & waiting for the results. When the dog she was betting on wasn't doing as well as she had hoped, Cathy got mad, & she made no attempt to disguise her disappointment. Her uninhibited behavior wasn't entirely surprising, for although she was drinking from a clearly-labeled bottle of ginger ale, the container's contents were more of an alcoholic variety. "Aw, come on, Bullet!" Cathy griped in the slurred speech that was characteristic of drunkenness, angrily tossing her bottle of "ginger ale" to the floor of the bleachers. "What's the matter with you?" She stifled a hiccup, & continued to complain, "You can do better than that!"

No less irritated with how the race was going, Chutzpah shouted grumpily, "I don't want to end up losing my bet, Fido! Speed it up, you doggone...slowpoke!"

Cathy & Chutzpah turned to stare at one another, realizing that they were not cheering for the same dog-runner. "Oh, no, punk..." Cathy snarled with a contemptuous sneer. "You're not making my dog lose the race!"

"Well, if my dog has to lose to yours, you're gonna owe me a very big debt!" Chutzpah said angrily, putting up his dukes as he glared at Cathy in a challenging manner, ready to fight.

Also putting up her dukes, Cathy replied in rage, "Over my dead body, you rascal!" With that, the two rodents immediately charged towards one another, & got into a scuffle. The Baker Street Family & other audience members watched, horrified, as the Mod squirrel & flapper mouse got caught up in their nasty brawl. She scratched his face, he pulled her hair, she stomped on his foot, he bonked her on the nose, she threw punches at him, he bit her, she grabbed his tail...It was an absolute mess! After several seconds of fighting, Basil got up out of his seat, & went over to Cathy & Chutzpah. The detective struggled to intervene, doing his best to keep the melee from getting any worse...but he wasn't having much success.

Then, without warning, the action came to a halt when Cathy & Chutzpah suddenly stopped in mid-battle, & Basil fell face-first to the ground. Cathy, Chutzpah, & the others watched, stunned, as Dog Racer #1 (Cheese Biscuit) made it to the finish line, with the other four dogs & their rodential riders lagging behind him on the racetrack. As Basil started to get up off the floor, & the audience applauded while standing up out of their seats, an angry Cathy turned to glare at Chutzpah. "And don't think I'm still gonna pay you any money, noodle-head!" the flapper snapped, preparing to fight her rival once more.

"Yeah, well, I'm not either, lady!" Chutzpah retorted, tensing up as he readied for another confrontation with Cathy. Before Basil could try to stop them, Cathy & Chutzpah started dueling again pretty much the same way as they had before. This time, the duel winded up with both rodents falling off the bleachers & onto the ground. Cathy & Chutzpah continued their battle, undaunted, until a pair of constables (one of them being a familiar McBrusque) came onto the scene to break up the fight. As he pried Cathy & Chutzpah apart, & held them both up in the air by the collars of their tops, Constable McBrusque shouted, "That's enough, both of you! I think you need to come along to gaol, & settle this matter privately!"

When Cathy heard these words from the officer, she pouted & sulked, as Chutzpah did the same. "Rats," she said sullenly. This was not going to be a pleasant evening for her...


Later that afternoon, the Baker Street Family met up with their good friend P.R. Altoid, who was on his way to attend a fashion show. The town benefactor & social worker was glad to see his comrades, & he offered to spend quality time with them by inviting them to accompany him to the pageant. The Baker Street Family gladly accepted Altoid's proposal, & before long, our pint-sized pals & their companion were all taking up front-row seats amidst a sea of chattering, muttering rodents in the audience area around the catwalk of the Mouse London Fashion Hall, located on the mouse street of Couture Square (known to us humans as Hanover Square). Seated comfortably in their chairs, the members of the Baker Street Family & Mr. Altoid contentedly chatted amongst themselves as they awaited the beginning of the charity fashion show that was soon to take place.

"How often is it that one should attend a fashion show done for charitable purposes?" Mr. Altoid asked.

"Very rarely, I must say...if ever," Ratigan replied.

Dr. Dawson sighed gently, & said with a wistful smile, "If only other fashion designers could be as kind & generous as Coucou Cacheau..."

"My sentiments exactly, Dr. Dawson, yes?" Mr. Altoid remarked, nodding in agreement. "Just imagine...When these clothes come out onto the market, all the profits Coucou makes from selling them will go to supporting altruistic causes & helping less fortunate rodents in need, yes?" With a smile, he continued, "It's a wonderful feeling to know that you can receive something, & yet, you'll still have something to give back to others, yes?"

"I couldn't agree with you more, Mr. Altoid," Basil assented, smiling & nodding at his comrade.

Beaming with heartfelt joy, Mr. Altoid said, "And from now on, whenever I buy one of Coucou's nice little outfits, I'll be happy to know that the money I put into buying them will end up feeding a starving family or purchasing school supplies for orphaned mouselings, yes?" Then, tearing up, he added, "It really gives me joy to think that...making a simple transaction...could turn out to be an act of...utmost kindness...& charity...yes?" Mr. Altoid began to cry, overcome with emotion, but he dried his tears, & blew his nose with the lace handkerchief that he withdrew from his coat-breast pocket. Finally, the smile returned to his face, & he stopped crying. "There we are, yes?" Mr. Altoid said, as he tucked the hankie back into his pocket. "That's much better, yes?"

(CUE MUSIC: "Allegro Deciso" from George Frederic Handel's "Water Music", as performed by Wendy Carlos)

A content Mr. Altoid leaned back comfortably into his chair, & he & the Baker Street Family looked up towards the stage as the lights dimmed, & the audience hushed. After the last of the lights came off, a bright spotlight hit the nearby stage curtains, & an attractive mouse woman stepped out from behind the cloth partitions to appear before the audience. She was very tall for her age, with white fur & straight black hair (which she kept tied in a bun). Her rounded head had high cheekbones that curved at a slight angle, along with a small pink nose & a pair of elegant almond-shaped eyes (which both had sky-blue "whites" & cerulean-blue irises). Small, curvy pink ears flanked either side of her head, & her pink tail was long & slender. Her slim arms & legs ended in delicate paws & feet. She wore an elegant black dress (which clung to her slim, feminine figure) with matching high-heel shoes, a black beaded choker, black opera gloves, a modest amount of makeup on her face, & a wide-brimmed black hat (decorated with a lavish black plume & a black-&-white zebra-patterned ribbon going around the dome). The mouse woman—none other than famous fashion designer Coucou Cacheau—calmly strutted down the length of the catwalk to the very front of the platform, illuminated in the glow of the spotlight. She walked with an air of elegance & queen-like grace that was easy to impress even the coarsest mouse. A gentle smile played across her ruby-painted lips.

After Coucou made it to the end of the catwalk, she stopped to take a few bows to the audience, who applauded upon seeing her. Once she got up from her last bow, Coucou faced her visitors again, her youthful radiance captured brilliantly by the spotlight's glow. Proudly addressing the audience as she swept her arms upward in a grand flourish, Coucou exclaimed with a smile in her lively, debonair French accent, "Madames et messieurs...Welcome, one & all, to the 1st annual 'Fabric Of A Loving Society' charity fashion show!" The audience applauded again, then grew silent as Coucou continued, "Today's event will feature the rodent world's top models parading in the latest fashions from my clothing line...Now, the clothes you see during the show will be put onto the market early next spring, & every time they are purchased by you, the members of my dear audience...the profits made from your transactions will go to charities of just about every sort, & will help in supporting causes of just about every nature—battling poverty, increasing education, protecting the environment, promoting good health, & whatnot..." (Beat.) "And, now...without further ado...let us begin the show!"

With a grand bow, Coucou closed her introduction to much applause from the audience, & she made her way down to a table at the bottom of the catwalk, near the seating area. The table, incidentally, had a small microphone on it. Coucou sat down in a chair behind the table, & brought the microphone over to her. Then, she began speaking into the device: "Now, ladies & gentlerodents, if you will look up onto the stage, you will see our first model coming out." On the catwalk, the spotlight fell upon an attractive young mousette with black fur & soft green eyes. She was dressed in a white shirtwaist blouse with matching trousers, a white hat, & Wellington boots. The mousette walked down the catwalk slowly & calmly, as she turned her head to give looks at the audience every few seconds. "This particular model is putting the recent trend in ladies' trousers to good use, non?" Coucou commented. The model stopped at the end of the catwalk, & posed for the audience for a few seconds, before going back the way she came, with the audience applauding as they watched her leave. "Ah, merci, Veronica!" Coucou said. "Thank you very much, darling!"

(CUE MUSIC: Abridged version of the allegro movement from Johann Sebastian Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto #6 In B-Flat Major", as performed by Wendy Carlos)

"Now, our next model, Lily, will be appearing upon the catwalk for you," Coucou continued. A white-furred mouse with gentle blue eyes came out from behind the curtains, & started walking down the runway, bathed in the glow of the spotlight. She was dressed in a blue two-piece swimsuit with matching sandals, a gauzy sky-blue cover-up, a blue flower tucked behind her ear, & a wrap-around blue sarong that she took out & folded around her lower half. Upon reaching the front of the catwalk, the model did a few pretty poses for the audience. "The swimsuit that Lily is wearing is a far jump away from the bathing attire that once adorned our fursons at the beach, but, at the same time, it is...tres nouvel, & a totally fresh change in summertime fashion for today's audiences," Coucou said. After Lily finished posing, & started walking back to the stage curtains, the audience applauded. Once Lily had exited, she was replaced by the next model.

"And now, ladies & gentlerodents," Coucou announced, "please welcome Annaliese, our third model in today's show." The audience applauded as Annaliese began strutting down the catwalk. The tan-furred mousette with long, blonde hair (kept up in a bun) & gentle violet eyes was dressed in a purple evening gown that sparkled & shined underneath the spotlight, as well as purple jewelry & a lavender stole. "Ah, Annaliese looks beautiful in this outfit, does she now?" Coucou complimented. "And this particular suit is magnifique for a night at the theater, with its elegant style & dusky hues of purple." Annaliese reached the end of the catwalk, & posed for the audience a few times. Then, she turned to make her way back to the stage curtains, as the audience cheered once again.

After Annaliese had left, she was replaced by her successor. "Our fourth model, Aisha, has now arrived, dear audience," Coucou announced. Aisha was an African-American mousette with brown fur, long black hair, & soft brown eyes. She was dressed in a green nightgown with a matching sleep-bonnet, slippers, & a robe. Aisha began walking down the catwalk, & when she reached the end of it, she posed & modeled for the audience. "As you can see," Coucou quipped, "Aisha is all dressed up for bedtime...& not feeling the least bit sleepy." The audience laughed in amusement, then applauded. Aisha then turned to begin walking back down the catwalk, & when she disappeared behind the stage curtains, she was replaced by the fifth model.

"Et voila, mes amies!" Coucou exclaimed. "Behold...Model Number 5...Charisse!" Charisse was a golden-furred mouse with shoulder-length brown hair & sweet gray eyes. She was dressed in a pink, short-sleeved shirtwaist blouse with matching shorts & loafers. As Charisse proceeded to make her way down the runway, Coucou continued, "I am thankful that male & female rodents are now considered equals—otherwise, I would have been run out of town just for making my model wear shorts!" The audience chuckled again, then grew silent as Charisse made it to the front of the catwalk. She posed & modeled for the audience, then began walking back to the stage curtains, as Coucou declared in delight, "Ladies & gentlerodents, let's give a round of applause for Model Number 5, Charisse!" The audience applauded until Charisse exited the stage, & was replaced by her successor.

"And, now, our sixth model!" Coucou proudly announced. "Please welcome...Delores." Delores was a peach-furred mousette with soft yellow eyes & long black hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a yellow tank-top with a denim blue miniskirt & brown flip-flops. Delores began walking down to the end of the catwalk, & upon reaching the end of it, she started posing & modeling for the audience. "Delores looks tres jolie, does she not?" Coucou said admiringly. "And just look at her outfit—perfect for casual summer outings!" Delores finally finished modeling, & the audience applauded as she made her way back down the runway, & disappeared behind the stage curtains. On & on the fashion show continued, with many more models coming out to flaunt Coucou's outfits, each more beautiful than the last. Oh, what a splendid spectacle to behold!


(CUE MUSIC: Abridged version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Piano Sonata No. 5 In G Major")

After the fashion show was over, the Baker Street Family said their "goodbyes" to Mr. Altoid, & parted ways for the day. On their way back home, Basil & his loved ones were walking down the mouse road of Oxford Street (known to us humans by the same name). The sun was now beginning to set in the sky, casting long shadows everywhere, as pink & purple hues painted the scenery around our homebound heroes. As they leisurely strolled down the sidewalk, the members of the Baker Street Family engaged in several conversations with each other. "I really must say," Dr. Dawson declared, "that was, without a doubt, the finest fashion show I've ever attended in my life!"

"It's the only fashion show you've ever attended in your life, Dr. Dawson," Cousin Timmy remarked.

"Well, there was that time when I attended one during a brief stay in Paris at my cousin's house...but that's another story for another time..." Dr. Dawson said. Suddenly, the Baker Street Family stopped in their tracks, as they sported concerned & worried looks on their faces. Further up the sidewalk, they saw a mouse woman with whom they were very well acquainted. The mouse was tall for her age, with a lean, slender figure. She had pinkish-tan fur, & curly golden-blonde hair that fell down to her shoulders. Her small dark-pink nose was juxtaposed between a pair of gentle blue eyes, & a small pair of curvy pink ears flanked either side of her head. Her slender pink tail was of average length, & her slim arms & legs ended in large paws & feet. She wore a snug-fitting light-blue shirt, a long (& equally snug-fitting) blue skirt, a collarless royal-blue shawl, a blue garden-style hat (decorated with a big light-blue ribbon-stripe & three small cerulean-blue feathers), a pair of royal-blue slip-on shoes, & a modest amount of makeup on her face. Upon seeing this woman, Basil & his loved ones recognized her immediately! Her name was Mrs. Deborah Wellington, & she was the Queen's ambassador for all the countries of the rodent world. [7] The mother mouse was dashing around frantically, calling out fearfully for her son Joey, who was nowhere to be found. "Joey!" Mrs. Wellington cried. "Joey, dear, where are you? Joey!"

The Baker Street Family approached Mrs. Wellington, hoping they could be of assistance to the envoy. "What's the trouble, Mrs. Wellington?" Basil asked.

Upon hearing the familiar voice speaking to her, Mrs. Wellington turned around to see Basil, then quickly went over to him, clutching at his invertness cape as she looked up at him with wide eyes & a frightened expression. "Oh, Mr. Holmesington, you've got to help me!" Mrs. Wellington pleaded with the detective. "I can't find my son Joey!"

"Now, now, just calm down for a second, Mrs. Wellington," Basil interjected, gently pushing the mother mouse away. "What happened?"

Becoming increasingly distressed as she told her story, Mrs. Wellington explained, "Joey & I were walking down the pavement on the way home from a visit to the Queen at Buckingham Palace...but when I turned around to say 'hello' to an old friend of mine, I got drawn into a conversation with her, & I lost track of time...But when I had said 'goodbye' to my friend, & turned back to face Joey, he was gone! Vanished! I've been looking all over the area for him, but he's nowhere in sight!" Now collapsing into the depths of despair, Mrs. Wellington took out a handkerchief, & started to sob into it. "Oh, what shall I do?" she lamented. "How am I ever going to find Joey?"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Wellington," Basil said comfortingly, as he placed a supportive paw on the lady's shoulder. "I assure you that we'll find him before it gets dark."

"But how can we possibly do that?" Mrs. Wellington asked, looking at Basil with a saddened gaze.

"Elementary, my dear ambassador," Basil replied, pointing down at a set of tiny footprints that had recently been made on the pavement (while somehow managing to escape Mrs. Wellington's notice). "These small footprints going into Sweet Hearts Candy Store should lead us straight to him."

With that, the Baker Street Family & Mrs. Wellington followed the tracks, which led them into a small building—none other than Lower 381, the aforementioned Sweet Hearts Candy Store. The store was filled with displays of all kinds of confections—rainbow candies, butterscotch, lollipops, licorice, gumdrops, multicolored gumballs, toffees, chocolates, candies with gooey centers, gummy bears, & what-have-you-not. As she walked through the sweet shop with the Baker Street Family, Mrs. Wellington called out, "Joey?...Joey?...Are you here?" Finally, Basil, his loved ones, & Mrs. Wellington stopped when they saw someone browsing through a large barrel full of candy. Basil deduced that the furson had to be a child, for his head & arms were submerged as he stood up on his tiptoes to reach deep down into the barrel.

The little boy was of average height & weight for a mouseling his age. He had tan fur, with a wave of matching fur-hair covering the top of his head. Said head was rounded, with wide & curvy cheekbones, a small dark-pink nose, & wide blue eyes. A pair of small, curvy pink ears extended from either side of his cranium. His pink tail was of average length & thickness, & large paws & feet were at the ends of his thick arms & thin legs. He wore a snug-fitting red shirt, a loose-fitting pair of puffy blue trousers, a collarless white shawl (which had a big blue bow with two dangling ribbon-tails attached to the front of it), a big beanie cap (with a repeating pattern of four large red & white felt panels, no bill or brim, & a tall red propeller on top of it), a pair of knee-high white socks, & a pair of brown shoes. When she saw the tiny figure in front of her & her friends, Mrs. Wellington recognized him immediately, & her face lit up in delight—it was none other than her beloved child, Joey Wellington! "Joey!" an elated Mrs. Wellington exclaimed, glad to see her son safe & sound.

Upon hearing his mother's voice, Joey popped his little head & arms out from the barrel of candy, making pieces fly up in his wake. Then, the lad turned to face Mrs. Wellington with a huge smile from ear to ear, as he shouted joyfully, "Mommy!" Bounding with unbridled energy, Joey rushed towards Mrs. Wellington, & hopped into her arms like a kangaroo. Mrs. Wellington cradled her son against her as she cuddled & huggled him, determined to never let go. As she embraced her only child, Mrs. Wellington sighed happily, "Oh, Joey..."—she kissed him on the cheek—"...thank goodness you're all right!" Mrs. Wellington kissed Joey's nose & forehead, then gently stroked the fur on the back of his head with her paw as she continued to cradle & cuddle him in her arms. "Mommy was so worried about you!" Mrs. Wellington said. "She thought she'd lost you!"

Joey just smiled at his mom, & replied innocently, "I was right here the whole time, Mommy." After Mrs. Wellington set Joey down onto the floor, the little boy looked up at his mother, & asked her a question that had been on his mind for some time: "Can I have some candy, Mommy?"

"Oh, Joey, dear, it's almost dinnertime!" Mrs. Wellington replied with a nervous smile. "You don't want to spoil your appetite..." Besides, she thought, you eat enough sugary things as it is...

But Joey still persisted. "Please...?" the mouseling pleaded with an even bigger smile on his face.

It was at this point that Mrs. Wellington had to put her foot down. Glaring down sternly at Joey, Mrs. Wellington crossed her arms over her chest, & tapped her foot on the floor, as she answered firmly, "No, Joey. Sweets are for dessert, & dessert comes after dinner."

Joey would hear none of it, & he started throwing a temper tantrum. He jumped up & down on the floor, before raising his arms in the air, & waving them about wildly. All the while, Joey screamed angrily, "I want it, I want it! I WANT IT!"

Not wanting to make a scene in front of everybody, Mrs. Wellington finally gave in with an impatient sigh. Rolling her eyes, the ambassador relented, "Oh, all right, Joey!" Mrs. Wellington brought her son over to one of the candy display cases, before giving him a word of warning: "But you can only have one piece..." With that, Joey went over to the display case, & looked at the candy resting upon it. After taking a few moments to think about what he wanted, Joey finally grabbed a candy bar, before peeling off the wrapper, & taking a huge bite out of it.

(CUE MUSIC: "Musica Ricercata III", by Gyorgy Ligeti)

Upon swallowing the mouthful of chocolate, Joey's eyes immediately bugged out. Mrs. Wellington looked increasingly nervous, & the Baker Street Family gazed at her in puzzlement, wondering what was going to happen next. Then, Basil, his loved ones, & Mrs. Wellington all looked down at Joey. Within a matter of seconds, Joey was hyped up on a sugar rush. The overexcited tike laughed & babbled incoherently as he started jumping up & down like a hyperactive jackrabbit. As Mrs. Wellington & the Baker Street Family watched on, the giggling & jabbering Joey jumped & skipped & capered & cavorted all around the candy store, doing somersaults on the floor, literally bouncing off the walls, spinning dizzily from place to place in a devilish whirl, doing back-flips, whizzing over to the display cases of candy, grabbing all the sweets he could find, & sampling the sugar-coated goods. While Joey continued to carry on with this mad display, the Baker Street Family all turned their heads to look at a mortified Mrs. Wellington, who slapped her paw against her forehead in irritation. As happy & grateful as she was to have her son back, she couldn't help but wish that he were at home right now, taking a long, quiet nap...Oh, well. The sugar rush would wear off eventually.


Friday, October 30, 1897

(CUE MUSIC: "The Merry Peasant", from Robert Schumann's "Album For The Young")

The next morning was bright & sunny, as usual. In his bedroom on Baker Street, Cousin Timmy was still lingering in his last few minutes of slumber. It had only been a few days since Timmy & his family had moved to Basil's house, & the lad had already decorated his fursonal quarters to his liking! The walls were painted a gentle lavender, & the floor was covered in deep-purple carpet. Glossy posters & paintings of beautiful mousettes decorated the walls, & his mouseling-sized grand piano stood in the northwest corner of the room; next to the piano, going all along the rest of the north wall, were two large white chests (filled with toys & games). A comfortable bed (made out of a lilac mattress with purple pillows, a white mahogany headboard, lilac sheets, & a warm, fuzzy purple blanket) stood at the center of the west wall; a small white nightstand with drawers of stuff was on the left side of the bed, its top surface decorated with a vase of flowers, a journal / day planner, & a group picture of the Baker Street Family. On the east wall, next to the door (& directly across from the foot of the bed), was a big-screen TV that stood on a white bureau of dresser-drawers (full of various snacks, toys, trinkets, women's leftover artifacts, & plenty of "Playmouse" magazines). [8] On the south wall of the room, there was a door leading into a closet, a white wooden bookcase with plenty of periodicals (including female-empowering tomes & romantic novels, among other things), & a small white table with matching chairs (which stood in the southwest corner).

Suddenly, Cousin Timmy was awoken from sleep by the sound of Basil's voice calling out from downstairs, "Wake up, everybody! It's family errands day! Come on...Get up! Get up!" Cousin Timmy reluctantly stirred, & got up out of bed to get ready for the day ahead. Not too long afterward, the members of the Baker Street Family (now fully dressed) gathered in the living room, & rushed over to Basil, who stood in the middle of the chamber, all decked out in his mouse detective uniform.

"Where are we going today, Basil?" Olivia asked, looking up at her godfather.

"Anywhere the wind takes us, my dear," Basil replied, smiling down at Olivia. "Anywhere the wind takes us."

"Do you have any more...specific plans?" Hiram inquired.

"Well, first," Basil answered, "we shall be going to the marketplace to do a little grocery-shopping...&, then, we'll probably do anything else that needs to be taken care of."

"Which would be...?" Ratigan questioned quizzically.

Turning to face Ratigan with a playful smirk, Basil responded, "Anything that comes to mind."


(CUE MUSIC: Abridged version of the 1st movement of Franz Joseph Haydn's "Cello Concerto No. 1 In C Major")

True to his word, Basil took his relatives to Cumberwell Market to do the first of their errands. The Baker Street Family browsed through many stalls & booths, looking at the wares that the costermongers had to sell. First, they came upon an apple booth. As Basil & his loved ones approached this stand, Mrs. Judson asked the vendor, "How much are these apples?"

"Five of them for only two pounds, miss," the apple vendor replied.

"Well, let's see..." Mrs. Judson said. The mousekeeper took a few apples from the booth, & proceeded to count them: "One...two...three..."—she took several more apples into her paws, & continued counting—"...four...six...seven...ten...twelve...fifteen...twenty! Just enough apples to make my famous apple pie!"

Quickly calculating the amount of money needed to pay for the produce, Basil dug through his pocket, & handed the apple vendor a pawful of coins. "Here you are, sir," Basil said cheerfully. "Eight shiny, new pounds for twenty shiny, new apples."

"Thank you, sir," the apple vendor said, taking the money. The vendor then placed the apples in a bag, which he handed to Mrs. Judson. Waving to the Baker Street Family, the apple vendor shouted cheerfully, "Have a good day!"

The Baker Street Family waved "goodbye" to the apple vendor, & continued walking off through the marketplace. They soon approached another booth, where a vendor was slicing up fish. As the Baker Street Family came closer to the stand, Dr. Dawson asked, "Er, what kinds of fish do you sell here?"

"Oh, all kinds!" the vendor replied while he continued to cut up his wares. "We got trout, flounder, salmon, bass, pike...anything that wiggles around when you catch it, & has fins!"

"I think we could use a few samples of trout for dinner tonight," Dr. Dawson said.

"Tell you what," the fish vendor declared, "why don't I give you some rainbow trout? That's the best kind!"

"I'm sure it is!" Olivia commented.

"Well, Olivia certainly seems to think so," an amused Dr. Dawson agreed. The Baker Street Family couldn't help but laugh at the medical mouse's witty remark. "We'll take it," Dawson added.

With that, the fish vendor collected some rainbow trout, washing them all in the water pouring from a faucet in a sink. "Now, let's get these little fellas nice & clean, so they'll be safe to eat," the fish vendor said. After he finished washing the fish, the vendor wrapped them up in white plastic sheets, & placed them in a big bag, which he handed to the Baker Street Family. In return, Basil handed the fish vendor a few pounds. Smiling as he took the money, the fish vendor said, "Thanks, sir. Have a good day, everyone!"

The Baker Street Family waved "goodbye" to the fish vendor, & continued walking. Eventually, they approached a third stand, where a Cockney lady was selling bread. "How can I help you?" the bread vendor inquired cheerfully.

"Might we have a few loaves of your finest bread?" Basil asked.

"Right away, sir!" the bread vendor said. She took a few loaves of bread, which she placed in a basket that she handed to Basil. "Here you are," the vendor added sweetly.

"Thank you, madam," Basil replied, taking the basket into his paws. He handed the bread vendor a few pounds, & she gladly accepted the money.

"Bless you, sir!" the bread vendor exclaimed ecstatically. "Have a lovely day!" The bread vendor then waved "goodbye" to the Baker Street Family, who returned the wave, & continued on their way through the marketplace. Finally, Basil & his loved ones came across Old Mouse Porter, who was selling fruits & vegetables at his newly-repaired stand.

"Ah, good day, Old Mouse Porter!" Basil greeted, as the Baker Street Family approached the farmer. "How doth business fare today?"

"Ach, excellent, Basil!" Old Mouse Porter replied happily. "I've been able to sell some of my crop, & I've got a feeling that customers will keep pouring in by the minute...And my stand hasn't been destroyed, for once! I just know today's going to be a good day for me!"

"I have no doubt it will be, Old Mouse Porter," Dr. Dawson said.

"Did you need anything today?" Old Mouse Porter asked.

"Well, aside from the fact that we thought we should stop to say 'hello', I think we could use a few vegetables from your stand," Basil answered. "Perhaps some cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, & tomatoes will do for our salads at dinner tonight."

"Sure thing!" Old Mouse Porter declared. The farmer took the cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, & tomatoes from his stand, & after sanitizing them & putting them into bags, he handed them to Basil. "Here you are, Mr. Holmesington!" Old Mouse Porter exclaimed, as he gave Basil the sacks of vegetables. "And don't worry—the produce will be on me today!"

"Many thanks, Old Mouse Porter," Basil said, taking the bags into his paws. "It is greatly appreciated."

Old Mouse Porter smiled at the Baker Street Family for a moment...then suddenly stopped when he heard a crashing sound. He turned around, & saw that his stand had collapsed! "Oh, Great Belin, not again!" an upset Old Mouse Porter lamented, as he slapped a paw to his forehead, & shook his head sorrowfully. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

Hiram went over to look at the demolished stand, then removed some tools from underneath his blue outing coat. "Not to worry, Old Mouse Porter," the toymaker encouraged. "I can fix that for you."

And, so, Hiram proceeded to repair his friend's produce cart. As the Baker Street Family & Old Mouse Porter watched Hiram working on the stand, a tall Frenchmouse dashed over to the rodents as he went to investigate the scene taking place in front of him. The mouse was tall for his age, with a lean, lanky figure. He had apricot-colored fur, with a neatly-combed wave of matching fur-hair. His elliptical-shaped head had wide cheekbones that curved at an angle, a small pink nose with long whiskers, & two friendly blue eyes. A pair of large, flat-looking pink ears extended from either side of his head. His pink tail was of average length & thickness, & his slim arms & legs ended in small paws & feet. He wore a snug-fitting sky-blue sweater, a pair of blue trousers (held up by a brown leather belt with a golden buckle), a single-breasted cerulean-blue vest, & a pair of dull light-brown shoes. His name was Monsieur Victor Claudius, & he was a long-time friend of Basil Of Baker Street, as well as the detective's mentor when he first took up a career in crimefighting. "Sacre bleu, what happened here?" Monsieur Victor asked worriedly. "Did some kind of accident take place? Oh, dear, I hope it wasn't too terrible!" [9]

(CUE MUSIC: Orchestral version of "En Bateau", from Claude Debussy's "Petit Suite")

Upon hearing Monsieur Victor's voice, the members of the Baker Street Family (except for Hiram, who was still fixing the produce stand) & Old Mouse Porter turned around to face the Frenchmouse. "Oh, hello..." Ratigan greeted with a cordial smile. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting before."

"Ah, so sorry to have forgotten my manners!" the detective-turned-teacher said amiably. "I am Monsieur Victor Claudius."

Going up to shake paws with his comrade & former teacher, Basil exclaimed, "Victor! Bonjour, mon ami! How good to see you again!"

"Et je suit enchante, as well, Basil," Monsieur Victor replied warmly, as he returned Basil's handshake.

At this point, Basil stepped back from Victor, & said, "Well..."—he cleared his throat into his paw—"...I suppose I should introduce my new family to you, Victor." Gesturing to each of his loved ones as he said their names, Basil continued, "This is my trusted associate Dr. Dawson, my mousekeeper Mrs. Judson, my goddaughter Olivia Flaversham...Her father Hiram is working on the produce stand...This is my godnephew, Timmy Flaversham...And these are my surrogate sons, Ratigan & Fidget."

Monsieur Victor went to greet all the members of the Baker Street Family, shaking paws with each of them as he said warmly, "It is wonderful to meet all of you...Dr. Dawson...Mrs. Judson...Mademoiselle Olivia...Monsieur Timmy...Ratigan...Fidget."

Olivia went up to give Monsieur Victor a hug. "You know, I really like you!" Olivia exclaimed cheerfully. The Glaswegian girl then parted from the hug, but held Victor's paws in hers as she gazed at him with a pleasant smile. "Would you like to be my friend?" Olivia asked sweetly.

"Oh, how kind of you to ask, Olivia!" Monsieur Victor replied happily, patting the mouseling on the head. "Oui, I would certainly love to be your friend! And as a matter of fact..."—he hugged Olivia back—"...I will!"

The Baker Street Family watched on with adoring expressions, their hearts warmed by the tender sight of their littlest member interacting so amiably with Basil's old mentor. "But let's be honest..." Mrs. Judson couldn't help but remark. "Who wouldn't want to be Olivia's friend?" Everyone laughed genially in response to the mousekeeper's warm, witty words, & Olivia & Monsieur Victor parted from the hug.

"Say, Monsieur Victor," Olivia inquired, "would you like to come over to our house for dinner tonight?"

Monsieur Victor replied, "I would be glad to join you & your family for dinner. It would be a grand opportunity for us to get to know each other a little more."

"I say that's a capital idea, Monsieur Victor!" Basil agreed affably. "Tres magnifique!"

(CUE MUSIC: "La Vie Parisienne", by Jacques Offenbach)

Olivia turned around to glance at something that had caught her eye. Then, she looked back at her family & friends with a wide smile, & got them to turn their attention as she pointed to the unseen thing, & called out excitedly, "Wow, everyone, look at that!" The Baker Street Family, Monsieur Victor, & Old Mouse Porter looked in the direction that Olivia was gesturing to, & immediately saw what it was that fascinated the mouseling so. A bit further down the street, a small audience had gathered around a series of street performers, & what marvelous entertainment they provided for their public! Flip Le Bouffon was balancing on his unicycle, juggling rainbow balls in the air. A brilliantly-dressed clown mouse (with plenty of make-up, a large red nose, & a rainbow wig) performed a series of playful antics for passersby—offering a squirting flower to a pretty lady, making a bouquet of roses burst into confetti, & greeting a gentlemouse with a pawshake (& a subsequent jolt from a joy buzzer). A pretty Gypsy lady was dancing with a silk scarf. A magician was performing magic tricks. A pantomime was putting on a silent skit. A fire-eating mouse did his spectacular stunts. A Chinese contortionist mouse performed some amazing feats for the astounded audience. A pretty white mousette in a pink, turquoise, & blue circus outfit balanced on a large ball with her tiptoes as she skillfully handled a series of plates.

At one point, while continuing to juggle, Flip suddenly lost balance on his unicycle. The French clown's juggling balls dropped to the ground as he let out a surprised yelp, & cried, "Oh! Mon Dieu!" Flip wobbled for a second or two, then started yelling as he wheeled around on his out-of-control unicycle, while the audience & other performers stopped what they were doing, & watched on in concern. Unable to stop himself, Flip went wheeling towards the other clown mouse, who was about to throw a pie in his face for the audience's amusement. Flip collided with the clown mouse just as he made his move; instead of its intended target, the pie went over the clown's shoulder, & hit the Gypsy dancer. Suddenly caught off guard, the dancer yelped as she was creamed with the pie, & fell down to the ground, accidentally shoving the magician...who gasped as he inadvertently opened the door of the cage he was using for his current trick, & released two miniature doves. The doves flew rapidly towards the fire-eating mouse, surprising him. The fire-eater then flinched & gasped, letting out a stream of fire that singed the pantomime's rear end. The mime suddenly leaped into the air, & yelped panickingly as he dashed around, grabbing his blazing tail...until, finally, he wound up knocking into the contortionist. The contortionist flipped over in an awkward position, & accidentally slammed against the large ball that the pretty mousette was balancing on. It slipped out from underneath her, & she fell to the ground, along with her plates, which shattered into pieces upon hitting the street.

When the mayhem was all over, the injured & fazed street performers tried to regain their bearings & return to their senses. The audience, grumbling & disappointed, was just about to leave, but everyone suddenly halted as they heard a voice call out, "That display of street performance was pitiful! Just utterly doomed to be disastrous from the very beginning!"

(CUE MUSIC: "Trumpet Voluntary", by Henry Purcell)

A young mouse strolled arrogantly onto the scene, his pompous entrance complemented by his striking appearance. He was tall for his age, with a thin, lean figure. He had golden fur & curly black hair that was fashioned a lot more like an Afro than the intended pompadour, with a single long forelock hanging down in front of his forehead. His rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, & his slightly-prominent fuschia nose was fixed between two charming teal eyes (topped with a theatrical-looking pair of thick, angular black eyebrows). A big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip, & a pair of big, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his lanky arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a long purple jacket (decorated with a large shoulder patch covered in six thick rows of fuschia, orange, golden, lime-green, blue, & purple sequin-studs), a pink "button-down" shirt with plenty of frills & two froofy cuffs, a rather long (& very frilly) rainbow cravat (with six thick, vertical stripes in vibrant colors of fuschia, orange, golden, lime-green, blue, & purple) that flowed down his chest like an iridescent waterfall, a snug-fitting pair of khaki trousers (held up by a brown leather belt with a golden buckle), & a pair of shiny black shoes that had a bit of dust on them. A pink silk handkerchief was tucked carefully into his left jacket-breast pocket. The mouse's name was Sophocles Braveheart, & he was an artisan of many talents who had made quite a name for himself in the last several years.

Sophocles stood for a few moments, surveying the chaos around him with a smug smile & his paws placed haughtily on his hips. Then, with a swagger, he continued walking onto the scene. Sophocles finally approached the street performers & their audience, as the entire Baker Street Family came over with Monsieur Victor & Old Mouse Porter. "Look at this!" Sophocles said disdainfully with a scoff, as he swept his arms out in a grand flourish. "You call this entertainment? My dear rodents, you haven't seen decent entertainment until you've witnessed..."—he gestured to himself by poking an extended thumb against his chest—"...one of my performances!"

The street performers, naturally, felt insulted by the arrogant assertions of this impudent intruder. "And just who do you think you are, peasant?" Flip Le Bouffon asked angrily, glaring at Sophocles as he picked up his juggling balls from the street. Truly, the clown thought, the utter nerve of this guy...!

Still sporting that smug smile, Sophocles made his reply: "I am..."—a dramatic pause—"...Sophocles Braveheart." The artisan went to poke Flip's nose, as he glared mischievously at him, & added, "And you...Monsieur Flip...are a very desperate amateur."

"Well, what makes you any different from the rest of us street performers, Monsieur Braveheart?" Flip questioned quarrelsomely, turning to glare at Sophocles with his arms akimbo.

"I not only have an extraordinary amount of talent," Sophocles answered, "but I dedicate every moment of my very existence to it. Art is what I live & breathe!"

"Oh..And it's not what we live & breathe?" Flip retorted sarcastically.

"Not nearly as much as it is for me...because you don't seek any money for your performances," Sophocles replied with a shake of his head. He then went over to the Gypsy dancer, who produced a hat with a few small coins inside. "Do you see how much this lady has earned for her hard work?" Sophocles asked, gesturing to the currency in the chapeau. "Only a few shillings!" Sophocles took the coins from the hat, & tossed them onto the ground, where they scattered across the street. "A paltry sum, indeed!" Sophocles declared disapprovingly.

"Then, why don't you give us an idea of what you consider to be 'real entertainment', Sophocles?" Flip asked indignantly.

With that pedantic air about him, Sophocles responded haughtily, "Oh..."—snort—"...you wouldn't understand. I could show you every sample of my work & talents in the most brilliant showcasing display...& you still wouldn't understanding." Then, Sophocles turned to face the Baker Street Family, & pointed to them as he continued, "You, however, probably would."

Old Mouse Porter & Monsieur Victor both stared quizzically at the Baker Street Family, who were all shocked at their surprising acknowledgement by Sophocles. "Us, sir?" Basil asked, staring in bewilderment at the artisan as he gestured to himself with his paw on his chest.

"Yes, you," Sophocles replied with a big smile on his face, as he walked over to the astonished Baker Street Family (while the street performers & audience members gazed at him in either awe, shock, surprise, or indignation). "You all look like you've got a very good idea of what real talent is," Sophocles told our heroes. Basil & the others continued to stare on in amazement, as Sophocles finally approached them. Taking Basil by the paw, Sophocles asked with gentlemousely geniality, "Would you & your family care to accompany me to my humble abode-slash-studio? I'd be honored if you did."

The members of the Baker Street Family, despite their shock & awe, soon smiled back at Sophocles, & Basil was quick to make his eager reply: "We'll gladly come with you, Sophocles."

"Well, I must say, you've made a most excellent decision, sirrah! Most excellent!" an elated Sophocles exclaimed, as he shook Basil's paw heartily. Then, the artisan withdrew his hand from Basil's, & began leading the Baker Street Family away. "Come along!" Sophocles called out. The Baker Street Family followed Sophocles out of the marketplace, but before they left, they turned to smile & wave "goodbye" to Old Mouse Porter & Monsieur Victor, who returned the genial gestures as they saw their friends off.


(CUE MUSIC: Largo movement from Franz Joseph Haydn's 102nd Symphony)

Not too long afterward, a human's hansom cab was making its way through the East End, with a pair of horses pulling the carriage down the mouse street of Westbrook Avenue (known to us humans as King Edward's Road). In the bottom area of the cab, the Baker Street Family & Sophocles were riding together in the tiny undercarriage that rodents often used when they stowed away on these types of vehicles. After a while, our pint-sized protagonists' journey came to a stop as the cab pulled to a halt, & the horses let out a whinny. The Baker Street Family & Sophocles stood up & brushed the dust off their clothes as they prepared to exit their ride. "Ladies & gentlerodents," Sophocles announced as he arose, "we have now arrived at our stop at the alley on King Edward's Road, or, as the mice like to call it, Westbrook Avenue." Preparing to jump with the others, Sophocles asked, "Shall we depart?"

With that, Sophocles & the members of the Baker Street Family jumped off the undercarriage of the hansom cab, & made a huge leap to the ground, landing on the pavement of the street. The hansom then started to move again, & continued on its way down the avenue, gradually disappearing out of sight. Sophocles then led the Baker Street Family further into the adjoining alleyway, & when they all stopped, the artisan smiled proudly as he gestured grandly to the exterior of his "humble abode-slash-studio", as he so eloquently put it earlier. "Welcome, everyone!" Sophocles exclaimed exuberantly. "Welcome...to my alley-house!"

The house itself was made out of a large, human-sized crate, with dozens upon dozens of rooms inside (as indicated by the drilled-in holes that made up their small, round windows). The doorway to the alley-house was made of a mousehole with a lavish fuschia canopy (fashioned out of a lady's shirtwaist blouse, & supported by a half-buried pair of Oriental hairsticks) hanging over the entrance, which had a long red carpet (made out of a human's scarlet silk necktie) leading into it. A makeshift patio / recreational area could be seen on the very top of the alley-house. The studio, which rested not too far away from the house, was built out of three pairs of cardboard boxes that lay stacked on top of one another in two towering columns resting side-by-side. Crude square windows (blocked by large drapes made of canvas material) & a makeshift doorway (with its posts & lentils sporting the design of an ornate picture frame) had been carved into the cardboard. Also found on the estate was a long, rusty chain suspended from a pair of darning needles, which served as a makeshift clothesline (as indicated by the damp clothes & costumes that were hanging out to dry upon it). There was also a large stage (fashioned out of the top of a human's barrel, much like the one in Olivia's mega-playroom) with bright lights, fuschia silk curtains (which had been patched up in certain places), plenty of stage equipment, various boxes & bags of props & costumes, & a plethora of home-built chairs & seats placed around the front of it (comprising a theater).

The Baker Street Family was a little stunned at first by the unexpected appearance of Sophocles' alley-house & studio...but, then, Basil & his loved ones all smiled, impressed with the artisan's innovative efforts to make it look as good as possible. When Sophocles turned to face the Baker Street Family, he was quite happy to see their pleased reactions. "I knew you'd like it!" Sophocles beamed brightly to his new friends. "I just knew you would!" Then, Sophocles turned back around, & beckoned for the Baker Street Family to follow him into his residence. "Well, let's go in!" the multi-talented mouse said.

With that, Sophocles & the Baker Street Family strolled down the red carpet, walked through the mousehole-doorway, & entered the first floor of their destination. As everyone came inside the building, Sophocles announced, "This is the main lobby of my alley-house." The dusty "floor" was covered with a soft purple carpet, the walls were a bright lavender, & the room was lit with a chandelier fashioned out of Christmas tree lights. Plush chairs & sofas (stolen from a child's dollhouse) provided comfortable seating areas, & an enormous coffee table had been made out of a human-sized vinyl record resting upon a round box of chocolates. Small thimbles rested in various places, full of water & soil to nourish the pretty bouquets of flowers that bloomed inside them. A small fireplace was carved into the wall on one side, lit with burning coals & shielded with a partitioned metal screen. Paintings & portraits done by Sophocles adorned the walls.

"Well, it's certainly very...homely," an impressed Dr. Dawson complimented, as he looked around the lobby with the rest of the Baker Street Family. "You have a lot of nice decorations in your house, Mr. Braveheart."

"And all made with my own two paws!" Sophocles declared proudly, before leading the Baker Street Family through the lobby, & up the stairs to the second floor, where the kitchen & dining room were located. The dining room of Sophocles' alley-house was decorated with dark-blue tiling & bright blue walls, lit with sconces fashioned out of Christmas lights & toothpaste caps. A chandelier (also fashioned out of Christmas lights) hung above the table, which was made out of a big, round hat-box (surrounded by 15 home-built chairs, covered with a tablecloth that was made out of lace ladies' doilies stitched together, & decorated with a silver centerpiece bowl, which was filled with brilliantly-colored wax fruit sculpted from modeling clay). More paintings & portraits by Sophocles decorated the walls, & in various sections of the dining room, there were wooden pedestals that supported home-built clay statuettes & sculptures, as well as thimble-vases with blooming bouquets of flowers.

Sophocles led the Baker Street Family into the dining room, & helped them all get seated at the table, as he said, "I suppose you're all getting hungry at this moment. Nihil desperandum, however—I'll be back shortly with an early lunch for each of my dear guests!" After the Baker Street Family sat down at the table, Sophocles went off to enter the adjoining kitchen. Several minutes later, the artisan returned with plenty of food for everyone. "Bon appetit! That's French, you know," Sophocles stated cheerfully, as he took each of the prepared lunch dishes, & handed them around to Basil & his loved ones. Once the dishes had been all passed out, Sophocles sat down with the Baker Street Family at the table. After everyone simultaneously tied on napkins, & picked up their silverware in their paws, they dug into their midday meal. And, oh, what a delicious lunch it was!


After luncheon was finished, Sophocles escorted the Baker Street Family to the library on the third floor of the building. The library was decorated with bright mint-green walls & a dark-turquoise carpet. Light was provided by home-built sconces, as well as Tiffany lamps that adorned the small reading tables (each of them surrounded by four home-built chairs & made out of a small rectangular box of Gaston's Liver Pills). Wooden bookcases were everywhere to be found, & not a shelf upon them was seen without a book—in fact, every single one of the shelves on the bookcases were filled to the limit with all sorts of books, magazines, & other literature! "Now, this, ladies & gentlerodents, is the official library of my alley-house," Sophocles declared, as he led Basil & his companions into the room. "As you can see, all my bookcases in here are filled to the very maximum limit with nearly every tome & periodical you could imagine! My shelves are simply stocked with books, & not an empty space is to be found upon them!" Sophocles then gestured for the Baker Street Family to peruse to their heart's content, & said, "So, feel free to have a look around."

With that, the Baker Street Family began browsing through the shelves on the bookcases, glancing at all the titles on display. "Hmm..." Ratigan remarked as he looked at the library literature with his kinsrodents. "Didn't know Sophocles was an author...He's stored many of his own writings here..." Looking through some of Sophocles' works on the shelves, Ratigan marveled, "My goodness, Sophocles has done a lot of literary works! Poetry...prose...essays...novels...Now, that's what I'd call a true mouseter of the written word!" When he saw what other books Sophocles had on his shelves, Ratigan couldn't help but comment, "And he also has works by Burgess...McCamembert...Rudyard Kingsley..."

"Shakespeare...Penrose..." Dr. Dawson continued while browsing through the books, his astonishment increasing by the second. "And here's a few of my chronicles of some of Basil's cases!"

"He's even got lots of picture books, too!" Olivia exclaimed. "Wow..."

"This place is a bookworm's paradise!" Basil said, as he continued browsing through the treasury of tomes with the others.

Sophocles couldn't help but smile & pose proudly as he declared, "Well, as a lover of literature, I do the best I can to nurture one of my many passions."


After leaving the library, the Baker Street Family & Sophocles went to the "recreation & relaxation room" on the fifth floor. The "recreation & relaxation room" of Sophocles' alley-house was decorated with golden carpeting & bright yellow walls. All around the room, there were toys of every kind (including plenty of Rainbow Toys), games, puzzles, musical instruments, stuffed animals, dolls, comic books, crayons & sheets of paper, & other entertainment devices of various types scattered across the floor, resting on shelves & bookcases, & kept safely stored in wooden chests & trunks. Crayon drawings adorned the walls, along with plenty of bright, colorful decorations. Furniture was provided with rainbow tie-dye beanbag chairs & a few pillbox-tables. As he escorted his friends into the chamber, Sophocles said, "This is what I would like to call my recreation & relaxation room...A lovely little haven for artists, innovators, & other creative types—myself included—to escape their daily frustrations & seek pleasurable solace from the dreadful ailments of ennui & artisan's block."

The Baker Street Family stared around the room in pleasant shock, astonishment, & awe. Never before in their lives could they recall being in a room as vibrant & colorful as this one! As he looked around the area with the others, Fidget said, "It's a really cool place...but it's also making my eyes hurt."

"I understand, Fidget," Sophocles replied. "It takes a little time for one's peepers to get properly adjusted to all the vivid, vibrant decorations & ornamentations of the R&R room."

"You can say that again," Fidget agreed. With that, the Baker Street Family & Sophocles proceeded to explore the "recreation & relaxation room", & check out everything it had to offer. After they were done having fun together, the rodents left the area, & headed for the inventing room on the sixth floor of the alley-house.


The inventing room of Sophocles' alley-house was decorated with burnt-orange tiling & bright orange walls, lit with home-built chandeliers & sconces. All around the room, many home-built inventions & devices that Sophocles was working on could be seen. Some of these inventions & devices were of fantastic design, while many served purposes as home appliances & other practical tools, & a lot more of them closely resembled modern-day inventions, but whatever they did, all of these contraptions had been cleverly crafted out of human objects. On one wall, there was an empty rectangular hole next to a small Christmas light that blinked on, accompanied by the simultaneous ding of a bell. The hole was then filled in by an off-white rectangular object, which was a makeshift elevator made out of a human-sized matchbox.

(CUE MUSIC: "Divertimento No. 1 In B-Flat Major", by Franz Joseph Haydn)

The sliding doors of the elevator rose up, & Sophocles & the Baker Street Family all stepped out of the transporter to enter the inventing room. As he led his friends into the chamber, Sophocles said, "Now, this particular room...is my inventing room. You can see this is where I constructed the majority of the objects in my alley-house." Sophocles then proceeded to escort the Baker Street Family throughout the inventing room, showing them around & displaying each invention to them; all the while, Basil & his loved ones looked around the area, impressed by all the amazing contraptions & creations they saw. Providing commentary for the Baker Street Family as he took them on their tour throughout the inventing room, Sophocles stated, "If each room in my alley-house were to represent a particular fursonality characteristic of mine, then this place, out of all the rooms, would most definitely represent my innovative qualities. Impressive, isn't it? Absolutely amazing! Perhaps, I should start showing some of my inventions at the Crystal Palace. I guarantee you, they'd have a field day with them! I mean, just look at what I have on display here! Man, it's a wonder I haven't shown these to anyone who's not ventured into my alley-house! A downright shame, really!" He gave a little sigh, & said longingly, "Well, not to worry...I'm sure I'll be able to show my inventions to the world someday...Someday, whenever the Fates allow..."


After exploring the rest of the inventing room, Sophocles & the Baker Street Family took the elevator up to the gallery rooms on the eighth & final floor of the alley-house. The gallery rooms were decorated with dark-fuschia tiling & bright fuschia walls, lit with home-built chandeliers & sconces. All the rooms in the gallery were adorned with paintings, portraits, drawings, sketches, sculptures, statues of various sizes, paw-crafted items, tapestries, frescoes, pastel pictures, panoramas, & artworks of all kinds. Sophocles & the Baker Street Family looked at each of these gallery rooms, & when they finally got to the final chamber, Sophocles said wistfully, "Well, we've visited every room in the alley-house, & now, we've just completed a tour of the top floor—my entire art gallery!" [10] Sophocles sighed, & continued with regretfulness in his voice, "I would show you my art studio & outdoor theater, but I don't want to keep you here too long...You've still got your errands to finish."

Smiling at Sophocles with the rest of the Baker Street Family, Basil replied warmly, "Well, we can always tour your studio & theater another day; we certainly intend to make further visits to you in the future, dear friend. And as for our first visit, you've done everything possible to make the experience pleasant for the Baker Street Family...You've been a most gracious host, Sophocles."

"Then, in that case, I look forward to your family's visits!" Sophocles exclaimed ecstatically, perking up right away. The artisan heartily shook paws with Basil & the others, as he continued, "You're all welcome to see me any time!" After he finished shaking Mrs. Judson's hand, Sophocles gently withdrew his paw, & stepped back from the family a little, before continuing to speak to his friends: "But if I may offer some last words of creative advice before you go..." (The Baker Street Family paid careful attention to Sophocles, who got increasingly fired-up with each word he spoke.) "Work hard at what you do, nurture your passions every day, never give up on anything, live life to the fullest, & smile! Smile like the dickens!" Then, as he gave a deep bow, Sophocles added pleasantly, "And now, with that said, I bid you all 'adieu' until we meet again, Baker Street Family."


(CUE MUSIC: 2nd movement of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Oboe Concerto In D Minor")

A short time later, the Baker Street Family went to the corner of Crown Street (or, rather, the Crown Street offshoot) & Walnut Avenue, where they would conduct the next of their errands at Lower 442 Crown Street. Their current stop—Sophie's Flower Shop—was a familiar place to many members of the Baker Street Family...especially the Flavershams, who had known the resident of this building for many years. In fact, Olivia, Hiram, & Cousin Timmy considered Sophie Winterley a close friend & neighbor, & they were sure their other loved ones would come to feel the same way about the florist once they met her. And sure enough, once Basil & his relatives entered the store, they were immediately greeted by Sophie, who was glad to make everyone's acquaintance.

Sophie was of average height for a woman her age, with a plump, portly figure. She had tan fur & curly golden-blonde hair (which she kept up in a pompadour-style hairdo). A small dark-pink nose (rounded in shape) was juxtaposed between her cheerful blue eyes. Her pink tail was of average length & thickness, & a pair of average-sized, curvy pink ears flanked either side of her head. Her stout arms & legs ended in small paws & feet. She wore a snug-fitting sky-blue dress (which was gathered & bunched in the front, & had frilly light-blue cuffs & a furry light-blue collar), a sleeveless blue underdress, a sky-blue garden-style hat (decorated with a big light-blue ribbon-stripe & several large light-blue feathers), a pair of blue high-heel shoes, & a modest amount of makeup on her face. The light-purple parasol that she normally carried with her, of course, was not presently upon her furson (& being a superstitious mouse, Sophie didn't want to invite bad luck to her door by having it open inside).

As soon as the florist had greeted the Baker Street Family, she led them over to the empty service counter to wait while she took care of her "stock". Basil & his loved ones watched as Sophie tended to some of her flowers on a wooden shelf beneath the front window—a fuschia vase of pink roses, a golden vase of lilies, a mint-green pot of daisies, & a blue vase of sunflowers. Speaking in a chipper, cheerful voice bursting with liveliness (but not without a sweet, dulcet tone), Sophie sighed pleasantly, & said, "What a wonderful day for my flowers to burst into bloom & thrive under the caring supervision of Mother Nature!" As she smiled & clasped her paws together by her cheek, Sophie fawned in delight & adoration at her four pots of flowers on the shelf. "Oh, my little plants look so happy!" the florist declared joyfully. "I'm taking such good care of them!" Caught up in a merry reverie, Sophie couldn't resist doing a little dance around the floor of the shop, as her visitors watched her with looks of interest & mild amusement. Finally, Sophie waltzed behind the service counter, & stopped to place her paws upon it, before smiling at the Baker Street Family as she asked, "Now, how can I be of service to you today?"

"By any chance, Sophie, might we have a bouquet of lilies?" Basil inquired. "We intend to plant some on Mrs. Flaversham's grave after church on Sunday."

Sophie's face fell when she heard this, & her face & heart became wracked with sorrow. "Oh, yes," Sophie said sadly, nodding in acknowledgement. "The late Mrs. Flaversham...Hiram's wife...& little Olivia's mother..." Then, as though nothing had happened, Sophie perked up, & quickly returned to her normal disposition. "Of course, I'll fetch you some lilies!" the florist exclaimed cheerfully. "Be back in a moment!" Within mere minutes, Sophie returned with a bouquet of fresh lilies, which she handed to Hiram. "Here you are, Mr. Flaversham," Sophie said, as she gave Hiram the flowers. "I'm sure Miss Karen's ghost will absolutely adore them!"

Hiram smiled at Sophie as he took the lily bouquet into his paws. "Thank you very much, Sophie," the toymaker said gratefully. "We really appreciate it."

"It's no trouble at all, Mr. Flaversham," Sophie replied amiably, before waving her paw to bid the Baker Street Family "farewell". "Have a good day, everyone!"

Hiram turned around with Olivia & his other loved ones to begin exiting the shop...but, then, he suddenly stopped when something outside caught his eye. "What's going on out there?" the craftsmouse wondered, puzzled. Still holding the bouquet of lilies, Hiram walked over with Olivia to the store's front window to peek outside, & the rest of the Baker Street Family followed after them. Looking out the window with the others, Hiram mused, "Now, I wonder what could be the reason for that big commotion across the street?" Soon, Hiram found out what all the fuss was: a huge crowd of adults & children were gathered outside the entrance to a building on the other side of the road—Lower 2931 Walnut Avenue, to be exact. Hiram remembered that place quite well; it used to be a violin store, but it closed over two years ago. For a long time, the building sat empty, waiting patiently for a new owner...&, now, it had finally got one! But who was this mystery mouse who had set up shop here? What kind of wares did he offer, & why were so many customers lined up at his door?

"Oh, I suppose no one's told you?" Sophie said to Hiram, almost as if she had read his thoughts. "A kite shop opened up on Walnut Avenue earlier this morning...just across the street from your business down the road..." Going off on a loquacious tangent (& totally oblivious to the hidden emotional agony she had reawakened in her friend), the florist continued, "Can you imagine, Hiram? How very ironic...While your business is failing & you're losing all your customers, someone else comes in to open up his own shop, & everyone starts flocking to him, instead...A-Anyway, I believe the shop is owned by a Japanese mouse by the name of Takumi Mitsubishi..." [11]

You know, Hiram thought to himself, I think we'll go have a chat with this Mitsubishi fellow. Maybe, we can persuade him to help keep our toy shop afloat!


(CUE MUSIC: Largo movement from Antonio Vivaldi's "Concerto For Lute & Two Violins")

In the main room of his shop, Takumi Mitsubishi was busy building kites for customers. Takumi was tall for a mouse his age, with a lean, slender figure. He had white fur & straight dark-gray hair (which he kept up in a bun), with a neatly-trimmed dark-gray moustache & goatee to match. His elliptical-shaped head had angular cheekbones, & his small pink nose was fixed between a pair of kindly eyes (which had sky-blue "whites" & cerulean-blue irises, & were topped with slender, angular dark-gray eyebrows). Wrinkles & other signs of aging adorned his wizened face, & a small pair of "triangular" pink ears prominently perked up from either side of his head. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his slim limbs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a forest-green silk jacket (with "frogged" buttons, thick cuffs & trimmings, & a stiff, starched collar that were all colored dark-green), a snug-fitting pair of forest-green trousers, a large pair of round spectacles (perched upon his nose), & a pair of comfortable brown sandals.

As he worked on building his kites, Grandpa Mitsubishi (we shall refer to him as such from now on) performed his craft with skill, swiftness, & moves of samurai-like agility. He grabbed wooden sticks, criss-crossed said sticks & placed them on top of each other, carefully glued them into place, smoothed out sheets of fabric, cut pieces of the cloth out with scissors, lay the framework down onto the sheets of fabric & glued them together, added a long string to the bottom corner, tied festive & brilliantly-colored ribbons onto said string to make a tail, & used paint & crayons to make brilliant decorations on the front face of the kite. Every time he finished a kite, he handed it to one of the customers. Again & again, Grandpa Mitsubishi repeated this process, while plenty of patrons watched on, standing inside the room around the worktable. Unbeknownst to everyone else, the Baker Street Family entered the kite shop, & watched Mr. Mitsubishi laboring on his kites for a few minutes. Then, Basil went over to Grandpa Mitsubishi, as his loved ones followed behind him.

With a clearing of his throat, Basil greeted, "Konichiwa, Mr. Mitsubishi." After handing a kite to another one of his customers, the Japanese immigrant turned to face Basil & the Baker Street Family. "I don't believe we've met," Basil continued, "but I understand you're new in the neighborhood..." The detective bowed generously, & proceeded to introduce himself & his loved ones to Grandpa Mitsubishi: "I am Basil Of Baker Street. With me are my trusted associate Dr. Dawson, my mousekeeper Mrs. Judson, my surrogate sons Ratigan & Fidget, my fellow lodger Mr. Hiram Flaversham, his nephew Timmy, & his daughter Olivia."

With a genial smile, Grandpa Mitsubishi got up from his table, & greeted the Baker Street Family. "Ah, konichiwa, everyone!" the kite-maker said happily. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you! I have just celebrated the grand opening of the family kite shop."

"Oh, well, congratulations, Mr. Mitsubishi!" Dr. Dawson exclaimed.

At this point, Olivia went over to greet Grandpa Mitsubishi more fursonally. Smiling at Mr. Mitsubishi as she approached him, Olivia said amiably, "Hello! I'm Olivia." The mouseling then gave a curtsy, & added, "It's nice to meet you."

Bowing to the little Scotsmouse standing before him, Grandpa Mitsubishi replied with a cheerful expression, "Konichiwa, Olivia-chan! How do you do?"

"I'm doing fine," Olivia declared. "And you?"

"I'm doing excellently, thank you!" Grandpa Mitsubishi responded, smiling & nodding warmly. "So, you are the daughter of the mouse who owns the toy shop across the street?" the kite-maker asked.

"Well," Olivia answered with some hesitation, "we're having a little trouble right now with our business..."

"I feel for you & your family," Grandpa Mitsubishi said with heartfelt sympathy & sorrow for the Flavershams' plight. With a bow, he added, "If there is anything I can do to alleviate your troubles, please let me know."

Needless to say, Hiram was quite taken aback by the generosity of his would-be rival. "W-We certainly will," the toymaker stammered in pleasant shock. "Th-Thank you."

"Do not worry, Mr. Flaversham," Grandpa Mitsubishi said reassuringly, smiling at Hiram & the others. "I may be a businessmouse...but I am not afraid to be a good sport when it comes to the battle of enterprise."

"You are truly a kind & generous mouse, Mr. Mitsubishi," Hiram praised, as a smile appeared on his own face.

"The rodent world could use a little more kindness & generosity every day," was all Grandpa Mitsubishi had to say in reply.

With that, Hiram took a golden pocket-watch out from the lapels of his coat, feeling a sudden urge to check the time displayed upon it. Upon seeing where the hour & minute hands were positioned, Hiram shut the watch closed, & put it back where he had it. "Well, I really would love to stay & talk with you more," Hiram said as he turned to begin walking away with his kinsrodents, "but my family & I need to finish our errands. But we'll be sure to stop by & see you again sometime!"

"I sincerely look forward to that, Mr. Flaversham!" Grandpa Mitsubishi exclaimed eagerly. "And good luck with your toy shop business!"

"Thank you very much, Mr. Mitsubishi! Thank you!" Hiram said gratefully. The Baker Street Family then smiled & waved "goodbye" at Mr. Mitsubishi as they exited the kite shop. Grandpa Mitsubishi gladly returned the genial gestures, as he called out to his new friends, "Sayanora, Baker Street Family!"


(CUE MUSIC: Overture from Giaochino Rossini's "La Scala Di Seta")

A few hours later, the Baker Street Family were finished with all their errands, & they were now traveling together through the London Mouse Mini-Mall, holding plenty of shopping bags in their paws. "Well...We've gotten the last of our errands taken care of, & we have a few hours to spend until we go home this evening!" Basil said to his loved ones. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, I certainly think we've done enough shopping for today!" Dr. Dawson quipped, & everyone laughed.

"I know!" Mrs. Judson suggested. "We could have a picnic out on the heath!"

"Nah...We did that yesterday," Fidget replied, shaking his head.

"How about we go to the movies?" Cousin Timmy recommended.

Ratigan replied, "I think we should wait until there's actually something good playing..."

At this point, a newspaper mouse—in fact, the very one who had been shouting out the headlines about the new technology only a month ago—came by, holding a copy of the latest issue of The Illustrated London Mouse in his paw. As he walked through the mall with his wares in the air, the newspaper mouse cried out, "Extra, extra! Read all about it!" Then, he paused for a moment...before tossing the newspaper to the ground, & continuing, "Or on second thought, stop reading, & get your tail to Zenith Movie Studios! Get your tail to Zenith Movie Studios today!"

"What's at Zenith Movie Studios, Basil?"

When he heard those three words, Basil was immediately struck with an idea for something the family could do. "Only one way to find out, dear," the detective replied coyly.


Luckily, Zenith Movie Studios wasn't too far away from the London Mouse Mini-Mall, & within minutes, the Baker Street Family arrived at 930 Jollywood Square. On Set A, the Baker Street Family (along with several other rodents) stood off beside the set of a movie being filmed. From what the sea of spectators could see, the movie appeared to be a period-era film set in the 18th century, complete with Oscar-worthy costumes & breathtaking scenery. A mouse dressed in aristocratic attire was standing in the middle of the set with a younger mouse, who had short blonde hair, cold blue eyes, & a gun in his paw. The action on set was being supervised by the director, Cecil B. DeMont. [12]

Cecil was rather short for a mouse his age, with a lean, lanky figure. He had tan fur & straight black hair (which was separated into two neatly-combed partitions), with a neatly-trimmed black moustache to match. His elliptical-shaped head had wide cheekbones that curved at an angle, & a slightly-prominent pink nose poked out from between two dashing green eyes (topped with a theatrical-looking pair of thick, angular black eyebrows). A big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip, & a pair of big, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his skinny arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a golden shirt (with a collar, buttons, & pocket flaps that were all colored dark-golden), a pair of brown shorts (held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle), a purple silk cravat adorned with large lime-green polka-dots, a large ruby-red beret, a golden wristwatch (worn on his right wrist), white wool socks, & shiny black shoes.

For the next few minutes, Cecil circled around the two actors on set, as he directed where they should be positioned, how they should pose, what they should do, & so on. At the same time, the director mouse said to the blonde actor, "OK, now...Ryan...I want you to show absolutely no emotion whatsoever when you go to kill Harry's enemy! You wanna stick that gun to his head & pull the trigger without any hint of remorse! You're a cold-hearted rogue, Harry—er, Ryan—& you need to show it for everyone on that movie screen!" Then, Cecil said to the tall, well-dressed mouse, "And Mr. Patrick...when Ryan—er, Harry—puts that gun to your head...I want you to die like a mouse! Give us the best movie death you can possibly fake...without faking! Know what I'm saying?" Then, Cecil continued giving his directions about the forthcoming scene: "I think we should move that miniature horse a bit closer to the tree...And let's brighten the lights a little for the effect of intensity, shall we?" The studio lights subsequently brightened, & Cecil looked up at the lights manager to give her a thumbs-up & a smile. "Excellent!" Cecil complimented his companion. "Thanks, Jan!" Cecil then walked off the set, & sat down in his special chair, before taking a megaphone that rested on the floor at the foot of said chair. He brought the megaphone up to his mouth, & yelled into it, "All right, everybody, let's make some cine-magic! Aaaaannnnd...ACTION!"

On the set, the blonde actor (Ryan) went to confront the aristocratic-looking actor. "So...Lord Grogan...we meet again!" said the blonde actor, as he stepped towards the older actor, holding out his gun at arm's length.

"You dare to challenge me, peasant?" the older actor asked, acting indignantly.

"My name is Harry Landon!" the blonde actor retorted, putting the gun to the older actor's head. "You killed my father! Prepare to die, you rapscallion!" With that, the blonde actor squeezed the trigger...but instead of bullets, out came a big "smoke-squib" that burst against the older actor's head in a puffy black cloud of dust. The older actor then gasped & made awful dying sounds as he collapsed to the set floor, curled up in a fetal position, pretended to convulse, & stopped moving altogether. The blonde actor had not broken out of his cold, unflinching state.

Absolutely elated with how things had progressed, Cecil cried out cheerfully, "Cut & WRAP! Perfect shot! PERFECT SHOT!" Sitting in his director's chair, Cecil dropped his megaphone to the floor, & suddenly burst into a spell of ecstatic, uncontrollable laughter. After a while, he gradually stopped laughing, & calmed down. After he'd managed to control himself, Cecil called out, "OK...Moooooving on!"


Later in the afternoon, the Baker Street Family & the rest of the set visitors were now at Set F of the studios, where Cecil was shooting another scene of the "Harry Landon" movie. On the set, everyone could see that the current scene took place at an aristocratic ball, with plenty of well-dressed ladies & gentlerodents standing together inside a beautiful, lavish ballroom setting. The actor playing Harry was among them, & he was standing next to a pretty white mouse in a powdered wig & a froofy, frilly dancing gown with gloves, makeup, jewelry, & a fan in her paw. Once again, Cecil was on set, directing the action. Circling around the two actors, & telling them what to do, the director mouse said, "OK...Now, we're moving on to the big courtship scene at the fancy-schmancy Lord Mayor's ball. Harry—er, Ryan—you take the lady's paw in yours, like this...Good! Now, Miss Gloucester, you take your fan in the other paw, wave it in front of your face, & giggle like this!" Cecil did a demonstration for the white-furred actress, then placed the fan back in her left paw when he was done. "Can you do that for me?" he asked.

"Yes, Cecil," the white-furred actress replied in a posh voice.

"Good!" Cecil exclaimed, as he made his way off to exit the set. "I'm counting on you two to make this a perfect shot!"

With that, Cecil climbed into a chair behind the camera of his filming equipment. He looked through the viewfinder, & got ready to film the scene. "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMont!" the white-furred actress announced.

"I'm sure you are, Miss Gloucester. I'm sure you are," Cecil said, still looking through the viewfinder of the movie camera. The filmmaker then pressed a button on the side of said camera, turning it on. "OK...Action!" Cecil shouted, as the reels of film on top of the camera began to move. On set, as the extras in the "ballroom" began to dance & whirl & twirl about, the blonde actor smiled coyly at the white-furred actress as he took her paw in his. The white-furred actress giggled & waved her fan in front of her face...but, then, the blonde actor leaned in to pucker up for a kiss. Offended, the white-furred actress socked the actor in the jaw. Needless to say, Cecil was not pleased by the occurrence of this off-script oddity. The director yelled angrily, "Oh, Jeezum Crow on a unicycle...CUT!" Cecil then leaped out from behind the camera, seething in absolute rage as he face turned red with fury. "What in the name of Stanley K. Schwartz is WRONG WITH YOU?!" Cecil bellowed, madder than a swarm of bees right now.

The white-furred actress smiled sheepishly at Cecil, as the blonde actor slowly got up on his knees, rubbing his sore jaw. "I thought he was trying to make an inappropriate advance on me, Cecil," the white-furred actress explained in embarrassment.

"It's just a flippin' movie, Miss Gloucester!" Cecil griped. "Nobody's making any advances on you except fake ones! Besides...if Ryan were really trying to 'make an inappropriate advance' on you, don't you think I would have called the cops?"

"I'm...not quite sure, really..." the white-furred actress replied nervously.

"Who's the director here?" Cecil asked. "You or me?" When the white-furred mouse started to answer, Cecil sighed impatiently, & continued as he calmed down, "Never mind. Just help Ryan off of the floor, & get ready to shoot the scene again...And this time, don't break out of character! 'Cause you know what will happen if you do..." The actress gulped fearfully, then bent down to help the blonde actor onto his feet. When his actors were ready to continue shooting, Cecil began filming again, & said, "All right, then...On we go!"

As before, the blonde actor took the white-furred actress' paw in his, & the actress giggled as she waved her fan in front of her face. When the blonde actor leaned in to kiss the actress, she didn't resist. "Excellent..." Cecil congratulated, his nerves tingling in excitement at the prospect of completing the scene without any further mishaps. At this point, the blonde actor offered to dance with the white-furred actress. She let him take her into his arms, & the two mice danced with the other couples in the "ballroom". Getting increasingly pleased with how the shot was going, Cecil cried out in unbridled joy, "Yes...yes...YES!" Suddenly, the blonde actor accidentally released the white-furred actress in the middle of a twirl, & the lady thespian went spinning rapidly across the set, yelling all the while, until she finally crashed into some of the filming equipment. When he realized what he had done, the blonde actor smiled nervously & sweated a little, as he said sheepishly, "Heh-heh...Whoopsy-daisy..."

"CUUUUUUT!" Cecil screamed, suddenly irritated. Slapping a paw to his forehead in a foul-tempered facepalm, the director complained to himself, "Oy, vey...This stinkin' shooting session is going to be the death of me! The death of me, I tell ya!" The white-furred actress tottered back onto the set, looking dizzy & clutching her aching head. When a crew mouse tried to bring her condition to Cecil's attention, Cecil just snapped angrily in reply, "I'm NOT paying for that!" Then, to the actors & actresses on set, Cecil continued crabbily, "I suppose this means we're gonna have to try this...again!" When everyone moaned in dismay, Cecil only had one thing to say: "No complaining, losers! Back to work!"


And back to work, the actors & crew eagerly went! As he filmed each scene & sequence of his upcoming "mouseterpiece", Cecil B. DeMont watched everything playing out on set, reacting in accordance with the results of each individual shoot (as we will see from the following examples). During a scene when the blonde actor & the white-furred actress shared a kiss on a verdant hill at sunset, Cecil gave a thumbs-up & a huge grin to his cast members, congratulating them for doing so well. During a scene where the blonde actor scuffled with a blonde mouseling during a party at a mansion, Cecil struck a triumphant pose off-set, delighted with how splendidly the sequence was turning out. During a scene where the blonde actor was preparing to duel his onscreen son in a barn, Cecil was so elated, he couldn't help but do a victory dance! During a scene where the white-furred actress was seated with a reverend mouse in a candle-lit cave, Cecil knelt to the floor & burst into tears, overwhelmed by the ecstatic emotions that the poignant sequence awakened within his heart.

But wait, friends, there's more! During a scene where the blonde mouseling was trying to hold onto his ride as his miniature horse reared back & attempted to throw him off, Cecil slapped his forehead in irritation; this was definitely not in the script, & he didn't like this accidental ad-lib one bit! During a scene where the blonde actor was getting into a fistfight with a drunken mouse at a pub, Cecil watched nervously, as he sweated & bit his nails in a fit of absolute anxiety; the director sure hoped his actors could make it through the sequence in one piece (&, hopefully, one take)! During a scene where the white-furred actress was languishing on a bed, Cecil sobbed into a pink lace handkerchief, moved by the touching sight of the heartbreaking action that played out before him. During a scene where the blonde actor rode his miniature horse into an Irish forest, Cecil watched the on-set activity with great anticipation, eagerly awaiting the successful conclusion of the current shot...before hopping up & down on the floor in a fit of rage when he saw the actor colliding into a tree. Finally, during a scene that took place not too long after the previous one, the blonde actor attempted to jump into a river that ran through the forest...before slipping onto the muddy bank, & landing on his back. Maddened by these movie mishaps though he may have been, Cecil never gave up, & he kept on filming until he was fully satisfied with the day's work.


When dusk finally arrived, the Baker Street Family decided to call it a day, too, & they left Zenith Movie Studios with happy hearts & delighted dispositions. On the way back to Baker Street, Basil & his loved ones detoured onto the mouse street of Marsden Avenue (known to us humans as Longford Street), & made a proverbial pit stop at a quaint little eatery by the name of Molly's Malt Shop. After taking their seats at the bar-like counter, the Baker Street Family made their respective orders, & within minutes, the rodents were all slurping on shakes & malts of varying flavors. "You know," Ratigan remarked, "that trip to the movie studios was pretty...fascinating."

"Yeah, it was really cool!" Olivia agreed.

"But man, oh, man, was that director bossy!" Fidget couldn't help but comment. "Did you see how many times he made the actors do all those takes until they 'got it right'?" Shaking his head, Fidget said, "I wouldn't wanna work for that DeMont guy! No, sirree!"

"Well, Fidget," Basil explained, "some fursons are just...dedicated to their work."

"I think you mean a little too dedicated," Fidget retorted, before taking a slurp of his shake.

(CUE MUSIC: "Piper's Maggot Jig", as performed by Leonard Rosenman)

Suddenly, the Baker Street Family stopped talking, & turned in their seats to look at something that had caught their attention. In the middle of the malt shop floor, were two mice. The first mouse was a boy around Olivia's age; he was quite tall for his years, with a lean, lanky figure. He had tan fur & an unruly mop of short, straight red-orange hair. His rounded head had wide cheekbones that curved at a slight angle, & a slightly-prominent dark-pink nose (flanked with very short whiskers) poked out from between his bright teal eyes. A pair of small, curvy pink ears prominently perked up from either side of his head. His slender pink tail was of average length, & his skinny arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a single-breasted, amber-colored jacket, a snug-fitting pair of puffy brown trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle), a set of white "button-down" shirt-sleeves (which had a starched white collar that he kept folded down around his neck), a dark-turquoise silk necktie, a pair of knee-high light-blue socks, & a pair of shiny, black, patent-leather "tap-style" shoes. The boy's name was Ben Flaherty, & he was a schoolmate of Olivia's at Basil Of Baker Street Grammar School...unbeknownst to either of the mouselings. As friendly & amiable as Olivia was, she unfortunately had yet to be acquainted with every student on her campus, given how many pupils there were in the whole district. Of course, the Glaswegian girl did have several friends at school, but she still had many more to make in the years to come (& she had no doubt that she would!).

The second mouse was the boy mouse's mother. She, too, was tall for her age, with a thin, lean figure. She had tan fur & straight blazing-red hair (which she kept tied in a big, long ponytail with a lime-green silk ribbon). Her slightly-prominent pink nose was fixed between a pair of bright violet eyes (topped with smooth, angular blazing-red eyebrows). A big white bucktooth jutted out from her upper lip, & a long pink tail of average thickness extended from her backside. A pair of big, curvy pink ears flanked either side of her head, & her slender arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. She wore a snug-fitting purple blouse (with buttons & pocket flaps that were all colored dark-purple), a pleated purplish-fuschia skirt, a lime-green silk cummerbund-belt (worn over the blouse & skirt), a light-purplish-fuschia linen petticoat, pale-lavender bloomers, knitted pale-lavender socks, & a pair of dull brown shoes. Her name was Angelina Bryna Cathleen Devana Eileen Flaherty...or simply Madame Flaherty. The Irish schoolteacher proudly watched her son doing a merry Irish jig for the customers, who clapped along in time to the beat as they witnessed Ben's spirited dance. "That's my boy!" Madame Flaherty cheered. "Go get 'em, Bennie!"

Ben continued to dance for a few more moments, then "jigged" on over to the Baker Street Family, springing up to plop onto a seat beside them. "Phew!" the Irish mouseling exhaled deeply, as he wiped the sweat off his brow with his jacket sleeve. "All that dancin' sure is thirsty work!" Turning to look at Olivia, Ben asked politely, "You do not mind if I have a wee sample of your malt, there?"

"Go right ahead," Olivia answered sweetly.

Ben took a sip of Olivia's malt, then handed it back to the Scotsgirl. "Thank you very much, lassie! You're a generous one!" Ben said with a smile, before getting more comfortable in his seat. "So...if I may ask, lassie, what's your name?"

"Olivia Flaversham," she replied.

Ben extended a paw to Olivia, & she gladly took it, sealing the new friendship between them with a hearty handshake. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Flaversham!" Ben said happily. "I'm Ben Flaherty." (He placed emphasis on the second syllable of his surname.)

"I always thought it was pronounced 'Fla-herty," Olivia remarked quizzically.

"My family has always pronounced it a different way from the traditional inflection," Ben explained. "I can assure you, Livvy, the Flahertys are a family of oddballs, we are!" At that point, Ben looked at the rest of the Baker Street Family, & pointed to each member as he guessed their respective identities: "And don't tell me—you're Basil Of Baker Street, right? And Dr. Dawson...Mrs. Judson...Ratigan...Fidget...And that must be your father & cousin, Olivia."

"Wow, good guess!" Cousin Timmy marveled. "How'd you know who we all are?"

"Your folks seem to be the talk o' the town lately," Ben replied. "Everyone in Mouse London is gossiping about you showing up everywhere, meeting the Queen, getting into all kinds o' escapades, & suchnot...Yep, I'd say you're really the life o' the party, as it were."

"Well, I had no idea that fursons were suddenly so interested in our daily lives!" Basil exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

"They've been interested ever since they first saw you together at the mall when Ratigan was announcing his reformation to everybody at the karaoke stage," Ben elaborated. "They consider you to be a very fascinating bunch. Some rodents tell me & me mum that they've never seen a family quite like you."

"Something tells me they're right, Ben," Hiram mused thoughtfully.

"So...you appear to be a very talented dancer, Ben," Dr. Dawson complimented.

"Dancing is in me blood!" Ben exclaimed exuberantly, his emerald eyes lustily lighting up with passion's fire. "I'm born t' boogie as though me life depended on it!"

"But where did you go to...polish your skills?" Mrs. Judson wondered.

"Well, my Bennie only learned from the best o' them!" Madame Flaherty said proudly, going over to join her son by the Baker Street Family. "He takes daily lessons at my arts academy!"

"Madame Flaherty's...Arts Academy For Boys & Girls?!" Basil hazarded, the long-forgotten name now coming back to him.

"Aye, Mr. Basil," Madame Flaherty replied, nodding her head. "And if there's any wee ones in yer family with talent, bring them by to see me sometime, & I'll see if we can set up an enrollment session for each o' them!"

The prospect sounded very good to the Baker Street Kids, & they were eager to discuss their talents with Madame Flaherty in the hopes that she would accept them into her classes. "Well," Olivia said, "I'm a pretty good painter...& drawer...& overall artist. And I'm also pretty good at singing & dancing & acting & writing..."

"I do enjoy acting, as well, & playing the harp," Ratigan remarked. "And I also like to partake in the occasional spell of writing."

"I play piano," Cousin Timmy commented. "And, sometimes, I like to draw & write poems."

"And, um...I play harmonica," Fidget uttered.

When she heard what the Baker Street Kids had to say, Madame Flaherty declared cheerfully, "Well, consider the lot o' you four official students at Madame Flaherty's Arts Academy!"

"Thank you, Madame Flaherty," Olivia replied gratefully, giving the Irishmouse a quick hug.

"We look forward to developing our skills under your wing," Ratigan said warmly, shaking Madame Flaherty's paw.

"That's a definite 10-4!" Fidget assented, nodding his head in agreement.

"Totally!" Cousin Timmy exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up to Madame Flaherty. For the next half-hour, the Baker Street Family & the Flahertys discussed the particulars of enrolling in the arts academy, & then made plans to start attending next week. Already, Olivia, Ratigan, Fidget, & Cousin Timmy couldn't wait to get started on their lessons!


Saturday, October 31, 1897

(CUE MUSIC: "Marche Militaire", by Franz Schubert)

The next day was as bright & sunny as the one before, & the city of Mouse London was alive with activity, as usual. In the South End, on the mouse road of Remington Street (known to us humans as Kennington Road), a grand military parade was taking place. Hoards of rodents (including the Baker Street Family) gathered together on the pavement on either side of the street to watch. Confetti rained down upon the ground, merry march music was performed by a military orchestra, & a procession of white miniature horses trotted slowly down the avenue, carrying the ladies & gentlerodents of the British Rodential Army (who had just returned to Mouse England after a glorious victory in the Second Afghan War). [13] "Well, can you believe it?" Dr. Dawson said in amazement, as he & his loved ones watched the colorful cavalcade. "At long last, Queen Mousetoria is finally bringing her troops home!"

"It's a wonder you're not in the parade, Dawson!" Basil marveled.

"Oh, I turned down their offer to join the procession," the medical mouse replied humbly. "Somehow, the glitz & glamour of a parade doesn't seem to suit me. I'm not much of a furson for the spotlight, really..."

"Shh!" Olivia whispered, putting a finger to her lips. With that, the Baker Street Family turned back to watch the parade. In the middle of the procession, four of the top officers in Queen Mousetoria's army—Captain Amelia Gripling, Sergeant Howard Bloomsbury, General Cato Woodsey, & Lieutenant John Ranier—traveled together side-by-side on their miniature horses, looking prim & proper in their military outfits.

Captain Amelia was tall for a woman her age, with a slim, slender figure. She had peach-colored fur & straight red hair (which she kept tied in a bun). Her elliptical-shaped head had high cheekbones that curved at a slight angle, & a small pink nose (complete with whiskers) was fixed between her sharp green eyes. A beauty mark adorned her left cheek, & wrinkles & signs of aging appeared on her battle-hardened face. A pair of small, flat-looking pink ears extended from either side of her head, & a long, slender pink tail emerged from her hindquarters. Her slender arms & legs ended in delicate paws & feet. She wore a navy-blue military jacket (with two thick golden stripes around each cuff, fringed golden epaulets, & a stiff, starched golden collar with an elliptical ruby cameo on it), a form-fitting pair of scarlet trousers (with two thick golden stripes on each leg), a golden satin cummerbund-belt, a white satin sash adorned with military regalia, white silk gloves, a navy-blue tricorner hat (with thick golden edges & trimmings, & an elliptical ruby gem with a large red plume in the front), & black patent-leather military boots. A golden-handled silver sword was sheathed within a glimmering golden scabbard on her left hip.

General Woodsey was quite short for a mouse his age, with a stout, portly figure. He had cream-colored fur & short white hair (with a pair of neatly-groomed white sideburns, a short white beard, & a thick white moustache to match). His rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, & a slightly-prominent pink nose was juxtaposed between his gruff blue eyes (topped with thick, bushy white eyebrows). A big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip, & a pair of large, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. He had a short, thick pink tail, & his stout arms & legs ended in large paws & feet. He wore a golden military jacket (with golden-yellow "frogged" buttons, thick black cuffs that each had a thick golden-yellow stripe around the edge, fringed golden-yellow epaulets, & a stiff, starched black collar with thick golden-yellow stripes along its top & bottom edges), a form-fitting pair of white trousers, a black satin cummerbund-belt, a black satin sash adorned with military regalia (as well as thick golden-yellow stripes along its upper & lower edges), white silk gloves, a tall white military helmet (which had a brim that dipped low in the back, a thick black ribbon around the "dome", a thick chinstrap made of black leather, & a golden cross-plate with a pointy golden spike on top of it), & black patent-leather military boots. A golden-handled silver sword was sheathed within a black leather scabbard on his right hip.

Sergeant Bloomsbury was tall for a mouse his age, with a lean, slender figure. He had tan fur & straight brown hair (which was separated into two neatly-combed partitions), along with a neatly-trimmed brown moustache. His rounded head had high cheekbones that curved at a slight angle, & a small pink nose was fixed between his stern brown eyes. A big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip, & wrinkles & signs of aging appeared on his face. A pair of large, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head, & a long, slender pink tail poked out from his posterior. His slim arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a scarlet military jacket (with buttons, cuffs, fringed epaulets, & a stiff, starched collar that were all colored golden), a form-fitting pair of black trousers (with a thick golden stripe on each leg), a white leather belt with a golden "snap" buckle, a white satin sash adorned with military regalia, white silk gloves, a tall black military helmet (which had a brim that dipped low in the back, a large golden insignia on the front, a thick chinstrap made of brown leather, & a golden cross-plate with a pointy golden spike & a long, red fringed tassel on top of it), & black patent-leather military boots. A golden-handled silver sword was sheathed within a white leather scabbard on his right hip.

Lieutenant Ranier was of average height & weight for a mouse his age. He had white fur & short golden-blonde hair (with neatly-groomed golden-blonde sideburns & a slender golden-blonde moustache to match). His rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, & a slightly-prominent pink nose lay between his jovial blue eyes (topped with thin, angular golden-blonde eyebrows). A small white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip, & wrinkles & signs of aging adorned his face. A pair of large, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his slim limbs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a plum-colored military jacket (with small yellow buttons, thick scarlet cuffs, fringed yellow epaulets, & a stiff, starched scarlet collar with a thin yellow stripe along its top edge), a form-fitting pair of plum-colored trousers (with a thick scarlet stripe on each leg), a white leather belt with a yellow "snap" buckle, a scarlet satin sash adorned with military regalia, a tall plum-colored military helmet (which had a brim that dipped low in the back, a large yellow insignia on the front, a thick yellow chinstrap, & a little yellow spike with a small yellow ball on top of it), & black patent-leather military boots. A golden-handled silver sword was sheathed within a white leather scabbard on his left hip.

"So, all the horses are in good temperament today?" Sergeant Bloomsbury asked, speaking in a very loud, yelling voice that had become his tell-tale characteristic over the past many years.

"Yes, Sergeant Bloomsbury," Lieutenant Ranier replied.

"And the streets have been cleared for safe traveling?" Sergeant Bloomsbury inquired.

"Yes, Sergeant Bloomsbury," Lieutenant Ranier said again.

"And the orchestra is all in tune?" Sergeant Bloomsbury kept questioning. "The decorations are all in their proper places? The..."

"Yes, Sergeant Bloomsbury, everything is in perfect order!" Captain Amelia answered in amusement, stifling a giggle. "You can stop bossing Lieutenant Ranier around now—we're not on the battlefield anymore, you know!"

"Forgive me, my fair & noble captain," Sergeant Bloomsbury said. "I only wanted to ensure that everything was running ship-shape for our grand military parade."

"It is, Sergeant," Captain Amelia replied, smiling in a reassuring manner. "You have my word."

"Who am I to argue with the captain of Queen Mousetoria's 66th Regiment?" Sergeant Bloomsbury said sotto voce, with a roll of his eyes.

"Precisely," General Woodsey remarked with a smirk.

At this point, Sergeant Bloomsbury turned to glare at his fellow military mouse. "General Woodsey," the officer screeched irately, "did you just mutter sarcastically at a troop sergeant?"

"For your information, Sergeant Bloomsbury," a ticked-off General Woodsey snapped, "I am of a higher rank &, therefore, your commanding officer! I have the right to address you in any way I choose!"

Sergeant Bloomsbury sulked with an irritated grunt. Glaring at all of her subordinates, Captain Amelia ordered, "That is quite enough arguing!" Then, the army leader smiled & turned to wave to the crowd, as she commanded more gently, "Just smile & wave, boys. Smile & wave..." Sergeant Bloomsbury, General Woodsey, & Lieutenant Ranier followed their captain's orders...but Sergeant Bloomsbury did so a little more begrudgingly.

After a few moments, Lieutenant Ranier suddenly stopped waving, but still smiled when he saw a familiar rodent in the crowd on the left side of the street. "Oh, look, everyone!" Lieutenant Ranier exclaimed pleasantly, as he pointed to the furson he had spotted. "It's our old friend, Major Dawson!"

In response, Sergeant Bloomsbury bonked Lieutenant Ranier on the head with his fist, & yelled, "Lieutenant, you know that it is most impolite to point at other fursons! And get back in proper position—you're wrecking the parade!"

As he watched the four officers ride by on their miniature horses with the rest of the Baker Street Family, Dr. Dawson chuckled, & shook his head in gentle amusement. "Ah, Sergeant Bloomsbury...Who could ever forget such a character?" the medical mouse sighed fondly. As he looked back on his years helping & healing his comrades in the Afghan War, a flood of memories washed over Dr. Dawson's mind. After a few moments of reminiscing, Dawson went back to watching the parade with his loved ones, but not without remembering to smile & wave back to his old army friends as he saw them off.

As the parade progressed further down the street, Captain Amelia, Lieutenant Ranier, Sergeant Bloomsbury, & General Woodsey still traveled together on their horses. At one point, however, General Woodsey turned aside, & leaned in to whisper to Captain Amelia. "Captain Amelia," the general told his superior, "I think you forgot to mention one little detail to Sergeant Bloomsbury...regarding the temperament of the miniature ponies..." [14]

"What's that?" Captain Amelia asked.

"His horse is utterly exhausted after all the practice we made him go through!" General Woodsey replied worriedly. "I fear his legs will give out at any minute...especially since Sergeant Bloomsbury is giving him a hard time!"

Captain Amelia turned to see what General Woodsey meant. Sergeant Bloomsbury was gently pressing his left boot onto the side of his horse, which signaled for him to proceed down the street. The horse, however, was clearly exhausted, & he was sweating profusely as he wheezed & panted for breath. Eventually, the horse began to slow down, & his wheezing & sweating intensified. The sergeant was not too happy about this. "Thunder...what on Earth are you doing?" Sergeant Bloomsbury yelled angrily at his animal. "Wake up! Wake up post-haste! I demand that you cease that slow, plodding gait, you insipid beast! You're ruining the entire parade for everyone!" Sergeant Bloomsbury took out a whip, & brandished it furiously, before striking at his horse with the object. "Get up!" the military mouse creeched. "Get up this instant, I say! What are you, deaf? GET UP IMMEDIATELY, SO THAT WE MAY PROCEED WITH THE PARADE AS PLANNED!" Thunder didn't go any faster, but Sergeant Bloomsbury continued to use the whip on his horse, undeterred.

After a few seconds, Captain Amelia had seen quite enough of this barbaric beating, & the army leader quickly moved to intervene. Reaching for the sergeant, & prying the whip out of his grasp, Captain Amelia begged, "Sergeant Bloomsbury...please control yourself!"

"Control myself?" Sergeant Bloomsbury snapped, stewing in his rage as his screeching voice rose in volume & pitch. The red-coated regimental officer swiftly turned to face his female commander, pointing a menacing finger in her face as he continued to scream, "Captain Amelia Gripling...I will have you know...that I am perfectly capable of controlling myself...thank you very much!"

(CUE MUSIC: "Les Toreadors", from Georges Bizet's "Carmen")

Unbeknownst to Sergeant Bloomsbury, he unwittingly rammed his left boot into the side of his horse—quite hard. The spooked horse reared back & kicked his forearms about wildly in the air, neighing in fright, as Sergeant Bloomsbury held on tight, & tried to keep from falling off his ride. "Thunder...Thunder, heel!" Bloomsbury cried out, attempting to regain control of his four-legged ferrier. "Sit! Down, boy!" But Thunder didn't listen. Still neighing fearfully, Thunder started galloping frantically around the street; as he did so, he spooked the other horses, who reared back & neighed, too.

"Oh, dear, the horses!" General Woodsey cried.

"Miniature-horse stampede!" Lieutenant Ranier yelled to the audiences on either side of the road. "Everyone head for the hills!"

"Take cover!" Captain Amelia shouted, trying to hold on as her horse bolted, & began running wildly down the street.

Everyone started screaming as they began to flee for safety. Mothers & fathers grabbed their children, bags of peanuts & popcorn were dropped, rodents tried to keep from being trampled on—it was complete chaos! The Baker Street Family all grabbed paws, & began running away together, trying to keep up with the other fleeing rodents. "Everyone, hold hands, & whatever you do, don't let go!" Basil yelled to his loved ones, as he scurried to usher them to safety. Mere moments later, the out-of-control horses crashed through the barricades blocking the pavement. The crazed equines then charged onto the sidewalks, & began chasing the crowds of rodents trying to leave the scene.

"Oh, no," Captain Amelia cried when she saw what was happening, "the horses are breaking through the barricade!"

"The rodents in the audience might get hurt!" General Woodsey worried.

"What'll we do?" Lieutenant Ranier lamented, fearing for the worst.

Meanwhile, the Baker Street Family continued running down the pavement. Now, they were a good distance behind the other parade attendees, & they were worried that they wouldn't be able to escape the crushing hooves of the runaway horses...but, luckily, Basil soon helped his companions all safely onto a wooden crate that lay on the side of the road. As he did so, the detective commanded, "Quickly—climb up onto this crate! You'll be safe here!" After making sure the last of the Baker Street Family was safely stationed on top of the wooden container, Basil abruptly turned around, & ran off...much to his loved ones' confusion.

"But where are you going?" Hiram asked in puzzlement.

Basil reached into his trenchcoat pocket, & pulled out a long cowboy lasso as he rushed towards the stampeding horses, still with their riders on board. "I'm going to try & control the stampede!" Basil called out in reply. "Stay right there!" With that, Basil advanced on the frenetic frenzy, ready to contain it at a moment's notice. Captain Amelia, Sergeant Bloomsbury, Lieutenant Ranier, General Woodsey, & all the other soldiers, officers, & military rodents were still holding onto their horses, trying desperately to keep from falling off. Basil whirled his lasso around, & began reigning in the horses one by one. By the time the ordeal was over, all the military fursons were standing together, watching with grateful smiles as Basil managed to reign in the last of the ponies...or so he thought. When he realized that one cavalry creature hadn't been caught, Basil gasped in shock, & cried out, "Wait a minute...Sergeant Bloomsbury's horse is still out of control!"

Indeed, Sergeant Bloomsbury was still trying to hold onto Thunder, who continued neighing as he dashed madly around the street in a blind frenzy. Basil took out his lasso, & whirled it around, preparing to toss the loop around Thunder's neck. Just before Basil could reign his rope around Sergeant Bloomsbury's horse, the lasso missed his neck, & Thunder bucked his "mouseter" off of his back with a whinny. The sergeant yelled as he went flying into the air...but Basil managed to catch him just in time. Both mice then watched as Thunder finally collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. There was going to be a lot of publicity about this event, no doubt about that...


(CUE MUSIC: "Dance Of The Prentices", from Richard Wagner's "Die Meistersinger Von Nuremberg")

Hello...I'm George Cheeseman, formerly of Houston, Texas. You may or may not have noticed already, but as of this fall, I am now practicing my law firm right here in Mouse London. Now, you're probably wondering, what has prompted me to start advertising my law firm all of a sudden? Perhaps, you may recall the incidents that took place during the "welcoming the troops home" parade earlier today...(Roll the clips from the stampede footage, Chester.)

Terrible, isn't it? A runaway stampede of frightened miniature horses wreaking havoc upon innocent micefolk...Fortunately, no lives were lost in the chaos that played out in today's disastrous events...but if, by any chance, you or a loved one might have accidentally suffered an injury of some kind, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. And if that is the case for you...please do not hesitate to call me at this number. My office number is 1-237-114-2001. That's 1-237-114-2001...the first 1 being for long-distance calls only, of course. (Cough-cough!)

Don't forget...Whenever you're facing legal troubles, George Cheeseman is not just the best lawyer you could ever have...but he's also a kind, caring, sincere, decent, warm-hearted rodent being who will gladly fight for you, in honest fursuit of your best interests. And that...is a 100% guarantee! (You can turn off the camera now, Chester.)


(CUE MUSIC: "Romanza", from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Serenade #13 In G Major")

Early that afternoon, the Baker Street Family went to the mouse street of Lawyers Lane (known to us humans as Bedford Row), where a particular family of mice resided at Lower 917. When they heard a knocking on their front door, George Cheeseman came up to answer said door, as his young son, 9-year-old Chester, scampered behind him. George Cheeseman was tall for a mouse his age, with a thin, lean figure. He had burnt-orange fur (with brownish-orange markings going all across his muzzle & underbelly), with a neatly-combed wave of matching fur-hair on top. A thick (& very bushy) brown moustache adorned the space above his upper lip. His rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, & a slightly-prominent dark-brown nose was fixed between his sharp brown eyes (topped with thin, curved brown eyebrows). A pair of big, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head, & a long pink tail of average thickness poked out from his posterior. His lanky arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a periwinkle-blue jacket with matching trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a silver buckle), a white "button-down" shirt (which had a set of long white frills going down along the button area, & a starched white collar that he kept turned up around his neck), a big royal-blue bow-tie, & a pair of shiny dark-gray shoes.

In contrast, Chester Cheeseman was of average height for a mouseling his age, with a lanky, scrawny figure. He had tan fur & straight black hair (which was styled in a bowl-cut). His slightly-prominent pink nose was juxtaposed between a pair of bright brown eyes (topped with smooth, curved black eyebrows). A pair of big, curvy pink ears extended from his head on either side, & a small white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip. His pink tail was of average length & thickness, & his skinny arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a white T-shirt with some rather unusual characteristics in style & design (namely a V-shaped neckline, & a collar with two open wing-flaps), a pair of sky-blue denim shorts (held up by a black leather belt with a silver buckle), a pair of rectangular eyeglasses (made out of thick, black plastic material), white woolen socks, & a pair of dull black shoes.

When he opened the front door, George Cheeseman (as well as Chester) immediately saw the Baker Street Family standing in the threshold. Smiling as he gestured for Basil & his loved ones to enter his home, George gladly greeted, "Ah, welcome, everyone! Glad to see you today!" Then, George shut the front door, & walked behind the Baker Street Family with Chester to follow them into the living room. "Now, what seems to be the trouble?" George asked, as the members of the Baker Street Family sat down in comfortable plush chairs & couches.

Taking his seat with his companions, Basil replied, "Um...about the miniature-horse stampede during the parade earlier today...I thought I should like to discuss that with you."

"Oh, yes, of course, the stampede!" George exclaimed upon recalling the recent fiasco. "I hope none of you were injured..."

"Oh, no, Mr. Cheeseman, it's nothing like that!" Basil was quick to explain, shaking his head with a reassuring smile. "We're...mainly wondering about how we might be able to assist the members of the British Rodential Army in their forthcoming lawsuit..."

"Ah, sticking up for the defendant, I see..." George remarked, sitting down with the Baker Street Family, as Chester did the same. "I suppose someone's decided to file a complaint against them," the lawyer mused.

"Yes, & in compensation for his troubles, he's seeking an outrageously-large sum of money—over 750 pounds!" Dr. Dawson exclaimed. "And the only injuries he received were stomps to the tail & a few bruises while trying to escape with the fleeing crowd!" The medical mouse sighed, before continuing, "This whole mess isn't the army's fault, however...It is the horses who are to blame."

"Well, that's exactly what I said when I heard what happened!" an annoyed George admitted. "I suggested to my clients that they should sue the horses for causing any injury to them, but apparently, they'd rather sue the army, because miniature horses supposedly don't make very good defendants in a civil court...But in any case, you're right—the course of action taken against the army is downright unfair!"

"There must be something we can do to fix this situation without going through any ruckus," Hiram wondered wistfully.

Scratching his chin thoughtfully, George thought for a moment, & mused, "Hmm...You may be right." Then, looking down at his son sitting beside him, the lawyer asked, "Chester, why don't you go up to your room with the kids for a while, while the grownups & I try to figure out what we can do to properly settle this matter?"

"Awww..." Chester pouted. "Can't I stay & watch you do your legal stuff, Dad?"

"The legal stuff isn't going to happen for a while, Chester," George goaded gently. "Now, in the meantime, would you please do as I ask?"

"Yes, Dad," Chester said in resignation. The mouseling climbed up off the couch he & his father had been sitting on, & landed feet-first on the ground, before beckoning to Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget. "Come on, guys," Chester said to the Baker Street Kids, "I'll show you my room!" As Olivia & her fellow youths got up out of their seats to follow Chester upstairs, the grownups watched them leave with warm smiles, before returning to the conversation at paw.

Once the rodentlings reached the entrance to Chester Cheeseman's chambers on the second floor, they opened the door, & went inside. As he led Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget into his fursonal quarters, Chester stated plainly, "OK, so, this is my room..."

"Neat!" Cousin Timmy complimented, as he looked around the room with Olivia, Ratigan, & Fidget.

"And I'm Chester Cheeseman," the lawyer's son continued, realizing that he hadn't properly introduced himself. Then, turning to face the Baker Street Kids, Chester asked them, "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Olivia Flaversham," Olivia replied, smiling as she did a curtsy.

Gesturing to himself with a proud smile, Olivia's elder kinsmouse said, "And I'm her older cousin, Timmy."

"My name is Ratigan," Ratigan added.

"And I'm Fidget," Fidget declared.

"Nice to meet you!" Chester exclaimed amiably. "Wanna be friends?" When the Baker Street Kids gave their eager replies of affirmation, Chester gladly accepted their offerings of camaraderie in return. With that deed done, Chester brought his new pals over to his toy box, before digging inside the container, & pulling out a checkers set.

When he saw the game in Chester's paws, Cousin Timmy was quite impressed. Already, the Flaversham lad had found a common interest that he shared with his new friend! "Wow..." Cousin Timmy marveled. "You play checkers, too?"

"Uh-huh!" Chester replied, nodding his head.

Upon hearing this, a delighted Cousin Timmy sported a huge grin on his face, & said, "Sah-WEET..."

"Wanna have a match?" Chester asked.

"You bet your sweet whiskers, Chester!" Cousin Timmy answered.

And, so, the two boys sat down at a small table, & proceeded to play checkers together, while Olivia, Ratigan, & Fidget watched on from off to the side. The games lasted long into the late afternoon, & all the while, Chester & Cousin Timmy were having lots of fun as they played with each other. "Boy, this game is addicting!" Chester couldn't help but comment. At one point, Chester, Cousin Timmy, & the other Baker Street Kids suddenly halted what they were doing, & paid attention to the sound of the grownups calling to them from downstairs.

"Chester, kiddoes, you can come downstairs now!" George Cheeseman shouted. "We're finished talking!"

"Children, it's time to go!" Basil alerted. "We need to get along home!"

With that in mind, Chester obediently cleared the table, put up the checkers set, & got up out of his seat, as did Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget. The youths then exited the bedroom, & made their way downstairs to the living room, where the grownups were all waiting for them. Chester walked over to join his father's side, & the Baker Street Kids all went over to meet up with their loved ones. "Well, Mr. Cheeseman," Basil said pleasantly after he had gathered all of his brood, "I sincerely would like to thank you for your assistance! I'm sure we'll all be able to get out of this unpleasant little scrape without too much trouble."

"I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors," George said warmly, as he went up to shake Basil's paw.

Gleefully returning the gesture, Basil responded, "Much appreciated, Mr. Cheeseman." Basil then withdrew his paw, & began walking away with the Baker Street Family...but as they departed, Basil & his loved ones made certain not to leave without smiling & waving "goodbye" to George & Chester. "Goodbye, George!" Basil said fondly. "Goodbye, Chester! See you later!" The Cheesemans eagerly returned the smile & wave to the Baker Street Family as they watched them exit the house. It sure does feel good to make friends, the father & son thought to themselves with heartfelt delight.


A couple of hours later, the Baker Street Family was traveling together down the pavement on one of the nicer roads in London's East End. At one point, the members of the crimefighting clan were approached by Mr. Altoid & Mother Caulfield, who smiled upon seeing the Baker Street Family in their midst (& vice versa). While he & his female companion walked over to Basil & his loved ones, Mr. Altoid tipped his hat to his friends, & greeted them with his usual geniality, "Ah, good day, Baker Street Family, yes?" Putting his hat back on his head, Altoid asked amiably, "How is everything going today, yes?"

"Oh, fairly well, I suppose," Hiram answered, "aside from the incident with the horses at the military parade."

"Of course, yes?" Mr. Altoid said. "I heard about the whole thing while sharing the latest gossip with the MacIntosh sisters—you know how those two are, yes?" The town benefactor cleared his throat, & continued, "But enough about all that very extreme nastiness, yes?" Bending down to face Cousin Timmy at his level, Mr. Altoid asked the mouseling, "I hope you've continued to be on your best behavior since our last visit, Timmy, yes?"

"I have, Mr. Altoid!" Cousin Timmy replied, smiling & nodding in affirmation. "I've really improved my behavior!"

Mr. Altoid & Mother Caulfield were both delighted to hear the news, as you can probably guess. "Well...that is just wonderful to hear, yes?" Mr. Altoid exclaimed happily.

"I'm very proud of you, Timmy," an utterly-pleased Mother Caulfield beamed. "You've proven to me that I can rely upon you to be a good mouseling & an upstanding citizen of rodent society!" (When he heard these words, Cousin Timmy couldn't help but smile & pose humbly, flattered by the older mice's praise.) "In fact, I'm sure you & your family wouldn't mind accompanying us to partake in the big city clean-up this evening...?"

Shaking his head, & smiling up at Mother Caulfield & Mr. Altoid, Cousin Timmy answered in earnest eagerness, "Not at all, Mother Caulfield...Mr. Altoid! I'd love to come & help you guys out!"

Mr. Altoid & Mother Caulfield were both tickled pink by the prospect of Cousin Timmy & his loved ones lending a paw in the clean-up! In fact, Mr. Altoid couldn't resist smiling pleasantly from ear to ear, as his face gave off a bright, sanguine glow. "Splendid!" Mr. Altoid cheered with a joyful chuckle, as he patted Timmy on the head. "Splendid, yes?" Already, Mr. Altoid, Mother Caulfield, & the others couldn't wait to see the new-&-improved Cousin Timmy in action!


A few hours later, as the sun was setting over the East End, the Baker Street Family & several other rodents (all of various ages & nationalities) were standing in the middle of Trestletree Lane (known to us humans as Lamb Lane), using toothpicks & sticks to pick up garbage off the street. Mr. Altoid, Mother Caulfield, & another mouse—one Jemediah Fieldson by name—were not only supervising the work, but they also eagerly pitched in to help the others. Jemediah Fieldson was quite short for a mouse his age, with a thin, lean figure. He had tan fur, & the only hair left upon his furson was a thick gray beard that spanned all along the sides & bottom of his face. His bald, rounded head had very wide cheekbones that did not curve, & a slightly-prominent brown nose (complete with whiskers) was fixed between his gruff brown eyes (topped with thick, bushy gray eyebrows). A small white tooth jutted out from his thick lower lip, & wrinkles & signs of aging adorned his face. A pair of small, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. He had a short, slender pink tail, & his slim limbs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a pine-green jacket, a pair of snug-fitting brown trousers, a dark-brown shirt, a brown top hat (which had a dark-brown ribbon around the "dome"), a dull dark-brown shoe on his left foot, & a white cast over his right foot. A brown wooden crutch was tucked underneath his right arm.

"All right, everybody," Jemediah told the volunteers, "let's pick up the pace! It's almost dark, & we want to collect as much trash from the street as we can!"

"Come along, everyone!" Mr. Altoid urged the crowd on with cheerful eagerness. "We can do it, yes?"

"Don't dally!" Mother Caulfield admonished. "Idle paws make for mischief."

"That's funny," Jemediah remarked to Mother Caulfield. "I always thought they were the devil's tools."

"That, too," Mother Caulfield said.

Meanwhile, the Baker Street Family (including Cousin Timmy) were actively cleaning up trash from the street. As they went over to help our heroes, Mr. Altoid, Mother Caulfield, & Jemediah Fieldson watched them all working together, impressed with their efforts. "Excellent work, everyone, yes?" Mr. Altoid congratulated, pleased with the Baker Street Family's work. At one point, Cousin Timmy wandered off a little down the street to help pick up more trash. The mouseling was just about to put some garbage into his trash sack...but, then, he suddenly dropped everything to the ground when he began gagging & choking on cigarette smoke that wafted through the air, courtesy of one of two mice that were standing not too far away from him.

The first of these mice was named "Slick" Willie Ford, & he was the frontmouse for a band called the Big Time (which had been making quite a splash in the music business for the last few years...& not always for the right reasons!). Slick Willie was of average height for a mouse his age, with a thin, lean figure. He had brown fur & straight black hair (which he kept up in a tall, neatly-coifed pompadour), along with a pencil-thin black moustache. His rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, & a slightly-prominent pink nose (complete with whiskers) was juxtaposed between his suave green eyes (topped with smooth, angular black eyebrows). A mole adorned his left cheek, & a big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip. A pair of average-sized, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his slender arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore an orchid-purple tuxedo jacket with matching trousers (held up by a brown leather belt with a golden buckle), a set of white "button-down" shirt-sleeves (which had a starched white collar that he kept turned up around his neck), a red silk necktie, a green-yellow porkpie hat (decorated with a red ribbon around the "dome"), knitted white socks, & a pair of shiny brown loafers that were quite expensive. He clutched a black, gold-tipped cane with a golden ball-top in his paw, & a cigarette smoldered in his smugly-smiling mouth.

The second mouse, Jellybean Jameson, was Slick Willie's bandmate, best friend, confidante, bodyguard, & occasional mouseservant. Jellybean was much, much, much taller than Slick Willie—in fact, he was a bloody giant! Also, Jellybean was of stocky build, with plenty of muscles to spare (mostly in the torso area, which looked a bit larger than his lower half). He had tan fur, along with a neatly-combed wave of matching fur-hair. His elliptical-shaped head had wide cheekbones that curved at a slight angle, & a small pink nose was fixed between his gentle brown eyes (topped with thin, curved black eyebrows). A big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip, & a pair of small, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his muscular arms & legs ended in large paws & feet. He wore a loose-fitting fuschia T-shirt, a snug-fitting pair of khaki trousers (held up by a burnt-orange leather belt with a golden buckle), & a pair of dull burnt-orange shoes.

After a few seconds, Slick Willie took the cigarette out of his mouth, put out the burning end with his forefinger & thumb, & tossed the extinguished stub onto the street, much to Cousin Timmy's chagrin. Cousin Timmy glowered angrily, then started marching over to Slick Willie, who smiled smugly down at him. "Hey, you can't do that!" Timmy said angrily, as he stomped over to the older mousician.

"Why not?" Slick Willie asked arrogantly.

Looking a bit nervous, Cousin Timmy stuttered a little, then mustered up the courage to step closer to Slick Willie & confront him. "'Cause...'Cause for one thing, you shouldn't litter," Cousin Timmy replied. "And two, you shouldn't be smoking cigarettes!"

"And what makes you say that?" Slick Willie inquired.

"Well, because I learned at school that when you smoke, your breath stinks...Your teeth turn yellow...Your lungs get all dirty & black...And then you die of lung cancer!" Cousin Timmy answered.

"Oh, so you're a scientist now?" Slick Willie retorted. When Cousin Timmy tried to make his reply, Slick Willie cut the mouseling off rudely, & smarted off, "Listen, kid: if I wanted you to give me a lecture on the 'dangers of smoking', I would've told you! But it don't matter, 'cause..."—he took a moment to clear his throat—"...A: I don't care, & B: I didn't ask...so kindly 'C'...yo' way out!"

At this point, the rest of the Baker Street Family, Mr. Altoid, Mother Caulfield, & Jemediah Fieldson stepped onto the scene, glaring angrily at Slick Willie & Jellybean with arms akimbo. "And just who do you think you are, mister?" Jemediah asked the former mouse.

Turning to face the Baker Street Family & the three elderly benefactors, the mouse in question answered, "The name...is Slick Willie. I happen to be a mousician."

"Oh...Of what kind, yes?" Mr. Altoid asked in a challenging manner.

"Funk, rap, rhythm-&-blues, & pop...yes?" Slick Willie retorted, before turning back to look at Jellybean, & snapping his fingers. Jellybean then produced an electric keyboard, which he placed onto the ground in front of his boss. "As a mousician who particularly enjoys experimenting with different styles of music & exploring the more creative & innovative aspects of the field," Slick Willie elaborated arrogantly, "over the years, I have not only embellished upon the musical genres native to my homeland, the good ol' U.S. of A., but have come up with several of my own original styles, as well, which I one day hope to show to all the rodent world!" Turning on the keyboard, & placing his fingers upon its keys, Slick Willie continued, "In addition to that, I have also indulged in my passion for musical experimentation by tinkering with well-known instruments...& coming up with all sorts of instruments that are totally new & funky fresh! And speaking of 'funk'...here's a little sample of that style."

Slick Willie then played a few notes that reeked of a sound that was strangely similar (if not identical) to the popular "Minneapolis Sound" of the 1980's. "The keyboard is a particular invention of mine that I happen to adore," Slick Willie said. "I've taken your average piano, simplified its design & made it more portable, & electronically enhanced it to create an average of over 500 different musical sounds—flute, drum, triangle, xylophone, celesta...heck, even a full orchestra!" After pressing the appropriate button, Slick Willie struck a harsh "orchestral" chord on the keyboard that nearly knocked the Baker Street Family, Mr. Altoid, Mother Caulfield, & Jemediah backward from the force of it! When he was done giving his demonstration, Slick Willie asked his astonished audience, "So, what do you think?" [15]

The Baker Street Family & their three friends all took a few moments to calm down from their state of shock...then smiled at a proudly-beaming Slick Willie & Jellybean. "Well...I must say...I think you're certainly going to revolutionize the art of music, Mr. Slick Willie!" an impressed Dr. Dawson complimented.

"Thank you," Slick Willie replied, smiling smugly.

The Baker Street Family & the others continued to smile at Slick Willie & Jellybean for a few seconds...but, then, Jemediah & Mr. Altoid frowned at the two newcomers again. "You are going to pick up that cigarette & throw it away, right?" Jemediah asked, glaring at Slick Willie as he pointed the end of his crutch at him.

In response, Slick Willie cackled loudly, then smirked at Jemediah. Shaking his head as his face continued to sport that cocky countenance, Slick Willie retorted defiantly, "I don't think so!" Turning to Jellybean with a nasty grin, Slick Willie gestured to Jemediah with his cane, & asked his colleague, "Jellybean...could you properly dispose of that whiny old geezer?"

Jellybean thought for a moment, wondering whether or not he should follow Slick Willie's orders. Then, after a short while, Jellybean answered with some reluctance, "O...K...Sure...I guess so..."

With almost no effort, Jellybean picked up a yelling Jemediah, & went over to toss him into a nearby dumpster. Jemediah soon emerged from the garbage inside the container, looking very filthy...& very, very ticked off. Slick Willie just laughed snidely & pointed at Jemediah, amused by what he had done to the older mouse...before he stopped when he felt a paw cuffing his shoulder. Constable McBrusque had witnessed the whole thing, & he was now standing behind Slick Willie, glaring disappointedly at him. The bobby continued to glower at Slick Willie as he took his club, & scoldingly pointed the end of it in the mousician's direction. "Mr. Ford, I am surprised at you!" Constable McBrusque reprimanded, as Slick Willie frowned & looked sadly towards the ground. "You know better than to behave that way! Now, I want you to throw away that ghastly cigarette, ask Jellybean to take that poor gentlemouse out of the dumpster, clean him off, & not trouble these rodents again! Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir..." Slick Willie answered in a soft, sad voice, as he nodded his head in affirmation. Still looking dejected, Slick Willie trudged off to follow the police officer's instructions. Constable McBrusque watched the mousician leave, before turning to face the Baker Street Family, Mr. Altoid, & Mother Caulfield with a genial smile. "Well, I'd really love to stay & chat with you," McBrusque said warmly, "but I need to make sure that Willie takes proper care of that gentlemouse he dealt with so harshly..."

"We'll come with you, Constable, yes?" Mr. Altoid declared, as he & Mother Caulfield walked over to the bobby. McBrusque, Mr. Altoid, & Mother Caulfield then began walking off to tend to Jemediah & his assailants, but as they made their exit, the three mice all turned to smile & wave "goodbye" to the Baker Street Family. "Goodbye, yes?" Mr. Altoid said kindly. The Baker Street Family eagerly returned the smile & wave to Constable McBrusque, Mr. Altoid, & Mother Caulfield as they watched them depart.

(CUE MUSIC: "Dance Of The Swans", from Peter Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake")

Still smiling, Cousin Timmy continued waving to his older friends. Suddenly, the mouseling stopped & looked down in puzzlement when he felt a paw roughly being planted on his shoulder. When Cousin Timmy turned around to see who was standing next to him, imagine his surprise to see Chutzpah The Squirrel—the furson who had gotten him into a world of trouble only a few short years ago! The teenage cad looked down at Cousin Timmy with a crafty grin on his face, a toothpick clamped between his teeth. "Hey, kid..." Chutzpah told Timmy (but not without taking a moment to remove the toothpick from his mouth). "Whaddya say we ditch this joint & have some real fun, huh? Ol' Chutzpah's got some great ideas for stuff we can do together!"

"Umm...what do you mean?" Cousin Timmy asked nervously. He was hoping against all odds that Chutzpah might have turned over a new leaf, too, & prayed that the squirrel's response would mention activities of a more wholesome nature than he was accustomed to during his "dark days"...

"Oh, gambling at the casinos, throwing rocks at windows, making passes at pretty girls...Harmless things like that..." Chutzpah replied, his words dripping with irony.

Cousin Timmy hemmed & hawed nervously, not sure how he should react to Chutzpah's offer. "Well...I dunno..." the boy said reluctantly.

"C'mon, kid...It'll be fun!" Chutzpah exclaimed, trying to coax Cousin Timmy to join him in his wicked games once more.

"I'm not sure if I really want to..." Cousin Timmy muttered warily.

"Pleeeease?" Chutzpah pleaded, smiling in a devilish manner at his former partner-in-crime.

Cousin Timmy thought for a moment, looking up into Chutzpah's sneering face...then cracked a nervous grin as he finally made his reply: "Umm...No thanks, Chutzpah! I'll pass!" With that, Timmy broke away from the perplexed Chutzpah, & ran down the pavement of Trestletree Lane, trying to get as far away from the troublemaking squirrel as he could. Moments later, Cousin Timmy rushed up a flight of concrete steps, & opened the door of a Victorian-style house that he hoped he could take shelter in. The humble sign next to said door, read as follows: "Larry's Libretto Company — Established 1883". A panicked Cousin Timmy dashed through the open threshold to enter the living room of the building he had just arrived at, then slammed the door shut behind him. Timmy then collapsed against the closed door, exhausted & heaving for air. After catching his breath for a few seconds, Cousin Timmy looked up, & took note of his new surroundings.

(CUE MUSIC: Instrumental version of "Ave Verum", by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

The room Timmy was now in, was a very beautiful one. Said room was furnished with soft beige carpeting, cream-colored walls, & large windows with pink curtains & plush window-seats. As far as the eye could see, there were Tiffany lamps, armchairs, couches, chaise lounges, potted plants, & antiques everywhere. Cousin Timmy looked around the living room in awe as he walked through it, impressed with the chamber's marvelous design & decoration. In one part of the room, an adult mouse was sitting at an old-fashioned piano, looking at the notes & libretto he was scribbling upon some sheet music that rested on his piano stand.

The mouse was tall for his age, with a lean, slim figure. He had tan fur & straight black hair (which he kept up in a tall, neatly-coifed pompadour), along with a pencil-thin black moustache. His rounded head had wide cheekbones that curved at an angle, & a prominent brown nose was fixed between his kindly brown eyes (topped with smooth, angular black eyebrows). A pair of average-sized, curvy pink ears flanked either side of his head. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his slender arms & legs ended in average-sized paws & feet. He wore a gray jacket with matching trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a silver buckle), a dark-gray waistcoat, a set of white "button-down" shirt-sleeves (which had a starched white collar that he kept folded down around his neck), a black silk necktie, & a pair of shiny black shoes. The mouse was none other than Larry Grossmouse—the owner & operator of his eponymous "Libretto Company", as well as a famous singer, songwriter, & pianist who also worked as a piano teacher.

Cousin Timmy approached Larry Grossmouse at the piano. "Umm...hello," the boy greeted timidly. When he heard the voice of his visitor, Larry stopped writing his sheet music, & slowly turned to face Cousin Timmy. The mousician looked a little surprised to see the mouseling—he wasn't expecting guests at this hour. Still, Larry acted quite friendly towards Cousin Timmy, & he greeted in return, "Hello, young mouse." Larry paused to place his fountain pen upon his piano stand, & then turned to face Cousin Timmy again. Smiling at the boy, Larry said, "Name's Larry Grossmouse. What can I do for you, little fella?"

"Oh, nothing, really," Cousin Timmy replied humbly. "I just came in here to get away from this squirrel who wanted me to come with him. He & I have a history together...& it's not exactly a good one."

"Ah, I see," Larry remarked, nodding his head. "One of those little troublemakers trying to get innocent kids like you into 'mousechief'...A bunch of bad notes, they are..." Larry turned back to sit on his piano seat, then scootched over to make room for Cousin Timmy. Patting the seat with his paw, & gesturing for Timmy to sit by him, Larry exclaimed encouragingly, "Come on up, little fella! Have a seat!" With that, Cousin Timmy hopped onto the piano bench, & scooted over to sit beside Larry. "There we go," Larry said with a smile, before looking down with Timmy at the keys of his beloved instrument. "Now," the mousician continued, "you see these white keys on the piano, here? Let's say all the white keys represent what I'd like to call 'good notes'. They always sound pleasant to the ear, & work together to make a fantastic melody. Now, the black notes, like these three here, can make the melody sound a little...what's the word...unpleasant. That's why I like to call them 'bad notes'—they don't sound quite as nice as the good notes. And sometimes, by themselves, they just sound downright awful!"

At this point, Larry pressed his fingers upon some of the white keys, playing a little tune. "Now, listen..." Larry told Cousin Timmy. "See how smooth & sweet this melody is...Music to your ears, eh?" Then, Larry played another tune with some of the black keys, & said, "But this melody sounds a little wonky. Not very good, eh?" [16] After a while, Larry stopped playing, & continued with his analogy: "Now, the 'bad' notes can be used with the 'good' notes to play a song in a minor key...but without the 'bad' notes, you can just use the 'good' notes to play that same song in a major key...Know what I'm saying?"

Cousin Timmy looked up with a smile at Larry. "Yeah, Larry," the boy declared in enlightenment. "I know exactly what you're saying!"

Larry smiled back at Cousin Timmy, then extended a paw to pat him on the head. "You're a smart learner, kid! I like you," the mousician said, before removing his hand from Timmy's head, & letting it rest at his side. "Say," Larry asked Cousin Timmy, "how would you like to take piano lessons with me? I think you would make a fine student!"

Cousin Timmy's face brightened when he heard this. Delighted with the offer, Timmy gave Larry a hug, & replied enthusiastically, "Yeah! That would be great! Thanks!"

"Don't mention it, little fella," Larry said warmly, as he patted Cousin Timmy on the head again. "Don't mention it."

It was then that Cousin Timmy remembered that he had left his family behind while escaping from Chutzpah earlier! He needed to go back to them right away, or they would be worried sick about him! As he bid Larry Grossmouse "goodbye", & made his way outside the house onto Trestletree Lane, Cousin Timmy felt utterly exhilarated, ecstatic, & exuberant! Not only had the mouseling made a new friend, but he also found a way to keep himself out of trouble in the future! Boy, are Uncle Hiram, Cousin Livvy, & the others gonna be happy to hear about this! Timmy thought to himself in sheer delight.


[1] An ironic gesture, given that the members of the Baker Street Family belong to the more Protestant-like division of the Anglican Church...

[2] At this point in the film version of the sequel, there is a montage that shows Olivia checking out all of the stuff in her mega-playroom. Alas, I couldn't find a good way to adapt this montage into regular prose, so I had to leave it out for the fanfiction version of the story...

...but no worries! At least, you still get to see the montage in the GMD 2 script—which is now finally finished, BTW! ^_^ (If there's any of you who wants a copy to read & review, feel free to ask for one, & I'll send it to you right away!)

[3] In retrospect, I wish I actually showed Ratigan doing those nice things in Chapter 4...That would have been really great!

[4] As it turns out, Amergin Burgess' opinion of his most-popular work partially mirrors that held by his human counterpart, Anthony Burgess, in regards to "A Clockwork Orange".

[5] Fans of "Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers" will be delighted to know that I incorporated one of the inventions from the show into this sequence.

[6] Another change that Madame Ratburn & Anya brought to the rodent world, is the implementation of modern geography. In particular: the rodent world now uses names of countries & cities that were not used until much later on the humans' timeline (e.g., Ceylon = Sri Lanka, Rhodesia = Zimbabwe, Siam = Thailand, Indochina = Vietnam, the Congo = Zaire, etc.). Also, the rodents refer to & recognize the existence of countries that were not even established yet on the humans' timeline, such as Israel, Namibia, Rwanda, Latvia, Estonia, Pakistan, Lithuania, etc. Additionally, the rodents recognize modern national boundaries & territories of countries that the humans of their time didn't recognize (for example, rodents perceive Hong Kong as part of China, Korea divided into North & South, Hispaniola divided into Haiti & the Dominican Republic, etc.). But at the same time, the rodents also refer to certain countries or cities by their original (unofficial) names (like Burma, Peking, or Bombay).

[7] In the rodent world, each country has one ambassador for all the other independent nations. Meanwhile, colonies & territories each get their own envoy (also known as a "baron" or "baroness").

[8] Not to worry—the images depicted in "Playmouse" magazine are those of women in various types of undergarments (including Victorian lingerie!)...as well as occasional artistic nudity.

[9] In the film version of GMD 2, Monsieur Victor also appears with his future wife Brigette Cousteau & his niece Cherise Migayo. However, since that technically goes against the "rules" established by my personal fanon, that isn't the case for the fanfiction version of the story.

[10] I forgot to mention that the Baker Street Family & Sophocles also toured the lime-green bedroom & red study room in the alley-house.

[11] In the film version of GMD 2, Takumi Mitsubishi also appears with his grandchildren Yukiko & Akihiro Mitsubishi. However, for the same reasons given in Footnote #9, that isn't the case for the fanfiction version of the story.

[12] If you couldn't already tell by now, the film being worked on is a parody of "Barry Lyndon". For those of you who haven't seen it, I fully recommend it to you—it's a marvelous movie masterpiece!

Incidentally, despite his name, Cecil B. DeMont is mostly a mouse version of Stanley Kubrick.

[13] Unlike its human counterpart, the Second Rodential Afghan War lasted from 1878 to 1897, & was held for entirely-different reasons (namely, the British Rodential Army needed to save the mouse natives of Afghanistan from being conquered by the ruthless Russian Mouse Army, who wanted to take control of the country).

[14] The British Rodential Army is organized differently from the human army (& the same can be said for the rodential army of any other country). Captains are the highest-ranking members, followed by generals, sergeants, lieutenants, majors, & privates. Also, each military rank gets its own special uniform (which is why Captain Amelia, Sergeant Bloomsbury, General Woodsey, & Lieutenant Ranier are all seen wearing different outfits).

[15] As you will come to find out in future fanfics, Slick Willie isn't exactly known for his honesty or truthfulness...but he is telling the truth about one thing. Prior to the Month Of Change, he did develop a prototype for a modern keyboard.

[16] Although his speech patterns might have you think that Larry is Canadian, he's not. He's a native of Vancouver, Washington.