CHAPTER 15 STRANGE SLEEPWALK
NOW THE GROUP IS GOING TO DISCOVER THE LEGENS AND THE TRUTHS BEHIND THE MYTHS, BUT LITTLE DO THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES MAKING DISCOVERIES.
François was sleeping on top of the bunk bed when he accidentally turned over onto the wrong side.
THUD!
"François, are you good?" his brother was looking for his glasses with his hand.
"Well I've fallen off my bed, but I didn't break anything, so we can say I'm fine!" he said as he got up and shook out his pajamas.
"Here are my glasses!" Captain Turbot said as he placed them on his face. "Wait, these are yours." he corrected himself.
"Thank you!" he grabbed the glasses, "Let me turn on the light." he pulled the lamp's string.
"This reminds me of when we shared our room, you always wanted to stay on the top bed and I've lost count how many times you fell over, I guess this is one more." the Captain placed his glasses and sat on his bed.
"Yes, but you're wrong, it was you who always wanted to stay on the bottom bunk" he said as he sat down next to his brother.
"No, I'm pretty sure it was on you!"
"And I'm very certain that it was your fault!"
The two remained silent for a few seconds.
"Now I can't sleep." Captain Turbot got up, grabbed his hat and opened the door.
"Wait for me brother." François followed him, also grabbing his beret and closed the door shut.
They walked down the stairs and into the main room, "Like Mum used to say, there's nothing better than a full stomach to bring back the sleep."
"Yes, but it was Dad that said always said that."
"Captain Turbot, François!" Mayor Goodway greeted the two brothers.
"Hi, Mayor Goodway." the Captain straightened his hat, "Trouble sleeping?"
"Actually yes, but it's not only me, Chickaletta has been acting weirdly, she hasn't slept and she hasn't stopped clucking. I came here to get some corn in hopes that she would stay quieter." Chickaletta was on the ground eating corn.
"She's eating." François was intrigued,"It's the first time I've seen her eat."
"Funny enough!" the Captain laughed, "Also my first time."
"Did you really think my precious Chickaletta was incapable of eating?" Mayor Goodway placed her hands on her waist.
"Yes! Oui!"
"She eats, eventually!" the mayor view herself thinking about the facts.
"But an entire corn cob?"
"It's more than the usual five bits, twenty when she goes on one of her own adventures!"
"That's because she's under the influence of the blue moon." Mr. Porter entered in the division with Alex.
"Hi Mr. Porter. So Alex, sleep hasn't arrived yet?" Mayor Goodway placed her pet chicken with some more corn cobs in her purse.
"I can't fall asleep, and my uncle has read that book three times and nothing. I'm going to grab a glass of milk in the kitchen." the kid passed the tables with food, turning left to the kitchen.
"So what have you been reading?" François moved his glasses to inspect the book that Mr. Porter was holding.
"It's about the moon festival, has many facts about the blue moon traditions and legends." he opened the book, "Like here, where it says that during the night, when the blue night is at it's highest every animal will be affected by it's influence, their behavior will change, from cute to feral and vice-versa. But it doesn't affect talking animals and people, of course there are some special cases." as he finished, a loud noise came from the hallway.
"Is this a monkey?" Captain Turbot joined her hand in a form of a conch, to his ear, to hear better.
"It seems to be one." François mimic his twin.
"But how?" Mr. Porter scratched his head with the book.
The Kitten Catastrophe Crew ran inside the room, everyone of them with a scared look. The noises were intensifying.
"Don't tell me this is what I think it is!"
"What is it Mayor Goodway?" Captain Turbot was holding a banana, like a flower.
"It's not what is; I think it's who is!" she grabbed a cupcake and bit it.
Before anyone could ask anything else, Mayor Humdinger entered abruptly in the room. But he was not his usual self. He was jumping around and walking on his fists.
"Oh, this is better than I expected!" Goodway laughed.
Humdinger stole the banana from the Captain's hands, he jumped to the chandelier and started to swing has he eaten the fruit.
"Why is he?"
"Like this?" the mayor asked the captain, looking at him. "I heard from Skye that one day, Mayor Humdinger, while on the jungle safari, stole a magic monkey mask. When he wore it, it transformed him into a monkey. The most hilarious story I've ever heard, and now I see it for myself." She was now sipping grape juice from a glass.
"Don't let him swing on the chandelier, it will be a burden if it falls!" the chef exited the kitchen with Alex, drinking some blue liquid.
"Alex, I said no energy drinks!" Mr. Porter berated his nephew.
"He said I could drink anything!" he pointed to the chef, while slurping on his drink.
"Hey kid, listen please, I said anything that is for your age!" he crossed his arms, "You didn't listen, did you?"
"I never do!" he grabbed a slice of cake.
The Butler appeared with a hook attached to a long wood rod, he fished the mayor, catching him by his pants, "Normally we just fish cats, sometimes Sweetie, first time for a mayor." he giggled.
"Pose for the photo!" Mayor Goodway pointed her phone at the "fisherman" and the "fish", "And done! Wooohuhu! I'm keeping this one."
"Can't a man try to sleep in peace!?" General Jack irrupted trough the room, with Bullet close by.
"My apologies, Sir Jack, but one of the guests became a little; wild!" The Butler explained the situation to the general and his companion the occurrence, he took out one of the medals he had on his chest and begin to play with it in his fingers, Bullet licked his nose, both were paying attention to The Butler's words. Once he finished Jack retrieved the medal to it's place, "But how did this happen?"
"It appears it's wild side is very present on his normal life. Either that or his really evil or really good." Mr. Porter perused the book.
"Does any of those make him return to monke?" Alex asked.
"His inner animal must be a monkey!"
"It is!" Mayor Goodway corrected him.
"I smell something!" Bullet ears where up, collecting the noises around, "Someone's coming here, with gun powder!"
"Are you sure?" François was scared.
"If there's somepup who knows how to tell when there's danger a brewin, that pup is me!" he said in a tense and relaxing way.
From the darkness of the dark hallway a lady in a fabulous pink pajama, detailed with various hand made silk images, beside her two white dogs, identical to one another, probably twins. Like the majority of dogs, every brother and sister are twins to one another. Man! Why am I going philosophic about the brother and sister hood of dogs?!
Both dogs were white, with curl fur and pink nails, the only difference was the look on their face; one had a look of superiority, the other had a kinder look.
"Which one of you has a weapon?" Bullet inquired, looking each one in the eyes.
"I have it!" the lady removed a pistol, in a camouflage pink handle, from her pants and shown it, "Self-defense. Nothing else."
"And who are you?"
"I'm lady Adria G, but you can just call me Adria." she bow, "This are my princesses, Teresa and Layla."
"Pleasure to meet you." Teresa greeted.
Layla showed desire to talk, but Teresa blocked her way.
"Let me guess! You can't sleep." Alex was quick on his tongue.
"That's correct!" Teresa confirmed, while her owner smiled, sincerely.
As everyone was talking, the door for the outside, opened, walking in a quartet of dogs was chatting between themselves.
"It'a seems we have been looking for hours!" Caesar was patting.
"I'm also tired, but has someone find something or someone near the Air Patroller?" Lucio asked.
"Foot prints near the garbage truck." Tratcher informed.
Once with the others, the strange conversation was over, giving place to more justification of sleep problems and lack of things to do.
"Strange!" Captain Turbot looked at his watch, "It's still ten o'clock!"
"When Budy asked me what time it was, it was the same time." Mr. Porter petted his goatee, "But, why do I feel like, at least a hour has passed?"
"During the blue moon festival, time seems to behave in a peculiar way." The Butler affirmed, "Every three years, during the three nights. We get use to it. But, it has never happen so early, it should only have appeared in the next week. One day late or early, was the biggest gap yet, but this now that I think of it, it's weirdly strange."
Humdinger manage to sneak his way into the buffet area and started to trow the food at everyone else present in the room.
"Stop that, you monkey!" Mayor Goodway shouted, ducking for cover, "I'm calling Ryder." she emptied the purse, looking for her phone, "There it is!" she called.
She called.
She tried once more.
Nothing!
"He's not answering!"
"That's not a good sign." Alex noted.
"Especially when it's Ryder!" François was nibbling his nails.
"Should we go check his room?" Captain Turbot suggested, also looking unsettled by the news.
"That won't be necessary he's not there." a voice came from below.
The group gathered closely, "Who's... Who's there?" Mayor Goodway was hugging her pet chicken.
"Look down, maam! In front of your feet." she did what the voice had ordered her to do, and, at her feet she saw a white mouse, holding a red hat in it's paws.
"Oh, Hello there!" although her first instance was to scream and jump on a chair, the calm and politeness of this mouse, made her contradict the flight response.
"Ah, Mayor Goodway!" he placed the hat on his head, "Let me introduce myself, my name is Whiskers." he bow.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. What were you saying about Ryder?" François got back to the point.
"He's not in his room, the door it's a jar and the lights were opened."
"Were opened?" Tratcher asked.
"Yes, my friend, I turn them off. You know, to not waste electricity for nothing."
"Bien pensé."
"English, please!" out of the blue, Lucio ordered, looking annoyed.
"Excuse me!" she was flabbergasted.
"You know that I don't like to hear that!" he was proceeding to continue when he look at François, the cook and Adria.
"Hear what?" Adria stepped closer to the pup. Her face showed no emotions.
"N-nevermind that!" the chihuahua was intimidated.
"Could we all listen to what this little mouse has to say!?" Archy extended his metal paw to him. He climbed aboard, "Go on, mate."
"Thank you! I've already met with some of you." he noticed that Layla was hiding behind her sister, with a scared look on her face.
"Nice to meet you too, but didn't you have something to say about Ryder?" Captain Turbot made him return to the beginning.
"Right, he was at the end of the hallway. But, he was not awake!" his whiskers curled due to the fear.
"Why is that a reason to worry?" Tratcher was brushing her fur, "He was probably just sleepwalking!"
"I'm not so sure about that! As far as I know, sleepwalking people don't talk and mumble gibberish." he was pressing his hat against his chest.
"There's nothing to'a worry. There are plenty of people and dogs that talk in their sleep." Caesar licked his two front paws, "Even I do'a that; at least that's what my friends tell me." he turned to his team members.
"You do, mate."
"A lot."
"As a matter of fact, too much!"
"I guess you are right!" he placed the hat on his head.
Mr. Porter was now on the last page of his book, when he gasped in shock.
"Oh, mama mia! It's bad isn't it?"
Mr. Porter nodded.
"It'a proves Whiskers reasons to be afraid?"
He repeated the move.
"Oh, ravioli!"
"What does the book say?" Lucio's tail wanted to go between his legs, but he refused it of such act, "Habla!"
"Mate, let him breathe!"
An unsettled Mr. Porter started to read, "Warning do not hear any technologic objects; smart watches, intercommunications, hearing aids; that require a long contact time to the skin, caution is advised, avoid them, particularly the ones that go in the ears! Several cases of minor eletruction, correlated to the use of smart watches, that lead to the destruction of this said watch; risk: low. Weird and dangerous behaviour, due to the use of ear gear, the burning smell sells them out, the best course of action is to contain them in a safe zone, the individual comes to his senses once morning blooms with no memory of the previous rampage. Do not use any of this past midnight!" Mr. Porter sat on the ground, while digesting this information. Monkey Humdinger got close to him, offering a banana.
"But, Ryder doesn't have any of those things!" François objected.
"That we know!" Mayor Goodway was rocking her purse, trying to calm her pet chicken,"He might have one. He likes to have new vehicles and new tech."
"We've checked all of the guests, confiscated every headphones, every headset and any other technological gadgets, except Ryder. They are all locked in a safe downstairs." The Butler admitted the flaw.
"Wait! Does it only affect humans?" Tratcher asked, while looking at Lucio's ear.
"It doesn't specificate, but I can assume that animals can also be affected."
"So we're going to track the boy down and stop him, or stand around like a bunch of bloody idiots?" Archy, gently, dropped the mouse. He walk towards the hallway, "Let's go mates!"
A scream sent out chills to everyone's spines, "Somebody help us! Dude, hold them off! Hold them off!"
"That doesn't sound good!" Bullet's ear lifted, "Let's go help them!"
"I'm plated up!" The chef, lifted his uniform, revealing a belt, full of knives, forks, spoons and other kitchen utensils.
"Little white mouse can lead the way." General Jack reloaded his walking stick.
"Then follow me if you will!" he jumped to Layla's back, "Sorry, you don't mind being my steed for this night, or do you?"
"No problem. Just hold on tight!" a napoleon pose later, they charged, "But why me?"
"I trust you the most here, expect the fact that you are acting strange!"
"I have somethings... You know!" she had a serious face.
"If you don't wish to talk, then I'll wait."
"Thanks for understanding!" she smiled, now running up the stairs.
"If we don't understand each other, then who will?"
"True."
Now that everyone was on the upper level, they saw, to their right, three people furiously knocking on a door, while producing grunts and mumble words.
"Stop right there!" Whiskers ordered. The three turned to face him, and started to launch at him.
"Now what do we do?" Mr. Porter hugged Alex to protect him.
"We fight!" Adria pulled out her gun.
"Het, we cannot harm them, they are people, insane, but still people!" Jack pulled her back with his cane.
"Then what do you suggest to fight them?" she was still aiming at them.
"We do it like boxing." he placed his cane on his shoulder, with the bottom pointing towards the hostile ones, he pressed a button on it, that transform it into a shotgun.
"What are you...?" Captain Turbot asked, but the general shoot it first, sending the gun forward, smashing into the face of one of them.
"We knock them out cold!"
Mayor Goodway placed Chickaletta on the ground and throw her purse at the closest one, leaving him out of combat.
"Impressive!" Jack complimented, "What did you have in there?"
"Just a few things!" she blushed, in embarrassment.
"What, a brick?" Captain Turbot joked.
"Maybe!?"
The last one, a woman in orange pants and purple shirt, stopped to pick up the gun.
"Lady! Put that down!" Bullet growled, "You don't want to do it!"
"Hand it over!" Tratcher stepped forward.
The lady reloaded the shotgun and laughed, Bullet and Tratcher stood back, "This is but a small price to give what he deserves, what he desires. Even if that means making a few sacrifices!"
She fire, Archy ran in front of them, blocking the bullets with his metal member.
"I dare you to do that again!" she aggressively shouted, but then her mood change for a second, falling on her knees, "Help me!"
She got up, reloaded the gun, pointed at them with it and fell on the ground.
"Is everyone safe? That was the bad person, right?" an old and kind voice come out of the shadows.
"That voice is... familiar." Jack walked to the voice.
Out of the shadows, an elderly lady emerged, with a raccoon next to her.
"Marjorie!"
"Jackingstov!" the two hugged each other.
Due to the require of an explanation stares, Marjorie decided to explain, "Him and I are both part of the URSS, the universal radical sports for seniors."
"Hm'a! Almost something else." Caesar chuckled.
"But, I don't think I saw you among the guests, madame!" The Butler scratched his chin.
"My invitation never arrived. Isn't that right, Mainard?"
The raccoon nooded, confirming it, then he looked at Bullet and started to make faces to the dog, this one growled, slightly annoyed.
"I think I might..." the door opened, Sid got out with the invite in his hand, "... Have your invite." he handed it over to the old lady.
"Oh, thank you dear!"
"I gotta respect the code."
The Butler smiled at that interaction, a subtle smile.
"Iooh! Thanks for helping us dudes!" Jake and Danny exited the room.
"We called Ryder, but he didn't picked up!" Danny X, that was usually laid back and relaxed, was nervous, genuine fear was in his eyes.
"We were going to start looking for him, but then we heard your screams." Mr. Porter arched his eyebrow, "What exactly happen?"
"What happen, is that they saved me!" out of the room the man with an eye patch, an arrow on his leg with bandage around it and a bandage around his left ear, with some blood stains, "I was in the bathroom, when they broke in, they tried to put something on my ear at force, but they were so brute that they smashed the thing on my ear, so I defended myself with a toilet cleaner and limped to the first opened door I've seen!" he calmly explained.
"How are you so calm?" Alex asked, he was starting to feel the effects of the energy drink.
"Sometimes it happens during night, the only difference is that they usually asked for money. And their methods are a lot less savage than this."
"So let's go look for Ryder together. Shall we?!" Whiskers managed to find in the room a bottle cap, a thimble and a needle, he made himself a knight costume, with his hat on top of the thimble.
"Shouldn'twefirstremovethethingsfromtheirears?" Archy gave out his opinion.
"What?"
"Sorry mates! Shouldn't we first remove the things from their ears?"
"We don't have to!" Lucio wasn't worried, "They are down for the count."
"We have to, if every thing that could cause this was locked in a safe, like he said it was, then we got a problem in our paws and hands!" Tratcher approached the fallen people, removing strange black devices from her ears.
"We should check the safe first! The Earl has the keys; I can ask him if he can give them to me." The Butler bows.
"We should split up, one part goes to the Earl and the other group stays here to retrieve them to their respective sleeping quarters." Tratcher was liking to take things in charge.
"Do I need to remind you who's in charge here?" Lucio's mood was getting sour.
"You better calm down mate! She does make a valid point!" the boxer stood between the two, "You can go find Earl with Caesar, while me and Tratcher stay here, so that way you two get some time without seeing each others face!"
The chihuahua looked at the black poodle with a stern look, "Fine! Come along cousin." he dragged Caesar.
"Sure thing."
"C-C-Cousin!" Tratcher was shocked, "So that means you are not a..."
"A pure breed? Oh no; my mum was an Italian greyhound. And why would I be pure, if you're all but that! El estúpida!" he walked away.
Captain Turbot was about to join the searching group, when his brother pulled him apart, "Brother! Let me warn of one thing. You have to be careful!" he whispered on his ear.
"Why?"
"That lady. Adria; she's not one to trust. Her name brings me a bad misgiving!" he shook his brother's hand.
As everyone make way to their tasks, Tratcher just stood there, "She was right all along; you can't change yourself and others, it doesn't matter how hard you try." a lonely tear got lost in her curly fur.
I'M KEEPING THIS ONE SHORT, TO NOT GET AWAY FROM THE MAIN PLOT, PERHAPS I CAN ADD MORE IN THE FUTURE, BUT FOR NOW I'LL LEAVE THIS SHORT! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
