by R. F. Kristi
“What is most important is to keep this information from both the Señora and Polo until we are sure this foreigner is Raoul,” said Terrance.
“Don’t you worry; we will make sure that Polo never hears of this,” I said giving Fromage and Charlotte a stern look.
“Never in my life would I wish to disappoint Polo. He is our friend,” said Charlotte as she gave Fromage a beady look, her eyes narrowing.
“Me too,” muttered Fromage sheepishly. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Terrance gave us further details.
He would accompany Solo and Hobbs to Nepal. They would travel by plane from England to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, and then hire a car up to the Himalayas. From there they’d go on foot to the village with a local guide.
Terrance told us that the part on foot was dangerous and difficult. They had to trek along narrow mountainous slopes.
But Solo was determined to do this as Raoul was his good friend. If Raoul was alive, it would mean everything in the world for the Señora to be able to see him again.
“Not only the Señora,” piped in Charlotte.
“It would be for Polo too. He adored Raoul! He is Polo’s Dad after all” breathed Charlotte her little nose twitching.
We promised Terrance not to breath a word to Polo with regard to the reason they were leaving for Nepal.
“When will you leave?” I asked.
“Tomorrow,” barked Terrance.
“Hobbs is getting our stuff ready. He has already bought the plane tickets for Nepal. I am going now for my vaccinations to travel out of the country.”
A sudden thought crossed my mind - What about Christmas?
The plan had been for all of us to celebrate Christmas together at Solo’s place. Señora, Polo, their housekeepers, the nice Applebee couple who were relatives of Hobbs, and Mom had been planning the Christmas dinner menu for weeks.
“If all goes well, we should be back by Christmas,” said Terrance.
A sudden chill ran down my spine when I saw the thoughtful expression passing between the old friends, Monk and Terrance.
I remembered that Terrance had said that the latter part of the journey was very dangerous, even life-threatening.
Here I was with my thoughts about enjoying Christmas when Monk’s family was going to be trekking through some of the most dangerous roads in the world in order to help Señora and Polo, two of our good friends.
How selfish of me!!
No wonder Monk had been in full panic mode when he visited me earlier.
He seemed to have calmed down now, but I suppose he was anxious about his family going on such a dangerous journey - wondering if they would come back safe.
The Himalayas! Hmm… I thought. I had not heard of this place before. I who normally liked to know everything was stumped.
“Where is this place?” I asked Terrance.
Terrance ran up to Solo’s large writing table and brought us a booklet with pictures of the Himalayas.
What a breathtaking sight! Lots of mountains peaked with snow. The whole place looked huge and unfriendly. I could imagine how cold it would be there.
I pictured Terrance surveying the Himalayas, ready to conquer it.
“Solo does not consider this the best time of year to visit the Himalayas, as from November to March it is bitterly cold,” barked Terrance.
“On the other hand, Solo doesn’t wish to wait a moment longer in case Raoul is still alive and in need of medical help.
We are flying directly to Kathmandu,” ended Terrance.
“Will it be hard living on your own, Monk?” asked Cara in her soft meow.
“Lance is coming over. Solo called him last night and asked him to house-sit here until they got back,” replied Monk with a blink.
“Who is Lance?” asked Fromage.
“Lance is Solo’s distant relative,” said Monk.
“He is a young chap, always up to something or the other. He comes around when Solo and Hobbs go off on a case.”
“He is ok but I try to stay out of his hair. He usually lolls around watching TV while stuffing his face and has some crazy ideas to raise money,” meowed Monk.
11 Days Before Christmas
Monday Morning:
We hurried over to Monk’s place to see our friends off to the Himalayas.
Solo and Hobbs had lots of luggage all laid out on the landing. They were taking their warm winter jackets and stout boots to keep them warm in the high elevation of the Himalayas.
Terrance himself had a warm fleece jacket and boots to protect his paws from jagged stones and cold weather.
There were also strong tents and a large box of canned goods to keep them all fed for two weeks.
Fresh food was to be bought in the local market, by the guide, before taking the long trek.
Terrance had his own canned food and a big packet of doggie croquettes.
Fromage had told me that when Mom heard that they were going, she had brought a huge chunk of French cheese, well wrapped in foil, for their journey.
He sniffed the cheese from the outside of the box and said that it was safely packed inside.
Monk scowled as his family was about to leave.
Knowing Monk well by now, I knew that he was troubled for their safety though he kept it well hidden. Nevertheless, his usual breezy good-natured face looked pinched.
“Keep strong buddy, we will be back before you notice that we are gone,” said Terrance to Monk.
“Don’t worry too much about Monk. I promise you that we will keep him company until you come back,” I whispered to Terrance when Monk was not looking.
“Stay safe and bring everyone back and hopefully Raoul, too. That would make Polo a happy camper,” I added.
“Thanks Inca. It was a lucky day when you all moved next door,” barked Terrance as he gave me his quirky lopsided grin with his pink tongue hanging out.
A large black taxi pulled up soon after. Lance, who had arrived earlier, Hobbs and the taxi driver loaded the car with the luggage, and off they went on their journey to Nepal.
I turned from the doorway to take a look at Lance.
He was a sandy haired young chap with bright blue eyes. He was casually dressed in blue jeans and pullover and had an “I don’t care” air about him.
Lance was inspecting Cara by carrying her high up in the air and from Cara’s face I knew she did not like being carried by this stranger.
He then turned to me and lifted me up and carefully looked me over.
I wondered why the sudden interest in US while he had ignored Fromage completely.
I wriggled out of his arms and jumped down.
“How dare he carry me and inspect me as if I was a science specimen?” I thought to myself.
I had a feeling that Lance had something up his sleeve.
“Let’s get back home,” I said to the others, not wanting to be around Lance any longer than necessary.
After inviting Monk to come over and spend some time with us whenever he wished, we left Monk and Lance and raced back home as Mom would be returning home for dinner.
We loved racing one another. I am small in size, but I am quick too. I could beat both Cara and Fromage in getting my head through the door.
Fromage had decided not to go to the cheese shop that morning as he wished to say goodbye to Terrance.
Even one day away from his beloved cheese shop was too much for Fromage.
Monday Evening:
Mom was working on her laptop, sitting cross-legged on the comfy sofa.
Cara and Fromage had hogged the little mat in front of the fireplace, and Charlotte was settled comfortably on Fromage’s woolen winter scarf.
I surveyed my family and yawned widely on the back of the sofa behind Mom. This was my preferred position as the head honcho of the Inca kingdom. I also liked to read what Mom was typing away on the computer.
In the evenings Mom would write out the day’s sales from the family cheese business
. I always liked to keep an eye on how our business was going.
The weather had changed since the warm summer days, and we were spending the first days of December in our new cottage.
Although the weather had quickly turned cold, our little cottage was warm and toasty, the way we kitties liked it.
Suddenly Mom’s Skype started playing a melody and Aunt Florence’s face appeared on the screen.
I didn’t move but my ears twitched to attention as the conversation turned to plans for Christmas.
Aunt Florence was coming to London for Christmas.
Hurray!!!
There were several reasons that Aunt Florence was a STAR in our household:
I generally had Aunt Florence twisted around my paws. She spoiled me rotten and gave me lots of attention.
Fromage loved her as Aunt Florence always sneaked in special treats for him when Mom was not looking.
Cara loved her as she always made something special for her to wear.
All in all, Aunt Florence was a welcome visitor.
Just to get some attention I peered over Mom’s shoulder so that Aunt Florence could see me. She blew me some kisses and I purred back loudly.
I could see myself in the little box on the screen and eyed myself while they chatted.
“Hmmm, not bad, not bad at all,” I murmured to myself.
Yes, all intact. My soft, smoky, gray and white coat was well brushed and smooth. My magnificent tail fell gracefully like a plush velvet scarf.
I am a pretty unusual kitty, in addition to my spiffy looks.
I should mention at this point that I am blessed with telepathic powers. In other words, I have had quite some practice sending messages directly from my mind and receiving info from another’s mind.
Naturally, it is with Mom that I practice this skill most often.
I studied my facial expression and tried one or two looks showing a famous cat detective.
A world-famous snoop must have a serious face, I thought to myself. I gazed at myself with a stern expression.
“All good,” I murmured to myself on the screen, “and even if I say so myself, a good-looking kitty am I!”
Some fur balls in my household think I am a wee bit vain.
Oh well! no one can be purrrfect, can they?
Dragging my thoughts away from myself, I started thinking of Christmas.
Christmas is a fun-time! I wondered how it would be this year.
Aunt Florence always spent Christmas with us. But then we had been living in France.
After moving to London, we had made lots of new friends.
Surely this Christmas would also be great fun with so many more people?
Mom suddenly sat up and sniffed the air.
What was that?
I sat up too and wrinkled my nose, sniffing the air.
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff.
How come I hadn’t noticed the strong smell slowly swamping our sitting room?
What was that terrible but familiar smell invading our living room?
Got it!!!!!
It was the strong smell of ripe old French cheese!
A great chunk of cheese hidden behind a painting was slowly melting and dripping down. The warm room was enveloped by the rich and overpowering smell of French cheese.
Drip, splat!
Drip, splat!
Drip, splat!
I dare you to guess who would have hidden this large piece of cheese!
Yep, you are right!
It was Fromage, of course!!
Who else could it be???
He had hidden a huge chunk of cheese for his midnight snack. The cheese was now fully melted due to the warmth of the fire that had been lit all evening.
“Pheeweee!!!!”
“What a smell!” Said Cara as she held her nose.
Mom cleaned up the mess with a stern warning to Fromage that he should not help himself to cheese from the shop when no one was watching.
Fromage was all upset. Not about stealing the cheese, but because his wonderful cheese had melted and ended up in the bin.
Mom had not allowed him to lick the melted cheese either, and he was hopping mad about it.
Fromage moaned:
“My cheese, my wonderful cheese thrown in the bin!
“Mom shouldn’t have done that!!
“I am going to starve to death tonight!!!
“Mom will be sorry when she finds a skeleton tomorrow morning instead of her great kitty Fromage!!!!”
“A skeleton indeed! Fromage, it would take many moons to turn you into a SKELETON!” said Cara crossly.
“You were stinking up our cottage, and that just before Christmas too,” ended Cara.
“What stink?” shouted Fromage as he glowered at her.
“The most glorious fragrance in the world – the aroma of French Cheese!
“Cara, you have no idea what you are talking about!!!”
The squabble simmered off as Cara stalked out angrily.
10 Days Before Christmas
Tuesday Morning:
The next day, Polo came over to our house.
“Guess who I met at the park early this morning?” yapped Polo.
Before we could respond, he answered the question himself.
Polo is, by nature, an excitable doggie with a tendency to go into a high-pitched yap whenever he became agitated.
Nevertheless, he had a heart of gold.
In my opinion, Polo was an OK pal.
Though now comfortably off, Polo had gone through some rough patches in life.
“You all remember Boss, don’t you?” continued Polo.
What a question!!!
I felt a shudder run through my furry family.
Of course, we did!
In fact, we had been advised by both Monk and Polo to steer clear away from Boss.
To be honest, he frightened the daylights out of us.
Boss was a tough Rottweiler dog who lived down the street next to Polo’s house.
Boss was big and strong and reputed to have a vicious streak.
He went with his master to the park every morning with his head held high.
He had a hoity-toity expression on his face with snooty airs towards any animal that was not at least as tall as him.
The only cat that he had any respect for was Monk. Monk could be menacing when it pleased him.
We had seen Boss walk by from the safety of our home. None of us dared to meet him face-to-face.
“I met him at the park this morning,” said Polo.
“He actually came up to me and asked me how I was. He then whispered that he wished very much to meet the gang who solved the mystery of my Señora’s lost diamond necklace.”
The story of the diamond necklace had spread around like wild fire amongst the animal kingdom of Kensington.
We had become the talk of the town.
Terrance, in any case, had a glorious reputation due to having a great detective as his master and assisting him in solving many crimes. He was a hero and well respected by all the dogs, cats and other animals in the neighborhood and beyond.
I was pleased to note that my name as a good snoop was getting around too.
“I invited him over,” said Polo.
“What?” I gasped. The hair on the back of my neck raised in horror despite myself.
We were going to have Boss amongst us?!
I saw Cara visibly shrink. Cara is timid by nature and tries to avoid unpleasant situations.
To be honest, I was not too thrilled about meeting Bully-Boy-Boss either. He gave me the shivers.
Just at that moment, Monk strolled in.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone looking as if they have been hit with a bat?” he meowed.
Polo repeated his conversation with Boss to Monk.
“I cannot refuse any doggie in need, YOU understand don’t you Monk?” barked Polo excitedly justifying his invitation to Boss.
There was a sudden scratching
sound at our door.
“That must be Boss,” said Polo.
Monk strolled to the door and opened it. Monk is clever that way. He is able to jump up and turn any door handle with ease.
It was Boss at the door.
He looked even more scary when one saw him close-up.
I went and stood next to Monk because this is my territory and more importantly because my nosiness got the better of me.
I needed to be at the forefront of every situation. I am the first to admit that I am a pretty NOSEY snoopy cat!
Boss stood there with a surprisingly meek look on his face.
“What can we do for you, Boss?” said Monk.
I was surprised at Boss’s humble manner.
The Boss who stood before us was very different from the haughty bully we normally saw strutting down the street with his master Ned.
Boss looked worried and down in the dumps.
“May I please come in GRrrrrr?” He asked in a soft growl far removed from his usually loud sharp bark.
We looked at each other and I gave a nod to Monk.
“Come on in,” said Monk. “What is the matter? are you sick?”
“No, it’s more serious than that… GRrrrrr,” Boss rasped.
More serious than being sick? Something grim must have happened.
“It looks as if I will be parted from Ned who is going to lose his home, GRrrrrr” Boss howled in a sad voice.
He went on to explain that Ned had lived in the house owned by old Mr. Finchley since he was a toddler. Mr. Finchley had been a crusty old bachelor and the owner of a well-known chocolate factory.
Ned’s parents had been working as missionaries in Africa. Mr. Finchley being a close friend of his father, had invited Ned to live with him. Ned’s parents had fallen ill in Africa and had moved to the other world in the blue skies.
Ned had continued to live with Mr. Finchley whom he called uncle.
Mr. Finchley has passed away a few weeks ago.
Ned had never been legally adopted by Mr. Finchley. Boss was not sure of the details as he had come to Ned as a puppy, when Ned was grown up. All he knew was that Ned had lived with Mr. Finchley since he was four years old.