The Secret Of Cacklefur Castle

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The Secret Of Cacklefur Castle Page 6

by Geronimo Stilton

OUR LOVE FOR YOU

  IS STRONGER THAN CHEESE!

  G

  o

  t

  o

  s

  l

  e

  e

  p

  ,

  l

  i

  t

  t

  l

  e

  C

  a

  c

  k

  l

  e

  f

  u

  r

  .

  STEW POWER!

  I kissed Baby

  . Then I decided to walk

  around the castle. Somehow, the Cacklefurs

  did not seem so scary anymore.

  Because I love books, I went to the library.

  Old rare books filled the shelves. I flipped

  through the pages. Some of the books were

  so old they were written by monks! What

  treasures!

  Before printing

  was invented,

  monks wrote

  books by hand.

  They illustrated

  them with

  wonderful

  paintings.

  100

  Then I found a large book on a tall wooden

  stand. The leather cover was the color of

  American cheese. The book looked quite old.

  The title caught my eye:

  The History of

  Cacklefur Castle.

  I sat in a comfortable chair next to the

  fireplace. Then I began to read.

  “

  Cacklefur Castle is built on a

  skull-shaped

  hill

  . . .”

  A blast of thunder interrupted my reading

  .

  Bam!

  The window fle

  w open. A huge oak tree

  crashed into the room. Its branches were

  flaming

  . It must have been struck by

  lightning!

  The curtains caught fire

  . Soon the flames

  would race toward the bookshelves. All of

  those beautiful rare books!

  I ran out of the room. “The library is on

  101

  fire!” I

  SCREAMED

  .

  I looked for something to

  put out the fire with. I

  pushed open a door and

  found myself in the kitchen.

  The cart of stew was right in

  front of me. . . .

  I had an idea. I pushed the

  cart down the hall as fast as

  I could. When I got to the

  library, I dumped the stew

  pot onto the flames!

  The fire went out, as

  if by magic. I fell to the

  floor, exhausted.

  By now, all of the

  Cacklefur family

  had arrived in the

  library.

  The stew put out the fire as if by magic.

  103

  “What is it?” asked the professor.

  “What happened?” asked Boneham.

  “The library ...” Snip began.

  “ ... was on fi

  re!” Snap finished.

  “Geronimo put out the

  FIRE!” Shivereen

  said.

  “Geronimo is a hero!” announced Madame

  Latomb.

  Creepella beamed. “Good for you, my

  little bat wing!”

  Chef Stewrat smiled. “That is what I call

  Stew Power!”

  The Cacklefurs gathered around me.

  Professor Frankenstein slapped me on the

  shoulder

  .

  “You saved the library,” he said. “You are

  one of the family now, George.”

  I sighed.

  “

  M

  y

  n

  a

  m

  e

  i

  s

  G

  e

  r

  o

  n

  i

  m

  o

  !

  ”

  GOOD-BYE, DEAR

  CACKLEFURS

  The sun was sinking in the sky. Yes, all of

  these amazing adventures happened in just

  one day!

  “Get ready, my little CHEDDAR PUFF,”

  Creepella said to me. “We’re going back to

  New Mouse City

  .”

  Creepella took my arm and led me to the

  dining hall.

  “But we just got here!” I protested. Believe

  it or not, I was starting to enjoy myself.

  Suddenly, the lights went out. I expected

  to hear a blast of thunder again.

  Instead, I heard a cheer. “Hooray for

  Geronimo Stilton!”

  When the lights came back on, the whole

  Cacklefur family was standing there. They

  had hung a banner in the hall:

  Shivereen went to the piano. She played

  “THE W

  AILING WALTZ.” Madame Latomb

  played along on her violin.

  Creepella grabbed me by the tail.

  “This

  DANCE

  is for me, my little

  spiderweb!”

  We waltzed around the hall. Candles cast

  a soft

  glow of light in the room.

  “This is my favorite waltz,” Creepella said.

  “And you are my favorite mouse. When are

  we going to get married?”

  I remembered Professor Frankenstein’s

  warning and turned pale. “Well, er

  , I — ”

  C

  O

  M

  E

  B

  A

  C

  K

  S

  O

  O

  N

  ,

  G

  E

  R

  O

  N

  I

  M

  O

  .

  .

  .

  D

  E

  A

  D

  O

  R

  A

  L

  I

  V

  E

  !

  106

  Luckily

  , the professor stood up to make

  an announcement.

  “Quiet, everyone!” he shouted. Then he

  walked over and hugged me.

  “It’s a shame you have to leave, dear

  Gerbil,” he said. “But before you go, we

  would like to give you something to say

  thank you.”

  Professor Frankenstein gave me a black

  plaque. There was gold writing on it:

  Boris gathered everyone together. “Time

  for a picture!” he shouted. “Say cheese!”

  THIS PLAQUE IS DEDICATED

  TO OUR NEW FRIEND

  GERONIMO STILTON

  HE BRAVELY SAVED THE

  CACKLEFUR FAMILY LIBRARY

  107

  I put on my best

  smile. But then

  I felt someone

  pinch my tail. I

  turned around.

  To

  o late! The

  camera snapped

  the picture.

  “How nice,” said Boneham. “Now you

  will always be a part of the Cacklefur

  family.”

  I looked at the picture. “At least my back

  will be,” I said.

  Creepella took my arm. “Ready, my little

  pumpkin? It’s tim
e to go.”

  All of the Cacklefurs looked very sad.

  Snip and Snap gave me a small present.

  “It’s for you, Geronimo!” they said.

  I was moved. Maybe they weren’t such

  108

  bad

  little mice after all.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  I opened the present. It was a small coffin.

  “How nice,” I said. I opened the lid. A small

  rubber skeleton popped out — and punched

  me in the snout!

  “Whose idea was this?” I asked angrily.

  “He did it!" said Snip.

  “He did it!" said Snap.

  Shivereen brushed away a tear. “Can I call

  you Uncle Geronimo?” she asked. “I can’t

  wait for the

  wedding

  . When will it be?”

  “NEVER!” I shrieked.

  Professor Frankenstein looked at his

  watch. “It’s getting late, Godfrey. You really

  should be going. We will miss you, Gilroy!”

  “The name is Geronimo,” I corrected him.

  I knew it was time to go. But I did not

  want to leave without giving a speech.

  109

  “My dear rodent friends,” I began. “I just

  met you. But I feel like I have known you all

  my life. You will always be —”

  I couldn't finish

  the sentence. Creepella

  drove the hearse right into the dining hall!

  She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

  “Time to go to New Mouse City, my little

  spiderkins!”

  We

  SPED

  off. Behind me, I heard the

  Cacklefurs cheer, “Hurrah for Geronimo

  Stilton. He is a strange mouse — but he is a

  true friend

  !

  ”

  AS RARE AS FINE

  CHEDDAR .

  . .

  We drove away from the Valley of the Vain

  Vampires. I realized I finally had an idea for

  a book! I would call it THE SECRET

  OF

  CACKLEFUR CASTLE.

  The Cacklefurs were defi nitely weird. We

  were so different! Yet they were very close

  to my heart.

  I learned something IMPORTANT at

  Cacklefur Castle. There are many mice who

  are different from us. But you can’t judge a

  mouse by his or her fur. You must look into

  his or her heart! If you are lucky, you may

  find a friend there.

  True friendship is a

  s rare as fine cheddar.

  It is a real gift. It is wonderful to discover

  that the world is full of friends we don’t

  know yet. That is the truth ... or my name is

  not Geronimo Stilton!

  Born in New Mouse City, Mouse

  Island,

  Geronimo Stilton

  is

  Rattus Emeritus of Mousomorphic

  Literature and of Neo-Ratonic

  Comparative Philosophy. For the

  past twenty years, he has been

  running The Rodent’s Gazette, New Mouse City’s

  most widely read daily newspaper.

  Stilton was awarded the Ratitzer Prize for his

  scoops on The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid and

  The Search for Sunken Treasure. He has also

  received the Andersen 2000 Prize for Personality of

  the Year. One of his bestsellers won the 2002 eBook

  Award for world’s best ratlings’ electronic book. His

  works have been published all over the globe.

  In his spare time, Mr. Stilton collects antique

  cheese rinds and plays golf. But what he most

  enjoys is telling stories to his nephew Benjamin.

  A

  BOUT THE

  A

  UTHOR

  1. Main entrance

  2. Printing presses (where the books

  and newspaper are printed)

  3. Accounts department

  4. Editorial room (where the editors,

  illustrators, and designers work)

  5. Geronimo Stilton’s office

  6. Helicopter landing pad

  The RodenT’s

  GazeTTe

  6

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  1. Industrial Zone

  2. Cheese Factories

  3. Angorat International

  Airport

  4. WRAT Radio and

  Television Station

  5. Cheese Market

  6. Fish Market

  7. Town Hall

  8. Snotnose Castle

  9. The Seven Hills of

  Mouse Island

  10. Mouse Central Station

  11. Trade Center

  12. Movie Theater

  13. Gym

  14. Catnegie Hall

  15. Singing Stone Plaza

  16. The Gouda Theater

  17. Grand Hotel

  18. Mouse General Hospital

  19. Botanical Gardens

  20. Cheap Junk for Less

  (Trap’s store)

  21. Aunt Sweetfur and

  Benjamin’s House

  22. Mouseum of

  Modern Art

  23. University and Library

  24. The Daily Rat

  25. The Rodent’s Gazette

  26. Trap’s House

  27. Fashion District

  28. The Mouse House

  Restaurant

  29. Environmental

  Protection Center

  30. Harbor Office

  31. Mousidon Square

  Garden

  32. Golf Course

  33. Swimming Pool

  34. Tennis Courts

  35. Curlyfur Island

  Amousement Park

  36. Geronimo’s House

  37. Historic District

  38. Public Library

  39. Shipyard

  40. Thea’s House

  41. New Mouse Harbor

  42. Luna Lighthouse

  43. The Statue of Liberty

  44. Hercule Poirat’s Office

  45. Petunia Pretty Paws’s

  House

  46. Grandfather William’s

  House

  Map of New Mouse City

  1. Big Ice Lake

  2. Frozen Fur Peak

  3. Slipperyslopes Glacier

  4. Coldcreeps Peak

  5. Ratzikistan

  6. Transratania

  7. Mount Vamp

  8. Roastedrat Volcano

  9. Brimstone Lake

  10. Poopedcat Pass

  11. Stinko Peak

  12. Dark Forest

  13. Vain Vampires Valley

  14. Goose Bumps Gorge

  15. The Shadow Line Pass

  16. Penny Pincher Castle

  17. Nature Reserve Park

  18. Las Ratayas Marinas

  19. Fossil Forest

  20. Lake Lake

  21. Lake Lakelake

  22. Lake Lakelakelake

  23. Cheddar Crag

  24. Cannycat Castle

  25. Valley of the Giant

  Sequoia

  26. Cheddar Springs

  27. Sulfurous Swamp

  28. Old Reliable Geyser

  29. Vole Vale

  30. Ravingrat Ravine

  31. Gnat Marshes

  32. Munster Highlands

  33. Mousehara Desert

  34. Oasis of the

  Sweaty Camel

  35. Cabbagehead Hill

  36. Rattytrap Jungle

  37. Rio Mosquito

  Map of Mouse Island

  Dear mouse friends,

  Thanks for readin
g, and farewell

  till the next book.

  It’ll be another whisker-licking-good

  adventure, and that’s a promise!

 

 

 


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