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!
The Secret Of Cacklefur Castle Page 6