by Thea Stilton
beautiful!
“Spain is waiting!”
“Right!” her friends responded together.
“All right, then, let’s move those paws and
start packing!” Nicky said.
dazzling
Two days later, the Thea Sisters’ plane landed
at the airport in Seville. The runway
was sparkling with sunshine.
“I’d better put on my hat!” Colette
said. “I’d hate to get a sunburn.”
“Your Hat?” Pam replied.
“Which one? You must have
brought a dozen with you!”
Colette shrugged. “I don’t
know what you’re squeaking
about, Pam. I packed Light
for this trip. . . .”
“Really? Then that can’t be all
your luggage coming down the carousel, can
it?” teased Pam, glancing at the splash
WELCOME TO
SEVILLE!
of pink headed their way.
Colette rolled her eyes. “Pam, haven’t you
ever heard the famouse French saying ‘Style
never takes a vacation’?”
“Nope! In New York, we say, ‘The less
baggage you’ve got, the farther you’ll go’!”
The two friends continued
bickering
all the way to the exit, where they were
interrupted by an excited squeal.
“Thea Sisters, bienvenidas*!”
*
In Spanish, bienvenidas means “welcome.”
family
“Anita! Joaquin!” cried Nicky, running
to meet them.
After a quick round of hugs, Anita and
Joaquin introduced their friends to the
rest of their family — Mama Lucia, Papa
Javier, and older brother Rodrigo.
Everyone piled into the van, which
sped toward the city center. Through the
windows, the Thea Sisters admired the
Spanish countryside.
“Look at that RIVER!” Pam exclaimed.
“That’s the Guadalquivir,” Joaquin
explained. “It crosses the entire city.”
A few minutes later, the van entered the
city center. It stopped in front of a
lovely old building with a sign bearing
words painted by paw:
The Vega School
Dance, Music, and Performance
“We’re here!” Joaquin exclaimed.
Seville
SEVILLE
Seville is the capital of
ANDALUSIA, a region
in southern Spain. The city
sits on the banks of the river
GUADALQUIVIR, where
Christopher Columbus
embarked on his historic trip to
America.
The city is famous for its architectural beauty,
including GIRALDA, the famous cathedral bell
tower, and ALCÁZAR, the royal palace. But the
best way to experience the spirit of Seville is to walk
along its twisty streets and get lost in the charming
atmosphere.
Madrid
Córdoba
Granada
Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina, and Violet
followed their friends inside.
“So, you run this dance school?” Violet
wondered.
“That’s right!” Papa Javier responded
proudly. “The school has belonged to our
family for generations. It’s one of the best-
known flamenco schools in the world!”
“In the Vega family, you learn music and
dance before you learn to walk,” Anita
explained.
Her mother nodded. “Every member of the
family has their own specialty: My husband
teaches the guitar, Rodrigo teaches singing,
and the TWINS teach dance.”
“We have the best dancer in the whole
A FAMILY TRADITION
country!” Joaquin declared. “Come on, I’ll
introduce you.”
The Thea Sisters followed him and Anita
into a large practice room. Its walls were
covered in MIRRORS, all of which showed
the reflection of a dancer spinning with the
rhythmic grace of the flamenco.
“Aunt Julieta!” Anita exclaimed.
The dancer turned, and a sweet smile
lit up her snout, which was framed
by dark fur tied up in a
bun.
“Auntie, we’d like to introduce you to our
dear friends Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina,
and Violet,” Joaquin said.
“I’ve heard
so much
about you!”
Julieta said, shaking their paws.
“Oh, we don’t want to interrupt your
rehearsal!” said Colette, embarrassed.
“No worries,
mouselets
! I was just
practicing a few steps for the feria.”
“Yes,” Anita added, “Julieta is the star of
the big show that we’re putting on to
celebrate the school’s anniversary.”
“
Sizzling spark plugs!
Now I understand
why you two are such great dancers,” Pam
exclaimed. “You learned from a master!”
The twins laughed. “You’re right, Pam,
that’s exactly it!” Anita said.
But Julieta shook her snout. “Actually, the
only ‘master’ is
her
!” She pointed to a large
painting
hanging in the middle
of the wall. It showed
a young dancer in a
bright flamenco dress
with an open fan in
her hand.
“That’s Rosita Vega,”
Julieta explained,
noticing the mouselets’
curious looks. “She was the greatest
flamenco dancer of all time, and also our
ancestor — she’s my grandmother!”
“I’ve
read
about her,” Violet murmured.
Julieta smiled. “Rosita was born in
Córdoba, but she moved to Seville when
she was a little mouselet. In addition to being
a famouse flamenco dancer, she was a
marvemouse singer, and toward the end of
her career, she was also a composer.
Unfortunately, hardly any of her songs
were recorded. . . .”
She was interrupted by the arrival of her
older sister. “Tapas!” Mama Lucia exclaimed.
She was carrying an enormouse plateful
of food.
Joaquin grinned. “That’s our mama’s
specialty. She doesn’t sing, and she doesn’t
dance. Instead, she feeds the whole school!”
“You can’t live on music alone!” said Mama
ROSITA CONQUERS SPAIN
Big success for Rosita
Vega! Her most recent
flamenco show has won
praise from critics far
and wide. Now the artist
has turned to writing
songs. She is said to be
working on a collection
of her own music.
Lucia. She placed the dish on a small table.
“What do you say to a nice snack out on the
patio?”
Pam’s keen snout had smelled the tapas
from afar. “I say that’s the most delicious
idea I’ve heard all day!”
TAPAS
You can’t leave Spain without
trying
tapas
, or small portions
of many different dishes.
Examples of dishes include
sheep’s milk cheese, vegetable
shish kebabs, meatballs, and potato-and-onion omelets.
No one is certain how the tapas tradition started, although
many believe that it began as a way to protect sweet drinks
from fruit flies by covering the glasses with small plates.
Tapar
means “to cover” or “to cork.” Rather than leave the plates
empty, restaurants began filling them with the house specialties!
Between snacks and stories, the next few
hours passed quickly for the mouselets and
their friends. When the sky started to turn
pink, Julieta cried, “Oh no, the flowers!”
“What flowers?” Colette asked.
“The ones I wear behind my ears! I need
fresh red roses to place in my fur. It’s
part of my costume for this evening.”
“Would you like us to go pick them up
from José?” Anita asked.
“Would you really? I’d like to practice
my dance steps one more time. . . .”
“Of course,” Joaquin said. “It’s the perfect
excuse to show our friends the neighborhood.”
Pam was reaching for the last piece of
FLOWERS IN
THEIR FUR
all
cheese
as her friends started to follow the
Vega twins outside. “Wait for me!” the
mouselet mumbled, her mouth still full.
“Shake a tail, Pam! We only have a few
hours until the feria. Do you want to spend
of them eating?” Colette joked.
Her friend laughed. “When the food is this
good, can you blame me?”
The group headed toward the city center.
“Before we go to José’s, we want to show you
Plaza de España. It’s one of the most beautiful
spots in all of Seville,” Anita said. She led
the Thea Sisters into a large, semicircular
stone plaza. The mouselets were awestruck.
A stately old building encircled the plaza.
Right in the center of the square, a fountain
was gushing water.
The mouselets could have stayed for hours,
soaking in the atmosphere. But Anita pulled
gently
them by the paws. “We can come
back here, I promise. But now we’ve got to
get to the florist’s before it closes!”
Disappointed, the Thea Sisters peeled
their eyes away and followed Anita and
Joaquin down a narrow backstreet.
“Did we take a wrong turn?” Colette
asked.
“NO, this is the right way. Trust me!”
Joaquin said, leading them inside an ancient
building.
“Wait . . .” Colette began. But before she
could finish, she was surrounded by a
cloud of intoxicating smells. The Vegas
and the mouselets had found the flower shop!
“Wow!” Nicky exclaimed, admiring the
colorful blossoms that crowded the shop.
“These are the most beautiful flowers I’ve
ever seen,” Paulina gasped.
Finished in 1929, this
marvelous square is one
of the most striking sites in
Seville. The buildings are
covered with spectacular
enameled tiles and mosaics.
mass
“I’m so glad to hear that,” a male squeak
replied from behind a of roses.
“José, I’d like to introduce our friends
Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina, and Violet.
They’re here for the feria!” Anita said
happily.
“Welcome, mouselets! Are you enjoying
Seville?” José asked.
“Yes!” Paulina replied. “It’s a fun city!”
“And so full of color,” Pam added.
“Don’t forget the music! It’s lovely to hear
flowers
the sound of a guitar on every corner,”
Violet put in.
“And the fashion . . . every mouse in
Seville is so chic,” Colette concluded.
The florist smiled at the
mouselets. “It’s an honor
to meet visitors who really
appreciate our fine city!”
“José, do you have
the for my
aunt?” Anita asked.
“Of course. Here they are,” José said,
pawing her a bunch of red roses WRAPPED
in paper.
Then he turned to the Thea Sisters and
looked them over from the tips of their snouts
to the tips of their tails. “And, you, do you
have your flowers,
mouselets
?”
“Well, no . . . that is . . . uh . . .” Paulina
stuttered.
Without another word, José disappeared
behind a row of vases. A moment later, he
emerged with five gorgeous types of flowers.
“A YELLOW GERBERA for you,”
he said, offering the flower to Paulina. “It’s a
symbol of happiness and good cheer.”
José turned to Pam. “For your sunny
personality, a striped carnation!” Next
he addressed Violet. “Here is an elegant
camellia for a refined and sensible soul.
Daisies are for rodents who love nature,
and orchids are perfect for mice with
elegance and style!” he concluded, pawing
flowers to Nicky and Colette, respectively.
The mouselets were charmed by José’s kind
gesture. They thanked him profusely.
Then they said their good-byes.
As they turned to leave, two young
mice
came into the flower shop. . . .
Anita and Joaquin GREETED the two
newcomers politely. “Oh, hi, Lola. Hi, Pedro.”
Lola and Pedro put their snouts in the air
and marched up to the counter without a
squeak.
Anita shook her snout. “Arrogant as
always,” she whispered as they left the shop.
THE NAVARROS
friends
“Are they of yours?” Colette asked.
“Not exactly,” Anita sighed. “Those are the
Navarro twins. Their family
runs a flamenco school, too, and they never
miss an opportunity to compete with us!”
“There’s an old feud between our
families, so Lola and Pedro never even say
hello,” Joaquin explained.
“That explains why they LOOKED so
grumpy,” Nicky said.
As they chattered, the mouselets and their
friends strolled back to the Vegas’
neighborhood.
“The Navarros’ school is right over here!”
Anita said, leading the Thea Sisters down a
side street.
“It doesn’t look like things are going too
well for them,” commented Violet. The front
of the building was
crumbling
, and the
windows were in bad repair.
Joaquin nodded. “Lately, the Navarros
have been struggling, and they blame our
family for snag
ging all the dance students.”
“We’ve heard that they may have to close.
That would be a real shame,” Anita said.
“But if they weren’t so hard to deal with,
they’d have more students,” Joaquin said.
“You’re right, Joaquin,” Anita said. “But
then Seville would lose two excellent
dancers. Pedro and Lola are wonderful!”
“As wonderful as your aunt?” Pam asked.
Anita waved her paw dismissively. “Oh,
that’s like comparing processed cheese puffs
with the finest Brie! There’s no one like
Auntie Julieta.”
“Speaking of Aunt Julieta, she’s still waiting
for her flowers.
Let’s move our
tails!
” Joaquin said.
Back inside the Thea Sisters’ room at
the Vegas’ house, it was impossible to MOVE
a muscle. Every inch of space — chairs, beds,
bureaus, and even the floor — was covered
with clothes,combs, fans, shoes, and
ribbons. Colette’s makeup bag was so
big
it practically needed a room of its own!
“Thundering cat tails, I just knew I’d forget
something!” Colette cried. “I was in such
a hurry when I packed. . . .”
“What’d you forget, Coco? Something
important?” Nicky asked.
“Yes! My eye mask,” Colette replied. “You
know, to depuff my eyes.”
“Oh, wait a minute, is this it?” Violet asked,
pulling the thin mask from the pages of
FERIA DE ABRIL
her guidebook. “Sorry, I was
using it as a bookmark!”
Pam shook her head at all of
Colette’s beauty supplies. Then
she turned back to the MIRROR.
“Mouselets, I need your help with my fur!”
she exclaimed.
Colette, Nicky, Paulina, and Violet turned
to look at Pam . . . and burst out laughing.
“You look crazier than a cat caught in a
cyclone!” Paulina said as she came over to
help. Furpins were sticking out of Pam’s head
randomly in every direction.