And water. And diamond thieves. And now I hate old ladies too. Let me out!
Nobody heard his muffled yowling as he was carried on to the top deck. But Maude was on a mission too. There was no way she was going to let the cat out of the bag. The pensioner was alone on the top deck. She took a small torch from her handbag and gave three flashes
towards Westminster Bridge. The cruise boat sailed on, the lights of the central London riverbank lighting the scene. As the boat passed under the bridge, Maude raised the cat bag above her head. A hook attached to the end of a long piece of rope caught it and the bag left her hands, hauled upwards by Ernest and Albert.
Maude returned to the lower deck, her part of the mission accomplished. She let herself back into cabin 5 and got into her nightie. The professor was fast asleep in the bar. The Cook family had bedded down for the night.
Everyone was going to have a good night’s sleep. Except Spy Cat. He crouched in the darkness of the bag, hoping someone would hear his muffled yowls for help. He felt himself being hauled across London and then upwards, to somewhere very high indeed.
This mission has gone from warm to red-hot!
Shakespeare had been left in the bag. He was furious with himself.
Catnapped! Double-crossed by a pensioner. Not quite what we planned
.
He’d stayed awake in the darkness, attempting to keep track of time. Eventually some
light crept through the tiny holes in the zip so he assumed it was sunrise. He crouched low as he heard muffled voices. ‘You’re going to have to be quick, Lenny,’ he heard someone say. All of a sudden the zip was ripped apart and a man’s bony fingers expertly pinned him down. Another man used a pair of wire-cutters to snip through Shakespeare’s diamond collar. Shakespeare struggled and hissed, but to no avail. The diamond collar fell away and the cat struggled until the pressure was released and he flew across the room, hair raised, ready to do battle.
At least my translating collar is intact
, he thought, seeking refuge under a table.
‘He’s just frightened,’ he heard a lady say. ‘Let’s find a saucer of milk. He’ll be fine when he settles in. And, when this escapade is all over, he can come home with me.’
Settle in? Come home with you? I’m not planning on either, madam! I’ve got a perfectly good home with a family I love
.
Shakespeare peeped out from under the table.
Old people. Everywhere
. His eyes were drawn to the man who had his diamond collar. He clamped the collar in a vice, slipped a dark
mask over his eyes and took a burning flame to it. Before long the diamond fell away from the collar and the man removed the mask. He picked up the diamond in a gloved hand and held it to the light.
‘The final piece,’ he announced to the room full of old people. ‘This day will go down in history. When the satellites align at midday today, we will be going back to the good old days.’
There was a warm round of applause from the old folks.
The good old days?
thought Shakespeare.
Old people, diamonds and satellites?
He remembered the professor’s theory that the three were somehow linked. His paw went to his translating collar. He felt calmed by the flashing light. He knew that his translating collar also had a tracking device. He thought of the family waking up and realizing their cat was missing.
Help will be on its way
, he thought.
I will infiltrate the gang and pick up a few clues. Eyes and ears alert
.
He jumped effortlessly on to a kitchen table. A man stroked him and a woman laid down a saucer of milk.
No thanks
, he thought.
I’m here to spy
.
‘Shush,’ hissed one of the old men. ‘We’re on the news.’
The TV was turned up full volume as the newsreader looked gravely at the camera. ‘Panic has set in across Scotland,’ he announced. ‘We are unable to bring you any pictures because all communication channels are down. Reports indicate that there is no Internet and that TV and radio
Nobody heard his muffled yowling as he was carried on to the top deck. But Maude was on a mission too. There was no way she was going to let the cat out of the bag. The pensioner was alone on the top deck. She took a small torch from her handbag and gave three flashes
towards Westminster Bridge. The cruise boat sailed on, the lights of the central London riverbank lighting the scene. As the boat passed under the bridge, Maude raised the cat bag above her head. A hook attached to the end of a long piece of rope caught it and the bag left her hands, hauled upwards by Ernest and Albert.
Maude returned to the lower deck, her part of the mission accomplished. She let herself back into cabin 5 and got into her nightie. The professor was fast asleep in the bar. The Cook family had bedded down for the night.
Everyone was going to have a good night’s sleep. Except Spy Cat. He crouched in the darkness of the bag, hoping someone would hear his muffled yowls for help. He felt himself being hauled across London and then upwards, to somewhere very high indeed.
This mission has gone from warm to red-hot!
Shakespeare had been left in the bag. He was furious with himself.
Catnapped! Double-crossed by a pensioner. Not quite what we planned
.
He’d stayed awake in the darkness, attempting to keep track of time. Eventually some
light crept through the tiny holes in the zip so he assumed it was sunrise. He crouched low as he heard muffled voices. ‘You’re going to have to be quick, Lenny,’ he heard someone say. All of a sudden the zip was ripped apart and a man’s bony fingers expertly pinned him down. Another man used a pair of wire-cutters to snip through Shakespeare’s diamond collar. Shakespeare struggled and hissed, but to no avail. The diamond collar fell away and the cat struggled until the pressure was released and he flew across the room, hair raised, ready to do battle.
At least my translating collar is intact
, he thought, seeking refuge under a table.
‘He’s just frightened,’ he heard a lady say. ‘Let’s find a saucer of milk. He’ll be fine when he settles in. And, when this escapade is all over, he can come home with me.’
Settle in? Come home with you? I’m not planning on either, madam! I’ve got a perfectly good home with a family I love
.
Shakespeare peeped out from under the table.
Old people. Everywhere
. His eyes were drawn to the man who had his diamond collar. He clamped the collar in a vice, slipped a dark
mask over his eyes and took a burning flame to it. Before long the diamond fell away from the collar and the man removed the mask. He picked up the diamond in a gloved hand and held it to the light.
‘The final piece,’ he announced to the room full of old people. ‘This day will go down in history. When the satellites align at midday today, we will be going back to the good old days.’
There was a warm round of applause from the old folks.
The good old days?
thought Shakespeare.
Old people, diamonds and satellites?
He remembered the professor’s theory that the three were somehow linked. His paw went to his translating collar. He felt calmed by the flashing light. He knew that his translating collar also had a tracking device. He thought of the family waking up and realizing their cat was missing.
Help will be on its way
, he thought.
I will infiltrate the gang and pick up a few clues. Eyes and ears alert
.
He jumped effortlessly on to a kitchen table. A man stroked him and a woman laid down a saucer of milk.
No thanks
, he thought.
I’m here to spy
.
‘Shush,’ hissed one of the old men. ‘We’re on the news.’
The TV was turned up full volume as the newsreader looked gravely at the camera. ‘Panic has set in across Scotland,’ he announced. ‘We are unable to bring you any pictures because all communication channels are down. Reports indicate that there is no Internet and that TV and radio
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