Capt. Cookie paced up and down anxiously in the hotel lobby. His co-pilot and stewardess had gone into the exotic garden the day before and not returned. And then his steward, Winterbottom, had been abducted by the Moon during the night. Now it was the next morning and the captain was waiting for the grocery blimp.
“It should be here soon!” said Miss Wu, the hotel manager.
Cookie went outside and looked up into the sky.
Eventually, the grocery blimp appeared and McCluskey, the flying grocer, dropped the delivery; six boxes with small parachutes attached floated down to the ground. Capt. Cookie ran over to the spot where the boxes landed, followed by Skates with the hotel luggage cart. The captain opened the first box, coffee, and put it on the cart. He opened the second box, tea, and put it on the cart. The third box... cakemix. The fourth box... vegetables... the fifth box.... nuts...
“Must be this one!” said Cookie, opening the sixth box. Custard!
“Where’s the oil?!” he cried. “What about the oi....”
“Look out!” cried Skates.
The captain looked up just as a seventh box landed on his head and knocked him unconscious.
“Oil?” said Capt. Cookie as he came round in the hotel lounge, where Miss Wu was trying to put a teaspoon of raspberry brandy in his beak.
“Yes! Ten bottles of cooking oil. That’s what hit you on the head!” said Wu.
“Good! Now I can get the airship going again. Have Temples and Singsong returned yet?” asked the captain.
“No, I’m afraid not,” said Wu, “but Tusks has gone to find them.”
“I see. Well, let’s hope he finds them before nightfall. I need my crew with me to rescue Winterbottom,” said Cookie.
“I’m sorry about what happened,” said Wu. “We’ve never had any guests abducted by the Moon before.”
“Nevermind,” said the captain. “I’ve heard stories about people disappearing like that, but I didn’t believe them. Now we know it’s true! Poor old Winterbottom! I hope he’s all right up there!”
© David Severn 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment