Kola Nut Hotel: Creepers Sleepers Part 2

Just as the plant got to Miss Wu’s door, she closed her book of verbs and switched off the bedside light. The honeysuckle then sensed a glimmer from upstairs, and crept up towards the door of the suite on the top floor, which Wildmouth, who had fallen asleep on his couch, had left ajar. The lion lay snoring in the flickering candle light with a scrapbook of his photos and film reviews open on his chest. The plant took hold of the candlestick, a mirror, and the scrapbook, and took them out through the open doors of the balcony out into the night sky, where the moon was rising. Wildmouth stirred in his sleep and felt for his precious scrapbook. When his big paws didn’t locate it, he awoke with a start in the now dark room. He got up from the couch and tripped up over the trailing plant. He picked himself up from the floor and tip-toed to the balcony, where he saw the plant growing up into the air with his possessions.
“Hey!” he roared. “Come back with my stuff! Give me my scrapbook back, you thieving thistle!”
The plant now had a big, trumpety flower, and it was admiring itself in Wildmouth’s mirror. The lion grabbed the plant’s stem and started shaking it, but the plant simply absorbed Wildmouth’s energy, turned it’s flower towards him and blew a raspberry. Infuriated, Wildmouth bit the plant, but found it very tough and bitter: “Bhlurrrghhhh!” he cried, blowing and spitting and sticking out his tongue. Then the branch holding Wildmouth’s scrapbook swung down and hit him on the snout with it.
“Right! I’ll get you, you cheeky cheeseplant!” said Wildmouth, raising a foot onto one of the plant’s sturdy leaves and starting to climb. He was a bit scared of heights actually, but he tried to imagine he was in a scene from one of his awful films.
Miss Wu and Skates, woken by all the noise Wildmouth had been making, came onto the balcony to find Wildmouth already about twenty metres up the stalk of the plant.
“Mister Wildmouth!” cried Miss Wu. “What are you doing up there? And how did this giant plant get here?!”
“My dear Miss Wu,” Wildmouth shouted back. “I’ve no idea how it got here, but it’s got my scrapbook!”
Skates thought he must be dreaming as he watched Wildmouth slowly climb the plant. When the lion eventually got to the top he tried to wrest his scrapbook and mirror from the plant’s tendrils, but the monster honeysuckle’s grip was strong and it started swinging from side-to-side to try and shake Wildmouth off. 
“Oh dear!” cried Miss Wu, “Hang on!”
By now, all the hotel guests were at their windows, gawping at the spectacle of the lion being thrown around like a big, furry doll, screaming his head off.
“What is it?” asked one of the pelicans.
“I don’t know!” said another.
“I’ve never seen anything like it!” said a third pelican.
“It’s very noisy!” said a fourth.
“I can’t sleep with all this racket!” said a grumpy walrus from another window.
“I’m sorry about this!” said Miss Wu, leaning over the balcony. “Everything will be under control shortly!”
“I hope not!” said a penguin from a small window.
“Yes, we love it!” said another one.
“Poor Wildmouth,” said Miss Wu. “what are we going to do?!”

to be continued

© David Severn