Bubbles In Peril (The Adventures Of A Travelling Cat Book 5) - Giles Ekins

Bubbles In Peril (The Adventures Of A Travelling Cat Book 5) by Giles Ekins

Book excerpt

Lily Lollipop’s Story

Hello, it’s me again. Bubbles, the travelling cat.

I do have other names, lots of them, but I can’t be bothered to list them all. If you really want to find out about all those ridiculous names, you’ll find them in my previous stories and how I came by them all. Not that I wanted all those names, you understand.

I had been in Fairyland, where my wife, Lily Lollipop now lived. She could never leave Fairyland, because an evil witch called Morgana had afflicted her with the darkest of spells—spells that would kill her if she ever tried to return to the human world.

Morgana was the evil twin sister of Queen Gloriana, the ruler of Fairyland. Morgana had seized the throne and imprisoned Gloriana in a distant cell, but I had helped to rescue her, and Gloriana was back on the throne. Morgana had fled, taking Lily Lollipop with her.

‘At first,’ Lily Lollipop told me as we sat on a sofa in the Queen’s private sitting room in the palace, ‘I didn’t realise that Morgana had taken the queen’s place. She must have put me under some kind of spell because I really did believe she was Gloriana. It was not until I saw how badly she treated you, that I understood that something was wrong.

‘I knew that Gloriana, who has the sweetest of natures, would never treat you like that. And when Morgana realised that I knew who she really was, she kept me in a cage—a golden cage, but still a cage, nevertheless. And when Gloriana returned, Morgana fled, taking me with her. I think she took me with her out of spite, because she knew just how much Gloriana loved me. Anything Gloriana loved, Morgana hated. …But whatever the reason, she took me with her when she escaped.’

‘I knew that,’ I said. ‘We looked all over for you after Gloriana had retaken her throne. How did you manage to escape? And how did Morgana escape? She could not have escaped through the fairy door; that was too closely guarded. How did she get out? Did she use spells to disguise herself? And you?’

‘I’ll tell you,’ Lily Lollipop answered. ‘Morgana could see that the battle was going against her. She was in the high tower of the palace, watching. Getting angrier and angrier and angrier. I was with her, locked in my golden cage; it was like the cat box that our humans used to take us in to see the vet, only more comfortable, with silk cushions and gold feeding bowls.

‘Morgana could see all the groblins and norgles fleeing as the unicorn armies attacked. Then she saw Gloriana, saw that she had been rescued and knew, just knew, that somehow you had been involved. She spat angrily, “Bubbles, I will see the end of that pesky cat if it is the last thing I ever do.” This she swore crossly. So be very wary, Bubbles, my dear. Morgana is a very dangerous and spiteful enemy. She will do anything to try and destroy you.’

‘I know that. I know how evil she is, how dark her magic is, how she has put a black spell on you so that you can never leave Fairyland.’

‘I don’t mind that. I love living in Fairyland. I love Gloriana, but I am just so sorry that I cannot come with you and see our children, our friends, and our humans, especially Lily, my namesake, whom I love.’

Lily was the little girl—well not so little now—who lived with our humans, her mum and dad. She called me Squiffy and called Lily Lollipop, Millie.

‘I know. They miss you too, but carry on with your story about the escape of Morgana. And your escape from her clutches,’ I urged.

‘But I am still trapped in her clutches, aren’t I? Unable to leave without her evil spell returning.’ She sighed and, taking a deep breath, carried on with her tale. ‘Seeing all was lost, she summoned—from where I know not—a massive bird, a hideous vulture. She then picked me up and climbed onto the back of the vulture and flew away. Nobody noticed. She must have cast an invisibility spell over us.’

‘Is that how she managed to escape through the fairy door? Invisibility?’ I asked.

‘No, she knew another way—a far, far way on the other side of world. Fairyland stretches much farther than anyone realises, far beyond the distant mountains, past the Sword of Oberon, and the valley where Gloriana was imprisoned. Far into the deepest reaches of the earth.

‘Finally, after many, many hours, we reached a narrow tunnel built by the fairies of old during the times of the Mountain Orc invasions, centuries and centuries ago. Morgana had discovered this tunnel when she was plotting to overthrow Gloriana. She found it on an ancient map she’d discovered whilst learning the evil arts as a Dark Witch. Incidentally, I’ve informed the queen about this tunnel and she has arranged for it to be guarded, never to be used again.

‘Once out of Fairyland, the giant vulture flew on for a day or more before landing on an open plain, with a range of sharp-pointed, snow-capped mountains in the distance. Where, I can’t say. You might know, my dear Bubbles, having travelled so far and wide, but I did not.

‘Morgana then closed her eyes, spread out her arms, summoning other Dark Witches to join her, and I knew that this might be my only chance of escape. I told Morgana I needed a litter tray, that the one in my cage was full. She was reluctant to let me out but she could tell from the smell that what I said was true. So, she slowly opened the cage door to let me out, a finger pointing, ready to cast a spell if I tried to run away.

‘I just walked slowly away, knowing she was watching me. I found some bushes and did what I had to do. Only then did I run. Morgana gave a scream of rage; I felt a dark flash and I was surrounded in a black icy mist. I could hear her shouting, could hear her rage, but kept running. And running and running and running. Until I could run no more.

‘I didn’t know where I was, but I’m a cat, so I knew where I was going. I followed the stars and the winds, ate what I could when I could, and found my way home.

‘Dear Bubbles, you know the rest. You came home soon afterwards, could see I was unwell, under a dark spell, and sent for Gloriana. You saved my life. Bubbles. You saved my life.’

Bubbles Meets Bubbles

It was time for me to leave Fairyland.

As Gloriana the Queen had told Lily, the bad deeds committed by Morgana had to be balanced by good deeds. Which was why I had to return to Santa Claus in Santa Claus Mountain—so that he could send me out again to help animals and people in trouble.

I said goodbye to Lily Lollipop and Gloriana, who gave me her blessing and also reminded me that if I ever needed her help, all I had to say was ‘Gloriana, Gloriana, Gloriana’ three times and then one time more.

Sadly, I left through the fairy door, walking slowly through the Murky Woods and then on to the house where I lived with my humans.

Lily, the little girl from the family, came running into the garden to meet me. ‘Squiffy, Squiffy,’ she screamed, picking me up to give me a great big hug.

Which I really, really, needed. Flower, the family dog, was pleased to see me as well and we had a paw bump.

Lily fed me and afterwards, as I sat on her lap, I told all that had happened, about my adventures, and how Santa had sent me back to Fairyland to discover the news about Lily Lollipop—Millie.

Lily had tears in her eyes as I told her that although Millie was no longer ill, she could never return because the spell still inside her would kill her. ‘I’m glad that she is well and happy in Fairyland,’ she said, ‘but sad at the same time because I miss her so much. And I know that you will soon be on your travels again, that Santa will send for you to go and do good works again, and I shall miss you so much as well.’