Parish Cake Autumn 2020

storytime
THE
VIEW TO
A MILL
PART II
BY MIGNON BRIAN
A SISSINGHURST-BASED AUTHOR
Larry, Downing Street Chief Mouser, spy for British
Intelligence and Her Majesty, had just seconds to
stop Dr Doo from launching a missile and destroying
the Cranbrook Union Mill. Larry, now inside the Doo
Compound, was ready to save the day the British way.
“10!” piped a disembodied voice.
“And we’re off,” whispered Larry. He pulled his pistol from his
utility belt. Larry was covered top to paws in a black, bulletproof
jumpsuit and balaclava. He aimed his pistol at the ceiling and
deployed the suction cup and cord mechanism then pawed the
yellow button, held onto the pistol. The cord recoiled back into
the pistol’s barrel.
“9!”
With one paw, Larry fumbled with his utility belt and pulled
out four small suction cups. Then, like only a cat can, he twisted
his body in impossible ways to apply them to each paw and then
attached himself to the ceiling, looking like a spider-cat. He then
began to combat crawl along the ceiling to the laboratory where
he could hear multiple humans barking orders to each other. He
lowered his head and peeked inside the doorway.
“8!”
The lab was typical. Computers, desks, maps and a glass wall
with a stinking great eight-foot-long missile. Larry couldn’t
believe what he’d clapped eyes on. This missile was big enough
to take Cranbrook off the map. Luckily, Larry was equipped with
a Catnap-Grenade. He unhooked it from his utility belt, put
the grenade to his mouth, pulled the pin with a fang - and that
was when he noticed one of the humans was looking up at him
gobsmacked.
“7!”
“Hello!” Larry chirped. “Just thought I’d drop by.” Larry
dropped the grenade. All the humans now gawped at Larry,
gawped at the grenade, then began to push each other out of the
way to the exit.
Calmly, Larry activated his balaclava’s inbuilt gasmask.
The grenade went off with a flash of light then a cloud of
grey coloured gas. The humans looked ay each other, puzzled
expressions on their faces, then dropped where they stood.
“Having a ‘Licence to Nap,’ makes it all too easy,” yawned Larry
behind his mask. “Suction deactivate,” he said. Immediately the
cups on his paws lost their suction and Larry fell, twisted mid-air
and landed on the computer console.
“6!”
He began to thump away at a computer. A map of Kent and
London appeared on the screen. Larry began to tap away at the
missile coordinates.
“HALT!” barked a voice behind him. Larry heard the
unmistakable ‘click’ of a gun that did not contain utilities.
“5!”
Larry slowly turned around and sat back on his hind legs.
A huge caramel brown Alsatian dog sat in the doorway; gun
pointed at Larry.
“Well, well, well,” said the dog. “If it isn’t my little mouse
catching nemesis.”
It was, Dr Doo himself.
Doo stared menacingly at Larry with giant watery brown eyes.
He’d fastened a mask to his snout, immune to the toxins of the
grenade.
“4!”
“Why Cranbrook?” asked Larry, as he slyly raised one back leg
to fish around in his utility belt with his back claws. “Did some
local take you out for walkies and made you scoop your own
dodo, Doo?” Larry couldn’t help but giggle at his own joke.
Doo snarled. “Well, as I’m going to kill you, I may as well tell
you…” Doo began his monologue. “Under the Union Mill, buried
deep, is the largest gold nugget ever stolen. It’s priceless and
was buried there by the Hawkhurst Gang back in 1748. Only they
got themselves shot or hung before they could retrieve it. I need
to blast big enough to cause a distraction. During that time my
humans will retrieve the gold and, just like that, I’ll be gone.”
Larry yawned loudly as he pulled a small glass breaking baton
from his belt.
“3!”
“Sounds like you’ve been reading too many story books,”
chortled Larry.
Doo barked smugly. “Oh Larry, I received the information from
Downing Street. You’ve got a RAT! You never can seem to catch
them, can you?”
Larry’s tail puffed-out, but he’d run out of time.
“2!”
The missile began to rumble.
“Well, I’d love to stay and chat,” said Larry. “But I must fly!”
38 Parish Cake • Autumn 2020