over, den we’ll blast ya!”

Still keeping one arm protectively around his fiancée, Baloo took the stone from his shirt pocket and looked at it. “I’ll only give it to you if you promise to let us go.”

“Let me think about it.” Less than a second later, he shouted, “Forget it!” causing the bears to recoil. “I’ll get it after yer kaput.”

“Kaput,” said Rhino Goon menacingly.

“Yeah, bye-bye.”

Testily, the alligator blurted out, “Ready, aim, AAAGH!”

Trader Moe and his goons were plowed over by people pouring out of the elevator right behind them. It was lunch time and everyone was headed for the cafeteria, which happened to be on that floor.

The bears were swept along in the mob of hungry people.

As they got closer to the cafeteria, Baloo sniffed the air with appreciation. “Mmm-hmm! Somethin’ smells good.”

They were in a large room teeming with Khan’s hungry employees. On both sides of the room were several stations that served different types of food - salads, main entrees, desserts, and beverages - and there were long lines of people, trays in hands, queued behind each of the stations. Beyond the food serving area were many long tables where employees were eating.

Baloo, holding Rebecca’s hand, snaked his way through the crowds of people. On the way by, he snagged a fried chicken leg. Between bites of chicken, he said, “This is what I call fast food.”

Hearing shrieks and shouts of dismay and shock, as well as loud crashes as trays clattered to the floor, Baloo glanced over his shoulder. “Uh-oh, we got company again!”

They ran as fast as they were able through the crowd, then came across the dining area. But there was no other exit. Baloo spun right, left, pulling Rebecca along with him. “Oh, man, dead end!” the big bear cried, tossing the chicken bone into a nearby trash can.

“We’ll be dead if we don’t get out of here fast,” Rebecca said dolefully, peering behind her at the rapidly approaching goons.

“I got me an idea. Becky, you take the stone an’ sneak outta here. I’ll distract ‘em.”

“Hey, big, stupid, an’ ugly! Over here!” Baloo taunted as Rebecca shoved the stone in her pocket and dropped to her hands and knees.

“Who are you callin’ ugly?” Rhino Goon growled, peeved.

“My mother says I’m not that ugly,” echoed Ape Goon, his heavy features darkening into a scowl.

Neither goon noticed Rebecca crawling right beside his legs.

Scooping up two handfuls of mashed potatoes, Baloo jeered, “You’re the ugliest uglies here, not countin’ yer boss.”

Trader Moe’s face turned a brilliant shade of red. “Why, you...get ‘em!”

When the goons got close enough, Baloo pelted them with mashed potatoes.

SPLAT! Rhino Goon scraped potatoes from his face and put it in his mouth. “Mmm.”

SPLAT! Ape Goon’s large pink tongue cleared a path of potatoes around his mouth. “Yummy.”

“Food fight!” both goons shouted. They scooped up whatever food they could get their meaty hands on and, laughing like two little children, slung it each other and at their boss.

“Stop it!”

SPLAT!

“Ouch!”

SPLAT!

“Stop it, ya fish sticks!”

SPLAT!

“Ow! Dat had a bone in it!”

“Hate ta eat an’ run,” Baloo said, sidling past the two goons and their boss, who were engrossed in the food fight; “but I got a date with some dough.”

Meanwhile, Rebecca had left the cafeteria and was hurrying towards the nearest elevator. The hallway was nearly empty. There was only a janitor - an elderly grey mole - vacuuming using a central vacuum system where the vacuum was built into the wall. Then, to her utter amazement, Shere Khan himself stepped up to her.

In his characteristic calm bass voice, he purred, “I believe you have something of mine, Miz Cunningham.”

“Why...yes, I do. How did you know?”

Khan ignored her question. “Excellent. If you would be so kind as to return it to me now, I’ll see that you get your just reward...reward money.”

“All right.”

As Rebecca pulled the stone from her pocket, the ruby ring on the tiger’s left paw beeped.

Shere Khan’s irritated, unmistakable voice issued from the ring. “Where are you, Stedman? I expected you twenty minutes ago. If you aren’t here with the stone in exactly two minutes, you will be terminated.”

Her mouth agape, the bearess stared at the ring, then up at the tiger’s face. “You’re not Shere Khan!” Rebecca cried. “You’re that man!”

“Give me that stone!”

“No!”

A tug-of-war ensued. Their eyes followed the stone as it flew up, up, up in the air, then fell down, down, down. The nearsighted janitor sucked the stone up in his vacuum.

“Oh, no!” Rebecca and Stedman gasped.

Twenty-three Stories Down

Kit and Molly were walking along a carpeted corridor, passing door after door on their way to the elevators.

“Do you think we’ll ever find Mommy and Baloo?” Molly asked tremulously.

“Sure we will, Short Stuff.” Kit grinned down at her and took her hand.

They passed a janitor - an armadillo about Kit’s height. ‘Wiggerstomper’ was stitched on his greyish-green overalls. Annoyed that the vacuum wasn’t sucking up anything, he peered down the tube, shook the tube, then reversed the air flow. Something shot out of the vacuum tube, ricocheted off the wall, and landed tantalizingly close to the cubs.

“The stone!” Molly cried happily.

Her fingertips almost touched it, when Kit yelled out, “Don’t touch it, Molly!”

She quickly drew back her hand.

Picking up a can of floor wax from the janitor’s cart, Kit threw it at the stone, then swiftly pulled curious Molly out of harm’s way. As soon as the can touched the stone, it exploded with a big ‘bang’. Sticky wax sprayed all over. After the stone’s electricity had been discharged, there was a burnt spot on the brown carpet.

Kit scooped up the stone, now cool to the touch. His fingers tingled slightly from the electric residue. “I guess this is the real deal after all.”

“It really is worth a hundred thousand dollars?”

“Yep.” Kit carefully wiped the wax from the stone using his sweater.

“Yay!” Molly clapped her hands joyfully. “Mommy likes money.”

“Hey, you kids will have to pay for that carpet!” said Oscar Wiggerstomper in his nasal voice. “And the wax costs seventy-five cents.” Waddling after them on his short legs, he was yanked back like a dog on a leash when he reached the end of the vacuum’s hose.

The cubs got into the elevator, which was already crowded. The second lunch shift employees filed out at floor fifty-three.

Through the sea of legs, Molly spotted a familiar figure. “Baloo!”

Before Kit could grab her, she took off, sliding between legs, snaking around people, until she was lost to Kit. “Molly! Come back!”

Kit pushed his way into the crowd, but didn’t seen any sign of a little yellow bearess. However, he did see... “Papa Bear!”

“Hey, kiddo.” Baloo greeted. He held out a half-eaten slice of apple pie. “Want a bite?”

Grimacing, he said, “No, thanks. I’ve got something better.”

“What’s better than apple pie?” Around the last bite, he said, “Besides apple pie with ice cream an’ roast beef an’ potatoes an’ gravy an’...?”

The boy glanced furtively around before he held out the stone.

Baloo nearly choked on his pie. He swallowed the big bite in one big gulp and eagerly took hold of the stone. “You’re right, kid, that’s loads better. Let’s go cash in this goldmine before it gets away again. Now, act real cool, Kit. Don't wanna draw attention or nothin'.” He ran towards the elevator at full speed.

He was almost there when a foot protruded from behind a potted plant beside the elevator and tripped him. The big bear went sailing into the open elevator and the stone went flying into the hands of the person behind the bush.

A familiar voice said triumphantly, “Ha! I’ve got it!”

Baloo drummed his fingers irately on the floor of the elevator. Jamming his red pilot’s hat on his head, he snapped, “Doggone it, Becky, we’re on the same team!”

“Sorry, Baloo,” she said sheepishly, blushing a little. “I got caught up in the excitement of the treasure hunt. Didn’t see you - only the stone.” After helping him up, she straightened his collar and brushed imaginary lint from his chest. “Are you okay?”

“I’m more than okay. We’ve got the stone!” Baloo said excitedly. Rebecca and Kit followed him into the elevator, sharing in the excitement of imminent wealth.

Just as the elevator doors began to slide shut, Trader Moe retorted, “Look what I got!”

“Mommy! Baloo!” cried a little quavering voice.

“Molly!” Baloo, Rebecca, and Kit exclaimed simultaneously. The pilot frantically wedged his hand between the closing elevator doors, causing them to slide back open. He held it open while Rebecca and Kit stepped into the hallway, then joined them.

“Hand over da stone or da kid gets a big hole in her little head,” the food-covered alligator snarled. The gun’s barrel was pointed at the girl’s temple. She whimpered softly as the cold metal touched her face.

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