“This is Dog Rather reporting from Mustgo.   Just a few moments ago, Thembrian officials announced that they have executed and tried one Uslandian implicated in the recent rash of thefts from Thembrian warehouses, increasing that country’s supply shortage.”

 

“Was that a short joke?” came Col. Spigot’s irritated voice.  There was scuffling and feedback as he grabbed the microphone.  “This is Col. Spigot.  Perhaps you’ve heard of me?  If the Glorious People’s supplies from the Glorious People’s warehouses aren’t returned to us in 24 hours, it will mean war with Usland.  War!”

 

Dog Rather continued, “Remember, you heard it here first.  And now we go to Cape Suzette where Colonel Conrad, Usland’s ambassador to Thembria, is standing by.  Any comments, Col. Conrad?”

 

In a reassuringly calm voice, Col. Conrad drawled, “I declare I am going to Thembria today to speak with the High Marshall and, rest assured, I will do everything in my power to resolve and de-solve this crisis.”

 

Dog Rather said, “Thank you, Col. Conrad. Now back to your local programming.”

 

The sultry voice of Broadcast Sally, one of K-CAPE’s radio personalities, came over the air:  “Today in Cape Suzette, Khan Industries stock was down three points...”

 

Louie turned off the radio.  The pilots, murmuring to each other and to themselves, dispersed.

 

“That Col. Conrad’s a real true-blue Uslandian.”

 

A second pilot nodded.  “The biggest hero there ever was.”

 

“Definitely the best pilot our air force has ever had.”

 

“Everything will be fine.  We can always count on Col. Conrad.  Remember when he...?”

 

“I’d sure vote for him if he was running for president.”

 

Baloo wearily plunked himself down on a barstool.  “What’s Col. Conrad talkin’ about, Louie? Why would Thembria declare war on us?”

 

Louie deftly flipped scoops of ice cream into a half coconut shell.  “‘Cause, cuz, someone’s been swipin’ their stuff.  Ever since they caught that guy red-handed earlier this week, relations with Thembria have been as hot as bacon on a griddle and twice as poppin’.  It’s been all over the news all week.”

 

He gestured to a  newspaper on the counter.  Splashed across the front page was ‘Can Colonel Conrad Curb Conflict?’ with a large picture of a handsome military man waving from the cockpit of his plane.

 

“Aw, Rebecca’s had me globetrottin’ all week, delivering everything from avocados to xylophones. What I wouldn’t give for fifty thousand shaboozies to buy back the Sea Duck.  Then I’d have nuthin’ but flyin’, fun, and freedom.”  Almost too tired to eat, Baloo slowly slurped a spoonful of the sundae Louie had placed in front of him.

 

“Uh-huh,” Louie murmured. He had heard Baloo say that a million times over the past year, but knew his friend too well to believe it.

 

“Get this, innkeeper, she’s even got me playin’ postman, deliverin’ Christmas cards to our clients to save on a couple of measly ol’ stamps.  Here’s yours.” He tossed a slightly crumpled envelope on the bar.

 

Louie opened the envelope and extracted the photograph. “Rebecca’s in fi-hine form, as usual.” Then, he teasingly tacked on, “The rest of the family ain’t bad neither.”

 

“Fam...family?” Baloo coughed, shocked at what his friend has just said.  

 

“Hey, slow down there, fuzzy.  You’re liable to get a speeding ticket, feedin’ your face that fast.”  The orangutan picked up a glass with his foot, blew on it, and began vigorously polishing it with a white towel.

 

As Baloo stared at the picture, his sleep-deprived mind conjured up an image of himself, happy and carefree, bounding towards the Sea Duck. Just as he reached the cockpit door...

 

Clang!  A heavy, oversized manacle was slapped around his right wrist.

 

“What in the...?” the dream-Baloo exclaimed.

 

Clang! Clang!  Clang!  Three more manacles appeared around his left wrist and both ankles.

 

Looking back, he saw that the manacles’ chains were attached not to cannonballs, but to Rebecca, Kit, Molly, and Wildcat, who were all tugging backwards, pulling him away from the seaplane, the beckoning blue sky, and freedom.

 

The dream-Baloo yelled, “Noooo!”

 

Baloo was jerked out of his nightmarish daydream when Louie said, “Who’d wanna steal from them Thembrians anyhow? They ain’t got nuthin’ for crooks to rook.” 

 

Vaguely, as if far-away Thembrian was the furthest thing from his mind, Baloo said,  “Uh, yeah, I hear that, man.  Just a vast frozen wasteland with ice, snow, and the occasional firing squad.  Speaking of firing squads, I’m gonna face my own if I don’t skedaddle back home.”  He rose, his barstool scraping against the bare wooden floor.

 

Slyly, Louie said, “Home to...?”  He jabbed a long finger at the picture.

 

“Gimme that!” Baloo angrily snatched up the picture and crammed it into his shirt pocket.  As he stomped towards the door, he threw over his shoulder, “I’m gone.  Solid gone!”

 

Louie shook his head as he cleared away Baloo’s untouched sundae.  It was unlike the overweight bear to pass up food, a sure sign that he was agitated.  And he doubted that the impending war was the cause.  “The only place he’s going is down De Nile.”

 

Cape Suzette
A Half Hour Later...

 

The Sea Duck sped through the narrow opening in the cliffs that enfolded the tropical city of Cape Suzette in their protective arms.

 

The entire flight from Louie’s Place had barely registered with Baloo, who had been puzzling over something that, frankly, scared the ailerons off him.

 

“Fam...family?” The big bear’s lips stumbled over the panic-provoking word as he extracted the black-and-white photograph from his pocket.  When the previous image of the Higher for Higher gang shackled to him tried to force his way into his mind again, he gulped and willed his stomach to stop barrel rolling.

 

He laughed shakily, then shook his head to clear the image from it and laughed again, scoffingly. “Ha! Louie don’t know what he’s talkin’ about.  Me and Kit could leave Higher for Hire anytime we wanted.  Just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers for emphasis.  “All it would take is fifty thousand buckeroos for the Duck and we would be adios, bye-bye.  Higher for Hire don’t mean a thing, not one single, soli-toot-tinary thing.  It’s just a job like any other job, and Becky’s just a boss like any other boss.  After all, I can’t be tied down or nuthin’, right?  Right!”

 

Satisfied that he finally convinced himself of those facts, he shoved the picture back in his pocket.

 

The weariness that had weighed on him for the last thousand miles lifted a little as he began the plane’s descent towards the placid blue harbor in front of the plain wooden building he called home. After a week of being away, he didn’t know what excited him more - the prospect of sleeping in his own bed, eating a big lunch with a side of dinner, or regaling wide-eyed Molly, cheering Kit, and slightly skeptical Rebecca with his most recent adventures.

 

Before he could decide, he noticed that a late model, navy-and-white seaplane with a large government seal on the cockpit door and twin booms was moored in front of Higher for Hire.

 

“Hey, someone’s been parkin’ in my spot!” he exclaimed with an annoyed frown.

 

After Baloo had taxied the Sea Duck up to the dock, he hastily jumped out and hurried to the office where he flung open the door.  The first thing that caught his eye was the bowl Rebecca usually kept on her desk, stocked with fruit to appease her pilot’s voracious appetite.

 

It was empty.

 

Baloo’s frown deepened. “Someone’s been eatin’ my fruit!”

 

He spun around and saw Rebecca, Kit, and Molly gathered around a uniformed man sitting in the easy chair.  He knew he’d been gone a week, but to have some interloper sitting in his chair was really the last straw.

 

Clenching his fists, he growled, “Someone’s been sittin’ in my chair...and there he is!”

 

“Zip it, Baloo!”  Rebecca whispered, rushing over to grab his arm and give it a fierce warning squeeze. “Don’t you know who this is?”

 

When the man in the chair stood, Baloo’s frown turned upside-down. “You better believe I do!  You’re Col. Conrad, the Uslandian ambassador to Thembria and a bone-y fide-y hero to boot!  Man, oh, man, you can park in my space, eat my fruit, and sit in my chair all you want to!”

 

“Oh, Baloo!  Mind

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Next page