rodents
You said it!
Good times!
dressed in brightly colored silks, chatting
merrily in many different languages.
The
hall
was on the thirtieth floor, and the
view of Mumbai was spectacular. Oh, how
brightly the lights of the city
twinkled
!
It was the last night of our stay in India.
Hercule and I were
happy
the shoot was
over, but sad to be leaving India so soon. We
began
reminiscing
about our favorite
parts of the trip.
Hercule in particular was puffed up
with pride. “See, my dear Stilton? Why
it’s absolutely elementary! No
crook
stole the ruby! We thwarted the thief! We
foiled the felon!”
The squeaks had barely left his snout when
a shriek broke the night.
“
The Heart of Fire has been
stolen!
”
Ratna cried.
We scampered to Ratna’s side and found
our friend in tears. “I had the
ruby
around
my neck,” she whimpered. “I danced with
many guests. And then when I sat down with
my
groom
, I realized I was no longer
wearing the
necklace
.”
“Everyone
freeze! Nobody
move!
out side
this room!”
No rodent
sets a paw
“That crook tricked us! He hoodwinked
us — he
bamboozled
us!” cried Hercule.
“Don’t despair. You can count on us,” I
said firmly. “
We’ll catch that thief!
”
Hercule nodded. “Have no fear, Hercule
Poirat is here!” he cried.
Together, we turned to face the guests.
Hercule searched the room while I
searched the guests.
But the ruby was nowhere to be
found. Where could it have gone?
As we looked for clues, we noticed a
strange set of
pawprints
on the
bride and groom’s table. The prints led to a
big picture window. They
matched
the
prints I’d found on my trailer during the
shoot!
The window was wide open, and a gentle
BREEZE
made the curtains sway to and
fro. I looked out the window and noticed
a
very
narrow
ledge below it. The pawprints
continued onto the ledge, and then onto the
gutter.
Maybe the thief had
jumped
to
another
roof
, and from there, had hung
from the gutter . . . and then had jumped
from window to window until he
disappeared
!
Hmm . . . we were on the
thirtieth
floor. What kind of rat burglar could jump
from that height?
Who
stole it?
Don’t cry!
What a shame!
Oh, dear!
I feel
terrible!
Awww!
I don’t
know!
Squeak!
Sob!
Pawprints!
Hmmm . . .
Ugh!
What should
we do?
I don’t know!
A robbery!
Really?!
Did you know . . .
Come
here!
Mommy!
A Crafty Crook
Some fur!
I looked around and noticed something
strange
. There was a tuft of
fur
caught in the lock
of the window! And a
banana peel
lay
on the ledge.
Hmm. The thief had
to be small, since no one
had seen him
near
Ratna. He was very agile,
since he had leaped out
the window from the thirtieth floor. He was
losing
tufts of fur, and he was obviously
very fond of
bananas
. . .
I thought about the
pawprints
I had found
on the trailers . . . and about the
shiny
Hmm . . .
Look!
objects that had gone missing . . . and all of
Hercule’s bananas that the mysterious thief
had gnawed on.
Then I remembered the little monkey that
had bonked me on my head
with a
banana
back when the
tiger
was
CHASING
me
through the jungle.
That was the day
I’d found the door
to my trailer wide
open
. That’s when
all the robberies had
begun!
Suddenly, I had an
inspiration
.
“By cheese, I think I’ve got it! Our
pickpocket is a primate! Our crafty crook
is a monkey!
” I squeaked. “The problem is
catching him — and finding the
Heart
of
Fire
.”
The monkey could be anywhere, and we
had no idea where he’d hidden the
Heart of
Fire.
But Hercule had a plan. “I’m going to need
the power of potassium!
Quickly, bring me
all the bananas you can find!
” he shouted
to the waiters.
The waiters scurried away. A few moments
later, there was an
enormouse
pile of
bananas in front of Hercule.
He began peeling one banana after another.
Soon the air was filled with the sweet
scent
of fresh bananas.
I was starting to figure out what he was
up to. Sometimes he thinks of some pretty
ingenious
ideas!
“Open all the windows! And
turn
off
the lights,”
he ordered.
As soon as
the room was
dark
, Hercule
squeaked, “And
now
everyone
. . .
hush!”
All the wedding guests froze, and the
room
fell
silent. The only sound was
the
BREEZE
swishing through the open
windows.
Suddenly, we made out a
shape
on the
ledge of the window. Nimbly it leaped into
the room.
a little
monkey
wearing the
around
its neck!
Heart
of Fire
“Turn on the lights!” Hercule shouted.
As soon as the
lights
clicked on, we
saw . . .
Hercule gently pawed him a banana.
“Hi, little one. Wanna trade?” he said
softly. “A
banana
for the RUBY
.”
The monkey didn’t hesitate. He placed the
ruby in Hercule’s open paw and took the
banana.
Hercule
proudly
presented the Heart
of Fire to Ratna.
“
Thank you, my friends. I knew
I could count on you!
”
Ratna cried,
hugging him.
Here, have
a banana.
Ooo!
Ooo!
A Fabumouse Idea
C
I
N
E
M
A
That’s him!
You’re
the
star!
Yes,
it is!
Starring
Ratna Prem
and
Geronimo Stilton
When I returned to New Mouse City,
Restless Hearts was already playing in
movie theaters . . . and
it was a ratastic
success
!
There were long lines in front of
all the
theaters
in town.
The movie’s success had set off a craze
for anything
Indian
. All across New
Mouse City, Indian-style clothing, music,
and food were more
popular
than Parmesan pastries.
I went to the office and sat
gloomily
at my desk. The trip to India had been a
fabumouse diversion, but I still hadn’t come
up with an
idea
for a new series of
books
.
I tried to concentrate. Hmm . . . Should I
publish books on
gardening
? Or on do-it-
yourself projects? Or on sports? Maybe…
I was completely focused on picking a
topic when Hercule
bounded
into my
office.
“My dear Stilton, what are you up to? Still
thinking of our old pal
Ratna
?”
“
Shh! Zip it! Shut your snout! I’m
Look!
It’s
Geronimo!
So
stylish!
What an actor!
So
charming!
So
classy!
trying to concentrate!
”
I grumbled.
“Are you as
concentrated
as a can of cheese-
and-banana soup? Hee, hee, hee!” he
giggled
.
“I’ve got an idea.
Just a teensy little
idea!
” he exclaimed. “Why don’t you write
a series of books on food eaten around the
world, starting with India?”
I had to admit, it was
a
really gold
idea
! And that’s how I came to publish a
series of cookbooks called
Goodness from
Around the Globe
.
The books were a
huge success
.
It’s great to eat the
traditional
food
of your own country, but it’s also great to
discover flavors traditional to other cultures.
Variety is the spice of life!
That’s what’s
so great about diversity!
And that’s the truth, or my name isn’t
Geronimo Stilton
!
TRADITIONS
ARE
WOND
ERFUL!
OF
DIFFE
RENT
RODENTS
IN FAR
AWAY
COUNT
RIES
IS WON
DERFUL,
TOO!
AND DISCO
VERING
THE
TRADI
TIONS
Rodent’s
honor!
Especially when it
comes to
cooking and
eating
delicious foods!
Be sure to
read all my
fabumouse
adventures!
Meet
Geronimo Stiltonord
He is a mouseking—the Geronimo Stilton
of the ancient far north! He lives with his
brawny and brave clan in the village of
Mouseborg. From sailing frozen waters
to facing fiery dragons, every day is an
adventure for the micekings!
Don’t miss
any of these
Thea Sisters
adventures!
Don’t miss
any of my
special edition
adventures!
Meet
Geronimo Stiltonix
Stilton of a parallel universe! He is
captain of the spaceship MouseStar 1
.
While flying through the cosmos, he visits
distant planets and meets crazy aliens.
His adventures are out of this world!
Meet
GERONIMO STILTONOOT
He is a cavemouse
—
Geronimo Stilton’s
ancient ancestor! He runs the stone
newspaper in the prehistoric village
of Old Mouse City. From dealing with
dinosaurs to dodging meteorites,
his life in the Stone Age is full
of adventure!
Born in New Mouse City, Mouse
Island,
GERONIMO STILTON
is
Rattus Emeritus of Mousomorphic
Literature and of Neo-Ratonic
Comparative Philosophy. For the
past twenty years, he has been
running The Rodent’s Gazette , New Mouse City’s
most widely read daily newspaper.
Stilton was awarded the Ratitzer Prize for his
scoops on The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid and
The Search for Sunken Treasure. He has also
received the Andersen 2000 Prize for Personality of
the Year. One of his bestsellers won the 2002 eBook
Award for world’s best ratlings’ electronic book. His
works have been published all over the globe.
In his spare time, Mr. Stilton collects antique
cheese rinds and plays golf. But what he most
enjoys is telling stories to his nephew Benjamin.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
THE RODENT’S
GAZETTE
1. Main entrance
2. Printing presses (where the books
and newspaper are printed)
3. Accounts department
4. Editorial room (where the editors,
illustrators, and designers work)
5. Geronimo Stilton’s office
6. Helicopter landing pad
1. Industrial Zone
2. Cheese Factories
3. An
gorat International
Airport
4. WRAT Radio and
Television Station
5. Cheese Market
6. Fish Market
7. Town Hall
8. Snotnose Castle
9. The Seven Hills of
Mouse Island
10. Mouse Central Station
11. Trade Center
12. Movie Theater
13. Gym
14. Catnegie Hall
15. Singing Stone Plaza
16. The Gouda Theater
17. Grand Hotel
18. Mouse General Hospital
19. Botanical Gardens
20. Cheap Junk for Less
(Trap’s store)
21. Aunt Sweetfur and
Benjamin’s House
22. Mouseum of
Modern Art
23. University and Library
24. The Daily Rat
25. The Rodent’s Gazette
26. Trap’s House
27. Fashion District
28. The Mouse House
Restaurant
29. Environmental
Protection Center
30. Harbor Office
31. Mousidon Square
Garden
32. Golf Course
33. Swimming Pool
34. Tennis Courts
35. Curlyfur Island
Amousement Park
36. Geronimo’s House
37. Historic District
38. Public Library
39. Shipyard
40. Thea’s House
41. New Mouse Harbor
42. Luna Lighthouse
43. The Statue of Liberty
44. Hercule Poirat’s Office
45. Petunia Pretty Paws’s
House
46. Grandfather William’s
House
Map of New Mouse City
MOUSE ISLAND
1. Big Ice Lake
2. Frozen Fur Peak
3. Slipperyslopes Glacier
4. Coldcreeps Peak
5. Ratzikistan
6. Transratania
7. Mount Vamp
8. Roastedrat Volcano
9. Brimstone Lake
10. Poopedcat Pass
11. Stinko Peak
12. Dark Forest
13. Vain Vampires Valley
14. Goose Bumps Gorge
15. The Shadow Line Pass
16. Penny Pincher Castle
17. Nature Reserve Park
18. Las Ratayas Marinas
19. Fossil Forest
20. Lake Lake
21. Lake Lakelake
22. Lake Lakelakelake
23. Cheddar Crag
24. Cannycat Castle
25. Valley of the Giant
Sequoia
26. Cheddar Springs
27. Sulfurous Swamp
28. Old Reliable Geyser
29. Vole Vale
30. Ravingrat Ravine
31. Gnat Marshes
32. Munster Highlands