GMD 2: Chapter 9, Part 2

THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE 2: A NEW BEGINNING
A "Great Mouse Detective" Fanfiction By The Mouse Avenger

Chapter 9:
More Exciting Escapades

Part 2

Not too far away from Fidget, Olivia was wandering through the doll section; during her trek, she had been using her Rainbow Camera to snap some pictures of the dolls she saw. At one point, Olivia took a picture of a porcelain china doll, before grabbing the photo, & stuffing it into her coat pocket. Then, as she was going off to find more dolls, Olivia spotted the wind-up cradle, & made her way over to it. Upon approaching the toy cradle, Olivia peered down to look inside it, leaning forward a bit on her tiptoes. From her vantage point at the side of the cradle, Olivia could see the frilly fringes of a pink baby bonnet peeking out from underneath the blankets. The hat's apparent owner gurgled & cooed as he hid beneath the covers, unseen by Olivia.

"Aww, look at that little baby!" Olivia cooed sweetly as she gazed inside the cradle, before extending her paw towards its occupant. Her hand came closer & closer towards the baby's blanket...but just as she was about to pull it back, Fidget rustled underneath the covers, & jumped out from his hiding place, snarling at Olivia. The startled Scotsgirl gasped in surprise, & stepped back away from the cradle, turning her head to avert her gaze as she held her Rainbow Camera up in front of the side of her face. Then, when her heart had finally stopped its frantic racing, Olivia slowly brought down the camera, & turned to look back at the furson who had given her such a fright. Fidget was now sitting up in the cradle, with the baby blanket pulled down from off of his head. The bat smiled playfully at Olivia, still wearing the pink bonnet, as he said, "Boo...Uh, goo!"

Olivia burst into laughter, & Fidget's smile widened at her reaction—just the response he was hoping for! "Oh, Fidget, you look ridiculous!" Olivia exclaimed in between gleeful giggles of amusement. "Get out of that thing!" (Fidget chuckled, & Olivia took a moment to settle down & control her laughter.) "But before you do...let's get a picture of you!" Olivia said, as she brought the Rainbow Camera up to the front of her face, looking through the viewfinder. The mouseling's gaze—& the camera—closed in on Fidget in the wind-up cradle, focusing on the little bat. Fidget smiled up at Olivia, wearing the pink bonnet & looking cute as can be, as he sucked on the thumb of his right hand, & snuggled up with the baby blanky that he held in his left wing. From the side of the cradle, Olivia smiled as she aimed the Rainbow Camera at Fidget, placing her finger on the blue shutter. "Say 'cheese'!" Olivia chirped cheerfully.

With his right thumb still in his mouth, "Baby Fidget" smiled for the camera—blanky, bonnet, & all. The camera flash then went off, & the picture was taken. Fidget kept smiling for a couple of moments...but, then, his smile turned to a frown as he grimaced in pain, & put his hands to his eyes, screaming. Still holding the Rainbow Camera, Olivia watched Fidget in concern. What's wrong? the little Scotsmouse wondered worriedly. Did I hurt him when I left the flash on? Goodness, I hope he'll be all right! Still screaming & covering his eyes with his hands, Fidget bolted up in the cradle, & tried to get out. Fidget tumbled over the side of the cradle, & landed face-first on the platform. The bat abruptly got up onto his feet, & rushed around in a blind panic, yelling, "Oww, my eyes! Dey hurt! I can't see! Ahhhh!" After scampering around madly in circles for a few seconds, Fidget ran off the platform, & dashed across the floor of the doll section of the toy store, eventually winding up in another area nearby. All the while, he continued to scream & cover his eyes. Not watching where he was going, Fidget bumped quite hard into the stand of a giant toy Ferris wheel.

(CUE MUSIC: Second half of "Promenade", from the orchestral version of Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition")

The impact of Fidget's collision caused the Ferris wheel to wobble about in its restraints. A screw came loose from the stand, & fell to the ground, freeing the Ferris wheel. Unbeknownst to Fidget, who was sitting down on his bum on the floor, & rubbing his eyes with his hands, the giant Ferris wheel broke off its stand, & started to roll away. As it made its merry way down the toy shelf, the Ferris wheel gradually went towards Basil, who was still playing the toy piano in the musical instruments section. Oblivious to what had just happened, Fidget kept rubbing vigorously at his eyes until they felt better, & once the pain in his peepers was finally gone, he removed his hands from his face, & sighed in relief...before instantly becoming alert when he saw what he'd inadvertently done. "Uh-oh..." Fidget said sotto voce, now quite shocked & alarmed. Immediately, Fidget thought of Basil, & realized that he had to get him out of the path of the giant Ferris wheel, before it was too late!

Blissfully unaware of the impending danger, Basil was in the middle of playing Franz Liszt's "Mephisto Waltz". Then, he suddenly stopped, looking up from the piano when he heard Fidget yelling, "Basil! Look behind you!" Basil turned around just in time to see the Ferris wheel rolling towards him. "Oh, my goodness!" Basil blurted out. He immediately rose off the piano bench, & began running for his life, looking panicked. Basil rushed madly down the toy shelf as he tried to scurry away from the path of the giant runaway Ferris wheel. The detective was soon joined by Dr. Dawson, who ran alongside him.

Not yet realizing the situation he had gotten himself into, Dr. Dawson asked, "I say..."—he gasped for air—"What's going on, Basil?"

Not looking back at Dr. Dawson, Basil replied fearfully (with occasional pants for breath) as he continued to run, "Giant...runaway...Ferris wheel! N-N-No time to explain any further! Just run! Run for your life!" With nothing but pure adrenaline to fuel their frenzied flight, Basil & Dr. Dawson hurried to escape the crushing weight of the runaway Ferris wheel, which continued to silently pursue them. All the while, the two mice prayed for some miraculous intervention to deliver them from the shadow of death...

Meanwhile, Ratigan was in another part of the humans' toy store. When he heard Basil & Dr. Dawson screaming, Ratigan gasped, & rushed over to investigate what was going on, stopping to look out from behind a neatly-lined row of toy blocks. As he stared out from his vantage point, Ratigan watched in horror as Basil & Dr. Dawson scurried to evade the giant runaway Ferris wheel that was following them. Consumed with fear for his two friends & father figures, Ratigan continued to watch the scene with a scared expression, as his eyes worriedly darted left & right. Oh, good heavens, he thought, this is not good for Basil & Dr. Dawson! Not good at all!

At this point, Cousin Timmy swung into the area from a doll's pullstring, before letting go of said pullstring, & landing on his feet behind Ratigan. Apparently unaware of the danger that Basil & Dr. Dawson faced, Cousin Timmy walked over to Ratigan, gazing curiously in the same direction that he was. Curious to know what was going on, Cousin Timmy pointed to the chaotic scene below, & inquired inquisitively, "What's that?"

Ratigan suddenly snapped out of his fearful state, & turned his head to glare down at Cousin Timmy. "Oh, nothing," Ratigan retorted with annoyed sarcasm. "Just Basil & Dr. Dawson trying to evade the path of a giant runaway Ferris wheel."

"Oh, good!" Cousin Timmy said with a smile of relief, wiping the sweat off his brow. "I thought they were in trouble!"

"They ARE in trouble, you twit!" Ratigan snapped, glaring at Cousin Timmy even more as he whisked his arms out to show the young mouse the frightening reality of the situation.

When Cousin Timmy took a second look, he didn't look so relieved anymore. Now becoming just as scared as Ratigan, Timmy ejaculated, "Oh, snap!"

At the foot of the stand that the giant Ferris wheel was formerly attached to, Olivia rushed over to Fidget, helping him up off the floor. "Fidget, are you all right?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Fidget replied, getting up onto his feet. Then, turning to glance fearfully in the direction of two certain mice, he added anxiously, "But it's Basil & Dr. Dawson you should be worried about, Liv!"

"Why?" Olivia inquired, turning away from Fidget to look in the direction that he was gazing. When she saw what was going on, her eyes widened, & she gasped in fright. Basil & Dr. Dawson were still running from the giant Ferris wheel, which was gaining on them like Toby on a scoundrel's scent. Olivia & Fidget watched the scene in increasing terror, horrified to the point of tears. Cousin Timmy watched fearfully as he bit his nails, while Ratigan glared in determination from behind the row of toy blocks. This is my greatest chance to atone for every misdeed I've ever committed, Ratigan thought to himself. If there was ever a moment—one optimal opportunity—to demonstrate to Basil how much I've really changed, this is it! I mustn't let everyone down!

With that single, solitary purpose in mind, Ratigan swiftly ducked out from behind the toy blocks, & darted into the path of the oncoming Ferris wheel. Spreading his arms & legs out wide, Ratigan tensed up for what he was about to do next. At this point, Basil & Dr. Dawson came up to Ratigan while trying to keep running from the Ferris wheel, but Ratigan stood in front of his older companions, blocking their path. The two mice looked up at Ratigan in bewilderment & befuddlement. "Ratigan?" a confused Basil asked. "What on Earth are you doing?!"

Ratigan stood his ground, still holding out his arms & legs. He simply refused to move. Not turning to face Basil or Dr. Dawson, Ratigan commanded, "Get behind me! Quickly!"

Basil & Dr. Dawson looked up at Ratigan again, this time in shock. "Ratigan, you're...?" Basil uttered, at a loss for words.

"You can't possibly be serious!" Dr. Dawson exclaimed, shaking his head fearfully.

"I am serious," Ratigan replied as he continued to glare in determination, readying to defend Basil & Dr. Dawson in the only way he knew how.

Basil & Dr. Dawson approached Ratigan on either side, trying to convince him to seek safety. "Ratigan, no!" Basil pleaded.

"You'll be splatted for sure!" Dr. Dawson cried, scared.

"Just do as I say!" Ratigan shouted. Basil & Dr. Dawson, chastened, both nodded their heads, & ducked for safety behind Ratigan, peering out from behind his back on either side. Meanwhile, Ratigan glared in determination once more, as his heart swelled with pride. His redeeming moment was nigh! After several suspenseful moments, the Ferris wheel came rolling right up to Ratigan, Basil, & Dr. Dawson. At this moment, Ratigan's outstretched hands made contact with the Ferris wheel; the Ferris wheel lightly touched his paws, & then came to a stop. ^[8] When they realized what had just happened, Basil & Dr. Dawson both looked up at Ratigan in pleasant surprise & relief, while Ratigan turned to face them, sporting a humble smile.

Overcome with joy at their rescue, Basil & Dr. Dawson both ran up to Ratigan, & gave him big hugs, looking up at their friend with grateful smiles as they embraced him. "Ratigan!" Basil cried merrily.

"You saved us!" Dr. Dawson exclaimed ecstatically.

"How can we possibly repay you?" Basil asked.

Ratigan just kept on smiling humbly at Basil & Dr. Dawson, waving the matter off with a swat of his paw as he replied, "Ohhh, it was nothing, really! I guess I don't know my own strength!" Basil, Dr. Dawson, & Ratigan couldn't help but burst into merry laughter, amused by the latter rodent's display of mock-modesty. When their laughter subsided a few seconds later, Ratigan asked his older comrades with a cheerful grin, "So, shall we continue with our toy store escapades?"

"Yes, let's," Dr. Dawson answered, as he & Basil broke away from Ratigan. With that, Basil, Dr. Dawson, & Ratigan walked off to continue their adventures with their loved ones.

(CUE MUSIC: "Intermezzo", from Felix Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream")

Not too long afterwards, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget were exploring the wind-up toys section of the humans' toy store. Olivia went over to a giant black top hat with a wind-up key on the side. She wound up the key, & watched with a fascinated look as a brown puppy doggy popped out of the hat, & barked. The toy continued to repeat these actions for a few seconds, & Olivia turned to face Ratigan, Fidget, & Cousin Timmy with a wide smile. "Hey, this place is pretty nifty!" Olivia declared in delight.

Fidget was looking at a moving wind-up toy featuring Little Bo Peep, who looked around in vain for her four sheep as they danced around her feet. "I'll say!" Fidget agreed, watching the Little Bo Peep toy with great interest. Unbeknownst to Fidget, a wind-up porcupine was making its way towards him, the fake quills on its back popping up every two seconds. When the porcupine got close enough to Fidget, it stopped walking, but its quills were still extended. Not realizing that he was about to take a seat on the wind-up porcupine's pointy pin-cushion, Fidget sat down to continue admiring the Little Bo Peep toy...& immediately bolted up onto his feet, running around in circles & yelling in pain as he clutched at his bum. Cheese & crackers, that really hurt! Fidget griped to himself.

Meanwhile, Ratigan was busy winding up the key on the side of a wind-up Hessian soldier. He watched as the stern-faced soldier began to march about in a stiff, goose-stepping manner, holding his rifle over his shoulder with one hand as he saluted every two seconds with the other hand. At the same time, Cousin Timmy wound up the key on a little toy frog. Upon being activated, the animatronic amphibian repeatedly croaked & hopped around on the floor, much to Timmy's amusement. Erstwhile, Olivia wound up the key on the back of a Chinese acrobat. It proceeded to do a series of back-flips, hand-stands, & somersaults, as Olivia watched in amazement. Nearby, Fidget wound up the key on the back of a toy armadillo. It curled up in a ball, & rolled around on the floor, circling an astonished Fidget. Cousin Timmy wound up the key on the side of a toy monkey in a fez & vest, with a large drum on his back, a pair of cymbals on his head, & a tuba that he held in his hands. The monkey proceeded to march about & play on his instruments, providing the Baker Street Kids with many marvelous moments of musical merriment.

Then, Ratigan wound up the key on the back of a grim-faced Cossack soldier. The soldier did a series of jumping jacks & high-kicks with his arms crossed over on his chest. While doing his dance, the wind-up soldier kicked Ratigan in the shin, making the reformed rogue clutch the injured limb with a shout of pain as he hopped up & down on one foot in agony. Later, Olivia wound up the key on the side of a large toy brontosaurus with a saddle on its back. Olivia beckoned for the other Baker Street Kids to join her, & Ratigan, Fidget, & Cousin Timmy rushed over. The four rodentlings all climbed up onto the brontosaurus' back, & took a seat on the saddle, riding the toy dinosaur across the floor.

After the Baker Street Kids' joyride, Cousin Timmy activated a wind-up Indian kachina dancer (dressed in an outfit resembling a blue jay) & a wind-up ladybug that skittered to & fro, opening its wings & shutting them. Suddenly, Cousin Timmy looked up, & sported a look of fright when he saw a wind-up toy snake slithering towards him with a stealthy, sneaky grin. With his deep dread of serpents now fully awakened, Cousin Timmy yelled fearfully, & ran away, as the snake continued to pursue him. A panicked Cousin Timmy rushed over to a toy wishing well, & jumped inside it. As soon as Timmy sought shelter, the snake slithered past the wishing well, & finally disappeared. At last, the coast was clear!

Then, a wind-up German boy (in lederhosen & a feathered hat) winded the crank on the side of the wishing well, & a glaring Cousin Timmy was brought back up out of the well via the wooden bucket that he was sitting down in; his arms, head, & legs were hanging out from over the sides of the pail, dripping wet with water. Needless to say, Cousin Timmy was not too happy about this irritating turn of events. Nevertheless, he made his way out of the wishing well, dried off, & went over to see what his cousin Olivia was up to. Nearby, Olivia went over to the wind-up toy with the Easter bunny & baby chick, which was hiding in the closed halves of the eggshell. Cousin Timmy went to join Olivia at her side, gazing at the toy she was looking at. Then, Timmy looked up at his kinsmouse in puzzlement, as he pointed to the Easter-bunny-&-chick toy, & asked, "Uh, Livvy...how many times have you played with that toy?"

"Oh, lots, Timmy! Lots of times!" Olivia replied with a smile, as she bent over to wind up the key at the bottom of the paschal plaything. "I can't get enough of it!" Olivia & Cousin Timmy both watched as the Easter-bunny-&-chick toy came to life before their eyes! The Easter bunny proceeded to open & close the eggshell, & every time that her shell was opened, the baby chick popped out, chirping. On & on, this amusing activity went, while Olivia & Cousin Timmy watched & witnessed in childlike fascination, smiling & fawning in delight.

After a while, the Flaversham cousins both turned their heads to face Fidget, who called out to them, "Hey, you guys, check dis out!" Fidget was standing next to a wind-up Arabian belly dancer. He wound up the key that made her dance. As the belly dancer did her routine, Fidget reached out to grab a nearby hula-hoop. Then, Fidget smiled broadly as he placed the hula-hoop around the belly dancer, who proceeded to swivel it about over her hips as she continued with her dance. "How 'bout dat?" Fidget asked proudly, gesturing to the hula-hooping belly dancer with a flourish of his wings. Bursting into wide smiles, & giggling in amusement, Olivia & Cousin Timmy rushed over to join Fidget & watch the belly dancer performing with the hula-hoop.

Then, Ratigan called out to the other Baker Street Kids, directing their attention to him as bubbles began to float around in the air. "If you think that's interesting, then take a look at this!" Ratigan exclaimed. At this point, Ratigan walked out from behind the bubble-blowing toy featuring Dumbo, which he had just turned on. A continuous stream of big, round bubbles came out from the end of Dumbo's trunk, filling the area. Gesturing to the Dumbo toy with a flourish of his arms, Ratigan smiled broadly, & cried cheerfully, "Bubbles for everyone!" As their smiles widened even more, Fidget, Olivia, & Cousin Timmy cooed in fascination, & rushed over to join Ratigan by the bubble-blowing Dumbo toy. All four Baker Street Kids proceeded to laugh, giggle, coo, & marvel as they danced, skipped, reached out to touch the bubbles, popped & poked them, held them in their hands, & looked through the bubbles' surfaces with distorted looks of fascination & delight. Oh, what fun our merry band of rodentlings had together!

Meanwhile, Basil was wandering through the music box section of the humans' toy store. Some of the music boxes to be found in the area, were a familiar one featuring a fireman band, a music box featuring a blonde girl dancing in a field of flowers, a music box featuring a rotating pair of figurines that looked like a waltzing couple, a music box with a Viking war goddess, & a music box with satyrs & nymphs, among others. Just for a lark, Basil went over to the music box with the firemen on it. Gazing at the mechanical melody-maker with a smirk, the detective declared, "I never did like that music box..." Twice had Basil come across the firemen music box during his last trip to the humans' toy store, & both encounters hadn't been particularly pleasant for him. And Basil was about to get a blast from the past (not to mention a mouthful of music)!

Suddenly, the music box came to life, much to Basil's surprise, & as the firemen-musicians played their noisy band tune, Basil got slammed in the head with the pair of cymbals that one fireman was holding. Basil's head shook around for a while, before he gradually settled down, & regained his bearings. Not too happy with what had just happened to him, Basil frowned in irritation, & clutched his hand to his aching head, looking around with a ticked-off glare. As he did all this, Basil fumed, "Now, who just did that? I know that music box didn't come to life, & deliberately try to attack me on its own!"

Unbeknownst to Basil, Victoria was hiding behind the base of the firemen-band music box, her hands resting upon the switch that activated it. The former princess peered out with a playful, mischievous smile to look at Basil, & tried to stifle a giggle with a paw to her mouth. She had played the perfect prank on Basil, & her husband didn't suspect a thing! Meanwhile, Basil called out irritatedly, "Olivia? Fidget? Ratigan? Victoria? Is anybody here? Anybody at all?" From her hiding place, Victoria watched Basil walk about as he looked around the music-box section for the mysterious presence that he sensed might be here. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Basil exclaimed.

(CUE MUSIC: "The Skaters' Waltz", by Emil Waldteufel)

While looking around in annoyance for whoever was hiding in the music box section, Basil came across a rather beautiful music box (shaped like a Faberge egg, & resting on four golden legs) covered with purple amethysts that formed a sky speckled with scintillating, star-like diamond gems. Basil's irritated frown turned into a curious expression as he went to take a closer look at the music box. "Halloa...What's this?" the detective asked to himself. Basil reached his paws out to wind up the small golden key protruding from the side of the music box. After Basil removed his hands from the key, the top shell-half of the music box opened, & a pair of two small figurines (resembling a human couple) rose into view. The pair of figurines approached one another, & began to dance together, waltzing across the golden platform that served as their ballroom floor.

Caught up in the catchy waltz that started to play, Basil closed his eyes, & bobbed his head left & right, waving his right forefinger about like a conductor's baton as he hummed to the music. After a few seconds, Basil broke out of his reverie as he slowly opened his eyes, & saw Victoria emerge from behind the music box with the firemen on it, humming the tune of the currently-playing melody. With her love for Basil blazing like a wildfire in her heart & soul, Victoria waltzed over to her husband, taking Basil in her arms, & gazing at him with a sweet, loving expression. "Oh, Victoria, there you are!" Basil exclaimed with a smile. "I was worried about you for a minute..." Basil's words were suddenly cut off when the detective yelped in surprise as Victoria took his paws in hers, & began to dance with him across the floor of the humans' toy store. As the two married mice waltzed their way out of the music box section, & across the store shelves, Basil smiled at Victoria. "Goodness, Victoria...you're an excellent dancer!" Basil complimented his wife.

"Thank you, darling!" Victoria replied pleasantly, kissing her beloved Basil on the nose. "Father taught me how to waltz. I'm not really sure why he did it, but I thank him for it! It's one of the few kind things he's ever done for me..." But Victoria didn't wish to dwell on such unpleasant thoughts of the past she had left behind so long ago. She wanted to stay in this wonderful moment with Basil, in this brand-new life she had forged with him & his family! And, so, Victoria & Basil continued dancing together, only focusing on each other, & the delightful experience they were both sharing now...

Meanwhile, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget were now in the mechanical toys section of the humans' toy store. Among the many marvelous machines to be found here, were a rotating merry-go-round with four pony figurines; a windmill toy with four spinning blades; a mechanical toy featuring a dancing ballerina figurine that rotated on one foot & did a pirouette; a large mechanical toy built in the shape of snow-hills surrounding an ice-covered lake (with two skating figurines, a boy & a girl in winter clothing, gliding upon its surface); a mechanical toy designed like a square-shaped fighting arena (with two boxer figurines standing in opposite corners); a mechanical toy designed like a pond (with a rotating set of six ducklings that quacked as they "swam" around the "pond"); & the mechanical toy featuring the strong-man with his mallet at the "test-your-strength" carnival game. The Baker Street Kids eagerly went to check out all the playthings in the area.

First, Cousin Timmy looked up in amazement at the giant windmill toy. He was standing awfully close to it...so close, in fact, that when one of the windmill blades came down, it caught onto Timmy's vest, bringing him up into the air. Cousin Timmy yelled while he rode the windmill up & around a few times, going on a crazy ride...until he got to the top of the windmill the eighth time, & his vest came loose from the blade. Cousin Timmy screamed as he fell to the ground...but, then, he sighed in relief when Olivia rushed over to catch him in her arms. The smile on Olivia's face was enough to assure Cousin Timmy that he was A-OK! ^[9]

Nearby, Fidget was standing at the foot of the carnival-game toy. The little bat glared in determination at the strong-man as he pushed up his imaginary sleeves, & went over to grab the mallet from the strong-man's hands. "OK, Mr. Strong-Man..." Fidget declared doggedly. "Let's see how strong you really are dis time!" Fidget snatched the mallet from the strong-man, then took a few steps to the right to avoid getting hit. With a deep breath, Fidget reared back, & used all his effort to give the squeeze-pad a good, hard whack with the mallet. Fidget then looked up as the air expelled from the squeeze-pad caused the little metal cylinder to go up, up, up...then hit the silver bell at the top of the pole with a ding...before rapidly falling back down & landing, much to Fidget's delight. "Hey, I did it!" Fidget congratulated himself, gazing at the stationary cylinder with an impressed smile. At this point, the strong-man immediately bent over, & conked Fidget on the head, making his eyes bulge as he dropped the mallet to the floor. Ouch!

Then, Cousin Timmy climbed onto the platform of the mechanical toy with the ballerina. Timmy didn't notice the dancing ballerina figurine at first, however, as he took a few seconds to sweep the dust off his clothes, & readjust his hat. Cousin Timmy then looked up, & finally took notice of the ballerina figurine dancing in front of him. Timmy smiled as he watched the ballerina dance for a few moments, then went over to her, & gave a bow, chivalrously extending his paw towards her. "May I have this dance, mon cher?" Cousin Timmy asked politely. The ballerina just kept dancing across the platform, not saying anything. Cousin Timmy took this as a signal to approach the ballerina figurine. He then took her in his arms, & immediately proceeded to dance with her.

Meanwhile, in the mechanical boxing arena, Ratigan had taken the place of one of the boxer figurines. He put up his dukes, & prepared to battle his opponent. Ratigan & the other boxer figurine approached one another. Ratigan was just about to take a swing...but the boxer beat him to it, sending him flying with a sucker-punch to the jaw. Undaunted, Ratigan got back in the ring, & fought his foe with everything he had, until he finally came out the victor! Afterwards, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget rode the four ponies on the rotating merry-go-round, each of them holding the clockwork carousel's support poles with their left paws as they spread their right arms & hands out wide in a joyful flourish, smiling broadly & giggling gleefully all the while.

Finally, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget skated across the ice-covered lake of the mechanical toy surrounded by snow-hills, joining the boy & girl "skaters" in their winter play. As the Baker Street Kids skated around the lake, they performed various tricks & stunts (triple-Lutzes, spins, twirls, leaps, grand jetes, pirouettes, & what-have-you-not). While all this was going on, Basil & Victoria waltzed into the mechanical toys section. The two mice continued to dance obliviously in one another's arms as they approached the mechanical toy where the Baker Street Kids were skating! After a few seconds, when he heard the children laughing, Basil opened his eyes, & looked up from Victoria with a pleasant smile. He immediately became shocked, however, & tugged nervously on the collar of Victoria's dress with his left hand, as he brought up his right forefinger to point in the direction that they were headed. "Uh, Victoria, look alive...Ice-skaters ahead!" Basil warned.

Victoria opened her eyes, then looked up in the direction that Basil was pointing. She, too, became shocked when she saw the Baker Street Kids playing around on the mechanical skating pond. "Oh, my goodness!" she cried.

As Olivia, Cousin Timmy, & Fidget continued to skate, Ratigan fell to the ground, & gracefully landed, having just finished a triple-Lutz. He turned around...& suddenly became scared, pointing fearfully with his right forefinger as he slapped his other paw against his left cheek, alerting the other children of the two mice who were quickly approaching them. "Watch out!" Ratigan shouted, prompting Fidget & the Flaversham cousins to stop what they were doing, & look in his direction. Basil & Victoria, unable to stop, screamed as they held one another tightly, skidding towards the mechanical pond. Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget all screamed in terror, & immediately moved to shield themselves with their arms. "Everybody brace for impact!" Ratigan cried.

Looking scared & continuing to hold one another tightly, Basil & Victoria were still skidding on their feet towards the mechanical toy pond. Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, & Fidget all winced & cringed as they shielded themselves with their arms, bracing for the forthcoming collision. "I can't watch!" Fidget groaned, covering himself with his wings as he winced. Basil & Victoria continued skidding & sliding towards the Baker Street Kids...before finally crashing into the mechanical skating pond, causing their surroundings to shake back & forth from the impact. When it was all over, Basil, Victoria, Olivia, Ratigan, Fidget, & Cousin Timmy lay sprawled out on the skating pond & the surrounding snow-hills.

After a couple of seconds, Basil got up onto his feet, then walked over to Victoria, & asked her in tender concern, "Victoria, are you all right?"

Victoria looked up at Basil. She was a little dazed from the accident, but otherwise unhurt. "I...I think so," Victoria replied, nodding her head. Victoria tried to get up onto her hands & knees, but fell.

Basil stooped down on one leg, & reached out a helping paw to his wife. "Let me help you up, dear," the detective said gently.

Victoria took Basil's hand, & he helped her rise to her feet. After Victoria got up, & swept the dust off her clothes, she & Basil both went over to Fidget, who was lying flat on his back on one of the snow-hills, wings spread out wide at his sides. Fidget moaned as he stirred, & sat back up on his bum. He leaned over to pick his hat up off the ground, then put it on his head, & slid down the hill, landing feet-first in front of Basil & Victoria. Basil & Victoria smiled in relief when they saw that Fidget was OK, but Fidget looked a little grumpy as he tilted his head up to face them with a glare. "Remind me next time we come here, Basil, to bring some padded helmets," Fidget said sullenly.

Then, Basil, Victoria, & Fidget walked over to the other side of the lake, looking for any sign of the remaining Baker Street Kids. Olivia & Cousin Timmy both slid down the snow-hills, landing on their feet in front of their kinsrodents. The Flaversham cousins then looked up to smile at Basil & Victoria, who returned the smiles at them. "Well, that was kinda fun!" Olivia declared in delight.

"Yeah...If you call crashing into each other 'fun'," Fidget retorted, glaring grumpily at Olivia & Cousin Timmy, who tilted their heads down, & turned to face their batty brother-figure with puzzled looks. What's gotten into him all of a sudden? the Flaversham cousins wondered.

Nevertheless, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, Fidget, Basil, & Victoria all walked off together towards the middle of the lake, where poor Ratigan was sprawled out on his back. The reformed rogue grunted in frustration as he struggled vainly to get up, waving his arms & legs about like an upside-down turtle while he did so. "A little help here, if you please?" Ratigan inquired irritatedly. Basil, Victoria, Fidget, Olivia, & Cousin Timmy all rushed over to their fallen comrade, before encircling Ratigan, & bending down to help pick him up off the ground. After a few seconds, Ratigan managed to rise to his feet, & said, "Thank you very much!" Basil, Victoria, Fidget, & the Flaversham cousins stepped back away from Ratigan, who swept the dust off his clothes, & reached up to adjust the crown on his head. When he had done those things, Ratigan looked down at his relatives with an annoyed glower as he placed his paws on his hips, & declared, "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would like for us to return to our earlier activities—hopefully, without any further collisions." With that, Basil, Victoria, Fidget, Olivia, Cousin Timmy, & Ratigan all walked off to continue their toy store adventures.

(CUE MUSIC: "The Play Of The Waves", from Claude Debussy's "La Mer")

Shortly afterwards, the entire Baker Street Family was now in the games section of the humans' toy store. Fidget played with some giant marbles, while Olivia & Cousin Timmy played badminton on a small mouse-sized court. Ratigan played golf on a mouse-sized course. Dr. Dawson played solitaire with a deck of miniature cards. Basil played with a large, multicolored Rubik's Cube puzzle, trying to sort out all six colors on the same side. ^[10] Victoria tried her hand at a game of darts, trying to land the bull's-eye. And Hiram & Mrs. Judson were standing near a chess set, arguing with one another. "Come on, now, Mrs. Judson, let's be fair!" Hiram begged, trying to plead with the mousekeeper.

"Fair?" Mrs. Judson repeated sarcastically. She scoffed & tilted her nose up in the air haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned around, facing away from Hiram. "What's so fair about saying you're better than me at chess?" Mrs. Judson asked angrily.

Walking over to approach Mrs. Judson, Hiram tried to explain his reasons for having said such a thing: "I'm just saying that, maybe, I might be a slightly-more-skilled player than you, because..."

"Because you're a man, & I'm a woman? Is that it?" Mrs. Judson snapped, turning to face Hiram with an angry glower as she pointed at him, poking him in the nose with her forefinger.

"No, no, Mrs. Judson!" Hiram replied as he waved his paws about, & shook his head in negation. "It's not that at all! But..."—Mrs. Judson raised an eyebrow curiously—"...you haven't played in years—since your husband passed away—& you just need to practice a little more." With a smile, Hiram said encouragingly, "You'll get better!" But Mrs. Judson was not convinced; with a "humph", she turned to storm off, as Hiram followed her. Walking behind his friend & fellow Scotsmouse, Hiram continued to plead, "Please, Mrs. Judson, don't be like this! There must be something we can do to settle this issue!"

Mrs. Judson stopped for a moment, considering Hiram's words. Then, she turned to face the toymaker with a cocky, mischievous grin, & said, "All right, then! You..."—she pointed to Hiram—"...& me..."—she pointed to herself—"...have a match..."—she pointed in the direction of the chessboard & pieces—"...on that chessboard!" Turning to face Hiram again with her arrogant grin, & sticking out her paw to shake, Mrs. Judson challenged, "What do you say, Flaversham?"

Hiram glanced unsurely at the smugly-smiling Mrs. Judson, then moved his gaze down to look at her extended paw. As he darted his eyes up & down, Hiram uttered, "Umm..." The toymaker slowly looked back up at Mrs. Judson again...then smiled as he extended his paw to shake hers. "All right!" Hiram conceded cheerfully. With that, Hiram & Mrs. Judson shook hands heartily, then let go. Hiram turned to start walking towards the chessboard, beckoning with his arm for Mrs. Judson to follow him, as he added, "Let's have ourselves a good, fair go at the sport of kings & queens, Mrs. Judson!" And, so, the two mice went off to start their game.

Meanwhile, Dr. Dawson continued with his game of solitaire. He turned his head to face Basil, & asked, "I say, Basil, what's gotten into those two lately?"

Still playing with the Rubik's Cube (& not looking at Dr. Dawson), Basil replied, "Oh, it's probably just a spat over little trifles. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure." Basil turned one of the sides of the Rubik's Cube, smiling when he saw that he got all the blue squares on one side.

Erstwhile, Olivia & Cousin Timmy were still playing their game of badminton on the miniature court. They kept tossing the shuttlecock back & forth, back & forth, to one another with their racquets. At one point, when it was her turn to serve, Olivia hit the shuttlecock with her racquet really hard. Olivia (along with Cousin Timmy) watched as the shuttlecock bounced off her racquet, & soared off into the air, going up, up, & away from the badminton court until it landed a good distance yonder. "Uh-oh," Olivia uttered, turning to face Cousin Timmy with a worried look. "How are we going to finish our game, Timmy? We can't play anymore without our shuttlecock."

"I'll go get it, Liv," Cousin Timmy replied, as he tossed his racquet down to the floor, & walked off the badminton court to begin searching for the missing item. "Just stay put." With that, he exited, leaving Olivia alone to wait for his return.

At the same time, Victoria was still playing darts. She reared back with all her might, & threw a dart at the board...but it missed, joining the several other stray darts that she had already thrown. "Oh...blast!" Victoria pouted, stomping her foot & sulking. She wasn't having any luck at all with this game! ^[11] Nearby, Fidget was kneeling on the floor, still playing with the human-sized marbles. Fidget aimed a shooter marble, & launched it. When the shooter marble hit the other marbles, it caused them to fly out in different directions. A bunch of marbles started to roll away from the others, before falling off the ledge, & hitting the ground in one of the lower sections of the toy store. Fidget formed a grumpy frown on his face, for he was not too pleased about losing most of the marbles he needed for his game. "Awww, nuts!" Fidget griped, pounding his fisted hand against the floor in irritation. He then crossed his arms over his chest, & pouted angrily.

Meanwhile, Cousin Timmy was walking through the toy shop's "miscellaneous" section (filled with nonspecific assortments of toys), positioned on a shelf below the games section. He looked around for the missing badminton shuttlecock, which—unbeknownst to him—was resting behind the hull of a toy paddleboat. "Upstairs", on the miniature golf course, Ratigan was holding a silver club, preparing to tee off. "Four!" Ratigan yelled with a paw cupped to his mouth. Ratigan then reared back, swung the club as hard as he could, & whacked the golf ball, which went flying away. Back in the miscellaneous section, Cousin Timmy continued looking through all the various toys for any sign of the badminton shuttlecock. Where could that darn thing be? Timmy thought.

In the games section, Basil was still playing with the Rubik's Cube. Now, he had the blue & green squares on the same sides! He was making progress! Nearby, Victoria was standing in front of the dartboard, & plucking darts out of it. It was at this time that a thought occurred to Victoria: she hadn't seen or heard from Cousin Timmy in several minutes. Has he wandered off & gotten lost, or gotten into trouble of some kind? the former princess worried. Dear goodness, I hope not! Turning these troublesome thoughts over in her head, Victoria briefly stopped what she was doing, turned away from the board to face Basil, & asked, "Basil?"

"Yes, dear?" Basil replied.

"Have you seen Timmy?" Victoria inquired, as she went back to face the dartboard, & plucked out another dart from the board.

"No," Basil answered. "Have you?"

When Victoria heard this, she immediately looked concerned, & dropped all her darts, which fell to the floor around her. She was right in wondering about Cousin Timmy's welfare & well-being! Meanwhile, Olivia was pacing the floor of the badminton court with her paws behind her back, looking worried. It's been several minutes since Cousin Timmy went to find the shuttlecock, & he hasn't returned with it! Where could he be, & what on Mouse Earth happened to him? Olivia thought fretfully. Blissfully unaware of his younger kinsmouse's predicament, Dr. Dawson finally finished his game of solitaire. After smiling in satisfaction, the medical mouse put up all the cards, & walked over to Hiram & Mrs. Judson. The two Scotsmice were now playing their game of chess, using all their strength to push the pieces across the board (Hiram was on the black side, while Mrs. Judson was on the white side). "Say, Hiram? Emily? Have you seen Timmy?" Dr. Dawson asked with a smile, as he approached the toymaker & mousekeeper.

In response, Hiram & Mrs. Judson both turned to give Dr. Dawson blank, confused stares. "Wasn't he with you?" Hiram inquired, pointing at his corpulent companion.

"Uhh...no," Dr. Dawson replied, as his face fell, & he shook his head. On the miniature golf course, Ratigan wiggled his bum & tail as he prepared to tee off again. As before, Ratigan reared back, swung the golf club as hard as he could, & whacked the golf ball, which went flying away. Back in the "miscellaneous" section of the humans' toy store, Cousin Timmy was still searching for that elusive badminton shuttlecock. He looked high & low, in every nook & cranny of the area, but with no success...that is, until he realized that he forgotten to search in one particular place. Kneeling down by the hull of the toy paddleboat, Cousin Timmy soon spotted the stray shuttlecock. With a smile, the mouseling reached in to grab the game item, picked it up, & took it into his paws. Now, he & Olivia could get back to their badminton match!

Suddenly, Cousin Timmy's ears perked up to a whistling sound from above. Timmy looked up in that direction, before immediately gasping in shock when he saw that Ratigan's stray golf ball was falling down towards him! Frightened & fearing for his safety, Cousin Timmy rose to his feet, & tried to run away, but he slipped on the marbles that Fidget dropped earlier. The golf ball hit Cousin Timmy on the head, & he fell backwards onto the deck of the toy paddleboat, knocking himself out. Upon losing consciousness, Timmy's body went limp over the railing.

Back in the games section of the humans' toy store, Dr. Dawson watched Hiram & Mrs. Judson continue with their chess game. As Hiram was trying to move a knight piece across the board, Olivia scampered up to her father, gazing worriedly at him as she asked, "Daddy, do you know where Cousin Timmy is? He went off to look for our badminton shuttlecock, but I don't see him anywhere!" Looking around to the left & right, Olivia fretted, "Where could he be?"

Waving the matter off with a swat of his paw, Hiram replied with an optimistic smile, "Oh, don't worry, my Bairn! I'm sure he's just playing around somewhere."

With that having been said, Hiram went back to moving his knight piece. Olivia rushed off in pursuit of Hiram, however, & exclaimed emphatically, "But he's been gone for 10 minutes!"

Upon hearing this, Hiram immediately stopped what he was doing, & turned to face Olivia with a concerned look. "10 minutes?" he inquired. "Are you sure?" When Olivia nodded her head in reply, Hiram gulped nervously, now beginning to fear the worst about his nephew. With a worried look on his face, Hiram slowly turned to address Dr. Dawson, & said to the medical mouse, "Uh, Dr. Dawson...maybe you should go look for Timmy."

"Perhaps so," Dr. Dawson agreed. The doctor then started walking off of the chessboard to begin his search for Cousin Timmy. As he departed, Dr. Dawson announced, "I'll go see if I can find him. He's got to be around here somewhere." Once Dr. Dawson had exited, Hiram & Olivia turned to look at one another in concern, wondering about the whereabouts of Cousin Timmy. Meanwhile, in the "miscellaneous" section, Cousin Timmy lay sprawled out over the deck of the toy paddleboat, with his cap dislodged from his head, & his left arm resting limply on the floor. Behind his closed eyes, who knew what fantastical visions or magnificent dreams filled Cousin Timmy's head? Only he...

^[8] Although "Ratigan's Story" will explore & explain this in more detail, Ratigan was given a daily regimen of steroids by Mouses Fiennes during his childhood transformation from good to evil. This helped to give Ratigan his remarkable strength & physical prowess at such a young age.

^[9] For those of you who didn't already get the reference, the scene of Cousin Timmy riding the toy windmill was inspired by a similar (& very famous) sequence from the classic novel "Don Quixote".

^[10] Again, the Multiverse comes into play here.

^[11] "That's OK, Victoria. We can't all be great at everything."