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GMD 2: Chapter 9, Part 4

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

Chapter 9:
More Exciting Escapades

Part 4

With the concert finally concluded, the Baker Street Family exited Chevington Concert Hall, & made their way outside onto Fitzhugh Lane. Basil & his loved ones strolled leisurely down the pavement of the street, enjoying the afternoon sunshine & the cool autumn breeze...until, at one point, Basil accidentally bumped into a female frog that had just walked in with her two male friends, a newt & an octopus (respectively). "Oh, dear, I am so sorry, madam!" Basil apologized to the lady as he stepped back away from her, deftly catching the deerstalker cap that had dislodged from his head in the collision (before subsequently putting it back on, & adjusting it).

The frog, newt, & octopus just smiled sweetly at the Baker Street Family in response. "That's OK," the frog said in a deep, cheerful voice with a New Orleans accent. The frog was of average height for her age, with a chubby, corpulent figure. She was covered in deep-green skin, with light-green markings going all across her muzzle & underbelly. Her elliptical-shaped head had wide cheekbones that curved at an angle, as well as a slightly-prominent muzzle with a protruding jaw & a bulbed, beak-like nose. Her jolly eyes were rather small in size, & were light-yellow in color (with three long lashes decorating each eyelid, & thin, curved black eyebrows arching over them). Her thick arms & legs got increasingly thin as they tapered out, ending in small hands & average-sized feet. She wore a short-sleeved pink T-shirt (which didn't quite cover her fat tummy), a pair of knee-length shorts (completely covered with thick vertical stripes in colors of purple & lavender), & a black bowler hat (decorated with a purple ribbon around the "dome"), but did not wear any shoes. Her name was Rosie The Ribbiter, & she was a former circus performer from Louisiana who had immigrated to Mouse London several years ago.

The newt was of average height for his age, with a lean, skinny figure. He was covered in ochre-brown skin, sans any markings. His rounded head had small & curvy cheekbones, as well as a slightly-prominent muzzle with a protruding jaw & a bulbed, beak-like nose. His round pale-yellow eyes (topped with thick, curved black eyebrows) appeared to bulge out from his head. He had a long (& very thick) tail, along with thin arms & thick legs (which got increasingly thin as they went down); all four limbs ended in small hands & feet. He wore a snug-fitting T-shirt with dodger-blue & yellow stripes, but didn't wear shoes or any other clothing. His name was Ned The Newt, & he was a long-time friend & partner of Rosie The Ribbiter.

The octopus was of average height & weight for his age, with a body covered in light-coffee-brown skin. His rounded head had small (& very low) cheekbones that curved at an angle, along with a prominent (& very bulbous) muzzle, not to mention a large overbite. His merry pale-yellow eyes were rather small in size, & topped with a pair of thick, curved black eyebrows. His neck was short & very thick, & his large, pear-shaped midsection was adorned with a set of eight thick arms & legs (each of which had a coffee-brown underside that was covered with dark-coffee-brown suction-cups). He wore a sky-blue turtleneck sweater that completely covered the main part of his body, along with a cornbread-yellow boater hat (decorated with a sky-blue ribbon around the "dome") that fit snugly around his scalp. Like his two reptilian companions, he didn't wear any shoes. His full name was Joachim Reuben Jolson, but everyone called him Jiggy The Juggling Octopus. Like Rosie & Ned, he was also a foreigner who had come to call Mouse London his home away from home, but he hailed from Mouse Jerusalem, Israel.

After a couple of seconds, Dr. Dawson went up to the trio of non-rodents, staring at the friends quizzically as he looked them over, & said, "Pardon me for staring, but...you look awfully familiar." Then, the medical mouse stepped back from Rosie & her comrades, & added, "I...I don't know why, but...somehow, I can't shake the nagging feeling that I've seen you somewhere before..." [15]

(CUE MUSIC: "Trout Quintet", by Franz Schubert)

Rosie, Ned, & Jiggy looked puzzled at first, & turned to look at each other in confusion...before looking back at the Baker Street Family, at which point they smiled widely, & burst into fits of musical laughter, much to the befuddlement of Basil & his loved ones. Smiling in amusement, Rosie approached our pint-sized protagonists with Ned & Jiggy, & asked, "So, you think you've seen us someplace before?"

"Umm...probably," Dr. Dawson replied. "But I'm not quite sure where."

Then, Jiggy gasped in surprise, & pointed to Dr. Dawson. He suddenly recognized him! "Hey!" Jiggy exclaimed excitedly. "I think I know where you might have seen us!" Placing his tentacled hands on his hips, Jiggy smirked playfully at Dr. Dawson, & inquired, "Weren't you that chubby mouse was clapping for me at the end of my act?" Dr. Dawson looked a little surprised to hear this. Jiggy took the surgeon's change in facial expression as a sign that he was definitely the same mouse who had shown him such courtesy & kindness, when everyone else just booed & jeered at him! "He is that same guy!" Jiggy cheered with a widening smile, as he pointed to Dr. Dawson again.

"I remember him now!" Rosie reminisced, recalling how she saw Dr. Dawson in the audience when she & Ned came up to perform after Jiggy had left.

"He sure was a nice guy, wasn't he, Rosie?" Ned asked.

"Yeah!" Rosie agreed. The frog & her two friends then looked at the Baker Street Family again, before quickly noticing that Dr. Dawson was just staring blankly at them. "Don't you remember?" Rosie questioned the good doctor, her friendly smile not leaving her face. "That night at the Rat Trap? A few months ago? Huh? Remember?"

Dr. Dawson thought for a bit...& then recalled that he had, indeed, been at the Rat Trap on the night in question. For the most part, it wasn't the greatest experience he had had, & with a nod of affirmation, he blushed & frowned a little bit as he recalled the embarrassing events that had happened to him there. At this point, Jiggy gently scolded his reptilian companions, "Oh, don't remind him! He doesn't need to put up with the embarrassment. Besides...that was four months ago. The Rat Trap's changed a lot since then."

When they heard this, the members of the Baker Street Family all stared at Rosie, Ned, & Jiggy in confusion. "Just what do you mean by that?" Basil asked unsurely, pointing a finger at the trio of performers, who subsequently stared at our heroes in surprise.

"They never told you?" Jiggy inquired, astonished to hear Basil ask this question. When Basil & the rest of the Baker Street Family shook their heads in negation, Jiggy formed a look of annoyance on his face, then said with a sigh & a roll of his eyes, "I told Auburn to contact all the newspapers & tell them about the darn..." Then, the annoyed look suddenly disappeared from Jiggy's face, & turned back into a happy smile as he returned to the topic at hand: "Well, a-anyway, what happened is this...After the big bar fight that broke out four months ago, the Rat Trap owners were able to sue for damages. And they used the money they got to finally change the Rat Trap into what they really wished it could have been for all these years! A family restaurant!"

The Baker Street Family gasped in surprise upon hearing the news! Rosie exclaimed excitedly, "I know, I know, it's so hard to believe that, but the business has only just started booming lately! Rodent families from all over the United Kingdom come to the Rat Trap every day to eat, & spend quality time, & watch the good, clean entertainment..." (She let out a blissful sigh.) "It's just wonderful!"

"And we've been rehired!" Ned & Jiggy chirped in unison, as they tossed their arms out wide with a flourish.

"Jiggy, Ned, & I now perform daily routines for all the kids & their families," Rosie said happily. "Why don't you come over to the Rat Trap, & see us sometime?"

The members of the Baker Street Family all thought to themselves for a moment...then looked back up at Rosie & her pals with big smiles, nodding their heads eagerly. "That would be great!" Victoria decided.

"OK!" Rosie said. "Let me know when you get there, so you can make a special request for entertainment during your meal! Just ask for Jiggy & the Terrific Two! They'll know who you're talking about!" With that, Rosie, Ned, & Jiggy departed, but not without smiling & waving "goodbye" to the Baker Street Family (& vice versa). When Basil & his loved ones were alone once more, Basil's smile became a miffed glower as he turned to glare at Victoria, who cracked a nervous grin, & giggled sheepishly at her husband. Was it something she said?


That night, the Baker Street Family were seated on the chairs, couches, & chaise lounges in the living room of their house, still wearing their outing clothes. The rodents had been discussing & debating about where to eat for their evening meal, but when a few of them suggested the Rat Trap, Basil answered angrily, "No, no, no! Absolutely not!" A glaring Basil furiously paced the floor of the living room, with his arms behind his back. Imaginedining at the Rat Trap! the detective scoffed mentally. The very idea!

"But, Basil, we've got to go somewhere to eat for dinner tonight!" Victoria proclaimed pleadingly.

"Well, it's certainly not going to be the Rat Trap, that's for certain!" Basil replied, pausing his pacing to glare at his wife. Basil resumed pacing the floor, but then stopped again when Victoria piped up, "Basil, please! Just think about it for a second, will you?"

"It's out of the question, Victoria!" Basil snapped, poking Victoria in the nose with his forefinger. "We are NOT eating dinner at the Rat Trap, & that is final!"

With that, Basil stormed off angrily. As he did so, the supersleuth walked past Olivia, who got up out of her chair, & scampered after her godfather, reaching out a paw as she tried to plead with him to reconsider his decision. "Pleeeease?" Olivia asked, smiling & trying to look cute for Basil in the hopes of winning him over. "Pretty please?"

In response, Basil turned around to face Olivia with an irritated glower, & replied firmly, "No. Nein. Nyet. And a big...fat...negatory!"

With a sad sigh, a frowning Olivia trudged back to her seat in defeat. Meanwhile, Basil continued to storm & stomp across the living room. At one point, he was stopped by Mrs. Judson, who tried to speak with him about the matter. Keeping Basil from going any further, the mousekeeper pleaded, "Now, Basil, be reasonable! Jiggy & his friends said..."

"For your information, Mrs. Judson," Basil interrupted irately, "those three used to be performers at that pub!"

Basil then walked around Mrs. Judson, continuing on his way, but Mrs. Judson grabbed her employer by the tail, pulling him back towards her as she exclaimed emphatically, "But that's just it! It's not a pub anymore!" Basil yanked his tail free from Mrs. Judson's grasp, still glaring at her. Mrs. Judson continued to try & plead with her young friend: "Mr. Basil, I beg of you...do us a favor, & let us go eat at the Rat Trap tonight! You can see for yourself, & have a look-see! Please?" The Scotsmouse then smiled broadly at Basil, clasping her paws together in front of her chest, hoping that she would have success in winning the detective over to the family's side.

Basil thought to himself for a moment. Then, he gave in with a sigh of resignation. "All right! Fine!" Basil conceded irritatedly. He then walked over to the suit of armor where he hung his deerstalker cap, & warned, "But if I see one drop of alcohol there, I'm taking the lot of you to McDillan's!"

"But we already ate there for lunch today!" Mrs. Judson blurted.

"I'm not taking any chances!" Basil replied, as he grabbed his deerstalker cap off the suit of armor, put it onto his head, & adjusted it.


Traveling together in their red van, the Baker Street Family drove through the London streets, making their way all across town, before finally ending up on a road leading to the docks by the Thames River...specifically, the mouse street of Lower Thames Street (known to us humans by the same name). The Rat Trap was located beneath the pier at Grants Quay Wharf, which was only a short distance away from where our heroes were now. In the van, Basil & Victoria sat up front; Dr. Dawson, Hiram, & Mrs. Judson rode in the middle row of seats, & the Baker Street Kids were seated in the back row. "We're getting close to the exit," Basil said. Looking at Victoria, he asked, "Have you got your purse ready, dear?"

"Yes, Basil," Victoria replied, holding up her purse to show it to her husband. After putting her pawbag down in her lap, Victoria looked ahead to see that the family was now approaching a wooden sign. The van's headlights illuminated said sign to reveal that it sported a big red arrow pointing to the right, along with blue painted-on text that said, "Rat Trap Entrance — Turn This Way". The Baker Street Family's van turned at the appropriate moment to exit the main road, & started to make its way down to the area of the docks where the Rat Trap was. A few seconds passed...& then, suddenly, everyone screamed as the van began to plummet down rapidly!

The Baker Street Family's van started to pick up speed as it descended down the pathway, which turned out to be a long, winding rollercoaster leading under the docks, full of twists, turns, & loop-de-loops. As Basil & his loved ones rode their vehicle down the wild & wacky rollercoaster, their screams turned to delighted whoops, cheers, & laughter. This was fun—no, even better than that! This was absolutely awesome! When the Baker Street Family finally reached the end of the rollercoaster, their van slid off the exit ramp, then gradually skidded to a stop in front of their destination. Next to the front door of the building they had just arrived at, there was a sign that said...

Welcome to the
Rat Trap Family Restaurant!
Open all week
Hours of operation: 7:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M.

"Well, here we are!" Basil said happily. The van doors slid open, & Olivia, Basil, Hiram, Cousin Timmy, Ratigan, Fidget, Dr. Dawson, Mrs. Judson, & Victoria all jumped out of the vehicle. The Baker Street Family then rushed towards the entrance of the Rat Trap, & climbed up the small set of steps leading to the front door. Who knew what would await Basil & his loved ones once they went inside the building? Our heroes would soon find out...

(CUE MUSIC: "Maple Leaf Rag", by Scott Joplin)

Basil opened the front door, & the Baker Street Family followed him inside. The Rat Trap Family Restaurant was a fantastic family-oriented establishment, the much-brighter remains of that dark, dreary, & dangerous saloon from long ago. The old pub used to be littered with trash, saturated with smoke, & tainted with all other kinds of nastiness, not to mention prone to the occasional bar fight. But there were no more of these unsightly, unpleasant, unwholesome things to be found! Everything in this eatery was suitable for children & adults alike! What were once barmaids & barmen, were now waiters & waitresses; likewise, what were once sultry showgirls & plebeian performers, were now family-friendly entertainers. In fact, a familiar face—none other than Jiggy The Juggling Octopus—was doing his routine on stage right now. Kids of all ages, as well as their parents, were seated at the tables, with babies in high chairs. The kids colored on placemats with crayons, & played with toys from their Merry Meals. What was once a dirty drinking counter, was now a friendly food counter, complete with little stools for the customers to sit on while they ate. Children & grownups sat on these "barstools", eating, chatting with each other, & sharing the latest gossip with the staff. What were once alcoholic beverages, were now various types of drinks ranging from soda to milk, & everything in between. No customer, child or otherwise, was without a Rodent's Delight cola or Earl Gray tea. Not a hiccup to be heard!

Among the staff members chatting with the customers at the counter, was a mouse who had been associated with this place for a very long time. He was awfully short for his age, with a stocky, big-boned figure. He had dark-tan fur & straight auburn-red hair (which was separated into two neatly-combed partitions on either side of his head). His elliptical-shaped head was adorned with wide & curvy cheekbones. A slightly-prominent brown nose (flanked on either side by a pair of long whiskers) was fixed between his gruff blue eyes (topped with thick, smooth, & angular black eyebrows). A big white bucktooth could be seen jutting out from his upper lip, & a small five-o'clock shadow adorned his chin & muzzle. A pair of average-sized, curvy pink ears prominently perked up from either side of his head (the left ear had a triangular notch in the middle of its edge, just between his two earfold-lines). His pink tail was long & thick, & his thick arms & legs ended in large paws & feet. He wore a single-breasted maroon vest, a golden bartender's shirt (with long, puffy sleeves divided into two parts with a tight red armband, starched white cuffs, & a stiff, starched white collar), a snug-fitting pair of olive-green trousers (held up by a brown leather belt with a golden buckle), a topless white apron, a black silk bow-tie, & a pair of dull brown shoes. His name was Auburn Patterson, & he was the former bartender of the Rat Trap, who had now become the self-proclaimed "headwaiter, head chef, co-owner, & co-manager" of the family restaurant.

At one point, Auburn turned away from the customers to refill one teenager's empty glass with liquid from one of the large kegs resting behind him. Auburn held the glass as he brought it up under the spigot of the keg, which filled the glass with fizzing, foaming root beer. Auburn smiled as he took the refilled glass, & walked back over to the counter. "Here you are, kid!" Auburn said cheerfully as he tossed the glass aside, making it skid across the table to its teenage consumer. "One Fizzy Fountain Soda!"

The teenage mouse smiled up at Auburn as he took his drink into his paws, & said, "Wow...Thanks, Auburn!"

"Don't mention it, kid!" Auburn answered amiably. He winked & cocked a forefinger, clicking his tongue. The teenage mouse & his friends returned the gestures, before sipping on their glasses of soda, juice, & other beverages.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all the affectionate activity, Jiggy was still doing his routine for the kids & adults in the audience. He smiled merrily as he tap-danced across the stage floor, juggling a bunch of rainbow-colored juggling balls in the air. As the Rat Trap customers watched Jiggy perform for them, they smiled, & appeared to be quite entertained by his vaudevillian act. Spurred on by this encouraging reception, Jiggy could feel his confidence rising as he continued to tap-dance & juggle for the patrons...Could it be that Jiggy at last had found acceptance? Suddenly, Jiggy stopped in the middle of the act, & sported a confused look when the background music abruptly stopped playing.

On a square balcony next to the stage, was the section of the restaurant that housed the Rat Trap Band (which was currently quite small, but was scheduled to gain future members in the upcoming months). Tom The Trombonist, Morey The Trumpet-Player, & Arnie The Drummer each sat down on stools, holding their prized instruments. Jerry The Guitar-Player slept soundly on a crate at the foot of the balcony, clutching a teddy bear & blanky, while his guitar lay at his feet. Don The Pianist took his fingers up from the piano keys, & glared irritatedly at the music book on his piano stand, which was missing some pages.

Don (whose full name was Donald Alastair Garrison) was tall for a male mouse his age, with a lean, lanky figure. He had tan fur (with light-tan markings going all across his muzzle & underbelly), along with a matching wave of neatly-combed fur-hair. His rounded head had small cheekbones that curved at an angle. A prominent dark-brown nose was fixed between his cheerful blue eyes (topped with a pair of thin, curved black eyebrows). Two large (& somewhat-"triangular") pink ears flanked the top of his head. His long pink tail was of average thickness, & his slim limbs ended in large paws & feet. He wore a buttonless burnt-orange vest, a sky-blue bartender-style shirt (with long, puffy sleeves divided into two parts with a tight red armband, starched white cuffs, & a stiff white collar), navy-blue trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle), a black silk bow-tie, a black bowler hat (decorated with a red ribbon around the "dome"), a large sapphire ring (set in gold) on the third finger of his right hand, a pair of knitted white socks, & dull black shoes.

Arnie (whose full name was Arnoldo Juan Escovedo) was tall for a male mouse his age, with a lean, lanky figure. He had tan fur (with light-tan markings going all across his muzzle & underbelly), along with a matching wave of neatly-combed fur-hair. His rounded head had wide cheekbones that curved at an angle. A prominent dark-brown nose was fixed between his playful brown eyes (topped with a pair of thick, angular black eyebrows). Two large (& somewhat-"triangular") pink ears flanked the top of his head. A big white bucktooth jutted out from his upper lip. His pink tail was of average length & thickness, & his thin arms & legs ended in large paws & feet. He wore a buttonless maroon vest, a golden bartender-style shirt (with long, puffy sleeves divided into two parts with a tight red armband, starched white cuffs, & a stiff white collar), black trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle), a red silk bow-tie, a black bowler hat (decorated with a red ribbon around the "dome"), a pair of knitted white socks, & dull black shoes.

Morey (whose full name was Morey Elvis Baxter) was awfully short for a male mouse his age, with a stout, portly figure. He had tan fur, along with a matching wave of neatly-combed fur-hair. His rounded head was adorned with wide & curvy cheekbones. A slightly-prominent dark-brown nose was fixed between his thoughtful green eyes (topped with a pair of thick, angular black eyebrows). Two average-sized (& somewhat-"triangular") pink ears flanked the top of his head. His short pink tail was of average thickness, & his plump arms & legs ended in large paws & feet. He wore a buttonless deep-turquoise vest, a periwinkle bartender-style shirt (with long, puffy sleeves divided into two parts with a tight red armband, starched white cuffs, & a stiff white collar), jade-green trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle), a red silk bow-tie, a black bowler hat (decorated with a red ribbon around the "dome"), a pair of knitted white socks, & dull black shoes.

Tom (whose full name was Thomas Barnaby Hayword Anderson) was quite tall for a male mouse his age, with a lean, lanky figure. He had tan fur (with light-tan markings going all across his muzzle & underbelly), along with a wave of neatly-combed fur-hair. His rounded head had small cheekbones that curved at an angle. A prominent dark-brown nose was fixed between his genial violet eyes (topped with thick, angular black eyebrows). Two large (& somewhat-"triangular") pink ears flanked the top of his head. His pink tail was long & slender, & his thin arms & legs ended in large paws & feet. He wore a buttonless dark-magenta vest, an olive-green bartender-style shirt (with long, puffy sleeves divided into two parts with a tight red armband, starched white cuffs, & a stiff white collar), blue trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle), a red silk bow-tie, a black bowler hat (decorated with a red ribbon around the "dome"), a pair of knitted white socks, & dull black shoes.

Jerry (whose full name was Gerald Robert Stanford) was tall for a male mouse his age, with a lean, lanky figure. He had tan fur (with light-tan markings going all across his muzzle & underbelly), along with a wave of neatly-combed fur-hair. His rounded head had small cheekbones that curved at an angle. A prominent dark-brown nose was fixed between his drowsy hazel eyes (topped with thin, curved black eyebrows). Two large (& somewhat-"triangular") pink ears flanked the top of his head. His pink tail was of average length & thickness, & his thin arms & legs ended in large paws & feet. He wore a buttonless turquoise vest, a light-green bartender-style shirt (with long, puffy sleeves divided into two parts with a tight red armband, starched white cuffs, & a stiff white collar), mauve trousers (held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle), a red silk bow-tie, a black bowler hat (decorated with a red ribbon around the "dome"), a pair of knitted white socks, & dull black shoes.

"Rats—I mean, nuts!" Don exclaimed irritatedly.

"What's wrong, Don?" Jiggy asked in concern.

"This ding-dong sheet music book, that's what's wrong!" Don complained, angrily glaring & gesturing to the incomplete book of sheet music on his piano stand. Don then reached up to grab the last remaining leaf of libretto paper in the tome, & griped, "Look at it! It's missing the last few pages!"

"Aw, gee, that stinks," Jiggy said sympathetically.

"You're darn right it does, Jiggy!" Don huffed, grumpily placing his paws on his hips.

Meanwhile, Morey The Trumpet-Player was eating his favorite Rat Trap menu item, a Super Salsa Verde (which was a large basket of tortilla chips, with plenty of green sauce for dunking). Speaking to Don with his mouth full of food, Morey asked, "Then why don't you..."—he swallowed his mouthful of chips & sauce—"...go get yourself another copy, Don?"

"I'll get to it eventually, Morey," Don replied. "You know me."

"Indeed, I do," Morey remarked, before swirling a chip in some sauce, & eating it. Next to Morey, Tom The Trombonist was just about to eat a Waffle-&-Whipped-Cream Sandwich (the name speaks for itself). Morey couldn't help but notice this, & the thought of the sweet treat tingling his taste buds was just too much to bear! "Say, Tom," Morey asked his friend, "are you gonna finish that Waffle-&-Whipped-Cream Sandwich?"

Tom thought for a moment...then, upon realizing he wasn't really as hungry as he thought he was, he shrugged with a nonchalant look. With a smile, Tom gave the Waffle-&-Whipped-Cream Sandwich to his corpulent companion, & said, "Sure. Go right ahead, Morey."

"Thanks, pal!" Morey gushed gratefully. With that, the trumpet-player proceeded to eat the Waffle-&-Whipped-Cream Sandwich hungrily.

Erstwhile, a mischievously-grinning Arnie The Drummer leaned over the balcony, waving a giant toy spider in front of the sleeping face of Jerry The Guitar-Player. Jerry opened his eyes...& when he saw the toy spider dangling before him, he bolted upright with a scream of terror, as Arnie snickered impishly. Pointing to his panicking partner, Arnie gloated with a smirk, "Gotcha, Jerry!" His joke on Jerry had worked without a single hitch! What a great prank!

Arnie, however, was quickly reprimanded by Don, who had witnessed the whole incident. "Arnie, leave Jerry alone," the pianist scolded. "You know he doesn't like that."

Arnie became struck with guilt at the realization that he had done wrong to his friend. "Ay, forgive me, Don," Arnie said softly, looking chastened. The drummer turned to face Jerry, then suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around the guitarist, & brought him in for a great, big hug as he blurted out in a choked-up voice, "I am so sorry, mi amigo!" Arnie then burst into a melodramatic fit of tears as he hugged Jerry tightly, & patted him on the back. At that point, Don flexed his fingers, & put them down on top of the piano keys, proceeding to play his earlier tune all over again.

(CUE MUSIC: "Maple Leaf Rag", by Scott Joplin)

As the music picked up once more, Jiggy smiled, & returned to his tap-dancing / juggling routine. Only when he finally got to the end, did he stop to take a grand bow. The kids & adults cheered & clapped for Jiggy, delighted with the performance he had given them. Jiggy beamed proudly as he took a few more bows, & basked in his applause. What a delightfully-different reaction than what Jiggy was accustomed to! It felt so great to be loved & admired by folks who appreciated your talent! "You like me!" Jiggy exclaimed, smiling happily. "You really like me!" The kids chanted Jiggy's name over & over again, inspiring him to do an encore of his routine. As he continued tap-dancing & juggling for his cheering audience, Jiggy was so happy right now, he could have keeled over from the bliss!

At this moment, the Baker Street Family made their way over to the largest table they could find, & took their seats around it. After sitting down in their chairs, Basil & his loved ones all picked up each of 9 menus that had been laid out for them. "Well, let's see what they've got to eat here," Basil said. Everyone opened up their menus, & checked out the items listed upon them. "Hmmm...There's quite a list of goodies on this menu," Basil muttered sotto voce, as he scanned the text upon his card. Some of the items listed upon the Rat Trap menu included (but were not limited to) Gummy Worm Spaghetti, Gooey Grilled-Cheese Sandwich, Waffle-&-Whipped-Cream Sandwich, Super Salsa Verde, Fizzy Fountain Soda, Basket O' Fish-&-Chips, Ice Cream Castle, Chocolate Rocket, Fruit-Kabob, Rainbow Jelly Cake, Gumdrop Mountain, Mega-Taco, Pea Soup, Rainbow Fruit Salad, & the Merry Meal.

Basil & the rest of the Baker Street Family finished reading their menus, then folded them up, & placed them down on the table. At this point, a waitress approached their table, carrying a pen & notepad in her paws. The waitress was tall for a mouse woman her age, with a stout, big-boned figure. She had tan fur, along with a short mop of curly brown hair. Her rounded head had wide & curvy cheekbones, & a mole adorned her left cheek. A small dark-pink nose was fixed between her sweet violet eyes (with three short lashes decorating each eyelid, & thick, angular black eyebrows arching over them). A pair of small pink ears flanked either side of her head. Her thick pink tail was of average length, & her plump arms & legs ended in small paws & feet. She wore a sleeveless navy-blue dress, a mauve apron, & a pair of navy-blue slip-on shoes; additionally, a small sky-blue flower was tucked behind her right ear, & a modest amount of makeup adorned her face. Her name was Evelyn Rosedale, & she was the former barmaid of the Rat Trap, who had now become the self-proclaimed "headwaitress, head chef, co-owner, & co-manager" of the establishment. As she approached the Baker Street Family, Evelyn greeted with a pleasant smile, "Welcome to the Rat Trap Family Restaurant. My name's Evelyn. What's your pleasure, dearies?"

"We'll have everything on the menu," Basil replied, returning the smile.

When she heard this, Evelyn almost couldn't believe her ears! The restaurant had only been open for a few months, & no one had ever made such a large order before! Though a little surprised by Basil's request, Evelyn kept that smile on her face as she answered, "OK...Coming right up."


In the kitchen of the Rat Trap Family Restaurant, crickets & cockroaches in white chef's outfits were busy working on food for the customers. The door swung open, & Evelyn stepped into the kitchen. "'EY, GUYS! Table #7 wants everything on the menu!" she called out to the staff.

A cricket cook was standing on a wooden stool as he stirred a ladle around inside a large silver pot, filled with thick, green-colored pea soup that bubbled & boiled. When he heard what Evelyn had said, the shocked cricket cook turned to face Evelyn with a surprised look, & asked, "Everything, Miss Rosedale?"

"Yes, everything!" Evelyn replied testily, as her face sported an impatient frown. She opened the kitchen door, & began walking away, but not without turning to face the kitchen staff one last time. "When I say 'everything', I mean every flippin' thing!" Evelyn said grumpily. With that, she exited, shutting the door behind her. And, so, the cricket & cockroach cooks immediately got to work. They all started cooking food, cutting up foodstuffs (e.g., fruits, cheese, vegetables, bread, etc.), sprinkling seasonings, stirring things, baking things, & whatnot. This was going to be their biggest job yet!


Meanwhile, back in the restaurant's eating area, the members of the Baker Street Family were chatting merrily amongst one another as they waited for their meal. At one point, their conversation was interrupted as the room's lights darkened, a timpani began to roll, & an emcee boomed out, "Ladiiiiies & gentlerodents...please give it up for tonight's first act, Melissa Mousechester!" Everyone in the restaurant cheered & applauded, as the curtains on the Rat Trap stage opened to reveal a young mouse woman. She was of average height for her age, with a slim, slender figure. She had soft white fur, & straight light-blonde hair (which she kept tied in a big, long ponytail with a pink silk ribbon). Her rounded head was adorned with wide & curvy cheekbones. A small pink nose was fixed between her sweet almond-shaped eyes (which had sky-blue "whites" & cerulean-blue irises, & were topped with slender, curved light-blonde eyebrows). A pair of small pink ears flanked either side of her head. Her pink tail was long & slender, & her lean limbs ended in small paws & feet. She wore a pink Western-style shirt, a fringed rose-colored shawl, a snug-fitting pair of blue jeans (held up by a brown leather belt with a golden buckle), a snugly-fitting pair of shiny, brown leather boots with silver spurs, & a modest amount of makeup on her face. This was none other than popular country-&-western singer Melissa Mousechester. [16]

"Good evening," Melissa greeted, smiling at the audience as she spoke into a microphone. "It's nice to see y'all here today. Tonight, I'm gonna sing a special song for you. I hope you like it." Melissa put the microphone onto the stand resting in front of her, then took the guitar that was slung around over her shoulder. She subsequently began to sing as she strummed upon the guitar...

(CUE SONG: "The World Doesn't Understand You") [17]

You look at the rodents around you
They stare at you with puzzled gazes
And yet, you don't quite understand
Why they sport such inquisitive faces

When they reach out a paw to touch you,
You feel pain & you back away
You don't understand why they're startled
To be seeing you in such dismay

You feel puzzled by riddles & sayings
Whose meanings tend to flee your brain,
And you don't comprehend why they understand
Funny things that are never explained

But don't be embarrassed or shameful!
There's no need to be forlorn or blue
You may think that the world's a big mystery,
But the world doesn't understand you

The song ended, & the audience applauded. Melissa got up to take a few bows, & said with a smile, "Thank you." Once the applause had subsided, Melissa took her guitar, & gracefully exited the stage.


Outside the Rat Trap, everything was quiet & peaceful; the waters of the Thames River gently lapped against the walkway leading from the rollercoaster to the restaurant entrance, & every few seconds, a seagull or other bird would let out a cry that resonated through the clear, moonlit night...but not everything was as normal as it seemed. Unbeknownst to any of the Rat Trap staff or their customers, a mysterious mouse was lurking around the area outside the eatery. The figure—a lean, lanky fellow—was rather tall, with yellow eyes, tan fur, a prominent pink nose with a pair of whiskers on either side, & thin, long limbs with nimble paws & feet of average size; he was wearing a bandanna-mask, a ski cap with a small pom-pom on top, & a two-piece suit consisting of a turtleneck sweater & sweatpants—all in black. Clad in the clothes that helped him blend in with the dark dusk atmosphere, the figure quietly emerged from behind a tall wooden pole that served as one of the dock's support beams, before looking around & checking to see if anybody was there.

Upon finding out the coast was clear, the mouse—none other than Mouses Fiennes' top minion, Agent 001—reached into his trousers pocket, & got out a small cell phone. After pressing a number on speed dial, Agent 001 put the phone to his ear...but all he heard on the other line was a "busy" tone. The thug, getting increasingly irritated with each second that passed, yelled into the phone's mouthpiece in his slight Russian accent, "Mouses? Mouses? MOUSES?" But, still, he got no response! What on Earth could be keeping Mouses so busy? Agent 001 wondered to himself in bewilderment, unaware that his employer had just gotten involved in a very dire predicament...


(CUE MUSIC: "Hungarian Polka", by Johann Strauss)

In the sewer lair of Mouses Fiennes, all Hades had broken loose! The thugs had left Old Blind Joe & the members of the Goodie Gang bound & gagged on the floor, & were now rebelling against Mouses. The minions laughed insanely as they ran around the hideout, chased each other with weapons, tossed things, scarfed down food & drink, brawled each other, goofed around, &—in general—caused a big, chaotic mess (complete with garbage & junk flying everywhere). Eunice & Shellington Batly tried to control the madness going on around them, but to no avail. Mouses' crudely-built cell phone was lying on the floor beside the empty throne. [18] As his thugs ran around him, & committed various acts of mischief & mayhem, Mouses was standing in the middle of all the chaos, angry as heck.

You ungrateful swine! Mouses steamed mentally. I took you in after Ratigan reformed, & gave you your jobs back, & this is how you repay me?! I don't know what prompted you into openly opposing me in such a manner, but I'm going to find out, even if I have to torture you for answers! Suddenly, Snotty Sam went up to Mouses, picked his nose, & wiped his mucus on Mouses' face. The crime-lord retched in disgust, then turned to face Sam, & tried to grab him by the tail. Sam was too quick for him, however, & he managed to dash off from Mouses, leaving his ex-master to fall face-first to the floor. At that point, Jaywalk James pulled Mouses' tail, making him yelp in pain as he sprinted to his feet. James also managed to evade Mouses before he could be caught; as he dashed away from his "former" boss, he cackled wickedly. Mouses fumed angrily, snarling in rage. Those bratchnies! Those bloody bratchnies!

Not caring about how Mouses was feeling, the thugs carried on with their uprising. Some of the minions threw garbage & junk at Mouses, hurling insults at him. "We're sick & tired of you bossing us around, Mouses! We're bored under your rule!" Peewee Pete proclaimed, glaring at Mouses as he threw stuff at him (along with Gunsmoke Gary, Snotty Sam, & Jaywalk James).

"Who needs Mouses Fiennes?" Gunsmoke Gary mused mockingly.

Snotty Sam chuckled, & assented meanly, "Yeah! Right on, Gary!" (He let out a snort.) "Who needs Mouses?"

"Down with Mouses!" Jaywalk James cried, pumping his fist into the air. The thugs all clamored in agreement, & continued with their rebellion.

Unable to tolerate this obstinate opposition any longer, Mouses fumed once more, then immediately went to confront his thugs. "Now, you rebellious 'serbs', listen to your master!" Mouses said angrily as he attempted to intervene...before getting hit with rotten tomatoes. The criminal tried to keep his cool, however, as he wiped tomato splatter off his face. Then, smiling "sweetly", Mouses tried to coax the thugs into listening to him: "My dear thugs...your master commands that you kindly settle down right now..."

At that point, Mouses suddenly gasped & ducked to avoid getting hit by Walker, who swung down on a chandelier, barely missing Mouses' head. "We don't need no stinkin' orders from you, Mouses!" Walker declared defiantly, as he rode the light fixture up to the ceiling. Walker landed upon another chandelier, then stood upon it, & turned to face Mouses, smirking defiantly at him as he placed his paws on his hips, & stated bravely, "We got a new leader...Bartholomew!"

Bartholomew was now sprawled out across the seat of Mouses' throne, dressed in some of his own royal garb. He took a swig from a bottle of grape soda, then belched, not having bothered to adopt the meticulous manners of his "predecessor". The newly-appointed leader of Mouses' minions then announced drowsily, "Now, me loyal subjects, yer boss commands ye..."—he yawned, & stretched his limbs out—"...to party like it's Eighteen...Ninety...Nine." With that, Bartholomew closed his eyes, & fell asleep, snoring loudly. His bottle of grape soda fell to the floor with a clatter, its contents spilling out everywhere.

Fed up with his thugs' defiance, Mouses slapped his forehead in irritation, & thought, How DARE they? How DARE those infernal lowlives try to replace me with some insane hierarchy? Meanwhile, the thugs shouted & clamored as they continued to run around Mouses, & commit myriad acts of mischief & mayhem, while garbage, weapons, food, & drink flew everywhere. By this point, Mouses' fury & frustration was so great, he couldn't fight the urge to slap his paw against his forehead repeatedly. Finally, with a moan, Mouses stopped facepalming, before casting a martyred glance to the ceiling as he cried with gnarled hands extended towards the heavens, "Oh, why me? Merciful Dickens, why me?"


Back at the Rat Trap Family Restaurant, the Baker Street Family was sitting at their table, still waiting for their dinner to be served. Basil & his loved ones looked towards the stage as the room's lights darkened, & a timpani began to roll. A pair of bright spotlights came on, moving up to shine upon the stage curtains, as the Rat Trap Emcee boomed, "Ladies & gentlerodents...please welcome Rosie The Ribbiter & Ned The Newt, who will be performing a series of death-defying stunts!" The audience gasped & marveled upon hearing this, eager to see the forthcoming performance. Don The Pianist, Arnie The Drummer, Morey The Trumpet-Player, & Tom The Trombonist smiled as they prepared to play their instruments. This was gonna be a great show!

(CUE MUSIC: "Sabre Dance", from Aram Khachaturian's "Gayane")

Once Arnie brought his drumsticks down to strike the surfaces of his drums, the rest of the Rat Trap Band began playing. The curtains of the Rat Trap stage drew open, & the spotlights moved up to focus on Rosie The Ribbiter & Ned The Newt as they made their entrance, & rode their unicycle down a tightrope across the stage. At first, only Rosie could be seen on the unicycle, but she was soon launched into the air with a mighty push, before landing on her bum upon Ned's supporting arms. Ned struggled to lift Rosie while balancing on his unicycle over the tightrope. As Rosie & Ned rode together, Rosie smiled & waved her tiny, chubby hand to greet the audience. Ned cracked a toothy "grin" of his own, but didn't wave—he had to use both arms in order to support Rosie! Blissfully unaware of Ned's plight, the kids & families in the audience watched the entertainment with wide smiles. They all returned the wave at Rosie.

Ned grunted as Rosie's weight sank down on him a little. The lizard struggled underneath his froggy friend, somehow still managing to keep his balance as he rode his unicycle down the tightrope. As he tried to lift Rosie back up on top of him, Ned glared at her, & whispered irritatedly, "Get off me, Rosie!"

"Sorry, Ned, but it's hard for me to stay on top of you!" Rosie replied with a sheepish smile. Gesturing with her right forefinger & thumb to indicate Ned's size, she added, "You're a tiny, little guy!"

"I can't help it! I was born that way!" Ned growled angrily, continuing to struggle underneath Rosie's weight. After exerting some effort, Ned finally managed to lift Rosie back up. And, so, the smiling Rosie & the grimacing Ned continued to ride their unicycle down the tightrope across the Rat Trap stage.

Moments later, Rosie looked down at her pint-sized partner, & asked him, "Say, Ned...did they just say we're about to do a series of death-defying stunts?"

Ned gulped, before sweating a little as he answered nervously, "Yeah..."

With her face forming a broad smile extending from ear to ear, Rosie looked up from Ned, pointed ahead with her right forefinger, & said happily, "Then, you should be glad we spent all those years training in my family's circus at the bayou!"

Ned looked up in the direction that Rosie was pointing...& let out a scream of terror when he saw that he & Rosie were approaching a ring of fire that surrounded the tightrope! As Rosie & Ned rode their unicycle further down the rope, they ended up jumping through not one, but four, rings of fire! After leaping through the last flaming ring, the two reptiles carried on with their trek. At that point, a red apple fell down from the ceiling, & Rosie reached out to catch it in her hand. The apple was soon followed by a round orange, a golden banana, a lime-green pear, a bunch of blueberries, & a purple plum, all of which Rosie was forced to juggle around in a rotating rainbow of fruit after she put her black vaudeville cane in her mouth.

The juggling Rosie & the straining, struggling Ned continued to ride their unicycle down the tightrope, which was now suspended over a fake sea of choppy, blue wooden waves that "roared" across the stage floor, hiding it from view. A rotating ring of four gray, robotic sharks could be seen circling around, their dorsal fins visible above the crests of the "waves". One of the robotic sharks jumped out from the "ocean" to grab Ned's tail in his fangs, biting & tugging at the end of it. Ned screamed in pain, then suddenly bolted away, freeing his tail in the process. Rosie & the frightened-looking Ned sped down the tightrope as fast as they could, while they tried to evade the wrath of the robotic sharks as they jumped up & down, chomping hungrily at Ned's tail. (All the while, Rosie was still holding her cane in her mouth, & juggling her six rainbow fruits in her hands.)

Now, a large axe blade was swinging back & forth over the tightrope, getting closer & closer towards it as it gently descended from the ceiling. Rosie & Ned's eyes bulged fearfully when they saw the swinging axe in front of them. Thinking quickly, Rosie tossed each of her rainbow fruits into the air, & reached her right hand up to take her cane out of her mouth. One by one, Rosie took the red apple, orange, golden banana, lime-green pear, bunch of blueberries, & purple plum into her mouth, until her cheeks were both completely stuffed with food. This is it! Rosie thought. Here we go! With that, Rosie took her cane, & jumped off the unicycle, while Ned grabbed on tightly to her. Rosie used the hook of her cane like a swinging pole as she & Ned continued riding across the tightrope, with both reptiles looking up as the cane approached the blade of the axe.

Said blade cut across the hook of Rosie's cane, severing it in two. With the destruction of the one thing keeping them aloft, Rosie & Ned fell down towards the stage floor, before landing on their bums on the planked platform. Rosie & Ned then opened their eyes, & looked up with blank stares (with Rosie's cheeks still stuffed with fruit, & the remains of her cane clutched in her left hand). As Ned started to burst into a toothy smile, Rosie gulped down the fruit in her mouth, swallowing it. Then, Rosie held up the remains of her cane in the air, smiling broadly at the audience with an open-mouthed grin. Once again, the Terrific Two had put on another fantastic performance! Ned, still smiling toothily, let his eyes roll back into his head, & fainted to the floor. That had been too close for his comfort!


Meanwhile, back in the sewer lair, Mouses' thugs & minions were still shouting, cackling, yelling, & laughing as they ran around the barrel-throne room, continuing with their rebellion. Eunice & Shellington Batly were still having no success controlling the unruly mob, & Old Blind Joe & the members of the Goodie Gang (with the exception of Bartholomew, who was still fast asleep on Mouses' throne) were still lying bound & gagged on the floor. In short, it was pretty much the exact same situation as it was earlier. Mouses Fiennes was now completely covered in garbage, food, & drink. He fumed angrily, with his face a deep shade of scarlet-red, as his thugs continued to run around, causing the usual acts of mischief & mayhem. Finally, after several seconds, Mouses yelled as he snapped into a sudden outburst of fury. He had had enough of this!

Meanwhile, Bartholomew was still snoring as he lay sprawled out across the seat of Mouses' throne. He woke up with a startled yelp, however, as Mouses stormed over to him, grabbed him up from the throne by the neck, & yanked him into the air. Clutching Bartholomew tightly by the throat to the point where his eyes bulged out, Mouses struggled to refrain from throttling his stout thug as he turned to address the other minions. With a forced smile on his face that didn't exactly hide his less-than-pleasant attitude, Mouses snarled, "My dear, loyal minions...if you do not settle down, & go to your quarters immediately..."—his insane grin turned into an angry, fang-filled frown, & he yelled to be heard above the noise that the thugs were making—"...I can assure you that you'll ALL be in Felicia's stomach!"

(CUE MUSIC: "No. 3 In F Minor", from Franz Schubert's "Musical Moments")

Upon hearing this, the thugs all stopped what they were doing, & fell silent, before turning to face Mouses with wide-eyed, terrified looks. The boss had certainly gotten their attention! With fearful gulps, the thugs & minions rushed out through the doorway of the barrel-throne room, hurrying to make their exit (& thus flee the wrath of Mouses). Once the goons were all gone, Mouses turned to glare at Bartholomew, before releasing the stout little fellow's neck, & letting him fall to the floor. After Bartholomew landed on his bum, he rubbed his backside back & forth with his paws to soothe the aching feeling in it, but not without hearing the following instructions from Mouses: "You, Manchester Maurice, Old Blind Joe, & the rest of the Goodie Gang are going to clean this mess up."

"All of it?" Bartholomew asked, looking up at Mouses in shock.

"Yes," Mouses replied smugly with a smirk, nodding his head. Dismayed to hear this, Bartholomew frowned sadly, & slumped down in dejection, before getting up to gather his friends & the necessary supplies for the job. At the same time, Mouses strolled down the red carpet to the back of the barrel-throne room, then stepped up onto the platform where his throne was. Taking his seat in said throne, Mouses barked at Bartholomew with a gruff glare, "And you had better use the right type of soap!" Now sporting a grumpy frown on his face, Mouses placed his arms on the arms of his chair.

Suddenly, Mouses looked down to his left as he heard the sound of ringing from the cell phone resting by the foot of the throne. Mouses swiftly picked the phone up, & put it to his ear, just in time to hear Agent 001 calling his name. "Ah, hello, Agent 001!" Mouses said to his much-loved minion in a pleasant tone, smiling amiably. "Have you found the location of the Baker Street Family?"

"I followed the tracks of their van," Agent 001 answered. "They lead to the Rat Trap."

"Oh, good, the Rat Trap!" Mouses exclaimed. "I'm in desperate need of a Margarata to quench my thirst, so could you pick one up for me?"

"Well, the place looks packed, but I'll see what I can do," Agent 001 avowed.

"And while you're there," Mouses asked, "could you try to see if you could lure Ratigan & Fidget away from the Baker Street Family, so you can bring them back to the hideout?"

"I'll do my very best, Mouses," Agent 001 avowed.

"Thank you, Agent 001," Mouses said. "You're the tops." With that, Mouses hung up the phone, then leaned back in his throne with a smile. Just then, a thought occurred to Mouses: Wait, the entire Baker Street Family is at the Rat Trap? Why on Mouse Earth would Basil bring his children to a pub? Ah, well, no matter, I suppose...


Having just finished his conversation with Mouses, Agent 001 dialed the number of the Rat Trap to carry out the first of his tasks. When someone from the Rat Trap's office picked up, & asked if they could provide any service, Agent 001 said, "Yes, I need a Margarata. One with extra salt, & go easy on the ice. Send it to the sewer lair. As in, the one by the docks." Listening to the respective responses from the Rat Trap representative, Agent 001 blurted out in a mixture of shock & anger, "WHAT?! What do you mean you don't sell Margaratas anymore?" (Beat.) "A family restaurant?! I have not heard of you being a family restaurant! You're the Rat Trap, the seediest of all riverfront pubs!" (Beat.) "There is no sign above my head that says 'The Rat Trap Family Restaurant'!"

Almost as though this were a cartoon cliché, there was a multicolored blinking sign above Agent 001's head that clearly said "The Rat Trap Family Restaurant" in big, bright letters. But Agent 001 didn't seem to notice, nor did he care as he grunted in rage, before shouting, "You fursons are idiots!" Agent 001 then angrily hung up his phone, before stuffing it into his trousers pocket. What a ditzy dolt! he fumed mentally. Doesn't she have any idea where she works? Well, forget her! Guess I'm going to have to do this the old-fashioned way! With that, Agent 001 ducked back behind the wooden support pole, & proceeded to don the disguise he had brought along with him...



[15] In the film version of GMD 2, Miss Kitty & her sisters meet up with the Baker Street Family after the concert. However, since that technically goes against the "rules" established by my personal fanon, that isn't the case for the fanfiction version of the story.

[16] Of course, this character is a parody of Melissa Manchester, the famous pop singer & songwriter who performed "Let Me Be Good To You" in the original GMD.

[17] The lyrics to this song allude to autism & its symptoms.

[18] Mouses Fiennes is not a big fan of the new technology, & he does his best to keep all traces of it out of his hideout (for fear that it will "soften" his thugs up, & enlighten them to the point where they won't want to work for him anymore). However, Mouses will make an occasional exception, as his use of a cell phone establishes.

Read Before Commenting by SimplySilent

AUTHOR’S NOTES: Ladies & gentlemice...what you are looking at is the (hopefully) final edition of my unofficial “Great Mouse Detective” sequel “A New Beginning”, which, as of 2011, is slowly (but surely!) reaching completion after over 8 years of extensive revising & editing. I want to thank everyone who has read & reviewed this story (with the exception of a few flamers) for their praise, their constructive criticism, & their words of encouragement & support (if not love) for “A New Beginning”, which otherwise wouldn’t have become what it is today. Kudos to all of you!

Now, keep in mind that you are reading the fanfiction version of “A New Beginning”. Yes, my friends, there is another version of the sequel—that which I intend to sell to Disney. (You didn’t think I was gonna give up, did you?) I regret to inform the fans of this story that some changes were made to “A New Beginning” in the “Disney draft”, & one in particular is that there’s no Month Of Change or new technology (&, subsequently, no Anya). Admittedly, it was hard for me to make that decision, but, hopefully, it might “up the ante” & increase my chances of getting “A New Beginning” made by the Walt Disney Company when I (hopefully) join their studios, & pitch the idea to them. But even so, I’d greatly appreciate it if you wished me luck on my potential mission, or at least commended me for pursuing this visionary idea which I so desperately yearn to make a paint-&-ink reality one day. That’s all an aspiring animator can do.

As it stands, though, when you leave a review on “A New Beginning”, try to remember that you’re leaving feedback on a fanfiction that’s more of a springboard for my cinematic idea, rather than the idea itself. (wink) Nonetheless, I do hope you enjoy the (fanfiction version of the) story, & as long as you do not flame or leave nasty comments, you can otherwise review it however you wish, be it through simple comments, constructive criticism, words of absolute adoration, gushing praise, or whatever floats your proverbial boat. And I also hope, if only for the sake of the fanfiction, that after you’re done reading, you might become a fan of “A New Beginning”, & even add this to your list of favorite “Great Mouse Detective” fan-stories (literally &/or figuratively). This is not necessarily a requirement of all my readers, but it would be nice.

And, now, for a (not-so-brief) copyright & disclaimer...

All “Great Mouse Detective” characters, elements, & properties © Disney. And although I’m hoping that the following characters might also become property of Disney one day (hint-hint), they are currently © The Mouse Avenger (that’s me):

Madame Elizabella Ratburn
Pias Nestor
Flip Le Bouffon
Anya DeWalters
Old Mouse Porter
Constable Scott McBrusque (who is slightly modeled after Chief McBrusque from the third “American Tail” movie)
Miriam Richards
“Jaywalk” James Clarke
Olga Mousekewitz
Sergei Alexei Andrei Korsmakoff, alias Agent 001
Eunice Karlin
Shellington Batly
Mouses Fiennes
Miss Leesha, Mr. Gordon, & their four mouselings (Doug, Fran, Russell, & Wendy)
Grandma Kayley & Grandpa Malcolm Flaversham
Cousin Timmy Flaversham
Mother Mary Caulfield
P.R. Altoid
Josie & Jenny Richardson
All the members of the Merchiorre family
Amergin Burgess
Nate Gregson
Professor Phineas Doppler
Professor Carl Gibson
Bessie Colemouse
Cecelia & Martino Green
Chutzpah The Squirrel
Coucou Cacheau
Monsieur Victor Claudius
Sophocles Braveheart
Evian Anderson
Takumi Mitsubishi
Cecil B. DeMont
Madame Angelina Flaherty
Captain Amelia Gripling
Sergeant Howard Bloomsbury
General Cato Woodsey
Lieutenant John Ranier
George & Chester Cheeseman
“Slick” Willie Ford
Jellybean Jameson
Larry Grossmouse
Victoria Holmesington
Melissa Mousechester
Henry & Blanca Mousini
Baby Fuschia Holmesington

The following characters are based on minor or bit characters who appear in the original GMD, & thus technically belong to Disney, but I claim ownership to the names & personalities I created for them:

:bulletred: Jemediah Fieldson (the old mouse with the broken leg who tells Ratigan off during the Diamond Jubilee scene)
:bulletred: Walker DeBeaumont (one of Ratigan’s thugs who appear during the “World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” song-scene—he’s the one standing closest to Ratigan’s right when the thugs sing “You mean it?”)
:bulletred: “Snotty” Sam Fitzgerald (one of Ratigan’s thugs who appear during the “World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” song-scene—he’s the one standing farthest from Ratigan’s right when the thugs sing “You mean it?”)
:bulletred: Bill The Lizard, Red Robertson, & Ernest “Snakes” Henshaw (the three thugs who are often seen hanging out together)
:bulletred: “Gunsmoke” Gary Mousedale (one of Ratigan’s thugs who appear during the “World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” song-scene—he’s the one standing on Ratigan’s right, between Walker & Snotty Sam, when the thugs sing “You mean it?”; he also appears in the part where the thugs are seen cheering after Ratigan ends the song’s opening monologue, & whenever the thugs are shown reacting to Ratigan’s ‘sob story’)
:bulletred: Terry & Thomas Farrell (two of Ratigan’s thugs who appear during the “World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” song-scene—they appear with Bill in his first shot, while Ratigan starts talking to the thugs about his plan [Terry’s the muscular mouse whacking a club in his paw, & Thomas is the stout mouse holding a beer mug])
:bulletred: “Peewee” Pete Colemouse (one of Ratigan’s thugs who appear in the scene where the bad guys are all laughing at Basil—he’s the shrimpy thug in blue, seen standing next to Red & Bill, after we cut away from Fidget)
:bulletred: “Manchester” Maurice Favell (doesn’t appear in the movie, but does appear in the GMD storybook in place of his brother Bartholomew)
:bulletred: “Old Blind Joe” McDowell (one of Ratigan’s thugs who is seen on Felicia’s back in the scene where Ratigan reveals his plan—he’s the thug sitting up front, with the eye patch)
:bulletred: Cathy Sheridan (the poker-playing lady who blows smoke in Dr. Dawson’s face at the Rat Trap)
:bulletred: Mrs. Deborah Wellington & her son Joey (two of the mice in the crowd of Jubilee attendees at Buckingham Palace—they’re the mother mouse in blue & the little boy with the beanie on his head, respectively)
:bulletred: Sophie Winterley (one of the mice in the crowd of Jubilee attendees at Buckingham Palace—she’s the plump, blonde-haired mouse in blue with the purple umbrella)
:bulletred: Ben Flaherty (one of the mice in the crowd of Jubilee attendees at Buckingham Palace—he’s the red-haired mouseling in the mustard-colored jacket, seen in the first shot of Jemediah Fieldson)
:bulletred: Evelyn Rosedale (the barmaid at the Rat Trap)
:bulletred: Auburn Patterson (the bartender of the Rat Trap)
:bulletred: Don The Pianist (one of the members of the Rat Trap Band)
:bulletred: Arnie The Drummer (same as above)
:bulletred: Morey The Trumpet-Player (same as above)
:bulletred: Tom The Trombonist (same as above)
:bulletred: Jerry The Guitar Player (same as above)
:bulletred: Jiggy The Juggling Octopus (one of the entertainers at the Rat Trap)
:bulletred: Rosie The Ribbiter (the fat frog with the bowler & cane who serves as one of the Rat Trap entertainers—&, yes, before anyone asks, I changed the character’s gender)
:bulletred: Ned The Newt (the skinny little fellow at the Rat Trap who’s seen riding on the unicycle [& struggling to carry Rosie at the same time!])

Please be sure to ask for my permission before using the characters listed above, & if you do so, I will be more than happy to let you use them in your stories &/or roleplayings.

And, now, ladies & gentlemice, without further ado, I present to you...the final (fanfiction) version of “The Great Mouse Detective 2: A New Beginning”! Happy reading!

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Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

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

Stamp: Please Comment by SimplySilent  Love Comments Stamp by Garetiem  Stamp: Critique Please by SimplySilent
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Disneyfangirl774's avatar
Oh, yeah! I remember the frog, newt, and octopus. :D I thought the frog was a boy, but oh, well. :shrug: