Flash Gopher and the Micro Rays

It was Saturday morning and my sister-in-law Eliza had gone to visit her brother Denzel over at Butterglove Lodge. She goes across every couple of weeks to give Denzel and Samantha a day off from their quads. On this occasion, Cecile, Beverley and little Russell had accompanied her. Merlin was elsewhere in our house leaving me with Brendan, Orton and Snorker.

Brendan was enthusing about one of his Christmas presents, an activity book tied in to his favourite television show. Yes, you know the one. Flash Gopher. He was reading snippets aloud, showing Orton some of the themed puzzles and the prospective craft work to create facsimile props as used by the actors. Orton began by simply showing polite interest (although co-opted into the game, it's more Brendan and Lucky Snow-Warren's infatuation) but I could see the lad becoming infected with Brendan's enthusiasm. 

"Look at this," said Brendan. "Plans for Flash's jump-car. Just think if Mink the Muckiless had one like it..."

 

"Mm," said Orton. "Does it say how it flies?"

"No. I suppose some bits need to stay secret."

The conversation was interrupted with the entrance of Merlin. He looked almost as excited as Brendan.

 

"I've got to show this to someone. Come through to the Cauldron."

He disappeared back through the door and the boys looked at me. A brief pause and they scrambled to follow him.

 

"Coming, Pappa!" Orton called.

 

I followed more sedately, although my curiosity was rapidly mounting.

o 0 O 0 o

The Cauldron was the nickname for Merlin's kitchen. When he wasn't reading or engaged in librarian duties, my brother liked to be inventive in the culinary arts. He would share his creations - always tasty and something eagerly anticipated. 

Butterglove House has been in our family for generations and currently both Merlin and I live here with our families. Being such a close family we have no real issues living together but we had to admit scheduling the use of a single kitchen and bathroom was a challenge at times. 

Now, there have been modifications and extensions to the house over the years. The most recent was prompted by a suggestion from Merlin. We agreed the idea to extend the rear of the house to add an extra kitchen made sense, and that is how the Cauldron came into being. 

 

Henry-Lloyd Construction were engaged and Merlin played a large part in specifying the design, liaising with their senior architect Hector Corntop. Hector had seniority following the resignation of his friend and colleague - Cecile's brother, Rowan Ivory.

Bamboo Builders did the actual building with Bertram Bamboo liaising with Henry Corntop. Diego Woolly and Slick Slydale were the primary bricklayers and were heavily involved throughout the construction.

 

Milton Chocolate was engaged to do the decorating.

Mice and Clean - represented by the Hazelwood brothers - dealt with the additional water supply and laying of extra sewer pipes.

Perry Babblebrook did all the internal plumbing. In fact he's done it twice - once when the kitchen was built and again when Merlin and Eliza decided that the original sink unit was too basic. The second time they decided to site the replacement beneath the window figuring it would be nice to view the wildlife whilst they were washing up.

 

Like our kitchen, the Cauldron does have a table for eating away from the dining room. In Merlin's case, this proves ideal to give him a little privacy with Eliza. Also, since Orton joined the family, time there helped him bond with the couple who would become his surrogate parents.

It has freed up some space in the dining room too. I'm not claiming sole use (Merlin and Eliza eat there when they invite guests) but it is less cramped than it would be now that our children have grown.  

With Merlin's excitement I expected either a new gadget or the sharing of an brand new culinary delight.

o 0 O 0 o

Merlin took us through to his kitchen and we saw there was someone waiting. Our brother, my twin - Newton Butterglove.

"Newt," I said in greeting.

"Jackson. Boys," he said in response. 

Merlin was beaming, an arm extended to one of the worktops. "Look what Newton has given me as a belated Christmas gift. It's a microwave!"

"It's for you and Eliza, and it's from Audrey as well as me," said Newton gathering his tools. "I've installed it into your secondary power ring." 

 

"Yes, yes," said Merlin dismissively, then realised he was being impolite. "Sorry, Newt. Thank you." He then addressed me. "But isn't it great? It is the first one in Mellowdene."

"It's SRG approved," explained Newton. "We should see more become available, but I thought you'd like one as soon as the Research Group okay-ed the technology."

"What does it do?" I asked.

"It's a type of oven that generates microwaves," said Merlin. "It will help with my veg prep and all sorts. It cooks things faster too."

Newton smiled, happy at our older brother's reaction. And yet, I was distracted by some rapid whispering from the boys - mainly Brendan.

"What are you two whispering about?" I said.

Brendan turned, wide-eyed. "It's the micro rays thing. I've been reading about it in my book."

"Your Flash Gopher book?"

Brendan began to get quite animated. "Yes! Micro rays are what powers Flash's ray pistol. The one that makes people good. Pyoo pyoo and he wins against the army of Mink the Muckiness. Dr Skunkov invented a generator to charge the pistol. And here it is in the Cauldron."

In this longstanding role play game, Lucky Snow-Warren adopted the role of Flash Gopher and Brendan played the evil Mink.

"I was telling him that it's a microwave," said Orton. "Waves not rays. Different."

"And yet light can be considered as both waves and rays," commented Newton.

"Probably not helping," I muttered, aware of the potential of Brendan's imagination.

"You see?" said Brendan. "I am Mink the Muckiness. If I can sabotage the micro ray generator, then Flash won't have his power over me."

"You won't be playing with the microwave, Brendan," I said firmly.

"Oh, okay. I guess I won't need to. I just need to stop Flash getting to it to recharge his pistol. That's how it works. The book says so."

Merlin looked at Orton. "And who are you supposed to be in all of this?

"Mink's advisor, General Octon," said Orton sheepishly.

"Then advise Mink not to play in my kitchen."

"Looking at Brendan's book, it seems Mink doesn't always take advice."

Newton stepped forward and aimed a power drill at Brendan.

 

"Pyoo pyoo. You've been goodified."

Brendan stared, confused by this uncharacteristic behaviour by my boffin of a brother. "Uncle Newt?"

"Also known as Professor Newtov, colleague of Dr Hans Skunkov. Henceforth you will be known as Mink the Mild Mannered."

Orton laughed. "As your advisor I advise you to give up, mighty Mink."

From the side of my mouth I whispered to my twin, "How do you know about Flash Gopher? Are you a secret fan?"

"Hardly. The Sylvanian Research Group provided technical advisers to the show's production company. I went on set a couple of times. Don't tell Brendan."

Brendan had turned to leave, his shoulders slumped. I saw him pause, smile at Orton and say something. I only caught a few words but it explained the smile.

"...effect is only temporary."

o 0 O 0 o

Fun on the Seaside Cruiser (Part 2) - The Quest

The story so far:

Morgan and Isla Hopscotch are aboard their houseboat Seaside Cruiser and they are slowly travelling downriver. They are accompanied both by their grandchildren Freya and Coco Chocolate  and by their wards Grady and Esther Chocolate.

The children have a copy of a map supplied by Captain Horatio Seadog and it seems to show an island surrounded by a circle of numbers - plus a riddle. Attempting to interpret the riddle, the children have concluded that they have to determine four particular numbers and these will be supplied by four Sylvanians who live or work near the river. So far they think they've identified three of the four people they need to meet. These are Beth Puddleford, river warden Wade Waters and fisherman Clayton Spotter...

 

o 0 O 0 o

Mrs Beth Puddleford was clearly expecting them. 

 

"I would have called you if you hadn't stopped," she said.

Isla winked at her. "Oh, the children are good at puzzles."

"Then do they know what they need from me?" said Beth.

"We think so," said Esther. "Do you have a number to tell us, please?"

"I do. Twenty-one. Make sure you remember it."

Coco looked at the map and the numbers encircling the island. "Got it."

o 0 O 0 o

They later came across Wade Waters, taking a break from his duties keeping the river bank safe. He had a further number. Ten.

 

 

The children thanked him and then they filed back aboard to resume their journey.

"Half way there," said Freya.

"So who are we looking for next?" asked Morgan.

"Clay Spotter, we think," said Freya.

"But there should be someone else too," said Coco.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Morgan chuckled.

o 0 O 0 o

They did find Clay Spotter, fishing as one might suspect. The children clambered over the rocks to reach him. 

 

He gave them the number seven so that they could mark it on the map and then he asked them how they were doing.

"We need one more number," said Freya.

"Ah well," said Clay, "I'm sure you'll meet someone else before you leave Mellowdene's waters."

"Do you only have the one number," asked Coco, "'cause if you have the other one..."

"Nice try," said Clay, "but Horatio only gave me a single number and a request to watch out for you. Besides, you'll get more fun if you do it properly."

"Maybe," said Coco. "Thanks Mister Spotter."

o 0 O 0 o 

The journey continued but no other names came to mind. Isla had taken the wheel to give Morgan a rest. Grady was up front too, surveying the river ahead.

 

"You seem to be doing well with the riddle," said Morgan.

"Well, it's good we've got three numbers, but we need a fourth for two lines to cross and find the treasure," said Coco.

"We still don't know that it is treasure, dear," Isla called back. "It says 'happiness' in the rhyme."

"I'd be happy with treasure," said Grady.

 

"That's not my point," said Coco. "We are travelling down the river and we might miss the fourth person before we figure out the clue."

Isla nodded, peering ahead from her place at the wheel. "That's a fair point. I was thinking it was about time we stopped a while. There looks to be a decent place coming up. Your grandad and I will take a break there and we can all work on the clue."

o 0 O 0 o

The Seaside Cruiser came to rest near a small pooled area and everyone gathered to discuss matters.

"We've spoken to Mister Waters, Mister Spotter and Mrs Puddleford. I can't see another hidden name," said Coco.

 

"We're not going to solve it, are we?" said Esther, and she and her brother plonked themselves down in disappointment.

"I don't know," said Freya, frowning. "Look at that mark on the paper between the words 'green' and 'waters'. Could it be a comma?" 

She glanced expectantly at her grandmother but no advice was forthcoming. Her cousins, sensing hope, were more helpful.

"That might mean 'green' could be something separate," said Esther, coming to her feet.

"The village green?" said Grady, "Who would we ask there?"

 

"Lena Dandelion's daddy keeps the grass tidy," said Freya.

"But we've left the village green far behind," said Coco. We've missed the last number!"

Morgan spoke up. "I don't think Denzel Dandelion is the answer, Coco, given all the other people have river connections."

 

"I think we need our minds to relax and see if any ideas come naturally," said Isla, standing and going to the door. "Anyway, I think we have a visitor." 

There was indeed a visitor. The pooled area was home to the Bullrush frog family and the father - Walter - was coming to pay his respects. 

"Hello Morgan, Isla, children," he said. "Horatio said you might call. Were you wanting something from me? A number perhaps?"

He turned his smiling emerald visage to the children. They didn't vocalise it but they had the same thought - face green! They nodded and managed to get the words out - "yes please, Mister Bullrush." 

"Okay," said Walter. "You need the number thirteen." 

When the excitement subsided they returned to the map and their spirits dropped. The number Walter provided wasn't what they expected. 

 

Connecting the four numbers, the two lines intersected to the side of the island. If X marked the spot, it was in the water. Furthermore, in the excitement to mark that spot they had forgotten an important fact. Nobody recognised the shape of the island.

"Do you know that island, Mister Bullrush?" asked Esther.

"I'm afraid not," he said, "It's nowhere around here. Maybe there's another clue written somewhere."

"All the other clues are in the poem," said Grady, "so maybe we need to take another look."

 

Morgan chuckled. "I see it. Look at the first line, children."

Coco read it out. "If I should swap land for the sea..."

 

Freya squealed. "It's not an island. It's a lake. The Lake!"

 

o 0 O 0 o

You may think this isn't a particularly adventurous name for a body of water and of course it isn't. It undoubtedly has other names but "The Lake" suffices for most native born Mellowdenians as they don't tend to travel too far. Because of its relative proximity they will have only seen this one lake and a more specific name would have been considered pointless. However, for your benefit perhaps a little bit of geography is in order.

The river bordering Mellowdene County continues a way further and then it forks. Most refer to the left fork as East River and this route finds its way to the sea, passing the communities of Whisper Wood and Thistledown. The right fork (South River) takes a little longer to reach the sea bearing southeast, and this is the regular route Captain Seadog follows to reach the coastal waters that in turn leads to Possum Creek. About a third of the way along South River there is another fork, and this narrower water course leads to the large body of fresh water called The Lake.

On the move again, the Seaside Cruiser chugged past Tall Tree Forest and with that, Mellowdene Country was behind them. The rabbits enjoyed the scenery, sang songs and kept an eye out for the first fork in the river. They were on their way!

 

Eventually they reached the second fork...

 

...leading to the placid lake itself.

 

 

It wouldn't be long until they got to their destination.

o 0 O 0 o

Morgan steered the cruiser towards that part of the shore nearest to the spot marked on the map. 

 

 

The boat was secured and they went ashore. 

 

As soon as they were on dry land, they followed what seemed an established trail.

 

Before too long, Esther spotted a small cabin. She pointed it out to the others.

"Yes, that's the place," Coco said, referring to the map and in response the children walked just a little quicker.

"What could be inside?" said Freya.

"Something to make you happy, I expect," said Isla for she had caught sight of movement within the cabin. When two figures emerged, Freya and Coco squealed with joy and the other children chuckled in that reflected happiness.

It was Frasier's parents - Rhys and Patricia - and they held out their arms for their grandchildren. 

 

They had secretly returned from their extended holiday and been made aware that Freya and Coco had particularly missed them.

 

Coco summarised it best when he said, "You see, it was a treasure map!"

o 0 O 0 o

Teri finished the tale, saying how Rhys and Patricia had a picnic feast awaiting.

 

Morgan Hopscotch had learned from Horatio Seadog that he was due to transport the Chocolate grandparents back to Mellowdene. When Isla had been told of this she had suggested that all four grandparents should do something special to cheer up the children, something fun to engage them. They went back to Horatio and he had hatched the idea of the treasure map and riddle. He had secured the help of the other villagers. 

As for Grady and Esther, they were kept in the dark so that they could enjoy the quest alongside their distant cousins. Their prize was not only to see the joy of the reunion; it was ensured that the feast included their favourite food.

 

 

"Rhys and Patricia have finished their holiday, then?" asked Cecile. "How long has it been?"

"Nearly two months, but now they're home," said Frasier. "They took lots of photographs. I foresee a few evenings of slide shows."

 "A few evenings?" I asked.

 

"It was a LOT of photographs," said Teri.

"We might need a holiday to recover," laughed Frasier, "Do you think your parents might give us a berth on the Seaside Cruiser?"

 

"I suppose that 'before the slide show' is out of the question," said Teri, a smile tugging at her mouth.

 

You see? We're not the only silly family in Mellowdene. 

o 0 O 0 o