Darla and the Mystery of the Night Monster

chapter 4

"Nellie Brie, you remind me of a female Basil of Baker Street sometimes." Cherry commented.

"Well... Thank you, I suppose," Nellie replied.

They soon stopped.

"What's wrong?" Fievel asked Nellie out of concern.

"I shop here... I know the owner..." Nellie replied. "Or rather... I used to."

"Whoa," Lionel commented. "Looks like the monster made a stop over here and decided to do some extreme renovation."

"Guys... S-Something's moving..." Fievel began to feel scared. "It's the monster!"

"No, I don't think so," Cherry said. "It's okay, Fievel."

Atticus got ready to fight just in case and soon came out a mouse from underneath the shambles of the store before he glared around.

"Back for more, is he?!" The mouse glared while coming out of the wreck.

"Well, good to know somebody's still here!" Lionel noted.

"Mr. Haggis, you're alive!" Nellie beamed and hugged the mouse.

"What else would I be?" The mouse replied.

"Dead?" Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Ah, not likely, lassie," The mouse said to her. "It'll take more than that old banshee to peck Old Haggis off to the Pearly Gates!"

"Must be Olivia's uncle or something." Cherry muttered since this mouse was Scottish like Olivia and her father.

"Seems likely," Atticus replied. "I take it you were attacked by the monster as well, sir?"

"Aye..." Haggis nodded. "Came up through the floor like Nessie herself, breakin' the surface of Loch Ness! Nuthin' but teeth and fins!"

"Say hello to this evening's nightmare, Fievel." Cherry deadpanned.

"Another different description..." Lionel remarked, writing it down.

"How'd you get away from it?" Fievel asked the Scottish mouse.

"By fightin' the blasted thing with my own paws, that's how!" Haggis replied. "I was just startin' a wee batch of shortbread when I grabbed the batch of butter and poured it right down the beasty's mouth!"

"And then what happened?" Cherry replied.

"See for yerself." Haggis said as he went to show them the damage.

Lionel noticed a large clump of burnt gray fur on the ground. "Phooooo-ey!" he gagged, pinching his nose.

"Yuck! Do you smell that?" Fievel grimaced.

"I certainly do, it's positively putrid," Nellie replied before she took out a stick to check it out. "Well, then... Here we go."

"Repulsive..." Cherry muttered. "I think I have the flu again."

"Close, but no," Lionel replied. "Also, a couple whiffs of Tabasco sauce will clear those sinuses. Besides, that's burnt fur! Which means this monster isn't what we think!"

Nellie kept poking it before smiling. "Ah, he's right, just a run of the mill, spit up by a house cat, hairball! Start drawing, Fievel."

Fievel then smiled and began to sketch out the hairball in his notepad.

"A break in the case, everyone!" Atticus smiled. "We're back on track!"

"Great observation, Nancy." Cherry approved.

"I'll ignore that..." Atticus remarked. "Anyways...c'mon!"

They soon went to keep going with their investigation of the Night Monster that threatened the poor mice.