The Great Mouse Detective: A mouse detective, a mouse doctor, and a human mouse

Ready for an adventure

Lightning and thunder crashed in collision together while the portrait of Professor Ratigan's infamous signature grin still remained on top of the fireplace.

Olivia had told Basil her entire story of the events that took place during her father's abduction, while Dawson held her by the shoulders.

"This case is most intriguing with it's multiplicity of elements, it's many twists and turns," Basil spoke with a wide grin on his face, holding his pipe. He turned back to the little girl. "Now, you're certain you told me everything? The slightest detail may be important."

"It's just as I said, and then my father was gone," Olivia explained.

"So, what do you think?" Borra asked Basil, who began puffing away on his pipe.

"Mmm, Ratigan's up to something. A crime of the most sinister nature no doubt," Basil said, turning to walk up the small flight of stairs near the window. Olivia followed behind him.

"The question is...what would he want with a toymaker?" He questioned as he put the smoking pipe back to his lips once more, thinking deeply of what Ratigan's motives intend for Olivia's father.

Suddenly a shadow loomed over the window, and thunder boomed outside as a lightning bolt lit up the window. Looking up, Olivia screamed when she saw a devilishly grinning Fidget hanging upside down.

"Aaaaaagggghhhh!" Olivia screamed.

Startled, Basil turned around and caught sight of the bat. Fidget became scared himself due to Olivia's screams, but then he fell clumsily off the windowpane.

"Quickly Dawson, Borra, we've not a moment to lose!" called Basil, as he went straight to the door to open it and rushed out into the night.

"Oh, um, I'm right behind you Basil!" Though baffled, Dawson did as he was told and followed the detective.

"I'm coming too!" Borra rushed outside to follow them

Hurriedly exiting the house, the trio of mice made their way outside to the pavement and right in front of the building. But there was no trace or sign of Fidget at all.

Basil looked around, baffled that the one-legged bat had vanished. Dawson and Borra caught up to him not long after.

"No sign of the blackguard anywhere," Dawson stated.

Darn it, he's gone!" Borra snapped as he stomped his foot. "We just lost that bad guy!"

Then Basil noticed something on the pavement and lowered himself to the ground to examine them. "Not quite, you two. He left some rather unusual footprints."

There before them lay a trail of muddy footprints all across the pavement, though what made them unusual was there was only one foot print and the other was a small round circle, meaning this definitely told he had a peg leg.

"They obviously belong to the same fiend who abducted the girl's father. Ratigan's peg-legged lackey," he said.

Something caught Dawson's eye and bent down to pick it up. It was a black cap that had belonged to Fidget. "Uh, Basil?"

Hearing this, Basil looked up and grasped the object in his hands as he cried, "Aha" He examined the cape briefly with his magnifying glass. "Excellent work, old man!" He laughed triumphantly before running back to the house, leaving a baffled Dawson and Borra behind.

Back inside the house, Mrs. Judson was comforting Olivia from the sudden shock of events as she gently patted her head. "Now, there's nothing to be afraid of, my dear."

Just then, Basil came running toward them, forcing Mrs. Judson to pull Olivia out of the way of the stampeding detective, and glared at Basil for not being more careful about whether he would have run into the little girl. Dawson and Borra trailed after him not long after.

"The scoundrel's quite gone," Dawson assured the little girl.

Basil interrupted in an over enthusiastic voice, "But not for long, Miss Flamhammer!"

"Flaversham!" Olivia corrected him in annoyance.

"Whatever. Now..." he said, tossing his robe aside and pulled out a brown jacket from inside a grandfather clock and put it on. "We simply pursue our peg-legged friend until he leads us to the girl's father."

"Then you'll get my daddy back?!" Olivia cried excitedly, leaping over and grabbing Basil by the waist in an affectionate hug.

This caught Basil off by surprise as he squeaked, "Yes!" But he was not impressed by Olivia's actions as he slid her off and out of his grasp, "And quite soon, if I'm not mistaken," he said, simply buttoned his jacket. Walking down the staircase, Basil grabbed his inverness coat off a standing knight and slid it on. "Now hurry along, Dawson, Borra. We must be off to...Toby's."

"Toby's?" Dawson and Borra questioned.

"Oh, you two must meet him. He's just the chap for this," said Basil, as he buttoned up his coat and put on his deerstalker hat.

"You-you want me to come?" Dawson asked, wanting to know if he was serious.

"Ha!" Basil wiped clean his magnifying glass on his arm. "I should think a stouthearted army mouse like yourself would leap at the chance of adventure."

Dawson chuckled heartily, saying, "Well, I am rather curious."

"And you want me to come too? Are you serious?" Borra inquired.

"For me, I think a young Filipino mouse like yourself should enjoy your freedom now that you're not in your country anymore. You're a very lucky one." Basil chuckled, "You should discover new things outside of the country. Just for a change for you."

"Oh well, I don't want to stay here and do nothing, except worrying about my problems back home, could I?" The tween mouse chuckled, putting his hood on again. "Then again, I miss my father." He said in his thoughts.

"Wait for me, I'm coming too!" Olivia cried, rushing by and grabbing her bat from the red chair where it was tucked under the violin.

In the process, it caused the violin to slip and fall. Basil gasped, and dived forward to catch it before it made impact with the floor. "What? Certainly not! This is no business for women or children," he said, carefully setting the violin back on the chair.

"Are we going to take a cab?" Olivia asked and began stuffing several cheese crumpets in her pocket for later.

Sighing, Basil put a hand to his forehead. Then he tried a more pleasant approach to make the young female mouse listen to reason. "My dear..." He took her hand to make her turn around and face him. "I don't think you understand. It will be quite..." as he said this he sat down, "dangerous."

A loud crunching sound was heard from behind him the second he sat down. Basil's eyes widened in shock. Olivia looked just as surprised as he was.

Grunting, Basil pulled the busted and broken violin out from beneath him. He glared bitterly at Olivia. "Why you...look at my...my..." Basil took a deep breath, trying to control his rage. Then a strange grin spread across his face as Basil spoke in a growling voice, "Young lady..." his volume and his temper rose as he stood up towering the slightly scared Olivia, "You are most definitely not accompanying us! And that is final!" he shouted, stomping his foot.

"So, it's just a broken violin. What's the big deal? You could buy another one." Borra suggested.

"Borra, this is not just an ordinary violin. This violin is my gift!" Basil yelled, "I can't just replace it with another one."

Borra groaned and rolled his eyes as he snatched the broken violin from Basil's hand, "My father was once a fixer and carpenter, maybe I can fix this."

"You can?"

"I should see what I can do to this thing after this dilemma is over."