Christmas Quest by Jennifer Gray & Amanda Swift

Author:Jennifer Gray & Amanda Swift [Gray, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Published: 2013-11-23T16:00:00+00:00

6

mountain mission

‘What’s this?’

Fuzzy and Coco were back in the cabin playing on Mummy’s phone with the Agoutis when a message came through on Micespace.

The guinea pigs crowded round.

Buenos tardes, amigos! It is I, Eduardo.

‘That’s odd,’ Fuzzy frowned. ‘I didn’t know Eduardo had a mobile phone.’

‘He doesn’t,’ Coco said. She tried to sit down beside Fuzzy but slipped over because her fur was so silky from the mud bath. ‘Only ski poles.’

‘And he doesn’t know how to get on to Micespace without me.’ Fuzzy scratched his crest. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was Renard up to his old tricks.’

‘Renard?’ Coco said. ‘But he’s in the copse, back in England.’

‘Hmm,’ Fuzzy said. ‘Maybe he’s tipped off a pal. We’d better be careful.’

Where are you? he typed.

Hanging out at the top of the mountain with a friend, came the reply.

Bernardo snorted. ‘It’s definitely not Eduardo,’ he said unkindly. ‘He doesn’t have any friends.’

Coco glared at him. ‘Yes, he does,’ she snapped. ‘He’s got me and Fuzzy.’

‘That’s right,’ Fuzzy agreed. Sounds fun, he typed. He winked at Coco. What’s your friend’s name?

There was a pause.

Dronco.

‘Dronco?’ Coco exclaimed. ‘That’s a funny name for a guinea pig.’

‘It’s a funny name for anyone,’ Fuzzy said thoughtfully. He grabbed a bit of paper and a pencil. Quickly he scribbled down the letters that made up the name Dronco:

O … D … C … N … O … R.

‘Why have you muddled them up?’ Coco asked, puzzled.

‘So that I can see if they make another word,’ Fuzzy explained. ‘It’s called an anagram. They use them in crosswords. I want to find out who it is we’re really talking to. I’ve got a bad feeling it isn’t Eduardo.’

Coco stared at the letters. It was true. When you mixed them up you could make different words out of them.

‘Codron?’ she suggested.

‘Nodroc?’ Bernardo tried to help.

Fuzzy shook his head. He looked grim. He circled each letter one by one with the pencil:

C … O … N … D … O … R.

‘The condor!’ Bernardo whispered.

‘Oh no!’ Coco gulped. ‘The condor’s got Eduardo.’

All the guinea pigs started squeaking. They knew what the word condor meant. It was the same in Spanish and English.

‘We’ll pretend we don’t know it’s really him,’ Fuzzy said. ‘See what he wants.’ Dronco sounds cool! he typed.

Yeah, he’s great! He’s going to help me get the cocoa bean. And he’s organizing a Christmas feast at the top of the mountain. He wants you all to come.

Coco and Fuzzy glanced at one another. ‘I bet he does!’ Coco muttered.

Sure! Fuzzy typed back. We’ll be there. He switched off the phone.

‘Are you crazy?’ Bernardo said. ‘The only thing on the menu at the condor’s Christmas feast will be guinea pig.’

‘I know,’ Fuzzy said. ‘But we have to help Eduardo.’

‘Of course we do!’ Coco agreed. ‘He’s rescued me twice from the fox. Now it’s our turn to rescue him from the condor.’

‘Count me out!’ Bernardo said. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

‘But he’s your cousin!’ Coco insisted. ‘And it’s Christmas! You can’t just do nothing.

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