I have story for you

    • I have story for you

      MARCEL AND THE WHITE STAR


      …


      ..


      .




      [FONT=&amp]Marcel is a French mouse who is a very fine secret[/FONT]

      [FONT=&amp]detective. Thieves steal the famous White Star[/FONT]

      [FONT=&amp]diamond ring which belongs to the opera singer, Zaza[/FONT]

      [FONT=&amp]Dupont. But Marcel is determined to return it to her.[/FONT]


    • [FONT=&amp] Marcel is a French mouse. He lives on a beautiful old[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]boat in Paris. (His home is under the kitchen floor.) He[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]likes books, restaurants and old films. He likes the[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]opera, too.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]One evening in June, Marcel finishes a detective story.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Then he goes to have dinner with some friends. They[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]live in the metro station at the Louvre.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]After dinner, Marcel waits at the,station. He sees two[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]men standing next to him. The tall one is reading a[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]magazine, “Look,” he says, “here she is: ‘Opera star[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Miss Zaza Dupont with her beautiful one million[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]pound diamond ring — the White Star.’”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]“‘Her’ beautiful diamond ring?” The short man looks[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]at the photo and laughs. “Not after tonight,” he says.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Marcel’s mouth opens. “What?! Are the men going to[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]steal Zaza Dupont’s diamond?”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]He remembers an evening at the opera two weeks[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]before. Zaza’s green dress. The music. The beautiful[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]White Star on her finger. No! They can’t steal it![/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]The train comes and the men get on. Marcel pulls[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]down his hat and follows them.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Half an hour later he gets off again at La Mouette[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]station. But there are hundreds of people, and Marcel[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]loses the two men. Then he sees an old mouse. “Excuse[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]me,” he says. “Do you know where Zaza Dupont[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]lives?” But when Marcel finds Zaza’s house, it is too[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]late. “Yes — two men,” she is telling the police on the[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]telephone. “And they've got the White Star.[/FONT][FONT=&amp].”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]At that moment Marcel hears a motor start. “Where’s[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]that coming from?” he thinks. Then he sees something[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]at the end of the road. It's them! It's the thieves and[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]they’re stealing a car! He runs across Zaza’s garden[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]and down the street. He can see the car’s numberplate. It’s near. Very near. “Can I …?” he thinks, and[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]he jumps.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Yes!! Marcel sits on the number-plate. “Good,” he[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]thinks. Then, after a second or two… “But what[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]happens now?”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]The thieves drive across Paris very fast. Marcel can[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]hear them in the car. They are laughing and talking.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]But Marcel is not laughing. He is very, very angry.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]After half an hour the car stops next to a café.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]It is late and the cafe is quiet. In one corner there is a[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]woman. The thieves sit at her table. Marcel sits under[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]the table and listens. “Have you got it?” the woman[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]asks. The tall man takes a box from his jacket. Then he[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]opens it. “Look,” he says. “Ahhh!” The woman puts a[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]hand to her mouth. “What a beautiful diamond!” “This[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]is it,” thinks Marcel. “This is the moment..”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]He bites the tall man’s leg very hard. “Aiiieee!” The tall[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]man throws up his arms. The box and the White Star[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]fly across the room. “What’s that on the floor?” one[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]waiter asks. “I don’t know,” says another. “Is it ... ? No,[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]it can’t be a diam…” But before he can finish, Marcel[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]runs across the room. He puts the White Star around[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]his neck. Then he runs to the door.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]The thieves jump up and follow him. Suddenly there[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]are tables and chairs everywhere. “What’s happening?”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]an old man asks. “I don’t know,” his wife answers.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]“Who can understand young people these days?”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]“Stop that mouse!” says the tall man. “Shut the door!”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]says the short one. But they are too late. Marcel runs[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]out of the cafe and does not look back.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]After ten minutes he stops. There is nobody following[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]him, but… where is he? Marcel looks right and left.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Then he sees a big, white church. “Ah! — the Sacré[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Coeur,” he thinks. “Now I know where I am.”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]It is late and there are no metro trains, but Marcel is[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]not tired. He walks back to Zaza’s house. When he[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]gets there, she is asleep in bed.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]There is a table next to the window. On it Marcel can[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]see lots of photographs, boxes and perfume bottles. He[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]runs across the floor and up one leg of the table.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]“Now…” he thinks, “…it's time to take off the White[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Star. In the morning Zaza is going to be very…”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Then Marcel stops. Oh, no! He cannot take the ring[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]off. He pulls and pulls, but nothing happens.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]“Now what?”" he thinks. Then… “Of course! Some[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]soap!” He runs down the table leg and across the floor.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Zaza’s bathroom door is open. Marcel goes in and[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]looks up. A soap-dish is above his head.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Ten seconds later he is sitting in it. He puts some soap[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]on his neck. Then he closes his eyes and pulls again.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Yes! This time the diamond ring comes off.![/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]In the morning Zaza finds the White Star. It is on her[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]bedroom table between two perfume bottles. “But… I[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]don’t understand,” she says. “Thieves don’t bring[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]things back. How…?” She looks at the ring. Then she[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]looks at her face in the mirror. Then she looks at the[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]ring again. “And why is there soap on it?” She[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]telephones the police.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Next day, Zaza’s story is in all the newspapers[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]‘OPERA STAR’S £1,000,000 RING IS SAFE’ says one.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]‘THIEVES BRING BACK DUPONT DIAMOND’ says another.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]‘NOW POLICE ASK, “WHY?”’[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]And there are lots of photos of Zaza with the White[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Star. At home. At the opera house. Standing in front of[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]the Eiffel Tower. She looks very happy in all of them.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]...[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]Marcel is happy, too. Back on his boat he reads the[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]newspaper stories. Then he looks in the mirror. There[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]is a thin, red line on his neck. “What a night!” he says.[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]After that, he washes, has breakfast and opens the[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]window. It is a beautiful, warm morning. Marcel looks[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]up at the blue sky and smiles. “Now…” he thinks,[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp]“what’s going to happen today?”[/FONT]


      [FONT=&amp] …[/FONT]