Bollywood Burglary (Geronimo Stilton #65) Read online

  fact . . . but I need your help!

  Please! I’m

  begging you!

  ”

  I rolled my eyes. Poirat must have noticed,

  because he changed tactics. He dried his

  tears on my jacket sleeve and

  blew

  his nose on my tie. “So do you have your

  passport on you?” he asked calmly. “We

  could leave right now!”

  By this time, I was annoyed. “

  I’m sorry.

  But I simply cannot go!

  ”

  “My dear Stilton, why must you be so

  stubborn?!” he squeaked loudly. “Don’t you

  want

  to go to Indiaaaa?”

  Every snout in the restaurant turned to

  look at me. “Is that Geronimo Stilton?

  Why

  doesn’t he want to go to India?

  Does

  he dislike India? But why?”

  “No, it’s not . . . I don’t have anything

  against India — I’m sure I’d love it there

  !

  What? He doesn’t

  want to go to

  India?

  But why?

  Why don’t you want

  to go to India?

  I just . . .” I cried in exasperation.

  “He said he’d love it there!” Hercule

  shouted.

  FASTER

  than the mouse who ran

  up the clock, he reached into my pocket and

  pulled out my

  passport

  .

  “How positively banana-rific! You and I

  are going to

  India

  , Gerrykins. Don’t be

  such a

  fly in the fondue

  ! You’ve run out

  of excuses. Look, I found your passport!”

  I can’t go,

  but I’m

  sure I’d love

  India!

  Did you hear that?

  Yeah! Go figure!

  Mouse Island

  “You still haven’t said

  why

  I have

  to go to India,” I shouted. “Can you

  please just tell me?!”

  He pulled out a photo and glanced

  at it

  mysteriously

  .

  “Do

  you recognize this rodent? Look closely!”

  I saw the

  beautiful

  snout of an Indian

  mouselet I didn’t recognize.

  “It’s Ratna!” Hercule squeaked.

  Ratna!

  So many

  memories!

  “Ratna!? Dear Ratna . . .” I repeated. A

  million memories flooded my snout.

  Ratna was an old and

  dear friend

  from mouselinghood. She and Hercule and I

  had attended Little Tails Academy together.

  It was a

  sad

  day for us when she and her

  family moved back to India!

  Ratna’s birthday

  Friends forever!

  In school

  SCHOOL

  The Heart of Fire

  “My dear Stilton, don’t you remember? We

  promised we’d be

  FRIENDS FOREVER

  .

  Me, you, and

  Ratna

  !” Hercule squeaked.

  “Yes, of course I remember . . .

  What’s that got to do with India?” I asked.

  Poirat chuckled.

  “Everything, Gerrykins,”

  he said. “Don’t damage your little gray cells,

  old friend! Simply use your

  EYEBALLS

  and take a good look at the ruby in the

  photo.”

  He showed me a magazine with a

  photo

  of an enormouse heart-shaped ruby. It was

  magnificent — so brilliant

  RED

  , so dazzling!

  “Ratna’s fiancé gave her this

  ruby

  as

  and I

  always

  keep my

  promises.

  See this ruby?

  It’s priceless!

  an engagement gift,” Poirat explained.

  “That’s quite a gift!” I exclaimed. “It must

  be

  priceless

  !”

  Poirat

  sighed

  . “Since

  Ratna

  has

  had the ruby, there have been

  several attempts to steal it.

  This amazing gem is absolutely

  unique! It is renowned for its heart

  shape, its blazing red color, and its

  exceptional clarity!

  the

  heart

  of

  fire

  THE MOST FAMOUSE

  RUBY

  IN THE WORLD!

  The ruby belonged for generations

  to the Maharaja of Rajasthan. It was

  recently purchased by the famouse

  Bollywood actor, Vinay Ratingh, for his

  equally famouse fiancåe, Ratna Prem.

  The ruby has a long history. Because

  it’s so valuable, it has always been an

  irresistible target for thieves.

  RESTLESS

  HEARTS

  Ratna Prem

  Ratna is the most famouse actress

  in Bollywood! Beautiful, intelligent,

  warm, and funny, she’s adored

  by her fans. Ratna was recently

  cast in a new film,

  Restless

  Hearts

  . The lead actor is

  still unknown. Rumor has it that

  the actor’s identity will be a

  mouserific surprise to everyone!

  Dear Hercule and Geronimo,

  It’s been many years since our childhood, but

  I know that you two are my true friends! That’s

  why I am coming to you for help.

  I am about to shoot a new film, and I’m afraid

  someone will try to steal the Heart of Fire, the

  famouse ruby my fiancé gave me. Dear friends,

  I need your help. Could you come protect me

  and this precious jewel during the shoot?

  Your friend forever,

  Ratna

  That’s why she wants us to travel around

  India with her during the shoot for her

  next film,

  Restless Hearts

  . She needs

  protection

  , and she wants to make sure no

  rodent with sticky paws tries to steal her

  ruby

  . I’ve already promised her we

  would come.”

  He showed me the

  email

  Ratna sent

  asking us to help.

  “Why didn’t you just tell me that this was

  all to

  HELP

  Ratna?” I scolded Hercule.

  “Of course I will help! Ratna is an old friend.

  And true

  friendship

  is as rare as fine

  cheddar.”

  “Ahem, there’s just one more thing you

  should know, my dear Stilton . . .” Poirat

  mumbled

  .

  I looked at him suspiciously. “What is it?

  Spit it out!”

  Poirat looked

  sheepish

  .

  “Well, you see, I

  also told Ratna that you’d, um, be

  acting

  alongside her in the film . . . That way, we’ll

  have someone undercover and no one will be

  abl
e to steal the ruby,” he added quickly.

  “

  It

  was a genius idea, right, Gerrykins?

  ”

  He took out his MousePhone and showed

  me an article about the new movie.

  MY EYES ALMOST POPPED

  OUT OF THEIR SOCKETS. THERE

  WAS A BIG PICTURE OF . . . ME!

  It was the poster for the

  Bollywood

  movie, and it had been distributed all over

  India

  !

  “Restless Hearts,

  starring Ratna Prem and

  Geronimo Stilton,” I read. “But . . . but . . .

  but . . . I don’t know how to act! I can’t

  possibly be the lead mouse in a film! I won’t

  do it!

  ”

  Hercule coughed. “Ahem, Gerrykins, I’m

  afraid you’ve already

  signed

  the contract

  with the movie producer.”

  “Spicy cheese dip, I certainly did not

  sign a contract!

  ” I protested.

  Hercule giggled. “

  Oh yes, you certainly

  did!

  ”

  Hercule handed me the paper that I had

  previously assumed was the restaurant’s bill,

  RESTLESS

  HEARTS

  Starring

  Ratna Prem

  and

  Geronimo Stilton

  ACTING CONTRACT FOR THE

  FILM

  RESTLESS HEARTS

  I, Geronimo Stilton, residing at

  8 Mouseford Lane, New Mouse City,

  Mouse Island, undertake with

  this contract to star in the film

  Restless Hearts

  opposite the actress

  Ratna Prem.

  I will make arrangements to leave

  immediately for India in order to

  start filming the movie.

  I further commit myself to take

  dance lessons, singing lessons, and

  Hindi lessons in order to better

  perform my role in the film.

  Signed,

  Geronimo Stilton

  Whaaaat?

  We must leave

  immediately!

  Sob!

  Noooooo!

  along with an enormouse

  magnifying

  glass so I could examine it.

  “

  Nooooo! I really did sign

  it!

  ”

  I cried in despair.

  “

  Yeees! You really diiiid!

  ”

  Hercule squeaked happily.

  He

  waved two airline tickets under

  my snout. “I’ve already bought the

  tickets to

  India

  . We’re leaving today!

  Aren’t you excited, Gerrykins?

  ”

  Off to India!

  Even though

  so many years had

  gone by

  Ratna still held

  a special

  place in

  my

  heart

  What could I do? The idea of being in a

  movie was totally terrifying . . . but it was

  all to

  HELP

  an old friend. So how could

  I refuse?

  At the very least, I was looking forward to

  seeing her! I packed my

  suitcase

  and

  headed to the airport with Hercule.

  The trip was very long, and Hercule

  blabbed

  the entire time. First he

  told

  me the plot of

  Restless Hearts

  in

  great detail . . .

  RESTLESS

  HEARTS

  MAIN CHARACTERS:

  Ratna Prem in the role of a princess of Rajasthan

  Geronimo Stilton in the role of the prince of Mysore

  PLOT:

  It is a time long ago. The prince of Mysore sees

  a miniature portrait of the beautiful princess of

  Rajasthan and instantly falls in love with her.

  The prince writes the princess a letter and sends her

  priceless gifts, but she takes no notice. So, hoping to

  impress her, he decides to go on a quest of amazing

  feats.

  First, he explores the Indian jungle and is nearly

  devoured by a Bengal tiger. Then he goes to Varanasi to

  collect the sacred waters of the Ganges River for her.

  Next, he gallops to Jaipur, Rajasthan — the romantic

  Pink City where the princess lives.

  There the princess and prince meet, and he convinces

  her to visit the Taj Mahal with him. It is there, by this

  legendary monument and symbol of love, that he

  declares his love. And the princess finally agrees to

  marry him!

  BLAH

  BLAH

  I

  can’t

  take

  it!

  BLAH

  BLAH

  BLAH

  BLAH

  BLAH

  BLAH

  BLAH

  BLAH

  Hercule and I were sitting next to each

  other, so there was no escape. He

  read

  me a

  super-mega-huge

  guidebook of India from cover to cover!

  We finally

  landed

  in New Delhi, the

  Indian capital city.

  By that time, I was so worried about

  the film that my

  EYES

  were wider

  than wheels of cheese. But at least I knew

  practically everything about

  India

  !

  As soon as the

  plane’s

  hatch opened,

  a wave of hot, humid air greeted us. It

  smelled of

  FLOWERS

  and

  spices

  . I

  could see the city’s skyline in the distance.

  I have to admit it . . . I was also so

  excited

  , I was practically jumping

  out of my fur. You see, I love to travel. And

  I had always longed to visit India.

  We were in India . . .

  one of the most fascinating

  countries in the world!

  Our trip had just begun, but my heart

  was already beating faster than a

  hamster on a wheel. We were

  going to have an amazing

  adventure

  !

  Climate:

  India has four seasons: The winter season lasts from

  January to February, with mild, sunny days and cold nights

  in the north. Summer, or pre-monsoon season, lasts from

  March to May, with high and humid temperatures, except

  in the mountains. The southwest monsoon season, or rainy

  season, lasts from July to September. Post-monsoon season is

  October to December and marks the transition from wet to

  dry conditions.

  GeoGraphy:

  The snowy peaks and deep valleys of the Himalayas

  and the vast plains of the Ganges River are found in northern

  India. In the south lies a plateau called the Deccan. It is

  flanked by the Eastern and Western Ghats, mountains that

  run parallel to the eastern and western coasts.

  timeZones:

  Although India is very large, the entire country

  follows one time zone, known informally as Indian Standard

  Time. India does not obser
ve Daylight Saving Time.

  offiCial name:

  Republic of India; Bharat, in Hindi

  area:

  1,269,300 square miles

  population:

  1,299,490,000 inhabitants (2015 estimate)

  Capital:

  New Delhi

  offiCial lanGuaGes:

  Hindi and English

  type of Government:

  Federal republic

  CurrenCy:

  Indian rupee

  New Delhi

  Varanasi

  Jaipur

  Mumbai

  (formerly

  Bombay)

  Hyderabad

  Bengaluru

  (formerly

  Bangalore)

  Chennai

  (formerly

  Madras)

  Guwahati

  Kolkata

  (formerly

  Calcutta)

  Don’t Miss These

  Incredible Cities

  in India!

  ResTless

  heaRTs

  Screen tests

  for the movie

  RESTLESS HEARTS

  FILM CREW

  ONLY!

  As soon as we arrived in

  New Delhi

  ,

  Hercule stuffed me, my achy tail, and all our

  suitcases inside a

  taxi

  . “Scurry up, my

  dear Stilton! They’re waiting for us!”

  The taxi dropped us in front of an

  enormouse theater. Outside, there

  was a

  sign

  that read:

  Squeak!

  “We can go in here, Gerrykins. You’re the

  lead

  actor

  ,” Hercule said,

  smirking

  under his whiskers.

  Dear reader, I’m a very shy mouse. Why,

  just the thought of squeaking in public makes

  me

  blush

  to the roots of my fur. How in the

  name of string cheese was I going to act in

  front of a movie camera?

  “Er . . . I changed my mind

  . I-I’m going

  home,” I stammered.

  Hercule grabbed me by the

  tail. “What about Ratna?

  Some friend you

  turned out

  to be!

  ”

  Look

  at

  all

  the

  dancers!

  They’re

  rehearsing!

  “

  H

  e

  c

  o

  u

  l

  d

  f

  e

  e

  l

  .

  .

  .

  t

  h