The Mysterious Message (Geronimo Stilton Micekings #5) Read online

  He led us to a small hut nearby.

  “Welcome to my laboratory!” he

  exclaimed as he opened the door for us. “It is

  here that I create my genius inventions.

  If the answer to our dragon problem is

  anywhere, it will be here.”

  Inside the hut was what looked like a great

  big pile of junk.

  Fen dove into the mountain of

  junk and started rummaging around.

  “Tell me what you’re LOOKING

  for, old friend, and I’ll help you find it,”

  89

  Essence of Sea Jasmine

  Trap offered.

  “It’s obvious!” Fen replied. “I am looking

  for my fabumouse invention designed

  to defend Oofadale from dragons: The

  Wind Cycle!”

  Trap and I shared a confused look. We

  had no idea what he was talking about!

  Then Fen extracted a strange -looking

  contraption from the pile. It had a wheel

  with two pedals.

  “EUREKA!” he cried. “Found it!

  The Wind Cycle

  This invention can be used to

  create wind or to blow good or

  bad smells across the village.

  The faster you pedal, the faster

  the fans turn, which is why only

  a very athletic mouseking should

  operate it.

  Essence of Sea Jasmine

  And in this little bottle is essence of

  sea jasmine!”

  I sniffed it. “It smells very clean! What’s

  it for?”

  “We will use the Wind Cycle to spread the

  scent of sea jasmine over the

  whole village,” Fen replied.

  “I get it!” Trap

  exclaimed. “Dragons

  hate clean smells. It will

  drive them away.”

  “Exactly!” Fen said.

  “So where is the highest

  point in Oofadale?” I asked.

  Fen went to the window and pointed. “The

  top of Mount Mattress!”

  I looked out the window and saw only a

  small hill.

  “But that’s just a tiny hill,” I said.

  91

  Essence of Sea Jasmine

  “But that’s the highest

  mountain in all of Oofadale!”

  Fen said, sounding offended. “The

  Wind Cycle must be taken to the very

  top of the pine tree that grows

  on the mountain’s peak.”

  I started to get a bad

  feeling. “And who,

  There’s Mount Mattress!

  Essence of Sea Jasmine

  exactly, will take it there?” I asked.

  “It’s obvious!” Fen said. “You need

  to get a miceking helmet, don’t you?

  Well, here is the perfect chance to

  earn one. Good luck dodging

  those dragons on your way!”

  Clammering clams, I had a true

  miceking mission ahead of me!

  Pedal, Geronimo!

  Trap and I walked along the path that led to

  the PEAK of Mount Mattress, the tallest . . .

  hill in Oofadale!

  We carried Fen’s very heavy invention

  with us. Or rather, I carried it. Trap carried

  the tiny bottle of sea jasmine essence

  and a roll of parchment with instructions

  for using the Wind Cycle.

  “Couldn’t we . . . puff . . . trade . . .

  pant?” I asked.

  “What kind of mouseking

  are you?” Trap asked. “Use your

  miceking muscles, Cousin!”

  Pedal, Geronimo!

  Finally, we arrived at the base of the pine

  tree. I started to climb up the ladder to

  get to the top, but . . .

  Puff . . . pant . . .

  Faster!

  I’m falling!

  Ouch!

  1

  First I stepped on

  some mountain eagle

  poo. BLECH!

  2

  Then I lost my

  footing, slipped, and

  fell on some sharp pine

  needles. Ouch!

  3

  I slipped again

  and smacked my

  snout on a branch.

  Squeak!

  Oh no!

  Pedal, Geronimo!

  Finally, I reached the observation

  platform at the top of the tree. From there,

  I could see the whole village of

  Oofadale!

  “Get on the Wind Cycle and pedal,

  Geronimo!” Trap called up to me.

  I had to act fast. I hopped on the seat and

  started to pedal fast . . . faster . . . even

  faster!

  What a workout!

  Pedal, Geronimo!

  Aim . . .

  My tired legs were starting to feel like

  string cheese!

  Trap emptied the essence of

  sea jasmine in front of the

  fan, and the wind spread the

  scent all over Oofadale.

  Down below, we could

  Attack!

  Take that, lizard face!

  Pedal, Geronimo!

  see the brave micekings battling the

  dragons. The Oofa Oofa had finally woken

  up from their naps and joined the warriors

  from Mouseborg.

  “Where is that smarty-mouseking?”

  Sven shouted, hurling a hammer at a

  green dragon. “He was supposed to bring

  more help!”

  Just missed!

  Pedal, Geronimo!

  “Watch out, chief!” Olaf shrieked.

  The hammer missed the green dragon. The

  ANGRY dragon grabbed Sven by the tail.

  “Now to gobble you up!” the

  dragon said. Then he suddenly sneezed.

  “ACHOO!”

  The dragon dropped Sven.

  What happened?

  Pedal, Geronimo!

  In less time than it takes to eat a cheese

  cracker, all of the dragons were in tears.

  “Hammering herrings,

  what’s happening?” Olaf asked. “Why are

  the dragons crying?”

  The green dragon began to wail. “What

  isss that terrible sssmell?” he asked. “I can’t

  keep my eyesss open!”

  “It’s too clean!” whined a red dragon. “I

  sssmell soap! And flowersss! And I can’t

  ssstop sssneezing! Achoo!”

  “Fen was right!” I told Trap. “The dragons

  can’t stand the super-clean smell

  of the sea jasmine.”

  The dragons beat a quick retreat, flying off

  into the clouds one after another.

  From the top of the pine tree, Trap and I

  watched as they fled, crying, sneezing, and

  swerving back and forth.

  101

  “It worked! We did it!” Trap and I cheered.

  Then we happily ran toward the village. We

  still had to figure where that letter came from.

  102

  The Secret of the

  Letter

  The miceking warriors hugged one

  another and cheered when the

  dragons flew away.

  “Micekings work better

  when they fight together!

  Hip, hip, hooray!

  Hooray! Hooray!”

  Yan the Yawner

  hugged Sven. “Thank

  you for bringing that

  smarty-mouseking!”

  he said. “He really

&n
bsp; saved the day.”

  We did it!

  103

  The Secret of the Letter

  Then he turned to the rest of us. “Brave

  friends from Mouseborg, we thank

  you for your invaluable help today!

  We couldn’t have done it without you. To

  celebrate, we will have a grand miceking

  feast!”

  “So says Yan the Yawner!”

  chanted the Oofa Oofa.

  Then Sven approached me. “Geronimo,

  this time you acted bravely, like a

  true mouseking,” he said. “I have decided

  to award you with a miceking helmet.”

  What, what, what? I

  couldn’t believe my ears. At last I would

  receive my first miceking helmet!

  My whiskers were

  Shaking with

  excitement!

  104

  Well done, Geronimo!

  Thank you!

  “First, however,” Sven continued, “I would

  like to find out at least what was written in

  that mysterious letter from Yan the Yawner!”

  Yan looked confused. “I didn’t send a

  letter.”

  At that moment, Bronk Snorborg from the

  tourist office stepped forward.

  “I think I can solve this mystery,” he said.

  105

  The Secret of the Letter

  Sven and Yan both shouted at once. “Speak!

  We order you!”

  “So says

  Sven

  the

  Shouter!”

  chanted

  the Mouseborg warriors.

  “So

  says Yan the Yawner!”

  chanted

  the Oofa Oofa.

  Bronk cleared his throat. “Well, you see,

  I think it might be a love letter that I

  wrote for the lovely Snorina.”

  “Whaaaaaat?” shouted Sven.

  “A love letter?” yelled Yan.

  Trap handed the letter to Bronk. “Is this

  it?”

  “Yes!” Bronk cried happily.

  “But why is the official seal of

  Oofadale on your letter?” Trap asked

  Bronk.

  “Because I used one of the pieces of

  parchment that we use at the tourist

  106

  You, too, can read this miceking love letter!

  *

  The original letter was written in runes, the miceking

  alphabet. This is a translation for you readers!

  Dear Snorina,

  you have stolen my heart,

  and to you I declare all my love,

  when i look at you,

  my whiskers begin to skake.

  with you by my side,

  I could be a strong mouseking!

  I could sail the stormy seas,

  or slay the fiercest dragon.

  For you I would climb the highest hill,

  or eat the stinkiest cheese.

  one smile from you is all I need,

  but it would be nice if I had your love, too

  Bronk

  The Secret of the Letter

  office to draw maps,” Bronk admitted.

  “They all have the official coat of arms!”

  I had a question, too. “Then why

  did you hide it in an

  amphora

  and throw it into the sea?”

  “That’s not how it happened,”

  Bronk answered. “You see,

  Snorina is the daughter of the

  Oofadale milkman, and every

  evening she comes to collect the empty milk

  BOTTLES. I hoped that she would find

  my letter.”

  “So how did the amphora end up in the

  sea?” Trap wanted to know.

  “That night there was a

  terrible

  storm!”

  Bronk replied. “A blast of wind

  must have carried the amphora to the dock,

  and then it rolled into the water.”

  Trap’s eyes lit up. “Aha! Then the

  108

  THE SECRET OF THE LETTER

  current brought it to Mouseborg, where

  Stocker found it!”

  Bronk nodded. “That must be what

  happened,” he said, and then he turned to

  look at a lovely rodent who was smiling

  at him. “And all this time I thought that

  Snorina

  didn’t return my feelings!”

  Snorina stepped forward.

  “Oh, Bronk! If I had received

  the letter, I would have told

  you that

  I feel the same

  way

  about you.”

  “You mean the letter wasn’t

  a call for help?” Sven

  fumed. “And you didn’t want

  to attack our village? We

  arranged an official expedition

  in grand miceking style just for

  a love letter?”

  Oh,

  Bronk!

  109

  THE SECRET OF THE LETTER

  “It looks that way,” Bronk said.

  “Why didn’t you tell us this as soon

  as we arrived?” Sven shouted.

  Bronk pointed at me. “I did try to tell

  someone—that shrimpy mouseking over

  there.”

  Uh-oh. This was not going to be good.

  “Is this true, Geronimo?” Sven asked

  me.

  “W-w-well, yes,” I stammered. “B-b-but the

  dragons were attacking, and . . .”

  “You cheesehead!” Sven shouted.

  “First, you

  failed

  to figure out the letter.

  Then, you could have found out it was just

  a love letter, but you didn’t listen.

  No miceking

  helmet

  for

  you!”

  110

  THE SECRET OF THE LETTER

  “B-b-but the dragons . . .” I tried to explain.

  “Enough of this. It’s time for the feast!”

  Yan yelled.

  “So says Yan the Yawner!”

  cheered all the micekings.

  You cheesehead!

  I

  tried

  to

  tell

  him

  . . .

  Who,

  me?

  The Secret of the Letter

  Everyone ate and talked and laughed. I

  sat outside all alone, thinking about

  the miceking helmet that I had won and

  lost

  in a matter of minutes. Would I ever

  be able to show Thora that I was a truly

  brave mouseking?

  Then Bronk and Snorina approached me.

  “Thank you

  for bringing the letter

  back to us, Geronimo,” Bronk said. “It

  brought Snorina and me together.”

  “Even without a helmet, you are very

  brave,”

  she said. “One day you will win

  over your own miceking love, I’m sure.”

  I smiled. “Thank you,” I said. “I know

  one day I will finally get my miceking

  helmet!”

  But that’s another miceking story,

  for another miceking time!

  112

  Sweet!

  Miceking

  Island

  Beastgard

  Gullet Valley

  Feargard

  Forest of a

  Thousand

  Scales

  Oofadale

  Yawning

  Cove

  Helpful Hills

  Mouseborg


  Don’t miss any

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  the Micekings!

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  Dear mouse friends,

  thanks for reading,

  and good-bye until

  the next book!