Bollywood Burglary (Geronimo Stilton #65) Read online

  rodents

  You said it!

  Good times!

  dressed in brightly colored silks, chatting

  merrily in many different languages.

  The

  hall

  was on the thirtieth floor, and the

  view of Mumbai was spectacular. Oh, how

  brightly the lights of the city

  twinkled

  !

  It was the last night of our stay in India.

  Hercule and I were

  happy

  the shoot was

  over, but sad to be leaving India so soon. We

  began

  reminiscing

  about our favorite

  parts of the trip.

  Hercule in particular was puffed up

  with pride. “See, my dear Stilton? Why

  it’s absolutely elementary! No

  crook

  stole the ruby! We thwarted the thief! We

  foiled the felon!”

  The squeaks had barely left his snout when

  a shriek broke the night.

  “

  The Heart of Fire has been

  stolen!

  ”

  Ratna cried.

  We scampered to Ratna’s side and found

  our friend in tears. “I had the

  ruby

  around

  my neck,” she whimpered. “I danced with

  many guests. And then when I sat down with

  my

  groom

  , I realized I was no longer

  wearing the

  necklace

  .”

  “Everyone

  freeze! Nobody

  move!

  out side

  this room!”

  No rodent

  sets a paw

  “That crook tricked us! He hoodwinked

  us — he

  bamboozled

  us!” cried Hercule.

  “Don’t despair. You can count on us,” I

  said firmly. “

  We’ll catch that thief!

  ”

  Hercule nodded. “Have no fear, Hercule

  Poirat is here!” he cried.

  Together, we turned to face the guests.

  Hercule searched the room while I

  searched the guests.

  But the ruby was nowhere to be

  found. Where could it have gone?

  As we looked for clues, we noticed a

  strange set of

  pawprints

  on the

  bride and groom’s table. The prints led to a

  big picture window. They

  matched

  the

  prints I’d found on my trailer during the

  shoot!

  The window was wide open, and a gentle

  BREEZE

  made the curtains sway to and

  fro. I looked out the window and noticed

  a

  very

  narrow

  ledge below it. The pawprints

  continued onto the ledge, and then onto the

  gutter.

  Maybe the thief had

  jumped

  to

  another

  roof

  , and from there, had hung

  from the gutter . . . and then had jumped

  from window to window until he

  disappeared

  !

  Hmm . . . we were on the

  thirtieth

  floor. What kind of rat burglar could jump

  from that height?

  Who

  stole it?

  Don’t cry!

  What a shame!

  Oh, dear!

  I feel

  terrible!

  Awww!

  I don’t

  know!

  Squeak!

  Sob!

  Pawprints!

  Hmmm . . .

  Ugh!

  What should

  we do?

  I don’t know!

  A robbery!

  Really?!

  Did you know . . .

  Come

  here!

  Mommy!

  A Crafty Crook

  Some fur!

  I looked around and noticed something

  strange

  . There was a tuft of

  fur

  caught in the lock

  of the window! And a

  banana peel

  lay

  on the ledge.

  Hmm. The thief had

  to be small, since no one

  had seen him

  near

  Ratna. He was very agile,

  since he had leaped out

  the window from the thirtieth floor. He was

  losing

  tufts of fur, and he was obviously

  very fond of

  bananas

  . . .

  I thought about the

  pawprints

  I had found

  on the trailers . . . and about the

  shiny

  Hmm . . .

  Look!

  objects that had gone missing . . . and all of

  Hercule’s bananas that the mysterious thief

  had gnawed on.

  Then I remembered the little monkey that

  had bonked me on my head

  with a

  banana

  back when the

  tiger

  was

  CHASING

  me

  through the jungle.

  That was the day

  I’d found the door

  to my trailer wide

  open

  . That’s when

  all the robberies had

  begun!

  Suddenly, I had an

  inspiration

  .

  “By cheese, I think I’ve got it! Our

  pickpocket is a primate! Our crafty crook

  is a monkey!

  ” I squeaked. “The problem is

  catching him — and finding the

  Heart

  of

  Fire

  .”

  The monkey could be anywhere, and we

  had no idea where he’d hidden the

  Heart of

  Fire.

  But Hercule had a plan. “I’m going to need

  the power of potassium!

  Quickly, bring me

  all the bananas you can find!

  ” he shouted

  to the waiters.

  The waiters scurried away. A few moments

  later, there was an

  enormouse

  pile of

  bananas in front of Hercule.

  He began peeling one banana after another.

  Soon the air was filled with the sweet

  scent

  of fresh bananas.

  I was starting to figure out what he was

  up to. Sometimes he thinks of some pretty

  ingenious

  ideas!

  “Open all the windows! And

  turn

  off

  the lights,”

  he ordered.

  As soon as

  the room was

  dark

  , Hercule

  squeaked, “And

  now

  everyone

  . . .

  hush!”

  All the wedding guests froze, and the

  room

  fell

  silent. The only sound was

  the

  BREEZE

  swishing through the open

  windows.

  Suddenly, we made out a

  shape

  on the

  ledge of the window. Nimbly it leaped into

  the room.

  a little

  monkey

  wearing the

  around

  its neck!

  Heart


  of Fire

  “Turn on the lights!” Hercule shouted.

  As soon as the

  lights

  clicked on, we

  saw . . .

  Hercule gently pawed him a banana.

  “Hi, little one. Wanna trade?” he said

  softly. “A

  banana

  for the RUBY

  .”

  The monkey didn’t hesitate. He placed the

  ruby in Hercule’s open paw and took the

  banana.

  Hercule

  proudly

  presented the Heart

  of Fire to Ratna.

  “

  Thank you, my friends. I knew

  I could count on you!

  ”

  Ratna cried,

  hugging him.

  Here, have

  a banana.

  Ooo!

  Ooo!

  A Fabumouse Idea

  C

  I

  N

  E

  M

  A

  That’s him!

  You’re

  the

  star!

  Yes,

  it is!

  Starring

  Ratna Prem

  and

  Geronimo Stilton

  When I returned to New Mouse City,

  Restless Hearts was already playing in

  movie theaters . . . and

  it was a ratastic

  success

  !

  There were long lines in front of

  all the

  theaters

  in town.

  The movie’s success had set off a craze

  for anything

  Indian

  . All across New

  Mouse City, Indian-style clothing, music,

  and food were more

  popular

  than Parmesan pastries.

  I went to the office and sat

  gloomily

  at my desk. The trip to India had been a

  fabumouse diversion, but I still hadn’t come

  up with an

  idea

  for a new series of

  books

  .

  I tried to concentrate. Hmm . . . Should I

  publish books on

  gardening

  ? Or on do-it-

  yourself projects? Or on sports? Maybe…

  I was completely focused on picking a

  topic when Hercule

  bounded

  into my

  office.

  “My dear Stilton, what are you up to? Still

  thinking of our old pal

  Ratna

  ?”

  “

  Shh! Zip it! Shut your snout! I’m

  Look!

  It’s

  Geronimo!

  So

  stylish!

  What an actor!

  So

  charming!

  So

  classy!

  trying to concentrate!

  ”

  I grumbled.

  “Are you as

  concentrated

  as a can of cheese-

  and-banana soup? Hee, hee, hee!” he

  giggled

  .

  “I’ve got an idea.

  Just a teensy little

  idea!

  ” he exclaimed. “Why don’t you write

  a series of books on food eaten around the

  world, starting with India?”

  I had to admit, it was

  a

  really gold

  idea

  ! And that’s how I came to publish a

  series of cookbooks called

  Goodness from

  Around the Globe

  .

  The books were a

  huge success

  .

  It’s great to eat the

  traditional

  food

  of your own country, but it’s also great to

  discover flavors traditional to other cultures.

  Variety is the spice of life!

  That’s what’s

  so great about diversity!

  And that’s the truth, or my name isn’t

  Geronimo Stilton

  !

  TRADITIONS

  ARE

  WOND

  ERFUL!

  OF

  DIFFE

  RENT

  RODENTS

  IN FAR

  AWAY

  COUNT

  RIES

  IS WON

  DERFUL,

  TOO!

  AND DISCO

  VERING

  THE

  TRADI

  TIONS

  Rodent’s

  honor!

  Especially when it

  comes to

  cooking and

  eating

  delicious foods!

  Be sure to

  read all my

  fabumouse

  adventures!

  Meet

  Geronimo Stiltonord

  He is a mouseking—the Geronimo Stilton

  of the ancient far north! He lives with his

  brawny and brave clan in the village of

  Mouseborg. From sailing frozen waters

  to facing fiery dragons, every day is an

  adventure for the micekings!

  Don’t miss

  any of these

  Thea Sisters

  adventures!

  Don’t miss

  any of my

  special edition

  adventures!

  Meet

  Geronimo Stiltonix

  He is a spacemouse — the Geronimo

  Stilton of a parallel universe! He is

  captain of the spaceship MouseStar 1

  .

  While flying through the cosmos, he visits

  distant planets and meets crazy aliens.

  His adventures are out of this world!

  Meet

  GERONIMO STILTONOOT

  He is a cavemouse

  —

  Geronimo Stilton’s

  ancient ancestor! He runs the stone

  newspaper in the prehistoric village

  of Old Mouse City. From dealing with

  dinosaurs to dodging meteorites,

  his life in the Stone Age is full

  of adventure!

  Born in New Mouse City, Mouse

  Island,

  GERONIMO STILTON

  is

  Rattus Emeritus of Mousomorphic

  Literature and of Neo-Ratonic

  Comparative Philosophy. For the

  past twenty years, he has been

  running The Rodent’s Gazette , New Mouse City’s

  most widely read daily newspaper.

  Stilton was awarded the Ratitzer Prize for his

  scoops on The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid and

  The Search for Sunken Treasure. He has also

  received the Andersen 2000 Prize for Personality of

  the Year. One of his bestsellers won the 2002 eBook

  Award for world’s best ratlings’ electronic book. His

  works have been published all over the globe.

  In his spare time, Mr. Stilton collects antique

  cheese rinds and plays golf. But what he most

  enjoys is telling stories to his nephew Benjamin.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  THE RODENT’S

  GAZETTE

  1. Main entrance

  2. Printing presses (where the books

  and newspaper are printed)

  3. Accounts department

  4. Editorial room (where the editors,

  illustrators, and designers work)

  5. Geronimo Stilton’s office

  6. Helicopter landing pad

  1. Industrial Zone

  2. Cheese Factories

  3. An
gorat International

  Airport

  4. WRAT Radio and

  Television Station

  5. Cheese Market

  6. Fish Market

  7. Town Hall

  8. Snotnose Castle

  9. The Seven Hills of

  Mouse Island

  10. Mouse Central Station

  11. Trade Center

  12. Movie Theater

  13. Gym

  14. Catnegie Hall

  15. Singing Stone Plaza

  16. The Gouda Theater

  17. Grand Hotel

  18. Mouse General Hospital

  19. Botanical Gardens

  20. Cheap Junk for Less

  (Trap’s store)

  21. Aunt Sweetfur and

  Benjamin’s House

  22. Mouseum of

  Modern Art

  23. University and Library

  24. The Daily Rat

  25. The Rodent’s Gazette

  26. Trap’s House

  27. Fashion District

  28. The Mouse House

  Restaurant

  29. Environmental

  Protection Center

  30. Harbor Office

  31. Mousidon Square

  Garden

  32. Golf Course

  33. Swimming Pool

  34. Tennis Courts

  35. Curlyfur Island

  Amousement Park

  36. Geronimo’s House

  37. Historic District

  38. Public Library

  39. Shipyard

  40. Thea’s House

  41. New Mouse Harbor

  42. Luna Lighthouse

  43. The Statue of Liberty

  44. Hercule Poirat’s Office

  45. Petunia Pretty Paws’s

  House

  46. Grandfather William’s

  House

  Map of New Mouse City

  MOUSE ISLAND

  1. Big Ice Lake

  2. Frozen Fur Peak

  3. Slipperyslopes Glacier

  4. Coldcreeps Peak

  5. Ratzikistan

  6. Transratania

  7. Mount Vamp

  8. Roastedrat Volcano

  9. Brimstone Lake

  10. Poopedcat Pass

  11. Stinko Peak

  12. Dark Forest

  13. Vain Vampires Valley

  14. Goose Bumps Gorge

  15. The Shadow Line Pass

  16. Penny Pincher Castle

  17. Nature Reserve Park

  18. Las Ratayas Marinas

  19. Fossil Forest

  20. Lake Lake

  21. Lake Lakelake

  22. Lake Lakelakelake

  23. Cheddar Crag

  24. Cannycat Castle

  25. Valley of the Giant

  Sequoia

  26. Cheddar Springs

  27. Sulfurous Swamp

  28. Old Reliable Geyser

  29. Vole Vale

  30. Ravingrat Ravine

  31. Gnat Marshes

  32. Munster Highlands