Marcel and the Shakespeare Letters

Marcel can hear a noise.

'Quick, Henry,' he says. 'A train's coming.'

He's right. A train is coming into the station. A sign on the front of it says, 'Heathrow'. The doors open and the mice get on.

There are fifteen stations before Heathrow. Every time, the train stops. Henry says, 'Quick, quick — what are we waiting for?' Then the doors close and the train starts again.

At Heathrow the mice get off. Marcel looks left and right. 'Where do we go now?' he asks.

'I don't know,' Henry says. He looks left and right, too.

There are a lot of signs. Then suddenly Henry smiles. 'Marcel, look! That blue sign says "Concorde".'

'Good,' Marcel says. He looks at his watch. It's 7.10. 'Let's go,' he says.

The mice start to run again.

'Marcel,' Henry says, 'what are we going to do? OK, we find the woman... but then what do we do? How do we get the letters back?'

Marcel smiles. 'Wait and see,' he says.

They come to a door. It says, 'CONCORDE', but it's closed. Henry and Marcel stop in front of it.

'Oh no,' says Henry.

But then two men with big bags open the door and go in. The mice go in, too.

'Good,' Marcel says. He looks at the people in the room. 'Now... can you see her?'

'No, I can't,' Henry says.

Marcel smiles. 'I can,' he says.

'Where?'

'There. In front of us.'

Henry looks. Marcel is right. The American woman is sitting on a chair and listening to her Walkman. She's reading a newspaper, too. Her bag is on the floor.

'OK — let's go,' Marcel says. He takes a small knife from his coat. 'Walk behind me, Henry — but be very, very quiet.'

He starts to walk across the room. Henry walks behind his friend. 'Marcel's a detective,' he thinks. 'It's going to be OK. He knows his job. He does this every day. Yes . . . it's - going - to - be - OK.'

Marcel stops in front of the American woman's bag. He looks at Henry. 'Ssshh,' he says. 'Wait here.' Then he climbs up the bag.

After a short time he starts to make a hole in it with his knife. Henry watches. His mouth is open. He looks at the American woman. She's listening to music and reading. She doesn't look down.

Marcel climbs into the bag. It's dark. He closes his eyes and opens them again. Now he can see some jeans — a radio — some books. Then suddenly he sees the Shakespeare letters. 'Good,' he thinks.

He puts the letters on his back and starts to climb down again. Henry sees him and smiles. But then the mice hear a noise.

'Bing bong!'

The American woman looks at her watch. Then she takes off her Walkman and starts to put it in her bag, 'Hey!' she says. 'What...? Two mice! What's this?'

'Quick, Henry - catch!' Marcel says. He gives the letters to Henry. Then he climbs down the bag. The mice run very quickly with the Shakespeare letters. They can hear the American woman behind them. She's running very quickly, too.

The door is open. A man is coming in. He's fat and he has two bags. The mice run under his legs. Then Marcel hears a big noise! He looks behind him. The American woman is on the floor, and the man is talking to her.

'Sorry,' he says. 'Are you OK?'

The woman stands up. 'No!' she says. Then she looks for the mice, but she can't see them.

At nine o'clock Marcel and Henry are back at Professor Barton's flat in Old Wilton Street. They're very happy. Marcel is sitting on the table.