Gatwick Bear and the Secret Plans by Anna Cuffaro Read Free Book Online

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    â€œGreat, ya a hellava smart guy. I give ya permission to carry that out. Keep me posted”.
    â€œYes, sir”, and with that Bird Dog moved towards the door, walking backwards in case Stud threw anything at him on his way out.

16  Lugano City Airport Again
    After nearly losing all their chocolate down the hole, Gatwick and Little Sister took the bus back to Lugano City Airport. Gatwick had told Little Sister that airports were good places to sleep in; they were clean, warm, safe and shiny. And, what’s more they had muffins. But, Gatwick didn’t really feel like eating muffins now. He had just finished off the box of chocolates with Little Sister. They were feeling wheezy, or was it woozy? Whichever, that’s how they felt.
    They got back on the airport bus. The driver was so pleased to see Gatwick again.
    â€œHello, my friend. So you got you a girl now”. You a coola operator as they say in the song.
    Gatwick didn’t know the song, he only knew Knees Up Mother Brown .
    The bus driver continued: “I’ll help you with thata box, it’s such heavy, with your fishing rod and your little sister in there. Oh, you are so simpatico”.
    Gatwick took a bank note out of his box and gave it to the driver. When Gatwick opened the box, the driver saw that it was full of money.
    â€œHey, you didn’t tell me you hada all thata money in there. I think you poor bear”.
    â€œI won a lot of money by scratching a card with my wooden spoon”, Gatwick explained.
    â€œHey, you thinka I stupid or something”, the driver got red in the face with anger.
    â€œSorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. Really, I didn’t”.
    Little Sister didn’t like this man’s attitude. It was no way to speak to her big brother.
    â€œWell, this time you pay. You pay for you, for your friend and for every bag you have!”
    Gatwick didn’t mind. The thought of not paying never came into his mind. Gatwick handed the banknote over to the driver and, at last, they set off for the airport. The bus swung round the bends and, as it did, Gatwick and Little Sister held on tight and felt even more wheezy, or was it woozy? Anyway, they probably felt both by now. On arrival, the driver folded his arms on his big pot belly and didn’t lift a finger to help them with their luggage. So Gatwick and Little Sister took one piece down at a time, Gatwick holding one end and Little Sister the other. They thanked the driver very much, then headed for departures. There they sat, on a hard bench, watching people go by and, nearly without realising it, they munched their way through yet another box of chocolates between them. Night started falling and all the flights for the day had left. The airport became very still and quiet. A security man started switching the lights off. He noticed the two cubs and walked over to them saying:
    â€œI’m so sorry, but you have to leave. The airport is shutting down for the night”.
    Gatwick couldn’t believe the furry ears on his round head. Gatwick Airport never closed! Would they have to sleep outside?
    â€œThere’s an excellent airport hotel, two minutes on foot from here. It’s a five-star: the Grand Hotel. Come with me, I’ll show you which way to go”.
    So, Gatwick and Little Sister followed him out of the airport and waddled down the path towards the hotel following the man’s directions. The bears didn’t even know that hotels existed, let alone one as nice as this. The two furry creatures couldn’t believe their eyes. The entrance doors were of glass and rimmed with gold, they slid open automatically to welcome the bears in. Gatwick and Little Sister found themselves standing in a spacious entrance hall. They stood in the middle of the hall and threw their heads backwards to look up at the gigantic crystal chandelier sparkling over them. The oh-so-polished floor they were standing on was in