What Next?

I didn’t stop running until I was well away from the Eiffel Tower and the crowds of tourists milling around its base. I slipped around a corner to catch my breath.

Slowly my heart stopped racing and I was able to think more clearly.

I’d had a narrow escape. But then it hit me: somewhere during the struggle with Scabscratch, I had lost my backpack with all our money, and my passport.

It was a disaster! I sunk down on the pavement, my head in my hands.

I had never felt so scared and alone. If I’d had any money left on me, I knew that at that moment I would have phoned my parents. I would have begged them to come and rescue us. But then an even worse thought hit me: what if Scabscratch or another one of Brumbum’s villains had managed to capture William?

Sick with worry, I headed back to the hotel. To make matters worse, I lost my way a few times but, with the help of some friendly passers-by, I eventually found the hotel. I was exhausted.

I’d left our room key at the front desk. The concierge told me that a chambermaid had already taken it to open the room for my spaniel. William was safe.

What a relief!

“You ‘ave a verree clever doggee,” remarked the concierge in his heavy French accent. He winked.

“I know,” I said, grinning. Relieved, I headed up to our room.

I almost licked William back when he greeted me in his usual, slobbery way. I was so glad to see him! I felt better immediately. I was still tired and hungry – and shaken up from my encounter with the stinky Scabscratch, but at least we were both safe.

I told William all about what had happened at the Eiffel Tower, adding a few extra details to make the story more exciting. I wanted William to know how brave I’d been, while he missed out all of the action.

William frowned sceptically when I told him how the crook had held a gun to my head, but that I had flattened him with a vicious karate chop. I added that he would surely need a blood transfusion after the blows I had dealt him.

Then I remembered something. “William,” I asked, “what exactly is the Silver Tulip? Scurvy Scabscratch kept talking about it.”

William avoided my gaze by pretending to hunt for a flea on his tail. Then he turned back to me and sighed. “Well, Alex, I suppose it is time I told you about the Silver Tulip. But not on an empty stomach. First, let’s get something to eat.”

“What do you mean we have no money left?” William asked me a while later when I told him how I lost my backpack during my escape. “Don’t you have a few loose coins in your pockets?”

I emptied them out to show him. There was nothing, except my beloved harmonica.

“Aha!” said William when he spotted the instrument. “Then all is not lost. I have an idea. Follow me.”

We locked our room and headed out into the city. William trotted towards the banks of the Seine, the wide river that runs through Paris. We passed endless sidewalk cafés where people sat drinking coffee and eating pastries. We saw artists with black berets standing at easels, sketching the lovely old buildings on the banks of the river. There were street performers galore – a gypsy played a lively tune on an accordion while her pet monkey danced along, and a muscled Eastern warrior swallowed swords and blew flames out of his mouth.

There was so much to look at that I soon forgot my hunger.

As we approached one of the many bridges over the river, William stopped to lift his leg against a lamp post. After marking the spot, he declared, “Well, this is as good a place as any. Let’s get going.”

I had no idea what he was talking about.

“We’re putting on a show of our own, Alex! Take off your cap and put it here, on the sidewalk,” he commanded. “Good. Now see if you can tease some dance music out of that harmonica of yours.”

Hesitantly, I began to play. My crazy spaniel started dancing. It was hilarious! William knew some impressive hip hop moves. He shuffled and shimmied and even did a backwards flip.

He was incredible. I never knew my dog could dance like that! Soon a large crowd had gathered to watch. Within minutes, the spectators started flinging coins and Euro notes into my cap.

We were going to be rich!