Maxwell is Back!

Raymonde Fauchard, of Everyday I Walk With You shares yet another wonderful version of the January Writing Prompt.

The Map

by Raymonde Fauchard

"The map is taped to the underside of the chair on the balcony," Maxwell whispered.

“What!!?” Alfie's voice registered surprise. If his eyes could have popped out they would have, if his mouth was not that of a 10 year old, he would have spat out his false teeth.  Alfie knew Maxwell could talk but this was completely out of Alfie’s and Maxwell’s normal conversations.  This was in public.

“Shush!” Maxwell whispered.

Alfie quickly looked around to see who else had heard them; it seemed no one had.  All other humans present were still engrossed in their conversation about Uncle Keno and his unlawful deeds; he had kind of listened whilst playing with his Nintendo DS.

Alfie lowered his voice, “What are you on about?”

Maxwell winked. Alfie shut his DS, grabbed Maxwell by the paw and ran out of the room, up the stairs, and into his room. He slammed the door and threw Maxwell on the bed.

Maxwell, you see, was Alfie’s oldest teddy, the one Gamma had bought Alfie when he was still a baby. Maxwell was the one Mum had put next to Alfie in his cot when Alfie had no way of saying yes, I want that teddy, or no, I really do not like that teddy. 

Have grown-ups done that to you?  Not ask if you want a toy and just assume that it is suitable for your age, and that you should just play with it?  Well Maxwell, Alfie had decided, was just that, a toy he had to play with to amuse the grownups, till one day Maxwell had started talking. The first time that had happened Alfie had just assumed that he must have flicked a button on Maxwell. He had picked him up and turned him around and found no button to flick, press, slide sideways, nothing. Maxwell was just talking.  

The next time it had happened Alfie had taken it for granted that a teddy given by Gamma would talk, she certainly never stopped and had an opinion and an utterance for everything!

And now a few years later, Maxwell, four paws in the air, was actually talking to Alfie about a map on a balcony.  Alfie got closer and made himself and Maxwell more comfortable and said, “Ok, start from the beginning.” 

Maxwell started telling him how during one of Uncle Keno’s brief visits to the apartment in the past few days, he had seen him tape something to the underside of the chair. (You see who would think that a teddy could see, never mind talk!!)  

That morning in the newspapers the headlines had been about the theft of one the Cocos Island treasure maps from the British Museum. That was what the adults had been spending most of the afternoon talking about. Of course, the apartment was the best place to hide it, if it was Uncle Keno’s deed.  It was on Bedford Square so close to the Museum and nobody would think of looking here.

Alfie interjected, “But you don’t know if it is the map!” Maxwell lifted his big beady eyes to the ceiling. Uncle Keno, you see, was a lovable rogue as far as Alfie was concerned, with many stories of faraway places and funny deeds. Keno could come and go as he pleased, in and out of the apartment even without a key but leave a stolen map!

“Sure I don’t know for sure, but I could lay my fur on it!” Maxwell said.

“OK," said Alfie. “What do we do?” 

“We?” said Maxwell. “May I remind you that I can only talk and roll my eyes? I told you because now it is up to you to come up with a plan.”

Could or should Alfie retrieve the map from under the chair on the balcony?  Or just say to Uncle Keno that he knew where the map was?  But Alfie was curious. What if it was not the map, just some silly prank!  But if it really was the map, that was even more exiting.

Alfie quickly walked to the door of his bedroom and opened it to listen out. The grown ups were still there, chatting over their cups of tea and afternoon cucumber sandwiches which he was now missing out on.  He walked back to the bed, tucked Maxwell under his arm and ran back downstairs. He helped himself on the way to some sandwiches, got told off for not putting them on a plate, ignored it and walked out on the balcony in the lovely lazy English sun.  He sat on the chair, put Maxwell on the wrought iron table, stuffed the sandwiches in his mouth and started to feel under the chair. Bingo! There was something! He carefully undid the sellotape from the chair. In his hand he had a flat parcel protected by a plastic bag. Maxwell winked, Alfie put the parcel under his shirt the best he could, and took Maxwell off the table. He pretended to give him the biggest hug in the world and walked back through the lounge still hugging Maxwell tightly.

When he was back in his room, Maxwell ended up again with his paws in the air on the bed and Alfie was carefully opening the parcel. Inside there was a map, it looked very old with markings and what looked like codes.  There definitely was a cross and bone flag and what looked like the picture of an island.  Alfie was stunned! 

It was Maxwell‘s turn to speak again. ”I did tell you that the map was taped to the underside of the chair on the balcony.”

Copyright 2010, Raymonde Fauchard. Used with permission.